“Someone I thought was about to shoot you. Where were you?”

“I went upstairs to Tasha’s for minute.”

“Get in my car. We gotta get to the hospital. Butta’s been shot.”

Arnessa heard Kisa’s words, but they didn’t sink in right away. Seconds later they clicked, and she felt as if her world was coming apart. Don’t flip out, she told herself. “Is he alive?”

“Yes. Sincere said that he’s in surgery.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. All I do know is that Butta was shot, and Mannie’s dead.”

“Mannie’s dead?”

“Yes, Nessa, now come on—we have to get there.”

Tasha grabbed Arnessa gently by the elbow. “Do you need me to come with you?” she asked with great concern for her friend.

“Yes.”

Arnessa was heartbroken once she arrived at the hospital and learned of Butta’s life-threatening condition. She sat in the waiting room between Kisa and Tasha with her head buried in her lap, sobbing uncontrollably. Inside, Arnessa ached horribly. She couldn’t grasp why so much was happening to her.

Sincere sat across the room; next to him sat Shawn, who was trying to explain what he knew. Shawn blamed himself. “If I had been on point, Mannie wouldn’t be dead, and Butta wouldn’t be in there shot the fuck up!”

“You don’t know that,” Sincere said. “If you had been, then you might be dead just like Mannie.” Sincere was furious. Mannie was one of his closest friends, and Butta … Butta was his brother. Sincere’s mother Lena had raised Butta since he was nine years old. “Y’all been playing with this nigga far too long,” he told Shawn in a stern but low voice. “The games is over. When I see that nigga, I’ma lay his faggot ass down.”

“Fuck,” Shawn said, looking at the entrance of the waiting room. Sincere followed Shawn’s gaze and saw Nichelle entering the room. They both glanced over in Arnessa’s direction; her head was still down.

Sincere leaped from the chair in an effort to get her out of the room before Arnessa caught wind of who she was. Part of Nichelle’s purpose for going to the hospital was so Arnessa would find out about her. She knew exactly why Sincere was moving in her direction. To ensure she accomplished her mission, Nichelle kicked her performance into high gear immediately. She dropped to her knees and began to wail loudly, “Where’s my Butta? Did they kill my Butta? Somebody please tell me he’s okay.”

“He’s alive, Nichelle,” Sincere said as he helped her up.