Vicious Is The Name That They Gave Me: A Philly Story (10 page)

“Fuck them. They don’t know what we are about,” Paris claimed.

“Yea, let’s give them a taste of their own medicine,” Camille said.

“Let’s start with Chanelle and Kassidy,” I said.

We are coming after you bitches!

Chapter 11

Tori

              Things with the squad are getting a little too crazy. It never used to be like this. What started out was so small and innocent now it’s getting out of hand. This
shit is going too far. People want to start snitching. People want to start being dumb. People want to start acting tough when they really are not. They’re frauds. People want to start turning their backs on people they are supposed to be loyal to. What the fuck?
In a squad like Tha Philly Ridahs, I have to watch my back twenty-four seven. Some of these bitches are not really loyal. They will lie to you about anything like their name, their age what they are about. They will tell you one story and then five minutes later they will tell you something completely different. You would be confused afterwards. They don’t expose their true colors in the beginning. Oh no, they’ll surprise you later on in life if you’re still alive. You’re standing there in disbelief saying ‘What the fuck is this bullshit?’ You’ll be the one looking stupid. You’d want to whip someone’s ass. I say it all needs to end.

              With Chanelle’s behavior, things are beginning to get worse. Chanelle had some nerve to make a bet like that with Vicious, especially with Kassidy’s dude. I mean she could have come up with something else and not go sleep with your sister’s dude. I mean no one is innocent in this situation. Almost everyone has flaws and is guilty of something. But it is ridiculous what is happening. All Chanelle wants is money and dick. She will get it however she wants and when she wants.

              Sitting outside my house on the porch, I observed my block closely. It’s not ghetto people on the block. They would just do the unthinkable.
A lot of young kids play in the street. Half the time, their parents are not watching them. Some of these cars will do 50 mph down a one-way street. As soon as a child gets hit, their parents want to run outside. Well why weren’t you watching your kids? I say go to the playground, it’s only a block away.
Okay, another scenario. Some of kids like to play football on the block.
No problem, I am all for empowering the kids to be positive.
So while they were throwing the ball back and forth they broke a car window. Do
you think their parents went and replaced it? They didn’t. See, no consideration.
Then the following day they’re outside as if nothing happened and the owner of the car and the kid’s parents are arguing back and forth. That is one of the reasons why shit is so fucked up out here. There is no consideration anymore. Relaxed in my chair watching the block, my phone rang. At first I wasn’t going to answer but I decided to.
It may be an emergency.

“Hello,” I answered to the blocked caller.

“Tori,” The unknown caller greeted.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“It’s me Pusha,” She said.
Damn, I have not heard from Pusha in a while since we worked together. Now she wants to act like she knows somebody. I wonder why? What does she want?

“What’s up, bitch. You act like you don’t know anybody. But that’s okay though,” I joked with her. I heard her suck her teeth. I sucked mine too, jokingly.

“Whatever, Tori! Have you heard from Dymond?” she asked.

“Dymond? No, why?” I asked.

“I’ve been calling her phone. She isn’t answering and I want to make sure she’s cool,” Pusha said.

“Why wouldn’t she be cool, Pusha?” I asked her as I was beginning to worry. When it comes to my little sister, I don’t take it very lightly. 

“The last time I spoke with her, she was headed to Baltimore with Reese and them. I was supposed to ride with her but I got held up on some things,” Pusha explained. This was news to me. Dymond never told me about going to Baltimore especially with Reese. I know Pusha, as far as Reese. I did not trust her or her brothers.  I need to find out why Pusha had my little sister going to Baltimore by herself and not tell me.

“Let me get this straight! Alright, Pusha! You sent my little sister down to Baltimore with a friend and her brothers? So when the fuck was you going to tell me? Fuck, were you even going to ask me?” I asked as my voice got tense.
What the fuck is going on? Why the hell am I just now finding out about this?

“She said she talked it over with you, Tori,” Pusha claimed.
Are you fucking serious right now?

“Really Pusha, and you think that was fucking smart to take my little sister’s word over mine?” I asked her. Thoughts began to roam through my head.
Dymond, where the hell are you? Please be safe.

“She was always with Mae,” Pusha said thinking that would ease my worry but it didn’t. She said it as if that would make things better.
Oh she drove down there with Mae as well. They have gas, food, and everything in the car. Girl you don’t have to worry. Bullshit!
Pusha should have discussed this decision with me first.

“I don’t give a fuck about Mae. That isn’t my little sister, Dymond is,” I screamed. Do I have to remind Pusha about Dymond? My little sister can be wild at times. That is why I stay on top of her. But somehow she managed to slip away and go to Baltimore.

“My bad, Tori,” Pusha apologized.

“Pusha, she is fifteen, not eighteen,” I reminded her. But that did not help, because my sister is still missing.

“Hold on, my other line,” Pusha said.
I swear to God, Dymond, you better call and, be on your way back, alive;
I already lost Constance. I can’t lose my little sister.

“Tori,” I didn’t even hear when Pusha came back on the line.

“Yeah,” I waited for her words to come. I prepared myself for whatever she was going to tell me.
Please say it was Dymond.

“I just got a message. Dymond was shot in the back,” Pusha said and I dropped the phone from my ear. I can’t believe this shit. This is some bullshit. I yelled out loud.
I didn’t care who heard me.
Constance was dead and now Dymond? This is too much. This is too fucking much. It’s my fault. I should have tried harder to keep them out of trouble. I should have watched over them more frequently. I was their guardian angel, their protector, their shield, and they were a part of Tha Philly Ridahs. A squad that has become dangerous and can put anyone’s life in jeopardy.
What did I do? What did I do to them?
I let them get close to the other girls. I let the other girls manipulate them. I let a bond grow with Chanelle, a bond that resulted in losing both of their lives. I let them become attached because of greed. If I had changed my ways, if only I had changed my ways, my little sister and cousin would be breathing right now. Although Dymond was my step sister, I always looked at her as my little sister. We may not be blood but I never looked at that.
What the fuck, Chanelle?
As a leader of the squad, she is just letting people die. Where is the leadership? Where is the guidance? Where is the support? Where is the love? Where is the respect?
We don’t have any of that.
I sat there on my porch with tears. What was I to do? I can’t keep letting Chanelle bring us down. I decided to call Chanelle.
Now the bitch is getting out of hand.
I called her phone.

