Lakea knocked on the door of Larry's apartment and almost instantly the light went off in the living room and it got quiet. It was getting dark out and Lakea was ready to get home to eat whatever her mom had cooked. She was getting impatient so she knocked again. Longer and harder. This time the door swung open and at the same time someone grabbed her arm, pulled her into the apartment, and shut the door. Crack smoke hit Lakea in the face instantly. The crack mixed with funk was so strong Lakea's eyes started to burn and her stomach churned. Her lungs felt like they were about to explode as she coughed and someone pulled her to the floor. The room was dark except rays of light coming through the broken blinds at the window. Lakea could see someone sitting on a dirty couch against the wall, and someone kept walking back and forth in front of the window.
“Let me the fuck go. What the fuck?” Lakea yelled as she kicked and jerked trying to release someone's grip on her arm. Just then the person sitting on the couch jumped up off the couch and crouched down grabbing her other arm, pinning it over her head.
“Who is this Larry?”
“I don't know, Sam, but since the lil bitch made me miss my hit banging on my damn door like the police, we gone have some fun!”
Larry and Sam held Lakea's arms over her head as she kicked and squirmed. Just then two cigarette lighters flicked over in the darkness to the left and two crack head women appeared. Both of them were dirty and their hair was matted to their heads. The fat one smelled like she had bathed in liquor and the skinny, tall one kept scratching her crotch between hits from her crack pipe.
“We gone have fun, huh Larry?” The skinny one asked.
“Let me burn her,” The fat one giggled, walking closer to Lakea as she kicked her legs in her direction. Those fiends were so high they didn't care that Lakea was a little girl and they were hurting her for no reason.
“Hellllll NO!!!!!” Lakea screamed, but it was too late. The skinny woman had jumped on Lakea's stomach, straddling her and pulled her shirt up. Lakea could smell the awful scent of tuna, garbage, and musk coming from the woman's vagina. Lakea threw up in her mouth a little. The fat woman then took a huge hit off her crack pipe and then stuck the hot pipe to Lakea's side. “ARRRRHHH BITCH!! I'm going to break yo muthafucking face.” Lakea screamed in pain.
Larry smacked Lakea hard across her face and then put his nasty, dirty hand over her mouth. The junky who was pacing in front of the window then appeared next to them and started taking his clothes off. Lakea's heart began to race. ‘No please, not again’ she thought.
“What the fuck you doing?” Larry asked him.
“I wanna fuck her.” The junky said kneeling down beside Lakea and pulling her shirt up under her neck. He then flipped her bra up over her 42C breasts and forcefully grabbed her right nipple between his fingers. Lakea screamed in pain and disgust. “Yeesss!” He said rubbing his dick up against her arm. Lakea knew that she had to do something. She knew it was now or never, she had to get out of there some way. “Get up bitch.” The junky with Lakea's nipple now in his mouth yelled to the skinny woman sitting on Lakea's stomach still burning her with crack pipes. “I want to ride this young stallion.” He said getting up and removing his dirty, crusty off white underwear. The junkie woman got up.
“We ain’t involved in that shit.” The skinny woman said as she and the fat lady went into another room.
Lakea knew this was her chance. Just as the now naked junky prepared to get on top of Lakea, she swung her legs up over her head with all of her mite, flipping her entire body over until she was on her knees and the men had released her arms. She then unleashed eight solid punches to Larry's temple knocking him out. As she got up off of the floor she side kicked Sam in the throat and took her box cutter out of the secret pocket. Just then the naked junky hit her in the face with a punch that made her stumble back.
“Yeah lil bitch. Where that Ka-A-Tae shit at now?” He said as he rushed her again, only this time she was ready.
Lakea started punching the man with the box cutter between her fingers; ripping and slicing his flesh everywhere the blade touched. He screamed in agony, but Lakea kept punching. Blood splattered everywhere as Lakea punched him in the head and neck repeatedly. He fell in a puddle of blood at Lakea's feet just as Sam started to recover from his throat kick and tried to get up. As he got up on his knees, Lakea kicked him in the face with her size six AF1's and then kicked him a few more times before backing towards the door. She looked down, Sam's face was covered in blood, and so was her white shoes. Just then, the junky ladies rushed out of the other room and Lakea prepared to beat some more ass. The skinny lady rushed forward, but Lakea punched her in the stomach while stepping to the side out of her reach. Then, she pushed her on the floor. Lakea lunged at the fat woman who backed into the corner. Lakea hit the woman with a hard right punch to the nose that sent blood splattering everywhere. Lakea could hear her nose break on impact. She followed that punch with a forearm blow that made the woman's head bang against the wall.
