Yeatman Middle School

 The doors to the bus opened up and two of my best friends, the Twins, crack a couple of more jokes before getting off. The younger of the two (by like 2 minutes or something), Corey, throws a punch at on one of the older guys then makes a run for it down the bus aisle. He was always the more lighthearted of the two. Corey was always smiling. Always enjoying himself. Keith wasn't quite his opposite, as most folks claim twins are, but he was more serious-minded. He seemed to have that much more of a chip on his shoulder. He smiled.....often. But you could feel his earnest personality under it. These guys were two of my best friends in the world. And while I hated to see them get off, it wasn't so much because I wouldn't get to see them until it was tomorrow. Nah, I hated to see them get off because my stop was next, Yeatman Middle.
The doors closed back, and I sat back in my seat. Me and my homey, Hasaan (it took me until like the 4-5th grade before I knew how to properly spell that), were playing pencil break. I was a champion of the game.....LOL By the time I cracked Haadi's last pencil, the bus was coming to a stop. My heart on the other hand had increased its pace probably five-fold. I hated this part of the day. I mean, it always seemed to make me more nervous than my comfort level could tolerate. You would never be able to tell this from the outside though. I learned at a very young age how to keep things collected on the exterior, no matter what was going on inside of me. My emotions were for me to deal with....only me...and time. I say time because in due time all things pass, and all things come to light. There was no reason for me to get all jittery....hyenas can recognize the scent of anxiety from miles away....and it always makes their mouths water. 
My bus had now come to a complete stop. The doors opened. Haadi and I said our salutations to the remaining guys on the bus, grabbed our bags, and made our way off the bus. Once off, my heart calmed. My mind became clear, and my focus sharp. 
Get Home.
Get home quick and get home safe.
Get Home.
Hasaan and I stopped into Zoody's real quick to grab some Red Hot Ripplets and a Mystic before going home. I knew I wasn't supposed to make any stops, but it always seemed to help to be doing something when I made it to the corner. Eating my chips, I signaled that I was ready and on to the house we walked. It didn't take long to realize there was something going on. No sooner than I made it past the church did I see the guys standing on the porch. And I could hear lots and lots of commotion. I didn't know exactly what was what, but I knew something wasn't right. And that was the last thing I wanted....was for something to not be right. I crossed the street as I always did in order to speak with my God Aunt Audrey (GOD bless her soul). That may have been a bad idea, as I soon found out the commotion was coming from the 4400 block of the Bud, not the 4200. As Hasaan and I made it to the clearing, we realized exactly what was going on. Someone had said or done the wrong thing to the wrong person, and man, were they playing for it. 
"This nigga getting his shit crushed man!!!!!" Hasaan said as he ran towards the situation. 
His house was like one or two homes down from where a man's car was getting vandalized like you wouldn't believe. Two guys were taking to the actual damage, smashing the windshield with bricks, and busting out the windows. There was another guy making sure the owner of the car did nothing but watch. He watched....painfully....but he dared not move towards his vehicle. I saw this, and I turned my head. It didn't have anything to do with me, so I immediately regained focus. 
Get Home 
Get home quickly and get home safely. 
Get Home. 
My mind a blur, I turned to cross the street and no sooner than I stepped out into the street, Fred grabbed me up and put me back on the curb. A car sped by. 
"You better be careful, Lil’ Todd. You bout to get hit by a damn car, man." 
"Thanks," I replied. 
"Now, get cho' ass on home before I tell Mr. Haskins you out here playing in the street." 
I looked—left, right, left--then shot across the street. As usual, they were out in full force on the corner. It was theirs. They'd fought to defend it, and they now had no fear at all of anyone daring an attempt to take it back. On the porch of the house on the corner, about five of the original members of 44 Bud stood and sat, laughing and joking as always. In plain view, they carried large semi- and fully automatic weapons. It was like something straight out of a fucking movie. Only it was real.....very,very real. I spoke with a wave and kept it pushing. Over my shoulder, I could here errboddy speaking back, so I turned and gave a smile. Only four more houses and I would be home. The danger was clear, and my mind turned to whose ass I was going to kick when playing football in the street. 
A couple of hours later, I learned that a young man had been shot at the school....my bus stop. I never learned why because I never really investigated it. My mother told me that he'd been shot with a shotgun and died at the scene less than an hour after I'd gotten off of the bus. 
May God rest his soul. 
My Grandfather met Hasaan and I at the bus stop from that day on.....

Thanks Papa. R.I.P. sir.