“Hello,” She answered.

“Meet me at the park,” I ordered.

“Damn, no hi, huh? Just meet you in the park, right? She asked.

“Meet me in the park,” I told her again.

“Alright,” She agreed.

              I went into the house and got myself together. Moments later, I made my way to the park. Chanelle and I are closer than the girls think. We mastermind a lot of jobs together. Chanelle and I hold a lot of conversations together. We had plenty of discussions about giving up this life and turning over a new leaf. We were too deep in to just walk away since we had to even some things out. We had to tie up loose ends. We didn’t want the girls to be in this life anymore. We were making a way for all of this to be over. We were planning for their future and their success. When we started the squad, we made a commitment. We always said we would have each other and ride for each other. Somewhere along the line, people became greedy, listening to outsiders, and started their own adventure. They started becoming loyal to the wrong people and disloyal to the good people. Unfaithfulness entered into the squad and turned everything around. It’s no secret when you are affiliated with a gang, squad, or the mob. Shit is going to go left. At times its people in their own circle that is causing the disruption and not being honest. I don’t know who in our circle is causing that. Chanelle promised me that she would cool her ass down.
Did she lie to me?
I am blaming everything on Chanelle when it’s not all of her fault. It’s all of our faults. The younger girls in the squad look up to us and we fail them. I am just as guilty as Chanelle is. Putting my family in the middle of a war zone, they are not making it back home.
But I am though. That is so fucked up.
I don’t know any better myself.
I should be six feet under. Don’t even put my ass in a casket. Bury my ass alive. I deserve it for all I have done.

As I pulled up into the park, Chanelle was still in her car. I parked next to her car.

“What’s up!” I greeted her. As I turned the car off, I got out of my car.

“Hey,” Chanelle replied. I studied Chanelle’s body language. With her southern accent, light brown skin texture, and blond dyed hair, people that don’t know her wouldn’t even think she was into these types of things at first. Spend about ten minutes with her.
You’ll be like bitch you are crazier than I thought. Did you ever do time? I know you have a record, right?
Chanelle had never seen the inside of a cell before. Every time she goes before a judge her case gets thrown out.
How does she keep getting away with shit?

“What happened to Dymond, Chanelle?” I asked her. I figured we’d get straight to the point. I was being patient with her as I reached into my car to grab a cigarette. I lit it and turned back towards her so she can have my undivided attention.

“You finally heard, huh?” she asked chucking.
I know this bitch is not laughing in my face, is she?
Chanelle loved taking things as a joke. It’s not funny! It never was funny what we do. Family members were not a part of the plan but outsiders were. I don’t know how she does it in the south, but she’s in Philly now.
So all that boogie shit ends today.

“I heard? What the fuck, Chanelle? Why do I have to hear it from other people and not you?” I questioned her. She pulled a blunt from out of her car and lit it.
All this damn weed she smokes! She needs to register her ass in a rehab facility.

“What do you mean? I didn’t know she would be down there. I know of Mae going there with Pusha. My target was Pusha. This bitch owes me my money. If I knew Dymond was going to be in that house, I would have tread carefully. I was just going to get my money, it was all these people in there that I had never seen and they started shooting first,” Chanelle said. Pusha never told me about any beef between her and Chanelle.
Frankly, I could care less.
So far I can’t tell who was supposed to be who and who is lying. How did Chanelle know Pusha was supposed to be going to Baltimore? I feel like I trust Pusha more than Chanelle right now. How could that be when Chanelle and I are partners?

“Don’t lie to me. Did you set this up?” she didn’t answer. “Did you?” I asked her again.

“No. I didn’t have anything to do with that. Like I told you, they opened fire first, and she got hit in the crossfire. It was an accident,” She said.
Oh, now she wants to admit it? I thought she did not have anything to do with it?
Let me find out Chanelle is connected to Dymond’s death in anyway and I’m blowing Kassidy’s head the fuck off.
Then I’m going to tell her it was an accident and let’s see how she takes it.

“An accident? My ass, Chanelle? An accident is forgetting your keys in the door. An accident is leaving the refrigerator door open after walking away. An accident is not killing a fifteen-year-old,” I yelled at her. I wonder how would she felt if someone killed Kassidy and then turn around and say it was an accident. She would not able to stomach that. How can I expect Chanelle to understood a death in the family; when hers were never killed. Everyone knew what Dymond looked like and Pusha, so how in the hell Dymond ends up dead?

“Who the fuck are you yelling at? Don’t come at me with that bullshit because I’m not the one sweetie. And you know that. I told you I didn’t know she would be there. I didn’t know Dymond was there until I saw her on the floor. I was upstairs,” She tried to explain. Talking to Chanelle any longer would just be a waste of time. I wanted to leave. So much was going through my head.

“Alright Chanelle, if you say so,” I told her. I made it seem like I gave up.
But I didn’t.

“If I say so? That’s what happened. Why the hell would I stand here and lie to you about Dymond? That’s your little sister. I know I do some fucked up things, but I wouldn’t have Dymond killed. Do you think I’m that cold?” she asked me.
I do. But I will tell her no.

“Okay, Chanelle. What’s going on now?” I asked her trying to play cool.

“I’ll keep you posted,” she told me.