"Popular Thug"

Chapter 1

             ~~ 3 and a Half Years Later ~~

            (In this story Fizz is without Twists, think "Bump, Bump, Bump" video; it's long but in a poytail)

       "Have you slept well lately?" The white lady, with long auburn hair swept up in a bun, asked as she crossed her legs and pushed her glasses closer to her face.

       Brittney sat on the stale brown couch, that was surprisingly making her feel uncomfortable in the office she visited twice a week for about a year now, "Last night was the worst I've had in a while, I didn't even sleep, my pills didn't even make me yawn let alone drowsy."

       The white lady, Dr. Vicky Alderson, wrote a note on her small notepad then looked back at Brittney, "What was on your mind all night?"

       "Antoneo mostly but somewhere in there Cornell crossed my mind." Brittney replied biting her thumb nail, Cornell was the brother she had lost a year and a half ago, on the Eastside.

       Dr. Alderson shook her head, noting something else, "Yes, now can we deepen the subject of family just a bit?"

       Brittney didn't orally answer she just nodded slowly trying to keep her brand-new wrap in place, Dr. Alderson continued, "In the past 5 years how many people you consider close, like family, have passed or left permanently?"

       Brittney didn't jump to answer, in the early sessions she was on here to deal with the death of her brother and Antoneo, but her father pushed for the sessions to continue just to help her deal with all the tragedy, "At least 7."

       Dr. Alderson's eyebrows raised the second Brittney said it, she wrote something down on the pad quickly then turned her attention back to Brittney, "Seven? In the past 5 years?"

       "Yea," Brittney replied wrapping her arms around herself biting her lip, "Antoneo, Cornell, my mom, my uncle, Jasline my best friend from way back, my grandma on my mom's side, and Kevin a friend of mind. All in the span of five years, for various reasons, and like you doctor...I'm wondering how I held up through it all."

       A thoughtful look crossed the doctors face before she spoke, "My condolences respectfully, but do you think your father has a lot to do with it? I mean you holding up so well."

       "I guess, my daddy means the world to me, I had to be his and Cornell's backbone when mama and Uncle Paul died, then when grandma died I had to hold up for Cornell, and when Kevin went to jail and Jasline died Cornell held me up. But most of all when Antoneo got killed by daddy's very own colleagues I held my anger in for him and in return I...I guess he kept me breathing. Now I'm falling apart and he's doing all he can...." Brittney replied slowly and the doctor understood there wasn't really an end to the last sentence. Sometimes Dr. Alderson knew her patients didn't think in complete sentences, they thought in spurts, whatever happened to pop in their head.

       "Yes, yes and it's important that you know that he is doing all he can, very important. Can we address the issue of your heart?" Dr. Alderson replied writing something quickly, then biting the edge of her pen as a stray piece of curly hair found it's place on her cheek.

       Brittney's eyes flew toward the doctor searching for assurance that, that was the question, "My...heart?"

       "Yes, your heart Miss Anderson," the Doctor replied flipping the pad over to a blank page, "your a pretty young lady, full of life, and great potential. And you can't live up to all that potential without gratifying every part of you, including your heart. So have you thought of dating lately?"

       "No, not at all." Brittney replied biting on her thumb again, her eyes wouldn't leave the floor and that's how Dr. Alderson knew she had probed as far as she could for the day. Brittney could close herself up rather quickly and it took trained eyes to see exactly when to stop.

       "All right then, just think on it," the doctor replied smiling as she wrote something down and stood, "how 'bout Thursday at 2:30?"

       Brittney stood up and typed the date in her two-way for a reminder, "OK, bye."

       "Bye and get some sleep." Dr. Alderson smiled as she walked Brittney to the door.

       "I'll try." Brittney replied, pulling her coat around tighter as she headed for the doors.

       The past year had been a long one for her, losing Cornell had been the seemingly horrible end of her sunshine. He was brother, she had lost her mother 3 years earlier, and Antoneo the guy she had been through thick and thin with 6 months before she lost Cornell. She could see no reason to be happy, to live your early twenties up, she could see no reason to smile or even laugh. Her life was almost completely devoid of joy, except for her dad and her niece Kiandra, who'll never know her father or grandmother.

       Her heart, her heart wasn't something she had spent any time rejuvenating in the past couple of months. She had just concentrated on waking up every day, trying her best to remember what it was like to walk down the sidewalk on a day like today with Antoneo beside her. Trying to remember what life was before her began to crumble slowly, decaying at every turn.

