by Asia Hill
Poor baby had to do something.
“Okay, you’re the boss.”
“Damn right I am. We’re done here. I.A. will be calling for you soon in regards to what you saw at House’s place. You can go.”
No sooner that I closed the door and my phone rang.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Ash? This E. Can you talk?”
“E, it’s all bad for JuJu. She’s here at the station. Y’all better get her a lawyer AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. My boss has got it out for her.”
“But they can’t question her without a guardian present, right?”
“Right, but my boss ain’t playing by the rules. Where the fuck is Lil Mama? Find her.”
“I’m gonna hit her phone and then hit you back.”
“Hurry up, E!”
(Young Meech)
I feel as if I’m in pure hell. Every woman that I have ever loved is gone. My boo, Tyesha, died at the hands of my best friend. How could I have been that stupid? I should have killed his ass at the bank. Lil Man killed my Auntie Shawn and my sister, Tiki, in the same night. How can I ever recover from that? That same night, I also killed my mother. I don’t regret that. That bitch deserved to die. She had my father killed, and she was fucking his best friend. My heart was so cold. I’m going to kill everybody that shares the same bloodline as that nigga—kids and all. If I can’t get HIM, I’m getting everybody he loves.ring ring
“Yo?”
“Young, this ReRe? You a’ight?”
“Hell naw! Fuck you mean? That nigga took everything from me.”
“You still got me and E, baby.”
“I know and I appreciate that. Where JuJu at? She didn’t come to the burial.”
“You don’t know?”
“What now, man?”
“The police picked her up and charged her with Tiki and Tae’s murder.”
“Never!”
“Yes they did. We’re trying to find Lil Mama right now. Have you seen her?”
“N-n-naw. Hit her phone.”
“Where you at? Come slide on me, Meech. Meet me at me and Poohman’s crib.”
Chapter 3
Boo
This person lying before me was not my lil sister. It couldn’t be. She was in a full body cast. Her face was raw with blisters everywhere, and she was on a ventilator machine.
“Oh God, Lil Mama, pull through this.”
The nurse told me that her body was so badly burned that they had to put her in a medically induced coma. The crash itself broke four ribs, and they had to remove her spleen.
“I know you can hear me. I heard you when I was in my coma. Push through this shit, lil girl. I need you. Ju’s in trouble. She needs you. You are going to be fine, baby. I love you. Fight sis.” The machines began beeping excitedly.
“Nurse, get in here now!”
The nurses and doctors came running in to assist her. All I could think about was Lil Mama’s ass fighting to come out of that coma. They kicked me out of the room so they could work on her. I decided to call Jaw. I needed all the support right now.
“Hey Auntie, what’s good?”
“Come up to Holy Christ.”
“Who up there?”
“Lil Mama.”
“Say no more. I’m on the way.”
“Bring yo momma.”
Thirty minutes later, Heidi, Jaw, Poohman, and I sat in the waiting room waiting for the doctor to come tell us that she was all right. Heidi was the first one to speak.
“I’m gonna kick her skinny ass for having us worry like this.”
“I know right? I been here all day.”
Jaw hugged me.
“Auntie, what the hell happened?”
“I called her after they took JuJu at the funeral.”
Heidi appeared confused.
“Who took JuJu?”
“Let me finish. The police told me that she was under arrest for the murders of Tiki and Tae. I called Lil Mama to let her know what was going on. While we were on the phone, she said that she was about to come back. She said she was about to bust a U-turn, but her brakes didn’t work.”
Heidi was pacing now.
“Well, Boo, what happened?”
“Stop interrupting me hoe, damn. After she said she couldn’t stop, I heard her scream my name and the line went dead.”
Just then, the doctor came out looking as if he had run a marathon. I was the first one to close the distance between us.
“‘Bout time, doc. Is she all right? I need to see her.”
He grabbed my hand and held it too tight for my liking.
