"Popular Thug"

Chapter 2

       Brittney sat in front of Druex inside the warm restaurant trying her best to smile and be sociable. Druex had called her that night and invited her to lunch two days later, leaving her only two days to get ready for the first step to healing. She was glad this was a lunch date because she would definitely need Dr. Alderson after this.

       "Enjoying yourself?" Druex asked as he sat his cup in front of his plate, every now and then letting his Louisiana accent slip, causing a gentlemanly like vibe to settle over him.

       Brittney tried her best to make her smile equal those that she used throw at guys all day, "Of course, good food, good music, and good company. How could I not be?"

       Druex smiled, his grin making crinkle lines beside his eyes, "So tell me what have you been doin' in the past year? Last I heard you were on your way to college."

       "Well, I postponed college to help my dad out...with...well you know." She replied wiping her hand on the napkin laying on her lap, sitting with him in this upscale restaurant made her think of the Upper Class Black people she had grown up with on Northside of town. Surprisingly enough he was acting like the upscale life was all he ever knew, but really he had grown up on the worst part of town, the Eastside.

       "Do you regret not goin to college? Ya know, to better yourself?" He asked looking completely interested, which wasn't surprising, she had always said, when they were in high school, that she could see him becoming a multimillionaire if he just stopped and gave an ounce of effort.

       "Sometimes. How bout you? It's no secret you're no dummy, look how good you are at what you do. But still, why didn't you go?" Brittney replied implying his current status as, more than likely, one of the most prominent young pusha's in the tri-state area.

       "No one ever said I should, the only push I ever had, from anybody, was to do what I do today. Sure maybe I could own 3/4 of the city today if I had went to college but when you're a kid you don't think like that. You have to have someone else do that for you and I never had any do that for me." Druex replied leaning back so the waiter could pick up the plates and pour one last drink before returning with the tab.

       Brittney nodded her head thoughtfully at his answer then without any pretense or hesitation she asked, "Why are you bein so open with me about your 'lifestyle'? I am the Police Chiefs daughter, I'm surprised your even sitting here with me."

       Druex laughed liked her question was foolish, "I'm being so open because I know you're loyal and I believe you're trustworthy. I did know Cornell so it makes no difference who your father is."

       Brittney didn't reply, she just looked at him while the waiter sat the tab on their table. They stood, leaving their conversation at a stand still, he paid the tab and led her out the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back. His southern charms were surprising her, combined with his hard exterior, it was astonishing her to no end.

       They stood in front of the restaurant as she hailed a cab, just as the cap stopped she turned to him, "Thanks."

       "No thanks needed, you sure you don't want me to take you home or where ever you need to go?" Druex asked touching her hand softly, she knew after lunch was a busy time for men of his profession she had spent many a night with her father researching everything you could think of about dealers and such. Especially after her dad found out his only son was dealing.

       Brittney smiled, his touch was making her uncomfortable, "I'm sure, good-bye."

       "Bye." He replied watching the cab drive away, for a few seconds there he had forgotten who he was, he looked around a moment before jogging to his Benz.

       Brittney closed her eyes two seconds after telling the driver where to go, she checked her watch to make sure she was on time, and sure enough if she was right about the traffic she would be right on time. And ten minutes later she arrived at the line of old Victorian homes now being used as offices. She paid the cabby and ran up the steps, pulling her jacket to her trying to avoid the harsh autumn wind.

       Brittney let out a sigh, relaxing her body as it came in contact with the warm temperature in the lobby, she then made her way to the receptionist table smiling, "Hi Gladyis."

       "Good eve'nin Miss Anderson, go right on in." Gladyis replied in her deep Mississippi accent, smiling as Brittney walked on in to Dr. Alderson's office.

       Dr. Alderson looked up from the notepad that she was reading from their last session Tuesday. "Well, good afternoon Miss Anderson. I take it you are ready for conversation."

        Brittney nodded her head, taking off her coat, and sat directly in front of the doctor, "Yes I am."

       "Good," Dr. Alderson smiled, slipped on her silver-rimmed glasses, "so first and foremost how have you been sleeping? Any nightmares?"

       Brittney crossed her legs, twisting a stray string on her coat as she answered, "I've probably slept eight to ten hours in the past two days. I had a nightmare Wednesday night, but that was it."

       "Did you take a pill?" The doctor asked scribbling quickly on her notepad before looking at Brittney again.

       Brittney had learned that squirming under the doctor's stare wouldn't make her any less nervous, "No, sometimes I feel like they are useless, they work every now and then."

       "All right then, do you recall anything about the nightmare? Was it like the one you had Monday or totally different?" Dr. Alderson asked pushing her long curly hair out of her face.

       "Different. Definitely different. The only thing I remember is that it kept me up half the night." Brittney replied looking around the room at the familiar paintings and books that she had spent the last year looking at.