       Brittney was so deep in thought she never saw the figure in front of her until she bumped into it, "Oh, damn, I'm sorry excuse me."

       The figure was a tall light skinned man, with dark brown hair, and a low cut fade with soft brown curls, "Mm, damn, no problem at all."

       Brittney looked up into the face of the man she had bumped into and she did a double take as she recognized the face of the man in front of her, "Druex Fredrick's?"

       "Brittney Anderson?" Druex smiled as she looked him as he kept the hold he had, had on her arm when she bumped into him.

       "Yea, I thought you had left with the rest of them?" Brittney asked referring the group, or "gang", of guys that Druex, Antoneo, and Cornell were affiliated with.

       "We never left babe, we just rested a bit and got our ish together. We back in full force now." Druex replied with a sly smile as they continued down the sidewalk, Brittney couldn't believe what the little thuggish boy had turned into. He was decked out head to toe in baby blue, a baby blue Phat Farm sweater, with khakis, and baby blue Timberlands with his two way pager clipped to the edge of his belt.

       "I can see you've worked your way up in the world huh?" She replied as they stopped at a light, she may have been the Police Chief's daughter but she still knew about street life.

       Druex smiled touching her arm softly as they walked across the walk way, "Don't tell your daddy but yea we been workin."

       Brittney's eyes widened as he pulled out his keys and cut the alarm off on a brand new silver Mercedes Benz S-Class, V-8 Engine, rims and all, "You really have been working!"

       Druex let go of her arm as they stopped in front of his car and turned to her pointing to his car, "Oh yea, hey you need a ride home? It's getting kind of chilly out here and I'd hate for you to get a cold or something out here trying to catch a cab."

       She thought a moment biting her lips again feeling the cold air nip at her nose, "No thanks, it would be out of your way, you probably have something to do."

       "No, it's no trouble, I actually just did my last check for the day and I'm off now. Come on, let me take you home, to the salon, to Baskin Robbins, somewhere!" Druex laughed pulling her toward his car, watching her smile a little bit for the first time since the last time he saw her years ago.

       "Aiight, you know where Elizabeth Street is?" Brittney asked as he opened the door for her before he ran across to his door.

       Druex thought a minute as he got in turning his radio down, "Yea, it's off Royal isn't it?"

       "Yea, I live down there." She replied just as he somehow got on to the crowded street.

       The first 10 minutes of the 15 minute drive was silent, each had their mind in their own separate places but somehow they both came back to the same place. It took a while before it sunk into his head that this cute woman beside him was the same woman he had seen moments before he walked in on the bloodiest scene he had ever witnessed. "How are you doin?"

       "I'm OK," Brittney looking out the window knowing what he was talking about, "Druex? Do you ever go back down there? Just to see if you can find who...ya know?"

       "I find myself there a lot, wondering how the house I grew up in could become what it did. But I can't change that and I can't change that it's still an open case. Lord knows I wish I could, lord knows I've missed plenty nights of sleep over it." Druex replied softly, sounding like a totally different person, as he turned down Royal street.

       "You and me both." Brittney whispered noticing that the air between them hadn't become uncomfortable, which always seemed to happen when someone spoke on that subject.

       They turned on Elizabeth street and Brittney pointed to her house, Druex thought about something as she got out the car and said 'thanks'.

       He got out and walked her all the way up to her porch, and sounding like a total gentleman, while shuffling his car keys, said, "You know, I noticed something about you years ago, your loyalty, and that's somethin I admire. I would love to get to know you, gain your loyalty, and maybe your friendship."

       Brittney gave him that little half smile she had given earlier, "Sure why not? Look me up."

       "Will do." Druex replied giving her that charming smile that could make some girls go wild. Brittney did nothing but glance away and walk into her house, giving Druex something to think on, on his drive home.

       She walked into her house and looked into the mirror on the wall, that greeted everyone who walked into the house. She just told a guy to look her up, she didn't understand how she had let herself do it, she hadn't so much as looked at a man in the past three years let alone talk to one. As she made her way up the stairs she reminded herself of what he did, so they could be NOTHING more than friends. She never wanted to get to the point where she had to choose between her dad and a guy, she was almost at that point with Antoneo, and no one, in her opinion, was worth it but him.

       Her heart, Brittney pondered as she entered her bedroom, maybe she would have to pay more attention to it.
......
I should have seen in the way you touched my hand, shuffling your car keys but sounded like a gentleman

*Chapter 2
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