"Isn't that Lauryn?" China asked.

"Lauryn?" I repeated peeking over the car trunk.

"Aw shit," Michael mumbled scratching the back of his neck.

"I hope she's not here to see Chris," Kae added as we all stared in her direction.

She wore a baby pink Juicy Couture sweatsuit paired with a white dad cap and white Nike Prestos. She parked a row and a few cars over and drove a black BMW, with a Barbie sticker on the bumper.

"The BMW that was parked out front two hours before has sticker decals in the back of the car. The BMW that fired the shots doesn't."

I threw the care package back into the trunk and charged over to her.

"Trinity! What are you doing?!"

"Trinity, let go of her hair! We're in the middle of the parking lot of a hospital."

"That's fine, so once I kill her ass they could try to bring her back to life!" Trinity growled wrapping Lauryn's long bundles tighter around her hand.

Michael busted out laughing while trying to record the fight, "Spank that bitch Trinity!"

"I know you had something to do with Chris getting shot, bitch," Trinity said with gritted teeth.

"Let go of my hair!" Lauryn cried out scratching at Trinity's hands with her long, coffin-shaped acrylic nails.

"Shut up!" Trinity growled punching her in the head.

"Aight Trinity, sis, listen to me. I see white people looking over here and you know what that means. The police gonna be here in two minutes and I'm on my second strike already." Kae said resting her hands on top of Trinity's.

"Kae's right Trin, we can get her another time, or just leave her for the cops."

"Chris could've been killed! I'm not letting this bitch go." Trinity cried out feeling conflicted.

"Michael." China snapped her fingers pointing at Trinity.

"On it." He responded lifting Trinity up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Michael put me down!" Trinity yelled trying not to lose grip of Lauryn's hair.

"Trinity let go of the bitch hair!" Kae yelled slapping Trinity's hand so she can let go.

"I'm not letting her go!"

"Trinity, I want to kill this bitch myself! We have to leave and visit Chris another time, people are starting to watch." China pleaded helping Kae loosen Trinity's grip.

Trinity was torn. She couldn't think straight, and her brain was scattered. With her free hand, she wiped a tear that was beginning to fall. She gave up and let go of Lauryn's hair.

"You're so lucky bitch, I'd put your dumb ass in a fucking body bag," Kae said looking down at Lauryn who was curled up on the floor. She kneeled down forcing Lauryn to look at her, "You better hope you're innocent and not apart of the shooting or that's gonna be my third strike."

"Kae, let's go!" Michael yelled as him and China started walking away from the scene with Trinity still on his shoulder who's hysterical.

"Trinity, where are your keys?" Michael asked as they approached her car.

She sighed as he let her down and gave him her car keys. The four of them piled in quickly as Michael sped out of the parking lot.

Ihissed in pain as I hoisted myself out of the wheelchair and into my own bed.

"Baby, do you need anything?" My mama asked entering my room.

"Nah ma, I'm good," I responded laying down.

"How's Trinity?"

I shrugged "I don't know, we haven't really spoken that much. But I check up on her here and there."

"Y'all not fighting are you?"

"Nah, it's not even like that. I'm just giving her a little space till things die down a bit."

"It better not be like that. I'm going to Food World to get groceries if you need anything call me okay?"

"Fruit snacks!"

She chuckled, "okay baby, I'll be back." She said walking out my room.

I reached for my phone and ignored all the notifications from my Instagram and Snapchat and went straight to FaceTime so I can call my baby, who picked up instantly.

"Hey Chris." She mumbled giving me a small smile.

"Hey baby mama." I grinned

She started to blush, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your natural hair is out."

"Shut up." She said giggling.

"How you doing baby?" I asked sitting up in the bed.

"I'm alright, what about you? You still feel pain?"

I looked at her growing slightly annoyed. Every time I asked about her she always ends up making things about me. We're both going through some shit right now but it's best if we both talk about our problems.

"Yeah, but nothing I can't handle."

"That's good." She said after some moments.

I sighed rubbing my face causing her to look at me.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to see you. I need you in my arms and I can't do that when you're too sad to leave the crib and I can't walk for shit. Damn, I miss you Trinity."

"I'm sorry Christopher."

"Don't apologize baby, it's not your fault. We're both going through some shit right now and it's okay. I just wish I can fast forward all this bullshit."