“This never gets easy. I did my very best to save her, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry, she’s gone.”
It took me a minute to process what the fuck he had said. I turned to look at Heidi, Jaw, and Poohman and they were each crying. The shit still didn’t hit me. I walked to Jaw and wiped his tears.
“Stop crying, it’s okay.”
He held me tenderly.
“Auntie, he just said that she was gone!”
My head began spinning. My legs became weak, and I dropped to my knees. It was as if a light bulb clicked in my head. I screamed, “LIL MAMA, WHY BABY WHY?” I broke down.
“Jaw please tell me he lying. Not my lil sister. I need to see her.”
I jumped up and ran to the room they had her in. She was surely lying there, dead!
(JoJo)
Maybe I bit off more that I could chew dealing with Lil Man. That nigga is truly disturbed. I was down with getting my hands dirty, but the nigga is seriously trying to wipe out the whole Eastside of Chicago. I was going to avenge the deaths of my brothers and my cousin, Big Moe. I just needed to find a way to get rid of him. He was not to be trusted. To add fuel to the fire, I messed around and gave him some coochie. Why the hell did I do that? Now he really won’t be trying to go anywhere. Ole stankin’ ass lil boy. I broke down and told my sister everything that was going on. She was definitely onboard with getting revenge for our family. We had a plan to get them E.S.C bitches. We just didn’t need Lil Man to do it. JuJu was already in jail. We came up with the perfect plan to get JuJu back. I had something special for Dirty’s ass. That hoe drugged me and was about to kill me, had she not received that phone call. Her mistake was allowing me to live. I was going to get her ass if it was the last thing I did. So for now, Mia and me I were trying to get Jaw to handle Lil Man. I told Mia to call Jaw and tell him that Lil Man was the reason that JuJu was sitting in jail. I know he was going to kill Lil Man eventually. We just wanted to speed up the process. After he killed Lil Man, he was going to die too. But until our plan was in motion, I had to play nice with his lil creepy ass. Ugh! Speaking of the devil...
“JoJo, what’s up? I’m hungry.”
“You need to take a shower. You smell like a skunk sprayed yo ass.”
He began giggling like a kid.
“Damn bitch, that was rude. I should make you suck my dick while I’m smelling like a skunk, you disrespectful ass bitch.”
Now I had to do damage control. For he to be a cold-blooded murderer, he sho’ was sensitive.
“I was just playing, Boo. Damn! Chill out! Go get in the shower while I make you something to eat, okay?”
“Quit playing so much. Make me some chicken fingers and French fries.”
“Yeah, you can come upstairs and wash me up like my mommy used to.”
I just rolled my eyes. His mother was a sick ass bitch. The bitch was still washing him up until the day she died, which was like two months ago.
The nigga, a teenager! I mean like what the fuck!”
Chapter 4
Detective Malone
“Sir, we got the double murder suspect in the interrogating room.”
“Okay, did you ask her if she was hungry?”
“Umm, she told me to go fuck myself, and then she lawyered up.”
“We got us a feisty one, huh? Fuck it. Turn the air up and let that little bitch freeze. I’m going to take a na
p.”
I closed my office door and lay down on the couch. I was trying to relax, so I closed my eyes thinking I was about to get me a good ole nap. I was about to dose off when I heard a loud commotion outside my office door.
“What the hell?” I swung open my door trying to see what the hell was going on.
“Bishop? What the fuck is all the noise?”
He was laughing so hard that he was on the verge of tears.
“Well? Spit it out, damn it.”
“That lil girl just kicked Sanchez in the balls.”
“What? Why?”
“Because he went in there fucking with her. He tried to play the bad cop by telling her if she didn’t act right, she was going to go to jail for the rest of her life. You know ... the usual. Well, when he slapped his hands down on the desk, that little bitch snapped.”
I shook my head.
“So what you’re trying to tell me is that I can’t even take a nap because y’all stupid motha fuckas can’t control a child?”
