Tales of the Hood Read online

  The next day I went to the studio with Maurice. It was the best way to release any negativity we had and I knew if I wanted to do this music thing I needed to be able to drop a couple of bars properly. Maurice fixed up a beat and I tried my best at free styling.

  “Growing up on the streets was a damn rough life,

  every other yute rolling around with their pocket knife,

  man watching my every movement,

  man listening to my every word,

  pricks shouldn’t be watching what I say,

  watch battyman Maurice he’s gay.”

  I finished laughing until my abdominals hurt.

  “Yo that was sick still, but don’t go talking like that often,” he laughed. ‘I think you can actually get somewhere with this,” he added.

  “I know but I have to be dedicated to this and we both know I ain’t one for making commitments. Plus trying to find out what happened to my mum and working on this is going to be a mission,” I said thinking about her.

  We both sat down and thought about the best way to go about things. In the end we just packed up and hit home. It was too soon to dive into anything major. My mind wasn’t 100% and I had too much resentment inside me to spit passion on the mike. Since the murder I’d been staying at Maurice’s house. Seeing the image of my mum’s body on the floor had left me somewhat traumatised. The wall where she lay was stained red. It was like every time I closed my eyes that one wall turned into the gateway of hell: roaring red flames surrounding a question mark in the position where I tried to put a face. It was hard. Staying in that house would bring back so many bad memories that I didn’t want to forget but at the same time didn’t want on my mind. I lay down that same night and thought about life. I hadn’t seen Jamal around the ends for a while. Maybe he was trying to lay low because he knew what he’d done and he knew that it didn’t end here. I punched the mirror with anger and watched my blood drip; staining the white material of my sheets; conjuring up the image of the blood-stained wall I tried my best to erase from my thoughts. I was so paranoid these days. Every boy that looked in my face resembled Jamal. I wasn’t certain it was him and there was actually a possibility he could have nothing to do with it but it was unlikely; very unlikely. Remembering the last thing he said to me after the fight gave me a pretty good idea that he was going to do something. ‘Remember, I know where you live.’ Those words were like a horrible lullaby ringing in my ears. I made up my mind. I was going to find him. Find him and kill him! Regardless if it was him or not, he was a chip on my shoulder that wouldn’t shift. Some might say it was karma but whatever it was I had to end it. With that last thought floating around in my head I lay down waiting; waiting for sleep to creep over the insomniac of the night.

  ***

  Vanessa came to link me at Maurice’s early the next morning. “I got a surprise for you,” she grinned cheekily. I smiled with my drowsy eyes. I wasn’t a morning person at all and I was shocked to see her here so early.

  “Tell me what it is then,” I replied.

  “Well, I have tickets to see Chipmunk later and I was wondering if you want to be my date?” she smiled knowing what my reply would be already. I jumped up and my eyes were wide awake now.

  “Don’t lie. Are you serious?” I replied, becoming sceptical.

  “Yeah, I got them yesterday. I thought since you liked him so much we might as well see him in concert. Give you a bit of inspiration for your own music.”

  I hugged her tightly and kissed her plump lips. She was so thoughtful. That was so hard to find these days; someone that can show compassion in every way. Moments later Maurice burst into the room raging. “What’s going on, who’s on this beef ting?” he shouted croakily.

  “Ha-ha, no one bruv. Vanessa just came round to tell me she got me tickets to see Chipmunk tonight. There’s a spare if you wanna roll,” I winked.

  “You’re gay, don’t wink at me,” he laughed.

  “I can’t believe she thought to do this for me though, I got myself a girl trying to push me in the right direction,” I smiled kissing Vanessa once more.

  “Alright I’m going back to bed now. It’s early and I can’t stand here watching you smooch,” Maurice said, walking back to his room.

  ***

  A couple of hours before the concert Maurice and I started to get ready just to make sure we looked fit for the night. I was feeling a purple and white vibe tonight; casual but cool. I also wanted to make a good impression on mine and Vanessa’s first official night out. I appreciated the fact that she was going to support me whether I decided to pursue music or not. Maurice, on the other hand, wasn’t as inspired by music like I was, so he just wore anything, not looking to impress anyone. I think he still had the whole Holly situation on his mind. I told him that we’d been through this before and he had to take it on the chin and move on. I couldn’t blame him though; what she did was wicked and wrong. Speaking of the devil, when we were on our way to the concert we saw Holly walking towards us. Me and Vanessa thought she was looking for attention so we walked on a bit but stopped close enough to hear whilst she talked to Maurice. Even though she violated him I knew he still had feelings for her for some odd reason. He was usually very detached from his emotions so I was surprised at the way he was handling the matter.

