Chapter Three:

Passion Crimes

It was around 1 AM when Strika and Jazmin returned home. Lakeda was already at work and as they entered, both Strika and Jazmin were unusually quiet. Did Mr. Roak really do that? Jazmin thought as she was in elevator, looking up at the dingy, flickering lights. Why would he? Damn these niggas ain't shit for real. She looked at Strika who had this angry look on his countenance the whole way home. He sighed as the elevator doors slid open and he opened up the door to their apartment. Lakeda hadn't cooked anything tonight, assuming they'd eat at the party and so, Strika went straight to his room without saying a word, slamming the door as he did.

Jazmin, however, stayed in the living room, sitting on the couch, fiddling nervously with her phone. Portia had sent her a string of texts about what they saw but she didn't find it necessary to respond. There's nothing we could do anyways, Jazmin thought. We gotta tell someone tho. Jazmin scrolled through her phone, calling Talon. Hopefully he was available to talk. He left the party after Jazmin and Strika, but Talon had a knack for just getting into his own type of trouble. His phone went to voicemail and Jazmin sighed and made her way to the bathroom. After washing up, brushing her teeth and putting on a long t-shirt and shorts, she flopped on her bed, feeling like she was caught in a whirlwind of anxiety and emotional overflow. Today was Saturday and she could sleep if she wanted. Soon enough, her phone started ringing. It was Talon calling back. She immediately picked up, putting in her headphones.

"Sorry I didn't pick up," Talon said, "I'm in a Drop, heading home."

Jazmin always wondered why Talon didn't like flying. Drops were a taxi service that could be ordered through a ride sharing app, but they could get expensive. He's not the only one who don't like flying, she realized. None of the flying types liked flying. They always took the long way—public transportation, driving or they used taxis. Why were they ashamed of being closer to the skies? I'll ask him one day.

"Yo…" Jazmin took a deep breath, "Yo…Tal, I gotta tell you something."

"Okay, what's up?"

Jazmin inhaled one more time, "When me and Portia was at the party…we saw Keisha."

"Y'all saw her? I didn't see her."

"Yeah, that's cuz she snuck off," she explained, "She snuck off with some new nigga I ain't never seen go to Los Lados high: the Decidueye-type nigga."

"Well…what happened?"

"Bruh," Jazmin tapped her fingers against her phone, "It ain't no nigga from another school. It was Mr. Roak."

"Huh?" Talon squawked, as he got out the Drop and in front of this apartment complex. He made his way to the entrance, typing in a code and unlocking the door, heading down the hallway where the elevators were.

"Keisha was crying and shit…she was crying about being pregnant. I overheard them talking. The kid is Mr. Roak's."

"HUH?" Talon squawked, "Nah, you bullshitting, you gotta be bullshitting."

"Nigga I ain't bullshitting, I'm deadass. You can ask Portia. She was there with me. I overheard that shit clearly. You know my hearing good. He was telling her to get rid of the baby cuz he got a wife and kids already and she didn't want to."

"Bro…Mr. Roak a whole ass rapist, what the fuck."

"Yeah but before I could get more info, the nigga smelled me and Portia and saw us. He been using his illusion ability to not get caught and he did it again when he saw us. And I pretended to not know who the fuck he was."

"Smart," Talon commended, entering his apartment. His mom was fast asleep on the couch, surrounded by empty liquor bottles. He frowned and began picking them up, putting them in a plastic bag that he would carry to recycling at daybreak. He went into his room—a small, comfortable room that had silver walls and simplistic furniture. He took off his kicks and sat on the floor, phone to his ear as he got his headphones and connected it. Jazmin tried to sound calm, but as the story went on, she began to sound more and more frantic.

"Should we go to the cops?"

"Are you outta yo fucking mind, Jaz?" Talon snapped, "I ain't going to no fucking fed ass Officer Jenny and neither should you. This ain't none of my business or my problem. Just let this shit play out. You not even friends with Keisha."

"No…but I don't have any problems with her. And…I would have liked to be her friend."

"Bruh, no, leave it alone," Talon said, "I ain't talking to no fucking 12. Nope."

"I have a bad feeling," Jazmin whimpered. But admittedly, she didn't want to talk to any Officer Jennies or any type of police for that matter.

