My heart dropped. “Avi? What’s wrong?”
“My–Mythic!” Her voice trembled and was filled with distress.
Hearing the pain and desperation, a knot formed in my stomach. “Avi, take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”
She cried to calm down, but she couldn’t control the tears. The sound of her anguish was gut-wrenching. I wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and pull her into my arms. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I needed to be there for her.
“I’m here, Avi. Just tell me what’s going on.”
Aviana fought to regain her composure. Each breath came in ragged, shaky gasps. She inhaled deeply, as she desperately fought to steady herself. “Jeremy…” She finally forced out. “He’s–He’s dead. He was murdered.”
Shock flowed through me like ice water as I struggled to process her words.
Shaken, I pulled over to the side of the busy street. “What?No, Aviana…”
Her sobs resonated through the phone, and she could hardly speak. Her words tumbled out in fragments. “I’m outside…on the porch at Stephanie’s house. I just…I needed to tell you…”
“Where is Damar?” I asked as my protective instincts kicked in. “I need to come see you.”
“I’m with Damar,” she replied, “but I had to step outside to call you. I didn’t want you to find out on social media or something.”
As her voice broke again, my heart ached for her.
“Aviana, listen to me. You’re not alone. I’m here for you. I want to be there. Just tell me what you need.”
As she took a shaky breath, I could hear the turmoil in her silence. “I don’t know what to do, Mythic. I don’t know how to comfort Damar and Stephanie. This is crazy.”
“What happened to him?”
“No one knows yet, but we’re sure he was with those damn 111 Boyz. Damar caught him outside with them earlier, but he made Jeremy get in the car. Damar said that he dropped him off at home, but Jeremy must have just left again. He was found in an alley around the corner. He was shot in the head…twice…” Whimpers took over as she tried to continue. “He was found in a fucking alley. They just left him in the alley like he was trash. That poor baby. This is unreal. This is un-fucking-real!”
As I sat there listening to her unravel, I felt like my hands were tied. Showing up at Damar’s baby’s mother’s house to comfort his wife would complicate things even more. All I could do was offer my support through the phone.
“Aviana, listen to me. You have to be there for Damar and Stephanie right now. They’re going to need your strength more than ever.” Her sobs were gut-wrenching as I continued, “I’ve lost a lot of friends to the streets, and I know how devastating this can be. You have to hold on to the good memories. It’s okay to grieve, but don’t forget that you’re not alone in this.” I recalled the pain of losing both my parents at an early age, a feeling that had shaped who I was. “I’ve been through this too, Avi. It doesn’t get easier, but you can find a way to navigate through it. You have to stay strong for Damar.”
Slowly, I could hear her breathing begin to even out, and her sobs softened as I spoke. I was relieved to know that my words were reaching her. “I’m going to check on you later, okay? Just take a moment for yourself and breathe.”
“Okay.” Her voice was fragile but steadier than before.
I ended the call with Aviana and made a quick U-turn. I headed straight for the 111 Boyz’ hood. The streets were a blur as I sped through the city.
I arrived in minutes. As I pulled up to the corner where the familiar convenience store stood, I spotted a group of the 111 Boyz loitering outside. They looked up as I jumped out of my ride, and I was met with respectful nods.
“Yo, Mythic,” Murdock called out, stepping forward. “What’s good?”
We shook up as I greeted the rest of them with a nod. Then I got straight to the point. “What happened to Jeremy?”
The group exchanged glances, confusion etched on their faces. “We don’t know, man,” Trell told me. “He was a good dude. He never got involved in our shit. He just wanted to hang out.”
“He wasn’t part of our crew or any beefs,” Reggie added, crossing his arms. “We were shocked when we heard he was killed, especially for it to have happened in our hood and we not hear anything about it. Shit don’t add up.”
“There weren’t any drive-bys today?”
“No,” Reggie answered.
“Nobody was out here robbing people?” I pressed.
“Not that we know of,” Murdock replied.
