tariq prince jones
Harlem, new york
flashback...
12 year old tariq got out the shower changing into black sweatpants and a white tee.
He had already brushed his teeth and washed his face in the morning.
He walked out his room and went to the living room.
"Ma im finna go to the park with angelo" he said referring to his cousin.
"Okay, be back before 8" his mom said while she was braiding his little brothers hair.
He walked out the house and walked to the park up his street where everybody always hung around.
"Yurrr" he walked towards angelo dapping him up.
"Im tryna get one of their numbers" angelo said eyeing these 2 girls sitting on a bench.
"Do it you wont" tariq said before angelo walked off towards them.
Literally 5 seconds after he came straight back with a straight face.
"So basically, she said no" he spoke and tariq bust out laughing
"Man whatever, you try , bet they'll say no too" angelo argued.
Tariq walked to them girls all smiley but that quickly turned into a frown.
"Man ian want yall anyway, it was a test" he rolled his eyes before walking back.
"Told you, stubborn as hell" he mugged them.
"Lets go to the deli" angelo said.
They walked for like 5 minutes before making it to the deli.
Tariq got some flaming hot cheetos and a sprite while angelo got fruit rollups and apple juice.
They paid for their food and left the deli making their way to the park.
They made it to the park and sat on a bench eating their snacks.
"Oh yeah, look what my brother gave me" angelo lifted up his shirt and grabbing a small gun from his waist.
"Yo what the fuck" tariq's eyes widened.
Obviously he's seen guns before but hes never actually been near one.
"Yeah its cool aint it, its mad heavy, hold it" he gave it to tariq who carefully grabbed the gun examining it.
"Its loaded?" tariq asked passing it back to angelo.
"Nah it aint no bullets in there, look" angelo said putting the gun to his forehead and pressing the trigger, truly believing that it wasnt loaded.
Sadly for him, it was.
Angelo's head flew back and blood splattered everywhere.
Tariq just sat there in shock, he just watched his cousin kill himself.
HOURS LATER
Tariq sat next to his dead cousin angelo, not being able to move while dried tears stained his face.
He heard sirens and eventually 4 police members and the ambulance ran over to them, harshly handcuffing tariq and putting him in the back of a police car.
Almost the whole neighbourhood was now watching the scene, and although tariq didnt do it, he couldnt speak to defend himself.
2 WEEKS LATER
"So what happened that day" tariq his mom and a office sat in a room with nothing but a table and chairs.
"I was with my cousin angelo, he showed me his gun and then he shot himself accidentally" tariq was tired of explaining this.
"Where did he get the gun from"
"I dont know" he said even though he knew angelo got it from his older brother, tariq's cousin, kai.
"Why would he shoot himself accidentally"
"Because he was a kid, he dont know how a gun works" his mother answered for him, she was tired of them questioning her son.
"Ma'am im speaking to your son, not you" the officer said.
"My son has been in a cell for 2 weeks, he's griefing the loss of his cousin, im griefing the loss of my nephew and my sister is griefing the loss of her son, can you please just leave us alone" her mom said irritated.
"Ma'am if you cant keep quite, ill just send you out" the officer spoke.
"I want a fucking lawyer"