"Yeah, well, we all do. But, I gotta get some sleep, Jaz. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She sighed, shaking her head, "Yeah Tal, night…"

She set her phone down and looked up at her ceiling. Eventually, she dozed off to sleep. Tomorrow shit will be better. Tomorrow…shit will be better.

At daylight, Jazmin awoke, feeling a tad more hopeful. She made her way to the bathroom and washed up, braiding back up her hair and putting on house slippers. She had no plans to go out today, deciding that a lazy day was best after attending such a high octane party. She yawned as she opened the fridge, checking if there was any orange juice. Oh, none, she frowned, tossing the empty juice carton in the trash. But there was bacon, eggs and some frozen premade waffles she could fry up on the stove. She took those out and poured herself a cup of cranberry juice instead. She turned on the stove and began frying up the bacon first and then the egg. When she was finished, the made the waffles last, drowning it in maple syrup. She took her plate of food to the living room, where Lakeda had been watching television, drinking coffee.

"Morn'," Lakeda said, turning up the volume. Jazmin sat with her, eating daintily. Lakeda sipped her coffee again, "Is your brother up?"

"Ion know," Jazmin said between two mouthfuls, "He should be. What you watching?"

"News," Lakeda said, "Somebody from your school got murdered."

Jazmin coughed as she said that, mildly choking. She gulped down the cranberry juice and coughed a few more times, trying to regain her composure.

"Look," Lakeda turned up the volume higher. There on the television, two anchors, one of a Gardevoir-lineage and another of a Delcatty-line, had been talking. There was a picture of a young woman.

"A woman was found dead at the Stillwood Ravine around 4 AM. The body has been identified to be 16 year old Keisha Chinchina, a student of Los Lagos High School. Authorities are not sure about the cause of death, but it seems very probable that it was a murder—"

Jazmin set her plate down and sprinted to the bathroom, closing the door. She flipped up the toilet seat and threw up her whole breakfast. She retched and retched until nothing but water and stomach acid had come up. When she was finished, she flushed the toilet, sitting on the bathroom floor in shock, feeling a horrible knot in her stomach that seemed to float up into her chest. I…should have said something. We saw her run off and he ran after her. I should have said something. She went back in her room without a second word and checked her phone. Portia was blowing it up with her texts.

Portia: omg omg omg plz pick up

Jaz: I'm here. U saw the news

Portia: Yeah I saw. Is this our fault?

Jaz: Idk…I feel horrible. I feel fucking sick

Portia: I feel sick too. I almost threw up

Jazmin looked at her phone, shaking. She wanted to scream, but what use would that be? I should have fucking said something! She nearly threw her smartphone. She paced up and down in her room, feeling her heart pound painfully against her chest. I can't stay home today. This would eat her alive if just left alone to her thoughts. She texted talon.

Jaz: U free?

Talon was probably asleep or heading to work. She couldn't hang with Portia right now. She would freak out and cry and that would send her anxiety through the roof. She needed someone who could take this. Please Talon, respond. Eventually, she saw the three dots dancing at the bottom right corner of the text screen.

Talon: Yea. Wassup?

Jaz: Let's kick it today. I need to get out the house.

Talon: Iight. Gimme an hour. I'll come get u

Jazmin began getting dressed. She slipped on some tight black shorts that made her butt look cute and a blue t-shirt that she tied up at the back. She fixed up her edges, applied some lip gloss and mascara and grabbed her backpack. In about forty-minutes, she was done getting ready. When she grabbed her keys, Lakeda called out to her.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"Oh…uh…going out with Talon," Jazmin said, "I'll be home soon."

Lakeda gave her a look.

"We're just friends ma," she insisted. Lakeda scoffed and went back to drinking her coffee. Jazmin locked the door behind her and darted for the elevator, saying hi to the neighbor, Ms. Loom. When she reached the lobby floor she hopped out, sprinting out the door and into the street where she saw Talon down the block, skateboarding and smoking a cigarette as he did. Jazmin smiled as he skidded to a halt.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Did you see the news?" Jazmin asked. Talon shook his head, taking a drag of the cigarette.

"Nah, what happened?"