"If we were able to fast-forward through these obstacles in our life, how are we supposed to learn from them and grow as people?"

I nodded my head, "You right."

She's always right. She's so smart, probably the smartest girl I know even though her ass was failing math, she's very wise for her age. Shit like that makes me like her even more.

"It's weird saying that because the way I'm feeling right now," she trailed off sighing "I just want things to end."

"Trinity, stop talking like that baby girl, okay? I'm here for you, your father is too along with Michael, China, and Kae. We're gonna get through this together, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded rubbing her eyes.

"Don't cry baby, you're too pretty for all of that."

"I know." She mumbled flipping her Afro laughing a little bit as she fanned her face with her free hand to prevent a tear from slipping. "It's just that this is too much for me to handle. I've never lost someone this close to me. She's my best friend, my sister."

I sighed "I know the feeling."

"You do?"

I looked deeply into her eyes, seeing something familiar. When I looked at her, I saw myself back in tenth grade. I was fucked up, there was no sign of any emotions in me. And when I look at Trinity she looks lost and confused.

"A little, nothing major," I answered.

I wasn't ready yet to tell her about Chelsea, I didn't want to talk about Chelsea at all. I have other problems going on right now, things that I'm too embarrassed to talk about and tell Trinity. Packing on Chelsea on top of everything else is just going to make shit worse.

"Oh okay." She mumbled scratching her scalp.

I smiled at her making her smile a little, but then a crash turned her smile into a scared look.

"Chris, what was that?"

"You heard that too? Maybe my mom forgot her shopping list, I don't know." I shrugged looking at my door that was wide open. "Ma?" I called out but no one answered. "Baby, I'll call you back okay?"

"No Christopher! Keep me on the phone." She cried out.

"Trinity it's fine, I'll call you right back I promise," I reassured and then hung up.

I threw the covers off of me and carefully slipped into the wheelchair.

"I hate this stupid shit," I mumbled rolling out of my room and over to the staircase. "Ma, you downstairs?" I called out again, but no answer.

Chris started to grow paranoid as the whole house filled with silence, and all that was heard was his uneven breathing and the slight squeak of his wheelchair.

He stared at the bottom of the steps waiting for his mother to reassure him that she just left her shopping list, but other thoughts began to fill his mind.

Chris took a deep breath and quietly made his way back to his room, over to his closet. He reached for his Timberland box on the floor that was pushed all the way in the back of the closet. He stared at it for a moment, then taking the cold metal object out of the box.

He made sure the safety was on, tossing the Timberland box to the side. He rested the gun on his lap and left the room, approaching the staircase.

Chris hoisted himself out of the wheelchair and sat down on the staircase lift, making sure the gun didn't slip and fall. He was thankful for his mother for getting the staircase lift installed as soon as possible. He despised using it because it made him feel inferior, it made him feel pathetic because of his pride, but at a time like this, he was grateful.

The stairlift quietly and slowly took him to the bottom of the staircase where his walker is. He also despised having to use his walker and avoided using it at all costs, which causes his mother to curse him out.

Once he made his way over to the kitchen where he thought he heard the noise coming from, he hid behind the arch which separated the kitchen from the living room. Chris listened as the person in the kitchen shuffled around.

He held the gun tight in his hand, "Who the fuck is in my house?"

Hearing cabinets being opened Chris entered the kitchen with the gun drawn, pointing it straight at the back of the person's head. That person is his little sister, Mia.

"Oh my fucking god." He said to himself putting the safety back on and tucking the gun in his pants quickly before she noticed.

"Oh, hey Chris." Mia smiled taking off her Beats headphones and letting them sit around her neck.

Her music was so loud, it filled the silence in the kitchen.

"What are you doing home so early?" He asked rubbing his temples.

She simply shrugged, "Some kids set off stink bombs all over the school so we had to evacu—"

"Go upstairs, Mia."

"What? Why? I'm making a sandwich." She knitted her eyebrows.

"Go upstairs now!" He yelled slamming his fists on the kitchen table.

Mia flinched, putting the unused plate back into the cupboard. She watched her brother breathing hard as he used the kitchen table as support, to lean on. She slowly walked out of the kitchen scared and confused.

As much as Mia annoys Chris on a daily basis, he has never raised his voice at her like that before. As she walked up the steps concerned, she wondered if she did anything wrong at all. But she didn't do anything.