“I told you I was going to break yo fucking face, Bitch!” Lakea said as the fat woman slid down the wall unconscious. Lakea backed herself to the door and out of the apartment.
The fresh air outside hit Lakea like a ton of bricks as she began running as fast as she could. Lakea was happy to be out of there, but she couldn't help but feel dirty after that junky had his hands and mouth all over her. Thinking about what had almost just happened to her sent Lakea back to the worst time of her life.
She remembered how good they were living in Harbor Town until her mom met Jeff. The Monster! When she met him everything changed. For the first months it was good, but around two weeks later he started to show his true self. Soon after Felicia met him she lost the house, her job, and let Jeff start physically abusing her and the kids, and sexually abusing Lakea. Lakea remembered every time he hurt her, but the last time kept playing over and over in her head every time she closed her eyes.
They were living with Jeff's mother and his uncle in Box Town after they lost their house. Lakea had come home from school early after getting sick and Jeff was the only one home. As soon as she stepped into the house he had started in on her. Grabbing her titties, butt, and telling her that if she wanted to live there, she would have to give him some whenever he wanted it. That day he took everything from her. Up until that point he had only made her give him oral sex. He had also given her oral sex and he had made her jack him off. Today, he went to a place she thought maybe he wouldn’t go.
When Lakea tried to run out of the house he grabbed her by her neck and pulled her into his and her mom's room. Lakea remembered crouching in the corner feeling so scared, begging him to stop as he took off his clothes and started stroking his massive penis. She was still a child, about to be ten. ‘How could he do this?’ she thought as he thrust his manhood into her mouth as she cried. He threatened her that if she bit him, he would kill her, as he pulled her hair.
“Suck it. You know how I like it.” He said with his head back as he moaned and ran his fingers through her hair. Lakea cried. Her salty tears rolled down her chubby cheeks and into her mouth, mingling with the peanut buttery taste of her step-father's penis. That was the horrible taste she would remember forever. Jeff continued to thrust his penis into Lakea's mouth as she cried until her tooth scraped the head of his penis. He smacked her with so much force that she went flying into the foot of the bed. Lakea coughed and screamed. She tried to yell for help, but Jeff jumped on top of her quickly, covering her mouth with his massive hand. He forced her little legs open and positioned himself in between them. “Be quiet lil bitch. I told you this is what step-daughters are for. So be quiet and take it or I will kill you and your funky ass mammy and brothers too.”
Lakea was so afraid. She had felt Jeff's wrath many times before. He had broken bones, given them bruises, burns, black eyes, and no one did anything; not even Felicia. Hell she beat them too, and Jeff was kicking her ass daily, so she didn't see anything wrong with it. She couldn't a
nd wouldn't help them. Lakea just closed her eyes and cried as her step-father violently entered her, ripping her wound and taking her virginity and a piece of her soul at the same time. From that first time he touched her she was a broken girl.
Jeff thrust harder and harder inside of Lakea making her scream in agony with each pump. Her little body was aching and there was a puddle of blood on the floor under her, but Jeff didn’t care. After a while, Lakea was in so much pain she couldn't even scream anymore. Jeff stuck his fingers in her mouth and told her to suck them as he closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure. Lakea cried silently for all she had lost. She just wanted to die.
Just then Jeff's uncle Horace entered the house and walked past the bedroom, seeing what was going on. He screamed for Jeff's mother as he pulled his .22 caliber revolver out of his pocket.
“Nephew!” Horace yelled with tears streaming down his face. “Get yo ass up off that child. I can't keep letting you hurt them like you doing. This HAS TO STOP!!” He yelled as Jeff's mother walked up standing beside him.
She began crying as she saw Lakea shivering, curled up in a ball naked under the foot of the bed. And her son standing before her eyes, naked. Looking insane.
“Son, you are sick. Let us help you.” Jeff's mother pleaded while crying with her hands out as Jeff shook his head no. “Either you give yourself up to the law son, or we will have to give you to the Lord.”