  “Maurice, I miss you,” she said gently.

  “Well things like this happen when you’re meant to be with me and you choose to cheat with some other man at my best friend’s mum’s funeral,” his reply was monotone.

  “I’m so sorry Maurice. I really want to show you how you made me feel again. Listen to what I’m saying; I’m having a little party at my house on Friday. More like a gathering. I you could pass through we can talk properly. I want to show you how much I mean my apology. I know I hurt you but you have to understand I have unconditional love for you, and I’m not going to let you go so easily,” she pleaded desperately.

  It was rather pathetic to be honest. How could she expect him to even think about patching things up after her actions?

  “Hmm, I’ll think about it,” he replied bluntly.

  Around ten minutes later he re-joined us in the line. “She just wanted to invite us to a party. I don’t know if I’m going though. I don’t know what mans gonna be there or what she wants to talk about,” he said, considering her invitation.

  “Hmm 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.

  “Blood, that was actually live you know,” said Maurice walking out of the arena.

  “I 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.

  “Yeah right,” said Vanessa sarcastically.

  “You 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.

  “Who the fuck is that?” said Maurice panting.

  “I 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.

  “My 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.

  “Stop 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.

  “Since having sex with Holly I swear I don’t like sex anymore,” laughed Maurice randomly.

  “Blood, 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 at every chance we got. It was those times that we had nothing to worry about. Where we could walk around and look at anyone without fear of getting beaten up; poked up; slapped up. It’s like the boys of my generation fed off the humiliation of others. I should know because I was the same, but there came a time when I saw what it was doing to my mum and I had to change. As I grew up I saw how the area we live in evolved from something safe to a danger zone. There was always tension and drama of some kind, that’s what gave the area its unwanted character.

  The hours flew by. We were stoned and the vibe was elevating. “You sure you want to go after what the dumb chick done to you?” I asked, sitting in deep thought.

  “I know she’s dumb but I felt like I clicked with her and you know that doesn’t happen to me, Jayden. I want to see what she’s saying. There’s no chance of us ever dealing again because I’m not a mug. It’s just a passing through thing,” he replied, with no hesitation. I believed him. He would be a big fool to go back to her. She had a dark side that I didn’t trust and it wasn’t easy seeing my boy at his worst. We got dressed and had another spliff whilst we waited for our cab to come. It was 12a.m. and there was no way we were rolling up to a party at this time on foot. When the cab arrived we jumped in and told him our destination. It felt like forever as it was like we were moving in slow motion, but when we finally pulled up outside her house it looked dead. There were no cars. We heard no music. There were no people outside. We were starting to wonder if this was a party or a funeral. Walking up, Maurice knocked on the door, still confused as to why the place was literally deserted.

  “Who is it?” a weak voice responded.

  “Maurice and Jayden here for the party,” I said clearly. When Holly opened the door the house was pitch black. There were no figures in the darkness or nothing.

  “Holly what is all this? Is there even anyone here? And why is it dark? This isn’t a party,” Maurice said, seemingly baffled. As she turned to walk away, ignoring our efforts to find out what was going on, that’s when it happened. The door slammed, Maurice and I were lying on the floor, stiff, with everything fading to black.

  Chapter Three

  Tied up and gagged, I woke up on the floor with my head spinning out of control. I tried to remember what happened but it was so gruelling. I saw Holly shuffling about and talking on the phone. I tried to shout but all that was heard was the muffled sound of rolled up socks in my mouth. She turned around and walked over to me.

  “Shut up you prick!” she said insolently. She took the gag out my mouth and, surprisingly, left it like that. “If you want to say something say it properly,” she said calmly.

  “If there weren’t a gag in my mouth don’t you think I would have done so?” I replied, livid at the thought of being in this scenario. “What’s going on? You set me and Maurice up, you bitch.” It was impossible for even me to interpret the outrage seeping from myself at that moment in time.

  “Don’t talk like that or I’ll have to shut you up again,” she replied coldly. She didn’t care about what she was doing at all. My lip was split open and it was stinging like hell. She laughed and walked away.

