Tales of the Hood Read Free Page B

about,” he said, considering her invitation.
    â€œHmm sure,” I replied.
    Front row seats with a drink in one hand and a hotdog in the other. I believed this was the life. Chipmunk was on stage spitting his latest hit and I was just kicking back letting the rhythm flow through me. Just watching him own the stage made me wonder what it would be like for me if I got that far, the exhilaration and adrenaline must be mind-blowing. As dreams owned my mind, time went by and before I knew it the concert was over.
    â€œBlood, that was actually live you know,” said Maurice walking out of the arena.
    â€œI know fam. I definitely know that music is the route to success for me now. The best way to do something is to begin with having passion for it. Never know I might blow tomorrow,” I laughed.
    â€œYeah right,” said Vanessa sarcastically.
    â€œYou don’t rate me?” I replied humorously. She laughed and hugged me tightly. It’s the little things that make her special. As we stood there talking about the concert, a blacked-out car pulled up swiftly outside the arena. You could tell the car was dodgy just by looking at it but you were certain when a dark-skinned male rolled down the window and stared in the faces of the excited people. Seconds later a gun emerged from the same window and started spraying random shots into the leaving crowds. Screams; fear and running feet dominated the area. I dragged Vanessa to the ground and Maurice dropped beside us.
    â€œWho the fuck is that?” said Maurice panting.
    â€œI have no idea but we need to bounce fast before we get caught up in this shit!” I said, checking to see if Vanessa was okay.
    â€œMy hair isn’t made for this kind of excitement,” she cursed. I slowly popped my head over a nearby car and saw other boys getting out of the car. It seemed like they were looking for someone and were ready to slaughter anyone that stood in their way.
    â€œStop this madness! Youngsters should not be fighting youngsters. Why do you have to carry on like this!” shouted an old man. One of the boys turned around and punched him in the face with no remorse. They didn’t care who got hurt as long as they achieved what they wanted to achieve. We couldn’t believe our eyes; the heartlessness and brutality of their actions was immense. They were hurting innocent people for no reason. As they made their way into the arena and out of sight it was definitely the chance to run so we got up and sprinted; sprinted for our lives! I didn’t know what that was all about, even though it wasn’t anything new. Gangs were always popping bullets to gain a little status. It was nothing new at all.
    ***
    The following days were full of questions. Who were they looking for? What did they want? Why were they hurting people that had nothing to do with their goal? These were questions that only they could answer. I tried to push it to the back of my mind and think of what Holly’s party was going to be saying tonight. I didn’t want to leave the house until the party so I stayed in with Maurice and got high for the day. We were feeling real nice; expanding our minds; looking at things from a whole different perspective. Whenever we were together and we were high, we caught too much jokes. Everything we spoke about would make no sense to anyone else. The topic was always life or girls; reminiscing about the good and bad times.
    â€œSince having sex with Holly I swear I don’t like sex anymore,” laughed Maurice randomly.
    â€œBlood, you just chose a hoe instead of a wife. There’s plenty more fish in the sea so stop brooding like a bitch,” I joked.
    We had so much love for each other it was emotional. We’d grown up together from so young that it was hard to find a memory Maurice wasn’t involved in. I remember when we were younger and we messed around causing trouble on the blocks. Terrorising the neighbours