Two Sides to a Love Story: Rico & Raja's Story

by Natavia

  “Rico, you need to go to the hospital. You’re losing too much blood!” she says.

  “Fuck no! I’m not going there!” I whisper.

  I’m bleeding out fast and I’m weak.

  Raja

  “What the fuck! I don’t know what to do!” I say taking Rico’s bloody shirt off. He has two nasty gashes in his side and a bullet hole in his leg.

  “Calm your ass down,” he says to me.

  “I can’t, there is fucking blood everywhere! You need to go to the hospital!” I cry. I feel like an anxiety attack is coming on.

  Tee-Tee burst through the door with Corey. That was fast!

  “Oh my God!” Tee-Tee says.

  “Ay nigga, you need go to the hospital! I will deal with those niggas but you bleeding out bad! I think you might need a blood transfusion. Your lips are turning blue,” Corey fusses at him.

  He starts losing consciousness and I start crying.

  Tee-Tee dials 911 and Corey starts fussing at me.

  “Your simple as fuck ass should’ve called 911 instead of running your mouth on the damn phone! The nigga got blood all in the driveway and on the floor! Fuck wrong with your dumb ass?” he fusses wrapping a towel around Rico’s waist, tying it tightly then doing the same to his leg.

  “I’m fucking this lil nigga up when he gets better. Got me over here playing doctor and shit!” Corey fusses and I roll my eyes at him. Samari was sitting on the couch crying.

  “Who did this shit?” Corey asked me.

  “I don’t know!” I tell him.

  “Samari, what block this happened on?” Corey asked her.

  “Newtowne,” she says.

  The paramedics came in then started checking his pulse. “We need to hurry up and get him to the hospital! His pulse is low!” the female medic says. They start loading Rico up, sticking IVs in his arm. I felt bad. I wanted to do something but I have the slightest idea what to do.

  They take him away then I hugged Samari.

  “It’s all my fault! Some man was beating on our mama and I told Rico to help her! He gets out then he and the man starts fighting. They jump him then one of them had a knife. Then one of them shot him then they all ran. Our mama went into his pockets and stole his money! He tried helping her and she took his money,” she cried and so did I. That was the most ignorant shit I have ever heard.

  “That bitch!” Tee-Tee says.

  Lace comes home. She’s been MIA for a few days. When she comes home it’s to get work clothes then she is right back out of the door. She and Tarae have been too close and I don’t like it. I haven’t talked to her in like three days. Tarae walks in behind her.

  “Where is all this blood coming from? Where the fuck my peoples at? What the fuck happened to him?” Tarae asks me then Corey tells him.

  “I’m killing those niggas! Fuck!” Tarae says leaving out the house. I grab my things and Zy things. “I will stay here with the kids! You just hurry up and go to see about your man! Call me if you need me!” Tee-Tee says then I hug her.

  I get in my truck with Lace getting in then pulls off. “It’s okay Raja. He will be okay,” she says as I speed to the hospital.

  “I hope so Lace! I pray to God he will be! I wouldn’t know what to do without him! I just stopped having nightmares and seeing him covered in all of that blood brought back memories I’m trying to bury,” I tell her wiping my eyes. I look down and like Déjà vu, I have blood all over my clothes like I did when my sister was killed.

  Tarae

  They said when it rains it pours. They weren’t lying about that shit! Too much shit has been happening back to back and a nigga hasn’t even been in school in a few days. I go to my closet grabbing my black cargo pants, black t-shirt and black Nike boots. I grab the case on my top shelf which I keep my ak-47 in, aka my choppa!

  I walk out the house and my pops is pulling up.

  “Wait a minute son! Let me talk to you for a second,” he says trying to stop me.

  “Go in the house pops! I’m not trying to talk to you! I’m already pissed off!” I say and I can see the hurt in his eye. Fruity ass nigga! I gets inside my black Cadillac Deville pulling off and when I do, I see that nigga Gary pulling up in his Lexus blasting Beyoncé’s “Flawless” song, swinging his hair everywhere. I want to murk both of those niggas!

  I parks a few blocks up from Newtowne. I get out and two niggas walks towards me dressed in all black with black bandanas around their faces.

  I grip my gun holding it by my side. These niggas walking towards me so I point it at them. “Nigga, I know you ain’t fixin’ to shoot me!” the voice says.

  “Corey?” I ask putting my gun down.

  “Nigga, who the fuck you thought it was?” he asks lowering his bandana.

  Royal lowers his gun then I smirks. “Boss about to get his hands dirty?” I ask. The nigga can easily pay someone to do this shit for him but who am I kidding? These niggas do shit themselves.

  “Hell yeah my G! But you need to cover your face up nigga. We about to air this block out,” Royal says to me.

  “I already got that covered!” I say putting my bandana around my face. Everything was covered but my eyes.

  “Leave that nigga Dimo alone though. That nigga owes me money. Once he pays me my shit then Rico can take care of that. A dead man can’t pay a debt! But if he starts busting back then kill his ass,” Royal says and I nod my head.

  “Yo, real nigga shit! If Rico’s mama out here I’m blasting her ass on purpose by mistake,” Corey says.