Jazmin blinked rapidly and then sighed, "Keisha…she…dead." Talon coughed when he heard that, feeling the smoke go down the wrong way. He looked flustered once she said that.

"Yeah…" Jazmin muttered, "You think—"

"Yes. You don't even gotta ask," Talon said, shaking his head, "Damn man. Niggas wilding bruh…"

Jazmin sighed and Talon picked up his skateboard, putting it underneath his arm as he walked with her down the block. Los Lados was known for shootings, killings and battle-related deaths. But when it hit this close to home, it left them shook. Talon took another pull of the cigarette before discarding it, walking quietly with Jazmin. The palm trees, the graffiti stained alleys, the train station that ran across the city over the bustling intersection where local businesses were clustered and the broken down cars left in busted up drive ways added to the urban aesthetic of Los Lados.

Jazmin looked around at the people chilling at the bus stop, the gangbangers chilling in front of their traphouses, smoking, drinking 40s and playing craps, the dealers chilling by the corners with their lookouts not too far behind. Just tryna get by, Jazmin thought as they reached the intersection of 11th Ave and Indigo Street. This part of Los Lados was the commercial area: liquor stores, rundown pizza shops, a fried chicken spot, a shoe locker store, a cellphone store and pharmacy. Talon looked around, using his sharp eyes to scan the landscape. One thing Jazmin knew Talon was good for was having excellent eyesight—like most flying types.

"You wanna get some chicken?" Talon asked.

"Nah…. I had…breakfast, also…I ain't that hungry right now," Jazmin said. She covered her ears when she heard the train pass by, over them across the tracks that crisscrossed over the intersections. It was loud and she felt sorry for those who lived in the housing projects right by Indigo Street Station, where the loud ass 8, 0 and X-22 trains passed through. They walked by, observing their surroundings, taking in the strange disintegrating beauty of Los Lados. Soon they were by 12th Ave, looking up at the shoes hanging from the telephone lines. There were people playing in the street, opening hydrants because it was warm and nearly summertime. Jazmin smiled at the kids playing in the water—mostly water types, practicing their hydrokinetic abilities.

"Yikes," Talon muttered, avoiding the hydrant water. Jazmin giggled a bit, continuing to walk with him. At the end of 12th Ave, there were police hanging around, eyeballing people and looking for reasons to give people tickets to meet some quota. When they weren't looking, Jazmin stuck out her tongue while Talon flipped them off. As they passed them, they were reaching 13th Ave. There was the Holy Church of Arceus across the street and Jazmin smiled bit, remembering when Lakeda would drag them to church. The whooping and hollering was fun, but the sermons were so boring. Better days, I guess.

As they reached far enough, they saw Sandy from Los Lados. He was smoking some lemon kush and chilling by his favorite stoop with his girl Crystal. Sandy was of a Leafeon-lineage. He was high yellow in complexion with the exception of his earth colored hands. He sported thick wiry green hair that fell in his face—a downward afro, almost. His eyes were big and light brown and he sported virtually no facial hair. His rabbit-like ears twitched as he heard them approach. He stood up, showing that he was a tad shorter than Talon, but taller than Jazmin. His leaf-like tail swished side to side. He was shirtless, tatted up, sagging his skinny jeans and wearing fresh kicks. Crystal remained seated. She was a woman of the Glaceon-line. She was of a tanned complexion, with long black straightened hair that faded into a deep blue and bangs that almost covered her large dark brown eyes. Her long, Glaceon ears poked through her hair and her tail was upright, with the two tassels that Glaceons had by the side of their heads hanging down from the same position. She wore biker shorts and a crop top, with fuzzy open toe slippers. She was slim bodied and the same height as Jazmin.

"Waddup," Sandy said, giving Talon a dap and pound and Jazmin a hug.

"Hey Sandy, hey Crystal."

"Sup," Crystal said, giving Talon a hug and Jazmin one as well and a double cheek kiss. Sandy took a big puff of the lemon kush and passed it to Talon, who took a drag and then passed it to Jazmin. She took a small puff, handing it to Crystal who shook her head, and instead drank 4-Loko from a bag.

"Y'all niggas look sad, the fuck happened?" Sandy inquired, sitting back on his stoop.

"Y'all didn't hear the news?"