Once her footsteps were no longer heard, Chris sighed and pulled the kitchen chair out so he can sit. He took the gun from out of his pants pocket and sat it on the table, staring at it.

"What the fuck." He mumbled resting his head in his hands.

He couldn't believe it. How could he have done something so stupid? He almost lost his life when he got shot, and he was just about to take his sister's life if he would've pulled the trigger. He looked at the gun in disgust, pushing it farther away from him.

Footsteps were heard as someone ran throughout the house. Chris sat there at the kitchen table lost in his thoughts, fully unaware.

"Baby, are you okay?" Trinity's shaky voice echoed through the silent kitchen.

Chris swiveled in his chair confused, "Trinity? What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were in trouble or something, I panicked baby."

Trinity stood at the kitchen entrance with her natural hair in a high curly puff, a Ralph Lauren sweatsuit, Ugg boots and a Penfield coat. With a bare face, her eyebrows were growing in and her nails are in need of a fill in, signs that she hasn't been out of the house much.

Chris' eyes peered down at her hands, a metal baseball bat was in one hand and mace in the other. She dropped them both on the ground and walked over to Chris, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I missed you so much." She whispered.

Trinity really needed this, she thought. Being in Chris' presence lit up her world just a little. She hasn't seen him in a while and it felt good having him wrapped in her arms. Just hugging him made her forget about the obstacles in her life for a quick minute.

"You know I missed you more."

Chris' nose clouded with Trinity's alluring fragrance. She smelt like warm vanilla sugar, his favorite and only scent he knows from Bath and Body Works. Being in Trinity's grasp seems to put Chris at ease a little bit, but that was until he felt Trinity's body tense up in their embrace.

"Chris..."

He cursed to himself, "Yeah?"

Trinity slowly let go of Chris and backed up away from him, "Why is there a gun on your kitchen table?"

She looked frightened. Goosebumps instantly covered her skin, even though she's wearing three layers of clothing. Seeing the look Trinity gave Chris made him instantly feel like shit. Flashbacks of that unforgettable night flooded Trinity's mind. She wanted to cry, but she was more pissed than anything.

"After all that you been through, you bring a gun in your house? When you have your little sister here too?"

"Trini—"

"Where'd you get the gun from, Christopher? Why do you even have a gun?"

"Trinity calm down and let me explain. And lower your voice, Mia is upstairs."

Trinity began pacing around the kitchen, "She's upstairs and you have a fucki— ooh Chris, you're making me curse please hurry up and explain," Trinity said closing her eyes shut and balling up her fists.

"When I hung up the phone I thought someone was downstairs, I panicked!"

"Chris, baby, the first thing you do is get a gun?" Trinity cried out.

"I called out to see if it was my mother and no one answered. I asked who's in the house and all I heard was shit opening and closing. I didn't know what else to do."

Leaving the part about his sister out intentionally, he took his beenie off and ran his fingers through his short curls. If Trinity ever finds out about him drawing a gun out on his sister, she'd be pissed. He was planning to keep this to himself till he dies.

"Baby using a gun isn't always the answer. Do you see how many people are killed every other day from a bullet?"

"I'm paranoid Trinity, fuck! I hate being in the house alone, I make sure my room is locked before I go to bed, I still have nightmares of what happened that night, I flinch every time I hear a firecracker or some shit. I don't even know why mother fuckers are setting off firecrackers in the middle of the night, it's fucking January! This is the hood, Trinity. Kae, Michael, China, and I been living in this neighborhood all our lives. It was way worse when we were younger. The hood ain't all that bad anymore but shit still happens."

Chris grew frustrated he started breathing heavy. Having to get all off that off of his chest felt good, but the wrongs that he did still linger in his mind.

Trinity sighed walking over to him, "Chris, why haven't you said anything baby?"

"Why haven't you said anything about the shit you're going through Trinity?"

She scoffed, "Don't make this about me Christopher."

"Trinity, you haven't spoken once about Jasmine or the funeral after you told us what happened. Every time I ask you about how you're feeling, you shake the shit off and change the topic. You can talk to me, Trinity!"

"You don't understand what I'm going through Chris! I lost my best friend and it's all my fault, do you know how that feels?"

Chris grew pissed, agitation etched on his face "I don't understand?" He repeated, "Trinity, are you fucking serious right now?"