  “Nigga, that’s my aunt!” I tell him.

  “I don’t give a fuck nigga, and neither should you! The bitch already dead anyway! She be better off dead,” Corey says to me and I shake my head. I don’t give a fuck about my aunt Sissy, anyway.

  “Well, let me do it! I don’t feel right letting you shoot the nigga’s mama!” I tell him.

  “Okay cool! But if you bitch up I’m doing it! No witnesses and that includes her if she is out here! Crackheads can’t hold water and all it takes is a small little white pebble for them to sing!” he fusses.

  “Nigga, will you shut the fuck up!” Royal says to Corey.

  “Both of y’all niggas crazy! Let’s do this shit before the niggas leave,” Royal says.

  “How do you even know they are still out here?” I ask. I wouldn’t have care if they weren’t. Someone was going to get got, to make an example out of.

  “These are my streets my G. Royal knows everything,” he says.

  We cut through the alley then crept up the up the street.

  “There those niggas go!” Royal says then we walk up. People start running once they saw three niggas with all black on, with choppas walking up the street.

  Once the niggas that jumped Rico start running, we started blasting. One of them shot back, missing. Two of them drop and one of them takes off running. I run after him like I was on the field. Once I got close enough I stopped, letting my choppa clap, hitting him in his back. He falls face forward. Royal comes up pulling out a silencer shooting him in the head.

  “Got to make sure these niggas are dead!” he says. We run back up the street and Corey is pistol whipping Dimo as he falls through a fence. He pulls out a long, sharp knife, jabbing it into his legs and arms.

  “Fuck ass nigga,” he says kicking him in the face.

  “Bring your ass on,” Royal says to him as we hear sirens.

  We go the same way we came.

  “Nigga, I told you that the nigga owe me money,” Royal says to Corey.

  “You said don’t kill the nigga! I didn’t; I gave his bitch ass a flesh wound,” they start arguing.

  “You said no witnesses though. That nigga still going to be walking around,” I say and Royal smiles.

  “Dimo is not stupid! I know where all his immediate family lays their heads at,” Corey responds then Royal laughs.

  “This nigga isn’t lying about that,” Royal says and I shake my head. These are some crazy ass niggas.

&n
bsp; “Let’s get rid of this shit!” Royal says.

  “College boy!” Royal calls out to me.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “Take all back roads! The police are going to be strolling main roads probably checking vehicles. I don’t care if it takes you hours to get home, stay off the main roads!” I nod my head then gets inside of my whip.

  I get home two hours later. I walk into the crib and my pops is in my apartment chilling at the table.

  “What the fuck you want? You tired of that bitch of a nigga listening to Beyoncé?” I asked him.

  “We need to talk! And watch your damn mouth, Tarae! I’m still your father,” he says.

  “Nigga, I got two mamas. Last time I checked real men don’t bend niggas over! Y’all going straight to hell! Maybe I should start calling you Little Richie, ol’ tootie fruity ass nigga,” I say walking past him.

  He bangs on the table. “I said that’s enough!” he shouts with bass in his voice.

  “There that shit go! Do it again! Get that pussycat up out of you! Let me hear that lion again! Roar nigga!” I tell him.

  “You are my only son Tarae! My only child. My fucking flesh and blood! I love you! But you are not going to keep saying shit to me. Now sit your ass down and listen to what I got to say,” he says to me.

  “I don’t want to hear about your fucking life!” I say pounding on the wall.

  “You’re supposed to be a fucking man! What I’m going to tell my seeds about you when I have some, when they get older? You should’ve kept this a secret but you flaunting it around like you happy! You proposed to that thing! What type of gay are you? If you don’t like women, why would you fuck a nigga that looks like one?” I ask him. This shit is all kinds of sick!

  “I like both!” he says to me.

  “Well at least I know you getting pussy,” I tell him going to the fridge.

  “I love Tataliscious! I’m going to marry her and I don’t give a damn if you like it or not! But, you will respect us,” he says to me.

  “Look pops, I’m moving out next week. So you and your project can walk around here however you like! I don’t want shit to do with this! What happens when the NFL picks me up and you come to my games? They’re going to see that my step-pops is a fucking tranny! That shit doesn’t belong in my life! You should know that shit changes when you live different then everyone else. You already know I’m getting drafted next football season and you tell me this bullshit. You foul! You still my pops and I’m always going to love you, but I don’t have to accept your life and I won’t!” I tell him and his eyes gets misty.

  “I can’t help who I love!” he says to me.

  “But you can help who stays in your life,” I tell him.

  “I’m going to always be in your life, whether you like it or not! You still my baby boy! You don’t have to accept it but I’m always going to be there. I’m coming to your games and all of that! Tataliscious can stay home, but I’m going to watch my only son get drafted!”

  “I don’t know what you did tonight carrying that long case out of here dressed in all black, but you need to appreciate your gift. I hear about you out here in these streets, robbing people and acting a damn fool. You have a gift and it’s going to go to waste if you end up in jail or dead! Leave the fucking ghetto alone. Just because you were born and raised in it doesn’t mean you need to take it everywhere you go. All you need is a criminal record and your chances of playing professional ball are gone,” he says walking out of the door.