  I tried to get up but the gash on my head made any sort of getaway impossible. I had been pummelled and couldn’t recall any of it. I shouted Maurice’s name. I couldn’t see him in the dimly lit room with my blurred vision. I tried to cast my mind away and focus. That’s when I saw three boys drag him from another room and throw him on the floor in front of me. The relief that came over me was immeasurable. For a brief moment it crossed my mind that he might be dead. I didn’t know what Holly was capable of and I didn’t want to find out.

  “Fam, are you alright? Talk to me Maurice,” I said in a croaky voice. Seeing his face made me kind of happy even in a situation like this.

  “Blood my head’s killing me,” he mumbled. “I’m aching all over,” he added, rolling over.

  “Are you sick in the head? You told us to come here so you could beat us up!” I shouted directly at Holly. As much as I wanted to shout my head off my body ached ridiculously with every word. My voice slowly faded out and, feeling dizzy, I put my head back on the floor.

  “Well you see guys, I loved Maurice. He was so sweet and took me in when nobody else would, but then when he broke things off over something so silly. It really hurt. And I don’t like getting hurt. So let me cut a long story short, I set you up. Now I want to see you get hurt,” she said, lighting a cigarette. The only word to describe what I was hearing was madness.

  “You’ve got what you want. You had your people give us a bruising so let us go. Let’s just end it all here,” I said, starting to feel desperate. All was not as it seemed. There was a sinful look in her eyes that made me know we had to get out of there straight away.

  “You think a little beating was going to make this go away? Think again Jayden,” she replied, puffing smoke.

  “What are you gonna to do to us?” said Maurice dazed.

  “Don’t ask me any questions, Maurice. Just know that it’s your own fault. You picked the wrong girl to disrespect,” she said smiling smugly.

  Moments later the three guys in ski masks came back into the room. I was getting worried. I didn’t mind holding another beating if that was all it was going to be but the way Holly was talking it seemed like she had other plans for us. I was confused and there was blood gushing from my head and running onto my face. Out of nowhere two of the guys pinned me down to the ground and held my eyelids open. I was fighting now; wondering what they were doing; why would they be holding my eyes open? Kicking my feet and swinging my shoulders - it was no use. With my weak, battered body they overpowered me easily. I finally conceded defeat with the unbearable burning of my eyes. I was being tortured. The only word that ran through my mind was torture. I wondered what they were going to do but then I thought it best to just keep a clear mind and hope that whatever it was would end soon. I wished they would do it already because I was starting to feel sick. My eyes were in e
xcruciating pain just being held open, watching Holly and her third companion chit-chat like we weren’t there. He then walked over to Maurice and kicked him in the head, knocking him out again. It was one of the hardest things to watch. Not being able to help when your literally metres apart. He then did the unthinkable. It made me sick. It made me shiver. It made the blood rush from my face.

  Maurice’s trousers lay next to them whilst Holly sat down enjoying the disgusting entertainment; the screaming; the anger in his voice. The guy that was with Maurice now took off his own trousers and pulled down his shabby boxers. He lifted open Maurice’s buttocks and caressed his cheeks. Now I understood why my eyes were being held open. They wanted me to see every little detail.

  “What you doing to him! Let him go!” I bellowed. I didn’t care what pain it caused me I just wanted whatever was about to happen to stop. No one listened. It was like a movie in HD. The guy forced himself deep into Maurice’s back. The screeching was unbearable as I had to lie their silently; tears bucketing down my face. I gave up the struggle and watched all of this, which I didn’t even understand. These guys were determined to make me watch my best friend get raped: raped; such a vile word. I stared at Holly with molten eyes. She was smiling at the destruction that was being caused. Those few minutes seemed more like hours. After Holly’s unknown accomplice was satisfied he pulled up his garments and dragged Maurice to his feet like a rag doll. He looked so limp. For the first time in my life; in all the years I have known Maurice, I saw him cry uncontrollably. Floods of tears ran down his cheeks, filled with hatred and humiliation. When he was able to stand up straight I saw the blood drip from between his legs, staining the carpet dark red. I couldn’t feel any feelings anymore. I couldn’t think any thoughts anymore. I saw his fists clenched but he was too stiff to throw a punch. He was tensed up tightly and you could see that he wouldn’t mind staying like that forever. I think any movement he made would have let him know that this was real. This really did just happen.