30. Part Two

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

A/N: Cato in the MM. I was too excited to edit this lmao. Excuse any mistakes please. Did anyone just watch TALES? It was sooooo good.

Cato Willis

I got the news in the middle of the damn day. Just chillin' on my couch and I get a call lettin' me know my brother was dead. I ain't know what was worse, the fact that he was gone or the fact that I knew it was my fault. I knew Sonnie wasn't bluffin' when he said I had two weeks for the deal we made. My time was up and I knew it was him who sent the niggas after my fam. I also knew the shit wouldn't have happened if I was never even in business with his stupid ass.

I tried to stop blamin' myself. I was tryin' so damn hard but the situation all boiled down to me and the shit I was involved with. My grandma was never gone let me live this shit down. She was destined to hit a big ass "I told you so". I was already prepared for that shit.

I knocked on her door and a few seconds went by before it slowly opened revealin' my grandma starin' at me wit' a straight face. I knew she had been cryin' cause she looked pale and dead in the face. She looked like she did the only other time I ever seen her cry which was when my mama overdosed and almost died some years ago. "What do you want?" she mumbled with her arms crossed.

I pushed past her into the house. "I came to see how ya'll holdin' up." She closed the door behind me and followed me into the livin' room. I sat on the couch and she stood in the middle of the floor by the coffee table with her arms crossed again, glarin' at me.

The air was thick and tense and it was makin' me uncomfortable as shit so I spoke. "Where Lily at?"

"Sleep" she answered. I nodded.

"Chase?"

"Drum practice."

I nodded and rubbed my hands together. Her house was cold as fuck.

"You did this" I heard her say. I knew it was comin' sooner or later.

"I ain't pull the tri-" I started to plead my case but she cut me off.

"I don't care about your excuse! You didn't pull the trigger but you brought about the situation that ended his life!"

"You know I ain't even mean to. You think I wanted this shit to happen?!"

"Lower your voice and watch your tone when you speak to me" she scolded with her finger pointed at me. "Of course I think you wanted this to happen but it did, and its all your fault."

I opened my mouth to speak but she stopped my ass before I could even start. She was startin' to get emotional. I knew cause her eyes was gettin' glossy like she was finna cry. Lord knows I hate seein' people cry, especially women.

"I told you so many time. I warned you over and over that this was going to bit you in the ass. I told you how real karma was. I told you to keep this away from us. I asked you to stay away from us all together! Now look at what happened!" tears started fallin' down her face. She wiped 'em away and sniffled. "Your mama already going through it trynna rid herself of the demons she already got. How am I supposed to tell her she lost a child?! God forbid she get back on that stuff!"

I just stayed quiet cause I hated when she was right about shit and I wasn't 'bout to argue wit' her.

"I don't even know why you got involved in that anyway. You see what it did to your mama" she sniffled some more. She thought I just sold dope. She ain't know what I really did.

"I had to do what I had to do to survive" I said to her.

"You chose that path!" she yelled at me.

"You forced that path on me when you kicked me out in the street" I was startin' to get mad as fuck. She always acted like she just don't remember throwin' me out.

She shook her head. "No. Don't try to blame that on me Cato. You was out here runnin' the streets and drivin' me and all the rest of the family crazy. Don't act like you don't know why I told you to get out of my house!"

"You so full of it dawg. You kicked me out cause ya church friends was talkin' shit about you and how you couldn't handle yo crackhead daughter or yo 'dumb and wreckless' grandson."

She frowned at me. "Thats a lie! I did all that I could to help you! You still messed yourself up! Bad behavior. Bad grades. Outside all day and night. Skipping school" she argued.

"You ain't ever talk to me or help me!" I yelled back at her.

"I prayed for you all the time Cato."

I kissed my teeth "Thats not helping me. Yeah, you prayed but aint nothin' gone happen unless you do somethin' about it yoself. I was hurtin' like shit. I lost my mama to drugs. I got teased for bein' "stupid". You knew my condition and you ain't ever get me help. I skipped school cause I felt dumb as fuck. You knew I was messed up about everything. You seen me walk around here depressed. You ain't console me, comfort me, talk to me not once. You knew why I was wreakin' havoc" I shook my head. She stood there cryin'. I ain't even care anymore.