  I call my mama up.

  “How is it over there? You like your new mommy?” my mama asks me.

  “You wrong ma! You wrong as fuck! You knew the nigga was gay! You lied and said you told me and he thought it was okay to bring that shit here. Why would you want to hurt me like this? You know how much I care for that nigga!” I say to her.

  “You left me too! When your father left you left right with him,” she says to me.

  “He’s always been there for me, that’s why! He taught me everything! He raised me! He did everything and you did nothing for me when I was a lil nigga! You and I don’t see eye to eye. You bitched about me playing football. You bitch about everything! That’s why Rico barely comes over there! You’re mean as hell! You’re vindictive and sneaky! You were the one who reached out to Fashion and had her coming over there because you don’t like his baby mama! You don’t like anybody and the only reason your friends with Fashion is because you sympathize with her. The niggas y’all want doesn’t even love y’all asses! If you weren’t getting money for taking care of Samari, you wouldn’t have done that shit either! All you do is eat and sit on the couch all day and stay mad at the world,” I tell her.

  “Tarae, don’t make me come over there and whip your ass! You watch how you talk to me!” she yells through the phone.

  “Did you tell Rico how his mama really got on drugs? You were jealous of her! You laced her cigarette with that shit and now look at her. She robbed her own damn son! I know all about it! I overheard you while you were drunk one night when I was a little nigga telling your friends about it. You did that shit to her when she was only fucking seventeen! You evil ma! I love you, I swear, I do but you are an evil ass woman!” I say to her then she starts crying on the phone and now I’m feeling sorry for her.

  “You need to come clean! As much as I want to tell him I can’t because you are still my mama and I love you,” I say hanging up. It’s been eating me up knowing this over the years, but that’s still my mother. I would hate to have to beef with Rico because I already know what he would do.

  I calls Raja and she answers the phone. “Ay, how my nigga doing?” I ask her.

  “He fine; sitting here all high, talking out of his damn head,” she says.

  “I’m on my way! Is Lace there with you?” I ask her.

  “Yeah she is, why? Stay the fuck away from her Tarae,” she says.

  “Shut the fuck up! We already fucked so it’s too late!” I tell her then she starts cursing me out. I hang up on her. I take a shower then change into some J brand jeans, a white tee and some blue, fresh 992’s new balances. I let my dreads hang down with a blue Yankee fitted hat on my head.

  I leaves out the house and the nigga Gary is walking up the walkway.

  He rolls his eyes at me. “Bitch-ass nigga!” I say to him.

  “Your papa loves it! That’s no way to talk to your step-mommy!” he says to me.

  “Fuck you just say to me?” I ask him. Although the nigga a man he looks like a bitch and acts like a bitch! I can’t even beat the nigga’s ass like I want to because it’s a bitch.

  He takes off running into the house and I laugh at the nigga.

  I walk into Rico’s hospital room and Raja is stretched out on the couch and Lace is sitting in a chair reading a Harry Potter book.

  “What’s up nigga?” Rico asks me.

  “Shit just chilling. Happy to see you up and talking. I came to your crib after you left and it was blood everywhere. I thought you were checking out on me!” I say giving him dap.

  “Hell nawl! This minor shit! But you know what’s funny?” he whispers to me.

  “What’s that?” I ask him.

  “The gun the nigga shot me with is the same one I sold to him. That’s some crazy ass shit! If the nigga aim wasn’t off he could’ve murked my ass,” he says and I shake my head.

  “I’m going to the vending machine! Anybody wants something?” Lace asks us.

  “What I want ain’t there, I tell you that,” I say to her. She walks out and I watch her ass like always.

  “Yo, you a hot nigga,” Rico laughs, sounding all drowsy.

  “Yo, some shit is up with her though! Before you get serious which I doubt, you better figure it out,” Rico says to me, but I already know Lace got some shit with her. She is a mystery and that’s what draws me to her even more. She’s like a hood version of nerd with a crazy side to her. I like that shit!

  Raja wakes up and that’s my cue to go.r />
  “Where is Lace? What you do to her Tarae?” she asks me.

  “Wipe the sleep out of your eyes first!” I tell her as I get up. Raja gets on a nigga’s nerves. Her slick mouth be having me wanting to choke her ass.

  “Oh my God! Baby, are you okay?” Fashion comes storming in with her work uniform on. I forgot the bitch works at the hospital.

  “Oh hell nawl! Bitch is you crazy? What the fuck are you doing in here?” Raja says standing up on the chair with blood on her clothes looking crazy.

  “My fucking job!” Fashions says to her. Raja leaps off her chair like a frog attacking Fashion, knocking her down. Fashion is taller than Raja about six or seven inches. Raja is fucking Fashion up on the floor.

  “Bitch, you work in dietary! The kitchen is closed,” Raja yells at Fashion swinging on her.

  “Stop that shit!” Rico barks trying to sit up, wincing in pain. I go over there pulling Raja off Fashion and she bites me.