Opposite Sides (Completed)

18.

I laughed as I stumbled out of the bar, just about drunk as hell. "Nooo, that is not how it happened." I blurted out as Yuri was trying to tell a story all wrong. Everyone had came out to celebrate the return of my brother since he no longer was hiding and no one from our side was gunning for him anymore, my brother had really flipped shit completely. Even had people who thought they saw what happen questioning their own eyes. He was crazy with manipulation, it even scared me a little bit. However it happened to be a nice turn out and a good ass night. We were all about to head to one the spots we used to kick it at all the time in high school, Hillside Park.

I jumped in the car with Yuri and some guy that was apart of my brothers gang, didn't know his name, just knew he was sober enough to drive while Yuri and I were not; and he was the only one kind enough to wait on us to use the bathroom while everyone else acted as if they were in a rush to get to a park that wasn't going anywhere. We sang along to songs all the way there pulling up to the park in no time, it was at least ten niggas there already once we were getting out.

"The party is fucking here!" Yuri yelled out as she started laughing, causing me too as well. We started to walk towards everyone before I stopped, "I have to pee so bad." I tried to whisper to Yuri.

She started laughing, "bitch, you went to the bathroom before we left."

"I broke the seal." I cried out as I started laughing.

"Well shit, you know what to do." She smiled.

I got wide eyed as I started laughing, remembering how we use to go behind the brick wall when we couldn't hold it. I hated doing that shit. The wall was the opposite way of which we were going and I knew there was no way I'd be able to hold it for as long as they probably planned on kicking it out here.

"I'll be back." I stated, "want me to come?" she asked, "it's dark, I don't need anything happening to your drunk ass."

I shook my head no, "it's right there Yuri, I think I can handle it." She laughed as she shrugged her shoulders, "suit yourself," she continued walking as I turned around heading towards the brick wall paying extra attention to my surroundings. I passed the cars, some looking like people were in them as I got closer. I squinted my eyes as I kept walking, looking at the cars deciding that it was just my drunken mind tripping out.

I looked around and checked my clutch to make sure I had some type of tissue before deciding to take a quick squat. I looked around one more time and got wide eyed about to scream until my mouth was covered. "Chill out," the familiar voice stated, sounding muffled. I couldn't pinpoint whose voice it was. I was shaking as tears automatically started to form in my eyes. They held me against their body in a way that wouldn't allow me to move much, they had gloves on which I could tell from the feel of it on my face.

My heart was beating a mile a minute. I didn't understand why they were doing this, or what they were going to do. They just stood there holding my mouth shut. The tears started falling down my face as my urge to pee became even more urgent. "I have to pee" I tried to say through my covered mouth, I didn't want to pee on myself. "What?" They asked as they moved their hand a little so that it wasn't as tight, I had two options at this point I could repeat myself or I could scream. In that moment I decided I could do both. "I have to pee," I quickly stated as I let out a scream in which they quickly covered my mouth; in that same instance gun shots started going off.

I tried to run out of their grasp but their grip was too tight. I was crying so hard, they stopped covering my mouth because the gun shots would have drowned out my screams anyways. I tried to run towards the park, my brother was out there, my best friend. "Let me go" I cried out. It fell on deaf ears as they continued to hold me tightly.

Eventually the gunshots faded as my cries became louder. I saw bodies on the ground and people running back to cars, the person holding me let me go, dropping me to the ground. I hadn't realized they were my support in holding me up until that instance. I hit the ground hard as I watched them run, jumping into a car that sped off.

I got up no longer caring about peeing as I ran towards the park. In the same instance someone was running towards me, "You're okay! You're okay!" Yuri cried as she pulled me into her grasp, "you're okay." I cried out as I hugged her back. "My brother," I pushed off of her as I ran towards the park. Looking at every body laid out as I ran, no one seemed to be dead, some looked like their were just making sure the scene was clear before standing, which I was grateful for. "call 911!" I yelled out to no one in particular as I looked for my brother. I saw him on the ground holding on to his side as he looked to be in agonizing pain. "Fuck," he cried out with his face all scrunched up. I sent a quick prayer up, thanking God that he was okay. I dropped down to his side seeing that he had been shot more than once. We heard sirens, letting me know someone had did what I asked.

--

"Five people were shot at Hillside Park yesterday around midnight, there were no deaths and the victims seem to be recovering well. Authorities -"

"I was watching that," I shouted as Joel stood with the remote in his hand after turning off the TV.

"For what?" he asked with attitude as he made his way to the kitchen. I got up following him, standing with my arms crossed at the entrance. He was moving around the kitchen with his shirt off, bandage on his side. "What's your problem?" I asked.

He shook his head as he pulled out some leftover spaghetti, popping the whole container in the microwave. He started chuckling, "nothing, I find it funny though that I shot that nigga Jose in his side, and now I'm walking around with a bandage on mine."

"Karma's a funny thing isn't it." I stated as I watched him move around the kitchen. "You think it was them?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and then nodded his head, "had to be, unless folks I thought were on my side were playing my face. Whoever it was, was only going for me. The other niggas that got shot only got shot because we were running in the same path before dropping to the ground. Whoever it was spared me though."

I scrunched my eyebrows in, "what? What do you mean they spared you?"

"I mean that nigga was deadass over me. Man, matter of fact it had to be them. Looked me in my fucking eyes with a gun pointed to my head. He could've shot and killed me but instead shot me twice in my side."

I bit the inside of my lip in thought. "Well I'm glad they didn't." I stated before heading out the kitchen.

"But whoever it was going to wish they killed me." He countered causing me to stop in my tracks. I walked back towards him. "Are you fucking kidding me Joel?"

He looked offended by my statement as he grabbed his food from the microwave, I continued not even allowing him to reply. "They spared your life when they could have killed you, take it as you all being even. Dead this shit. Like this shit is never going to end if y'all keep on. For goodness sakes, you shot first. It's like you're trying to end up in the grave."

He just looked at me as he ate. "Y'all just taking people away from their family, this shit is stupid." I continued. "For no fucking reason. Like you're my brother, but you're dumb as fuck. This ain't no fucking game. It's people's lives, their livelihood." He still just stood their looking at me, I shook my head as I walked away with my attitude in full effect.

He wasn't going to learn until he was fighting for his life, and I didn't want to see it get there.