When Jeff's mother said that he became enraged and rushed towards her with his fists raised. Jeff didn’t get a chance to hit his mother though because his uncle unleashed four shots from his revolver into his chest. Before his body hit the floor Lakea was up and had run out of the house with blood still running down her legs, naked to her best friend Nia's house next door.
Nia and Lakea were best friends all of their lives. They grew up together. Nia's mother was just as fucked up as Lakea's, and what a coincidence they were best friends since they were in high school. That is why Nia knew everything that was going on, so when Lakea showed up in that state Nia wasn't really surprised. She cleaned her up until the police came. She rocked her and comforted her. Nia was her comforter.
Lakea and Nia were together for a week after the incident. They lived with Nia and her family while Felicia searched for a place to stay. That is when they moved to LMG. The place where Lakea would relive old demons and meet some new ones. By the time Lakea traveled back to present time she was running up her porch steps.
Her shirt was ripped, she had blood and burns all over her stomach, and her face and hands where covered in cuts and blood. She banged on the door hard, then she heard
Quan yelled, “Who is it?” from the top of the stairs.
“Open the door!” Lakea screamed hysterically.
Her brother could hear the urgency in her voice, so he ran down the steps quickly to open the door. When he saw Lakea's face he became enraged and started screaming for his big brother Ray-Ray who was in the living room smoking and drinking with Quint. Lakea ran up the stairs pass Quan and straight into the living room where her big brother was. When Ray-Ray and Quan saw Lakea's condition they immediately stood up and started yelling.
“Who did this to you?”
The commotion brought Felicia out of the bedroom where she was entertaining a young block boy from the neighborhood.
“What the fuck going on?” Felicia yelled looking around. When she saw Lakea's condition she started crying and ran to hug her. Lakea knew that emotion her mother was showing was a result of her guilt, not concern. This wasn't the first time she had seen Lakea in this state. “What happened to you baby?” Felicia asked while wiping the blood off Lakea's neck and face.
Lakea began to tell the story starting with how she met Jermaine at the courts and he told her to go over Larry house. Lakea didn't realize that Jermaine had set her up, but Ray-Ray did. As Lakea talked Ray-Ray raged around the room loading guns.
“So that nigga Larry put his hands on you?” Ray-Ray yelled walking close to Lakea. “That fuck boy touched you? My sister?” Lakea, her mother, and Quan had never seen Ray-Ray this mad, he was fuming. “We out!” Ray-Ray yelled sticking his Moss berg pump into his pants leg.
“I'm going.” Quan yelled jumping up.
“Me too big bruh! Them bitches tried to kill me.” Lakea cried.
“Both of y'all stay here with mama!” Ray-Ray commanded in a tone they had never heard before. He was serious. “Big brother gone handle this. I got this.” Ray-Ray said as he and Quint went down the steps and the door slammed shut behind them. Indeed big brother did have it.
Since Jermaine was the main reason that had happened to Lakea, Ray-Ray decided to eradicate him first. Ray-Ray and Quint caught Jermaine slipping as he sat on the 10ft wall that welcomed you to LMG with a young block boy. They were smoking a blunt, talking, and not paying any attention when Ray-Ray and Quint ran up. Without making a sound Quint snuck up behind Jermaine and put him in a choke hold as his feet continued to dangle freely over the wall.
“Maine, get the fuck on lil nigga!” Ray-Ray yelled at the block boy as he pulled the Moss berg Pump out of his pants leg. Before he could get the words out of his mouth the boy was gone.
“What the fuck going on?” Jermaine cried between gasps of air. Tears ran down his face as he pissed on himself.
“Bitch you know what this is.” Quint said as he tightened his grip around Jermaine's neck.
“Bitch, you wanted to hurt me ha fuck nigga?” Ray-Ray said getting closer to Jermaine and snatching the 9MM handgun out of Quint's pocket. “Bitch, you tried to get my sister raped and killed, pussy. Well, bitch who fucked now?” Ray-Ray said hitting Jermaine in his face with the gun four to five times. Blood ran down his face and he begged and pleaded. “I'm tired of hearing this pussy's voice. Hang that bitch upside down!” Ray-Ray said as Quint snatched Jermaine up and turned him upside down, dangling him over the edge of the wall.
“Maine don't drop me fool, I'm sorry!” Jermaine cried, but neither Ray-Ray nor Quint wanted to hear that shit. They had heard enough.
