017

𝙰𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙸 𝙽𝙴'𝚉𝙸𝙰𝙷 𝙶𝙸𝙱𝚂𝙾𝙽

𝙱𝚁𝙾𝙾𝙺𝙻𝚈𝙽, 𝙽𝚈

Armani unlocked the door to her granny apartment and looked down at the floor mat under her feet— it read "bitch don't wear no shoes in my house." She laughed and heard her granny come out either her bathroom or bedroom.

"Girl you done scared the shit outta me." She said looking at Armani.

"Granny what is this?" Said Armani. "When you get this?"

"A foot mat, I know you can read, take your shoes off in my house." She said mean mugging Armani's feet.

Armani slipped off her red and black Jordan 1s and placed them by the door before following her grandmother to the living room.

"Hows that knuckle headed black ass fatha of yours?" She asked. "He don't love his momma no more."

"Yes he do granny." Said Armani reassuring her with a sweet smile.

"No he dont, you wanna know the last time he called me?"

"When?" Armani asked.

"12 hours ago." She said.

"And you know the exact hours why?" Said Armani stifling her laugh.

"Because I do." She said mean mugging me. "Why you here? Me and Teresa was planning on going out."

"Well excuse me for wanting to come see your baldheaded self." Said Armani looking at her with a mean mug.

"Fix your face before I rearrange it, and you tried it." Said her grandmother as she flipped her long curly hair over her shoulder.

"Mmhm, where you and Teresa boutta go?" Armani looked at her with her eyebrow raised thinking this woman really thinks she grown.

"To mind our business." She said. "But we going to the mall, I need new gucci sandals cause one of those dumb bitches stole mine at yoga and I bet you it was Natalie's bum ass."

Armani stifled her laughs as her grandma continued to rant about how badly she wanted to beat up Natalie.

"But anyways girl, get out my house cause Teresa picking me up and call your ugly ass father and tell him to come visit." She said.

"And I oop—okay then, gon head girl." Said Armani as she observed what her grandmother had on— a gucci shirt, some skinny jeans, gucci Princeton slip ons, and her favorite red gucci bag. Her granny was definitely the shit and she knew it.

Armani admired the way her granny carried herself, how hard she worked, and how selfless she was. Her granny was her everything and more and the thought that Armani will lose her one day, is the day Armani will never be the same.

Armani got up off the couch and slipped her shoes back on, the two walked out together and Armani's grandmother locked the door behind them. Right across the street, there was 3 police cars with flashing lights and commotion. A man was getting arrested and a little boy was crying along with what looked to be the mother. The mother cried and pleaded for the little boy to calm down but he refused.

"Control your child ma'am." Said the white police officer as he looked down at the little boy hitting on him and crying.

Armani knew that if she didn't try and calm the boy down, it'd be another boy marking the pavement.

"Where are you going?" Asked Armani's grandmother as she watched her walk over to the scene.

"To help." Said Armani.

"Don't take my daddy! Please!" Said the little boy crying as he clung to his dad.

"Control your child ma'am, I'm not going to say it again." Said the officer as he pushed the boy off the man in handcuffs.

"Josiah.. come here baby." Said the mother with tears in her eyes, she knew that if she didn't calm him down the situation would be worst.

"No mommy they can't take him! We don't have any money! I heard you guys talking and where will we go if he's gone!" Said the little boy with snot dripping out his nose.

"Josiah is it?" Said Armani causing the boy to look at her. "I understand what's happening but baby please calm down and listen to your mom, please before the situation gets worse!"

"Josiah baby calm down." Said Armani's grandmother cautiously as she looked over the police.

"No Granny! They can't take him! You don't understand!" Said the little boy as he walked over to her and looked at the cops with hatred in his eyes

"Josiah listen to your mom, I'm gonna be okay." Said the father in handcuffs with tears running down his face.

"Daddy we need you!" Said Josiah.

"I'll be out soon." Said the dad looking at him with tiredness and hope in his eyes.

"No!" Yelled Josiah as he ran at the cop and before Armani or anyone could grab him , the cop unholstered his gun and shot him twice.

"I told you to control your child." Said the police officer as he looked at the body with disgust stepping over him like he was nothing.

Another statistic...he murdered a innocent little boy and made him another statistic...

"NOOO!" The father fought off the man as they tried to force him into the police car, he ran to Josiah kneeling beside his bleeding body.

"MY BABY!" Screamed the mother as she tried to cover the bullet wounds. "Help him!" She looked at the other officer who avoided looking at her.

"Not our problem ma'am." Said the man.

Armani looked in shock as the blood ran quickly down the pavement— it took a couple of seconds but when it finally hit her, she began to panic as flashbacks from her mother's death came at full speed.

"MOMMY NOO!" Screamed 12 year old Armani dropping her doll as she darts off the front porch of her home.

The cop had falsely accused her mother of stealing from a store— he had came for 5 days, everyday, trying to force a false confession out of her— each time he came, she told the cop she didn't steal anything because she didn't have to which was true— when she told them she didn't steal and refused to self incriminate herself, he shot her 3x in front of Armani. Armani ran in the house screaming "MOMMY'S DEAD!" And her father bolted out the door to the scene.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Yelled Armani's father looking at the cop with pure hatred and fury in his eyes. He looked at Armani's beautiful mother as her chest heaved up and down. "WHAT...DID...YOU...DO!!!" He yelled again as he held her.

"Mommy, come on...wake up." Begged Armani as she had came closer to her mother.

"Remember this Armani, you're going to be someone one day, and I'll be by your side watching." Said her mother looking at her as she struggles to talk. "Mommy loves you and your father very much, the both of you are her world, make me prou-

Before she can get her words out she's gone.

"Mommy wake up! This isn't funny!" Screamed Armani as she shakes her body.

"Mommy is gone." Mumbled her father, his heart had gone cold and he vowed from then on he'd protect Armani and do better.

"NO SHES NOT! STOP LYING! YOU'RE A LIAR! YOU'RE A LIAR!" Screamed Armani as she hit him a couple times.

"We're going to be okay...some day." Said her father as he let her take her anger out until she cried in his arms.

The cop had long gone by now but Armani's father took the case to court— when the family went to court, the cop lied under oath claiming the mother attacked him and of course, they called her the angry black woman and it was ruled in his favor.

"Armani baby its grandma, we're okay." Armani looked at her as the flashbacks came to a slowed pace but her fear was back. "I called an ambulance... they're now on the way to the hospital and now all we can do is pray."

"Are you okay?"

Armani broke down in tears as she thought about the little boy and her mother.

"Why do they hate us so much?" She wiped her nose as her grandma held her.

"I don't know baby... I just...don't know."