       The doctor nodded her head, made some notes and took a drink of water, then asked, "Brittney I would like to take our conversation elsewhere. Do you mind?"

       Brittney shifted in her seat biting her seat, "No."

       Dr. Alderson flipped back some pages then returned to the page she had just started, "Last session we spoke briefly about dating. Have you thought about it at all?"

       "Oddly enough not five minutes after the session Tuesday I ran into an old friend of mine from high school. Went out to lunch today." Brittney replied watching the doctor smile just a little bit while she wrote a note down on her notepad.

       "Really? So what do you think about this young man?" Dr. Alderson smiled crossing her legs and flipping the page of the pad at the same time.

       "I think he's everything I can't get involved with after the last couple of years." Brittney replied looking down at her hands for a moment then returning the eye contact with Dr. Alderson.

       The doctor wrote something while raising an eyebrow smiling, "Now why is that?"

       Brittney bit her lip for a moment and replied thoughtfully, "He's Antoneo all over again, he's just like him, and he has the profession of both Antoneo and Cornell. I can't get involved with all that again. And worst of all...he's the one who...who...found him."

       Dr. Alderson didn't write anything this time, her voice softened and she leaned closer to Brittney watching her expressions closely, "Found who?'

       She didn't hurry to answer, she fixed her eyes on her pastel blue nails and her answer came out in a small childlike whisper, "Cornell...dead...he's the one who found him dead."

       Dr. Alderson was almost so surprised she froze for a moment, she shook her head sat up, she took her time writing what ever it was that she wrote on that pad, "Do you think that possibly getting involved with him could help you heal? I don't care if you have the iciest heart on this side of the Atlantic, walking in on something like that will have an effect on you."

       Brittney locked eyes with her doctor before speaking, "He said at Cornell funeral, that it was the most heinous thing he'd ever seen."

       Dr. Alderson wrote something on the notepad again, she was really starting to wonder what exactly was done to Cornell Anderson that day, and since Brittney was being more open about it than ever before she decided to take the change on inquiring, "I know that Cornell was killed that day, in the same house with you, but what exactly happened on that fateful Sunday night?"

       Brittney looked up at her doctor and spoke in a low soft voice, "I had sent Druex, the guy who found him, to go see if he could hurry my brother up. Because I was only there to say good bye, I had to distance myself from all of that and quickly. To my surprise he never came back...

       "Oh I -- aiight Ima go see if I can hurry them up." Druex said as he walked toward the back of the house, toward the back room with the closed door.
       He knocked twice before opening the door, he stepped into the dark room calling out, "Yo, where ya'll at?"
       Druex flipped on the light to see Cornell laying face down in a pool of blood and next to him was another guy with blood covering his entire face. Blood was everywhere, the beige colored carpet was now a dark dingy red, the chairs and table had bloody spots everywhere, and every wall was covered in blood but in such weird angles you couldn't tell from where they came from exactly. Druex moved closer to grab the phone but stopped short when he covered his mouth to stifle the yell he almost let out when he noticed the Swiss Army knife sticking out horizontally from Cornell's neck and a gun poking out from the other guy's ears. Druex could clearly see the scorch mark on the side of the other guys face and deep cut in the middle of Cornell's neck.
       He was tempted to get Brittney out of there but his feet wouldn't move, in all his 18 years he had never been so mortified by a dead person and lord knows he'd seen plenty. So with his free hand he dialed the three digits he had always hoped no one would have to dial for him while he lay dying on some strangers lawn.
       By the time Brittney's father had rushed into the scene a paramedic had helped him get out of there. For the very first time in his life since his father split, he cried, he cried for someone else's loss. He cried because he had never experienced anything so gory in his whole entire life, he cried because she cried. He cried because she cried.

       Dr. Alderson gulped hard and took several steadying breaths, she had never heard anything like that in her whole entire career, "Well, you deserve more credit than I ever knew. Anyone who could live through that is more than a survivor in my book."

       Brittney couldn't even handle a 'thank you' she was afraid of what she might say next, she had never told anyone that story, ever. Dr. Alderson noticed and ended her agony, "How bout we finish this Saturday?"

       Brittney stood, put on her coat and walked out the office behind Dr. Alderson stopping just to hear the time of her appointment. Gladyis looked at her with a smile, "Is 8 am a'right?"

       "Fine." Brittney replied turning from Gladyis and looked at the doctor who had just opened a wound larger than both of them combined.

       Dr. Alderson touched her on the arm trying to comfort her, "Take care now, get some sleep, and if you need anything just call."

       She nodded her head understanding, she walked out the building relishing the cool air as it met her as soon as she hit the first step. She didn't like to be reminded of that night ever and she didn't like to talk about it. But maybe the doctor was right having Druex for a friend could be more rewarding than what she thought. If she hadn't ran into him she might never have the strength to tell that story to anybody.
....
So for you I did those things that were missing never have to say please gimme
borrow as long as I got yay and two semi auto

*Chapter 3
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