Still laughing, he smiled.
“Boss, that lil bitch kicks better than David Beckham.”
“Get the fuck outta my damn face. I bet your kids run you at home, pussy!”
I was beyond pissed. I stormed into the interrogating room.
“Listen to me, you little murderer. If you put your hands or feet on another one of my officers, I’m going to personally beat your ass. Do I make myself clear?”
The nerve of these disrespectful kids these days. That little bitch cocked her head to the side and spit at me.
“Did you just spit at me, little girl?”
“Fuck you! I want my lawyer. I’m not answering shit, you fat bastard. I’m going to sue them short ass pants off of you. I WANT MY LAWYER!”
Call me crazy, but I was actually shocked that she spoke to me like that.
“Oh, I got something for you, you little ignorant bitch.”
(Dirty E)
“Damn, Boo, answer the phone ... shit.”
I was just about to hang up when I heard a dude’s voice.
“Hello? Where’s Boo? Who’s is this?”
“Chill E. It’s me, Jaw.”
“Jaw, they got Ju up at the police station. Ash told me to hurry up and find her a lawyer fast. Where the fuck is Lil Mama? They up there tryin’ to do her dirty. She need an adult up there with her.”
I’m doing all this talking and he was just quiet. Too quiet.
“Nigga, I know you.”
“Lil Mama is dead.” Did I hear him right?
“What you just say?”
“You heard me, Dirty. She didn’t make it.”
“Make it from what? What the fuck happen?”
“Somebody cut her brakes, and she crashed into a big ass semi-truck. Her body was burned real badly. The doctors tried to save her but they couldn’t.”
I sat there for like a moment straight and then began to cry my eyes out. That lady was like my mother. We don’t need this shit right now. I couldn’t hold back the sobs that escaped the back of my throat.
“Wh ... who gon’ tell Ju?”
I broke down. It took me a few minutes to get myself under control. It didn’t help that I heard Jaw crying on the other end of the phone.
“Jaw, somebody needs to be up there with her.”
“I’m gonna send my mom dukes. As for the lawyer, call this number…”
I hung up the phone and called to break the bad news to Re.
“Hey bestie, what’s good?”
“Re, Lil Mama just died.”
The phone went silent for what seemed like forever.
“Hello?”
“I’m here. I don’t know what to say. Where is Ju?”
“At the police station on 103rd. Call this number. She needs a lawyer AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Jaw sent his mother up there to be with her. Give the lawyer whatever he want.”
“A’ight. Re, you good?”
“I’m good. I’m just numb right now. I don’t have time to be sad.”
“Why is that? It’s ok to show some emotion.”
“I can’t be in a sad mood because I got a lot of killing to do.”
“Not over this phone you don’t.”click
Damn, my bestie gon’ flip when she find out about her auntie. I was on the verge of crying once more. I had to pull myself together. I needed to drop by my crib and grab some serious dough to pay this lawyer. We needed the best lawyer in town because we were in for the fight of our lives.
(Heidi)
I need a damn drink. All this shit is just too much. First Tiki and Shawn ... now Lil Mama. It might have seemed like we didn’t get along, but on the low I liked her a lot. That lil skinny bitch was a true gangsta for real. Plus, Boo fucked with her the long way. I had to be strong for my sister. She was crazy about Lil Mama. To see her cry like that broke me down in a major way. It’s been about two hours since the doctor broke the news about her. Boo has been in the same spot by her bedside, just looking at that shit tears me up. Now wait a damn minute. I’m not scared of the dead, but I am not--and I meannot about to be all up in there hugging and kissing on them like she in there doing. Enough is enough! I walked in the room and put my hand on her shoulder.
“Come on sis, it’s time to go. They need to clear the room out.”
Poor baby was a mess.
“I-I-I can’t just leave her like that, Heidi. She didn’t leave me. I gotta stay with her.”