Just then, Quint began to swing Jermaine's body back and forth making his face bang against the brick wall. His neck jerked each time and his face hit the wall with such force that blood streamed down the bricks.
Just then, Ray-Ray yelled, “Drop that Bitch!” and Quint released his grip on Jermaine's legs and he hit the side walk head first with a loud thud.
His head bust on impact, but he wasn't dead. Jermaine thought it was over. He began to crawl off the side walk. Ray-Ray handed Quint back his gun as they both calmly aimed at Jermaine and released about ten shots each from the pump and the 9MM. All of their shots hit their target and when the smoke cleared Jermaine lie on the side walk motionless. He was dead. No one would hurt Ray-Ray's sister or brother anymore if he could help it.
Later that night Ray-Ray, Quint and two more of their goons crept up to Larry's apartment and let loose fifty rounds into the windows and doors. Everyone inside of the apartment were killed, including two dope boys from another hood. Ray-Ray was satisfied that he had protected his sister as a man, but his happiness was short lived.
When Ray-Ray got home and walked up the steps, he could hear Lakea crying. He stared at the bags at the top of the stairs as he made his way to the living room.
“What's going on?” Ray-Ray yelled coming into the living room and sitting on the couch besides Lakea and Quan.
“Lakea is going to live with your grandma Mo in Whitehaven and go to school out there.”
“No Ma, I handled that!” Ray-Ray yelled.
“I don't give a fuck what you THINK you handled lil boy. She going her ass out there and let somebody else deal with her shit cause I can't take this. I gotta know you safe Lakea and you ain’t safe here. In a minute you will be blaming me for some shit again. Yo ass need to go somewhere else, get a different attitude. Change! Hell Naw yo ass gone and that's it!” Felicia yelled leaving the room.
With those words they all felt their world crumble. There she
was splitting them up again, giving someone away like she did every time things got rough. Ray-Ray and Quan didn't want their sister to leave, she was their best friend. They were all they had. Lakea didn't want to change either. Change for what? Her mother was the one who needed to change. Felicia didn't realize how much her lifestyle had affected her daughter, but it definitely had. Lakea didn't want to change though. She wanted to live her life. Moving with grandma Mo wasn't going to change anything, but her zip code. Lakea was out there, a wild child. And this was only the beginning. She wanted everyone in the world to feel the pain that she felt. She wanted them all to be just as broken as she was.
Chapter 3
The ride to Whitehaven from South Memphis was unusually long and surreal for Lakea. She couldn't believe that Felicia was using her tragedy as an excuse to get rid of her, and so soon. Lakea was still in pain from the burns, bruises, and cuts she had endured not 4 hours prior and now she had to leave her life and change because her mama wanted her to. Oh Hell NO! Why did she have to change and her mother didn't? She was still smoking, dating losers, drinking, and partying. She had totally forgotten about her degrees and their life before. She was having fun living 'That Life' at the expense of her children's happiness. So why couldn't Lakea do what she wanted to.
Lakea put her nose on the glass as she leaned against the door of her mother's Toyota Corolla. Riding down Shelby Drive and turning on Tulane, Lakea noticed some projects on the right hand side. Tulane Apartments was not a place Lakea would frequent when visiting grandma Mo in the past, but she made a mental note of the location this time so she could have a place to hang. About three minutes later they turned down a side street and pulled into grandma Mo's driveway. Grandma Mo was a young looking grandma, and even younger looking great-grandma at sixty-four. She was very short, only 4'11”, she was also petite, and had very fair skin. Lakea liked her grandma very much and she always enjoyed spending weekends and holidays with her. But now her mama was making her live there. That meant now she had to live with her aunt Tricey and cousin Alicia too whom she hated because they lived with grandma Mo. Lakea could not stand her aunt Tricey the most though, no one liked Tricey. She was a huge woman at 310lbs, 5'11”, and she was as mean as a snake. She hated Lakea's mom Felicia so that meant she was extra cruel to Lakea and her brothers. One time she locked them outside all day in 105 degree Memphis summer heat and wouldn't even let them in for a drink of water. She was the worst aunt ever and now Lakea's mama wanted her to live with her 5 days a week and only come home on the weekends. Hell No!! Then, to top it all off she had to change schools leaving BTW to go to Fairley. She was not happy.
A BROKEN GIRL'S JOURNEY Page 2