"What fuckin news? You know I don't watch that fake shit," he said.

"Keisha…you know, the sophomore from Los Lados, she got killed."

Sandy's eyes perked up in surprise. Crystal scoffed and kept sipping her 4-Loko.

"Damn son, how she die?"

"Um….we don't know," Jazmin said, "But it's sad, man."

"Ain't that sad," Crystal said, "Keisha was into some weird shit. Not surprised she got murked."

"…The fuck?" Jazmin snapped, "What you mean by that? She was quiet as fuck."

"And the quiet types are the biggest fuckin' hoes, which was what Keisha was," Crystal said, leaning against the stoop. Sandy stood up, rolling up another blunt.

"How the fuck you know she was a hoe."

Sandy and Crystal exchanged looks and then laughed. He finished up the blunt and handed it to Talon who rolled his eyes and lit it for him, producing a flame from the tip of his finger.

"You gon answer anytime soon?" Talon asked.

"I got head from her like last year. Before I got with Crystal," Sandy said, "Big thot she was. She let the whole basketball team hit too, apparently."

"…I…uh," Jazmin looked skeptical, "I didn't hear about that."

"Yeah, cuz you and Talon are lame niggas, you never in the loop. But…it's sad she got killed. Must been some jealous nigga she topped off or something."

"You hear any other rumors about her?" Jazmin inquired.

Sandy shrugged, "Other than she a big ass hoe and she slept with her cousin, nah."

"Ew, what the fuck—I didn't know that," Crystal quipped.

"The bitch is a thot, Crystal, the fuck you want me to say? Like damn son," Sandy took a puff of the blunt.

Jazmin sat with them while Talon leaned against the gate.

"Where the fuck y'all been anyways? Y'all dropped out?"

"I did," Sandy said, "I work for X-Large."

"Oh wow," Talon mumbled, sardonically.

"Better than slanging fuckin candy and poke puffs," Sandy teased, "When you wanna make some real money, hit me up."

Crystal finished her 4-Loko and lit up a cigarette and took a drag, "Y'all together yet?"

"No!" They both said simultaneously, "We're friends!"

"Iight, damn, ion know why you yelling mad loud, fuck," Crystal snapped, taking another drag.

"Them underground gyms a good way to make money too," Sandy said.

"Or get fuckin busted," Jazmin snapped.

"You too pussy, ol' goodie two shoes ass," Sandy rebuked, "X-Large makes fucking bread from running them gyms and selling to motherfuckers who need boosts and shit. He be selling dope up here, and X-Attacks, X-Defenses and shit down there."

"Where them gyms?" Talon inquired. Sandy gave him a small smirk but Jazmin glared at Talon.

"C'mon, you not considering working for X."

"The fuck I am," Talon said, "My job is trash and selling candy getting played out for real, niggas wanna be cheap in L.L High."

Jazmin sighed, "Y'all niggas trash, deadass."

"You gon' have to ask X for that," Sandy said, taking another hit while he stretched. Crystal put her feet up, also taking another drag.

"I'll…think about it."

"Iight, man," Sandy said, giving him a bro hug, "See you around, gotta cut some of the coke."

"Later man."

He waved to Jazmin and Crystal gave them a nod, following Sandy back into his trap house.

"Remember when he wanted to be a rapper—with them weak ass bars. Ain't nobody finna hear that trash. No wonder he started trapping," Talon muttered, setting down his skateboard and getting on it. Jazmin laughed a little and followed him as he skateboarded slowly in the street, meandering as he smoked another cigarette. Jazmin looked at her phone. I wonder what her last words were. She shivered at the thought.

"You think Portia will snitch?"

"Nah," Talon said, "She's just as shook as you is right now."

"Yeah," Jazmin agreed. She was a hoe? I don't believe that…she was way too quiet and to herself. But…

"It's always the quiet ones."

Maybe they're right.

Jazmin looked at her phone on more time. Her social media was blowing up with RIP Keisha. The same people who ignored her or probably used her were now giving her fake love. She couldn't stand it so she turned off her phone.

What were her last words?

She could only imagine how Keisha's mom was feeling at the moment. They continued on, aimlessly into the high noon, meandering in the summertime heat.