I stood up. "I'm sorry 'bout what happened. You can blame it on me for the rest of ya life. I know its my fault but just know that I aint mean for it to happen and i'm hurtin' too." That was all I said before I got up and left. I couldn't stand bein' around her. I walked to my car, got in, and headed home.

At this point, I felt like there wasn't shit I could do by myself. So I did somethin' that I knew I was probably gone regret later.

I called BJ.

---

Athena Kelly

I wasn't sure what had brought me here. I had a big heart so maybe that was why I cared so much. Maybe that would explain why I took a bus straight here after school.

I stood on the porch with my hand hovering over the doorbell. His car was home so I knew he was home. I was so nervous and I had no idea why.

My mom and I had went to visit Mrs. Grimes yesterday and she was pretty much in shambles. Lily was super quiet and Chase was locked off in his room the whole time. For some reason though, I wasn't worried about them. However, I was terribly worried about Cato. He didn't seem to have anyone to be there for him and on top of that, I knew Mrs. Grimes was putting the blame on him.

Apparently, while TJ was home alone after school, some guys ran in, trashed the place, and shot him. The wild part about it is that Mrs. Grimes says they're all usually home around the time that it happened but she left to go pick up Chase and Lily later than usual. If she'd went and got them at the usual time, they all would have been in the house. They all would have been in danger. So it was bittersweet.

My finger finally came into contact with the doorbell and I waited. The door unlocked and I looked up locking eyes with Cato. "Its not Thursday" he said in a dry tone.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know." I usually helped him with his work on Thursdays. "I came to talk to you."

He stared at me for a while before opening the door all the way to let me in. I noticed he was fully dressed as if he were about to go somewhere. He closed the door behind us and I followed him into the kitchen where he opened the fridge and started pouring himself some juice.

"What you need to talk about? Ion know shit else about'cho yo sister" he said to me.

"I wanna know how you're doing" I said.

He got quiet and folded his lips in. I guess he was trying to figure out how to respond. "Worried 'bout me for what? I'm good. I'm gucci" he tried to play it off by giving me a fake smile.

I rolled my eyes. "You're not."

"I am" he argued.

I walked up to him with my arms folded. He looked down at me with a small smirk. "What? You worried 'bout a young nigga?"

"I gotta hand it to you. You're real good at pretending like things don't bother you" I chuckled.

"When you got a shitty ass life, you gotta smile through it all."

I sighed and leaned back against the marble countertop. "Be real with me. Just this once. I promise I wont intrude again."

He kept the same smirk on his face. "To keep it one hunnit, i'm mad as fuck and I wanna go on a kill streak."

"You're an idiot" I said to him.

His face dropped and he got serious. "I'm hurt Athena but I cant do shit but plot and revenge."

I let out a long tired breath. "If you insist."

"I'm only worried 'bout how my mama gone react and how Lily and Chase doin'. Ion matter honestly."

"Stop playing yourself.  You definitely matter and how you feel matters. You hold alot of things in. Its not healthy at all. I know you've been like that forever and all but its never too late to change. I'm always available if you need to vent or anything. I don't have any friends and you know I never have anything to do sooo.." I shrugged trailing off and diverting my eyes.

When I looked back up, he was staring at me. "What?" I asked.

"You remember when I used to walk you home?" he asked me.

I smiled a bit. "Yeah. You we're so annoying."

"Nah I just liked to fuck wit'chu. It was fun" he smiled.

"How is that fun?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "Ion know. Puppy love shit."

I chuckled.

He came closer to me. "Remember what happened the last day I saw you?"

"Um, yeah. You left my doorstep and I never saw you again" I answered.

His hands were planted on either side of me on the counter. He kissed his teeth. "You know what i'm talkin' 'bout."

I played dumb. "I don't" I shook my head.

"You'on remember?" he asked again.

"Nope" I shook my head. I should've been uncomfortable with him as close to me as he was. He was literally in my personal bubble.

I started to open my mouth to tell him to move but instead, his lips crashed into mine and I couldn't even think about anything else.

It was just like the first time.

I felt the same butterflies in my stomach. The same fluttering feeling inside my chest. The same giddiness that I had on my front porch as a kid. The only difference was the intensity. It was much more intense.

And I loved it.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net