Destiny by Buju Banton "Destruction of the poor is his poverty. Lord, destruction of your soul is vanity. Do you hear? I and I, I wanna rule my destiny."

Dave laid on their bed just staring up at the ceiling, lost in a daze. After the news he just received he was over it all. He doesn't know why he can't bounce back like he normally did, he felt like he was getting weaker. He heard Sage come in from school, her footsteps getting closer and closer until she was in the bedroom with him. She placed her bag on the floor and made her way to the bed. She caught a ride from Aubrey, so she heard the news too.

She peeled off her sneakers with her feet and crawled over to him at a leisurely place, not wanting to disrupt the calm he was in. Even though he appeared peaceful, his mind was at war. She sat criss cross, taking in his appearance. He was shirtless, his ice just laying on his chest and he had on a pair of sweats. Sage reached out to hold his face, feeling the prickle of his beard in her palm as she stroked him. "I'm here. Always."

"I know, baby." He couldn't find anything else to say but Sage understood that. The news just travelled to him not long before about Khalif dying. He and Aubrey got into it with some of Marcus'goons because even though they killed him, his people wanted to avenge his death and make it clear who the enemy was. "One day let's just move outta this city...like I don't care where...anywhere but here..."

She bent over and palmed his face with her other hand as well and kissed him. "I'm starting to feel like that's what I want to do."

"It doesn't have to be forever," he explained, his eyes following hers. He was searching to see if she was just as serious as he was and she really was. "Maybe just a break so your parents can still meet the lil one."

"Yes, Davey. Let the baby be born and I won't start college immediately so we can just go. Let's go to an island," she suggested. Sage was half dreaming and half planning because she knew they could just up and leave with the money they have but nothing was solid yet.

"I'm serious." He took his thumb and went over her lips, just gazing at them. His touch made her feel high, like she just sparked a blunt.

"I'm serious too!" She giggled and went to kiss on him but he grabbed her neck gently, bringing her to his mouth and sticking his tongue in hers.

Eventually, Sage collapsed on him out of breath, wrapping her arms around his abdomen. He took this opportunity to stroke her tummy, tracing the slight bump. It was so surreal that he was finally becoming a father. "You said you wanted to go to an island?"

"Yeah."

"It's funny cause I planned on taking you to one for your birthday next week. Let's go to one and feel it out for when we move," he smiled.

"You gonna flew me out?" She said mimicking Yung Miami.

Dave threw his head back and laughed. "Yeah, anything for my shordy." She didn't even question it because she knew how real he is.

***

"G, I see you hurting," Aubrey presumed. The music around them was jazz, no words just instruments pulsing through the speaker of Aubrey's apartment. Dave looked up from his cup of water and just shook his head. He wasn't lying when he said he was hurting but he didn't know how to respond. "We coming out of this war victorious, we have a lot to look forward to."

"I'm about done with this shit. I feel like sometimes I'm forcing myself to stay and if I don't then I'm retiring way too early...but other times I don't feel so guilty leaving," Dave voiced. He sounded so lost like he was standing in front of two different paths, not knowing which one to take. That's exactly what it was and it scared him more than anyone or anything ever could. It was a constant battle between disbanding from this empire he built from the ground up and knowing the life he could live with the people he loved most without anxiety and paranoia overwhelming them.

"I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way all the time lately." Aubrey had this talk with himself a lot of times. Once he made it was when he should've stopped or maybe he shouldn't have begun on this track at all. Dave was in the same predicament internally, whatever it was their hearts bled more than they could ever discern. Emotions were on a high since they were losing more people, important people. And they were about one of the wealthiest people in the city, in the world probably, what else could they be doing this for? They lost sight, but now they couldn't afford to continue to do so. Both Dave and Aubrey had plenty on the line adding to the list that was Aubrey's father. More to look forward to, more life to live besides the remainder of what was surviving.

"Yeah...when this shit right now all over we're gonna talk about what we need to do. Whether we want to disband gang altogether or pass it on to someone. We ain't gotta stay in this kind of World," he explicated, setting his glass on the coffee table in front of him.

"Word, we gon' figure it out," Aubrey agreed.

***

"Sage!" Ella squealed when she saw her best friend without a shirt on. Her baby bump was more prominent and this was the first time she's seen it in a while. "How far along are you now?"

"Girl, you ask me this every week, but like three months," she answered blushing slightly. She hasn't really accepted herself as a mother-to-be yet, she didn't get to walk across the stage for high school graduation or even attend prom yet, but she had to worry about a baby and what the future holds for them. "Now, tell me where we're going before I go pee again."

Ella rolled her eyes at the sass but shrugged, "First tell me when was the last time you and Dave went baby shopping, if at all?"

"Oo good question. Well.... this man got the baby an adjustable gold diamond cut bracelet. Like girl, it was like the first and only thing he bought that I know of," Sage laughed.

"Oh my God. What did you buy?"

"Uh, nothing...I don't do the online shopping thing, after the whole ya know..." She was getting better at the paranoia but it was still an issue. She figured this was something she'd had to deal with for a while.

"Well, that's my whole purpose today," Ella admitted excitedly. She waited for Sage to connect the dots but her pregnant brain was far slower than normal. "Meaning I'mma push you to go shopping for the baby, all on me of course. My treat!"

Sage felt a moment of relief, she wouldn't put it past Ella to still be planning some crazy stuff while she was pregnant but luckily she wasn't. "Well since you doing that lemme get ready," she told her best friend.

"Do that then. How does 5th Ave sound?"

"Perfect," Sage answered before speed walking to the bathroom:

Endnote: Nothing like a best friend pick me up! Whatchu guys think? Any predictions?