This was going to be harder than I thought.
“I know Boo, but you wasn’t dead. She is, baby. Now don’t make me drag yo ass outta here.”
I wrapped my arms around her and surprisingly she walked with me.
“Jaw, take her home. I’m going to the liquor store.”
“Naw ma, I need you to go up there to the police station and see about JuJu for me.”
“The police station? What the fuck?”
“She needs a guardian up there with her.”
“That poor baby. Okay, you go to the liquor store and get me and Boo some Old English and a pint of Remy.”
“I’ll meet you at the station, ma.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into the third district police precinct. This shit was so outta character for me. I’m from the projects. We don’t just voluntarily walk into the police station. When I walked up to the reception desk, there was a fat, black ass bitch with a bogus lace front, lime green Freddy Krueger nails, and fire engine red lipstick. She had the nerve to look at me and roll her eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, she gave me the one-minute gesture and went back to talking on the phone. I was appalled. Unprofessional ass bitch.
“So you telling me that I can get a tummy tuck, lipo, and a breast reduction all for $3,000? Bitch, where? I can do that. You know I been saving up ever since I put that nigga Pistol P out. Girl, yes I was tired of his shit.”
I had had enough of listening to that bullshit.
“Excuse me? While you on the motherfucking phone bumping yo big ass gums, I want you to tell me why the fuck my child has been up here for over five hours and ain’t nobody called me?”
She smacked her lips and turned her chair around.
“Miracle ... girl, let me call you back. All right bye.”
I guess she needed a moment to get that hood-rat shit outta her system. When she turned back around, she came correct.
“I’m sorry, what’s your daughter’s name?”
“Ja’ziya Campbell. She was brought in almost five hours ago.”
She typed something on her keyboard. Something must have popped up because her eyes grew large.
“Um, do you know that she’s charged with two murders?”
“What I do know is that y’all had my baby in custody without contacting her guardian. I smell a motha-fucking lawsuit. Take me to my damn baby. NOW!”
She jumped her fat ass up and told me to follow her. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She was so fat that her knees rubbed against each other, causing her pants to flood. She w
alked me into a room that was so cold that I could see my own breath in front of me. When I saw JuJu balled up in the corner with her arms inside of her shirt, I snapped: “Aw, y’all think this is an episode of the First 48?”
“Ma’am, what are you talking about?”
“Why the fuck is this room so cold? You trying to freeze a confession outta her? Turn this damn air off and get your supervisor.”
I walked up to JuJu and gave her my jacket.
“Thank you He-.”
“Call me mama and whisper. You know they are listening through that thick ass mirror glass.”
“I been asking for a lawyer since the ride over here. They still came in here trying to talk to me. I kicked some asshole in his nuts. I think his name was Sanchez.”
I started laughing.
“Why’d you kick him?”
“Because he came in here talking cash money shit to me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Suddenly the door flew open. In walked a fat, old, bald-headed nigga with a cigar in his mouth. He 1ooked me up and down before I spoke.
“Hello. How are you? I’m Detective Malone.”
“So you’ll be the one I name in our lawsuit?”
“Lawsuit?”
“Hell yeah. My baby lawyered up hours ago. You put her in this cold ass room and turned the air up higher. That’s cruel and inhumane, bastard. Not to mention you didn’t call her guardian.”
“No need for name calling. Let’s just settle down here.”
“Settle down my ass. You violated her rights, and you’re going to pay for that. Now is she under arrest or wanted for questioning?”
“She’s under arrest. We have some very strong evidence on her.”
“Like what?”
“All I can day is that her fingerprints are all over the crime scene.”
Before I could say another word, JuJu snapped, “Since you so gah damn smart, you would have also known that the reason why my fingerprints are all over the house is because I LIVE THERE!”
He was stuck for a second. Not knowing what else to say, he turned to leave. Before he closed the door, he said, “I got an eyewitness that puts you there at the time of the murder.”