Opposite Sides (Completed)

21.

I stood their watching as Johanna tried to talk her brother down as we both stood about seven feet apart with guns pointed towards each other. I should've known better than to even try this shit. Love can fuck you up every time.

He stopped talking to Johanna putting his focus back on me, I saw his finger moving as if he was about to pull the trigger so I had to do it first, however we both pulled at the same time as Johanna screamed running in between us causing us to watch both bullets dig into her body as she hit the ground. I ran to her as I dropped to the ground, dropping my gun; this couldn't be happening. Her brother was on the other side of her, eyes widen, distraught from what just took place. "No," I started screaming, "no, no, no."

Tears were running down his face as he called her name, "call the fucking police." I yelled out as I tried to hold back tears. Calling her name wasn't going to do shit. She still had a heartbeat but it felt as if it was hardly there and she was hardly responding to us. Joel quickly pulled out his phone as he dialed them. "Please don't die on me," I whispered to her as I held her body. "Please don't die on me."

—

Joel and I sat in the emergency room on opposite sides as we waited for the news. They had to rush her into emergency surgery but they had yet to give us any details. This shit was sickening.

"She can't die yo." Joel stated with his head in his hands causing me to look up at him. He looked at me with reddened eyes, this shit was taking a toll of him as it should be. It was taking a toll on both of us. "I can't lose my sister man." Tears started running down his face as his eyes stayed on me. "I can't yo." I didn't know what to say to him, we were both hurting and the fact that this shit could've been prevented made it worse.

"She asked me to just dead this beef with you," he started as he shook his head. "But that shit ain't that easy."

"We even." I stated, "everybody got their fair amount of kills, you put bullets in me, I put bullets in you. I been over this shit. You just ain't want it to be that easy. I wanted this shit over before it even started. Killing and all that shit ain't what I'm in to. I'd rather be helping my community than feuding with another one."

He was silent for a minute. "You know how I became the leader of this shit?" He asked as seriousness overtook him.

"How?" I engaged in the conversation, it's clear he wanted to have it. "Because the nigga before me thought he was even with a mothafucka, thought shit was all good and that nigga popped his ass when he least expected it, killing him instantly."

I shook my head. "You do realize that if that's what I was going for I would have did that shit in the park right?"

He shook his head, "nahh, you could've been doing that shit to make me believe shit was even just to turn around and do the same shit."

I shook my head, something was really wrong with dude. " That would've been a waste of my time because that means I would have had to find your ass again. You sound stupid as fuck. I'm not on no bullshit like that. It's been enough mothafuckas killed because of this shit. As long as you would have left us alone, we would've left you alone. You so fucking scared of dying you gon' end killing yourself with the bullshit you do."

He ran his hands down his face, wiping the tears that were still apparent. I got up, feeling like I needed to move deciding to walk down to the vending machine. I didn't want anything, an appetite was the last thing I had at the moment but I remembered it being kind of far and I needed some distance. Once I made it there I saw it was in the cut and no one was around. I took a seat in the area as I ran my hands over my face.

This shit was unreal. We literally went from a date to her being in a hospital fighting for her life. The tears that I held back for so long started falling down my face. I cared for this girl more than I truly wanted to give credit for. Everything about her ran through my mind, her smile, her angry face, her tears. Her lustful looks, the way she fought for us when I pushed her away every time. Her positivity in the worst of shit.I didn't deserve it, but God knows I didn't want to lose it. I just needed the chance to fight for us like she did. I just needed the chance to tell her I love her, a chance to thank her. I needed a chance to talk to her again.