Author's Note: Thank you sooo much for your reviews
Author's Note: Thank you sooo much for your reviews! They really mean a lot. I really hope this story does well, and it's only going to be for the summer. But thanks to everyone who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Four Brothers or any of the characters in Four Brothers. I do own whatever character that wasn't in Four Brothers, k…thanks.
Bryant woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. She looked around the room as she sat up. She looked down at her body. She was still in the clothes from the night before. "Hey you." Jerry replied from the doorway.
She jumped. "Hey." She whispered throwing her legs over the side of the bed.
"You ok?"
"I don't know." She replied. "I don't…" she stopped.
"Bry, its ok."
"No, its not." She replied laying back down.
"Come on, pack a bag. You are going to stay with me."
"I just want to sleep Jerry."
"I know you do, but you can do that at my house."
She leaned up again. "You ok?" she asked looking at him.
He rubbed his hands on his face. "Not really." He turned away. "I'll be downstairs."
She bowed her head as tears surfaced. She quickly wiped them away before going to her closet and packing a bag for Jerry's.
She slowly made her way down the stairs looking at the pictures along the way. She looked up and noticed Jerry waiting out on the porch. "You ready?" he asked poking his head in. She slowly nodded her head.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. Don't forget to lock the door." He replied before walking to his Volvo. Bryant sighed as she got out her keys. She looked around the room one last time before closing the door behind her.
"I talked to Jack earlier." Jerry replied as they made their way down the street.
"Ok." Bryant replied looking out the window.
"He will be here tomorrow for the funeral. So will Bobby."
"Good."
"You still mad at Jack?"
Bryant rolled her eyes. "I don't know."
"Don't you think you should forgive him already?" he replied looking at her.
"Don't you think you should keep your eyes on the road." She retorted back.
Jerry sighed.
"Jack only thinks about Jack. He doesn't care." She replied
"You don't think so?"
"Nope." Bryant looked out the window again. It had started to snow. "I hate the snow." She replied leaning her head back against the seat.
"Jack loves you, you know that right?" Jerry kept on.
"If he loved me, he wouldn't have left me."
"He left because it was his time."
"His time? Are you serious?" Bryant glared at her brother. "His time for what? For him to leave his family because it got too much for him. He moved out right after Bobby did. At least Bobby had the nerve to say goodbye. All I got from Jack was a freaking card apologizing for what happened. He doesn't care about me Jerry. He only cares about himself. If he cared so much, he would have stayed and helped Ma through everything but no, he needed to leave and he chose New York, the farthest place away from us." Tear streamed down her face. "And now our mother is dead and that is the only reason he is coming back because she is dead."
"He was scared of losing you."
"So he chose to leave?"
"Yes."
"He was my best friend and he chose to run away from his problems just like he always does. Why should I give a shit about him now huh? He is coming back and once this is all over, he will be back in New York pursuing his stupid music career, forgetting he even had a family in Detroit."
"Stop!" Jerry yelled.
"No you stop!" she yelled back. "Stop taking up for him when you know damn well that he is a coward. It took our mother to get shot and die for him to come back."
"That's enough Bryant!" Jerry stopped the car.
Bryant looked at her brother with a piercing glare. "I am so mad at him Jerry and all you keep doing it taking up for him. He left me when I needed him the most. He left without a word. I had to take care of our mother all by myself and now she is gone." Bryant's voice trembled. "How do I go on without her? I am so scared to see him because he reminds me so much of her and I want to be so mad at him but I cant. I want him to be here with me, but I want to hate him at the same time." She wiped the tears that ran down her cheeks. "I don't know what to do anymore."
Jerry reached over and rubbed the back of her head before pulling her in his arms. "You're going to be alright. Everything is going to be ok." He replied kissing her forehead. "We just have to get through these next couple of days."
She nodded her head as she pulled away. "Let's go inside."
Bryant looked in the mirror for the seventh time making sure her hair was in place and her dress looked good. She wanted to be presentable. She wanted to make her mother proud. She had to redo her make-up three times that morning, every time she looked in the mirror, she saw her mother which made her cry. There was a soft tap on the door.
"Come in." she replied.
"Hey you ready? Everyone is waiting downstairs."
"Yeah, I just need to grab my coat." She walked over to the closet and pulled out a black coat. She took a deep breath before turning around. "Ok, lets go." She replied. She walked to the door with Jerry beside her.
"Take a deep breath." Jerry whispered. She nodded her head before climbing into the backseat of his Volvo. The ride to the cemetery was dreadful. She prayed it wouldn't come. She wanted to stay in the car so bad. Her car door opened up and Jerry's hand appeared. "Come on, its time to go." Bryant slowly nodded her head before gently placing her hand in his. She didn't let go. She noticed a crowd had gathered.
"Wow." She replied.
"Come on, its time to start." Jerry replied pulling her along. He sat her down next to him. She began playing with her hands. She didn't want to look up. She could feel Jack's eyes on her. She took in a deep breath. Damn it was cold. She felt someone tap on her shoulder. She slowly lifted her head and saw Bobby staring at her from the seat down. He gave her a soft smile. She felt her chair move and just looked up, Jack had gotten up. She watched as he moved over to the podium. She could feel tears rising in her eyes as she watched him. She looked over at Bobby, who had sympathy in his eyes as he watched his baby brother. She looked away and noticed Angel wasn't around. She sighed before looking back down at her hands.
"…You were hardly given anything to eat. You learn to take what you can get. When Evelyn took me in, it was no different for me. Until she caught me with my pockets all full. And she tried to explain to me what it meant to be adopted, and what it meant to have a family, what it meant to have a last name... And she would say: "Jackie... there's no reason to steal your own toothbrush anymore." 'Cause I would, I would, I would take it, and I would put it in my sock drawer..." Jack covered his face.
Bryant looked down again as tear streamed down her face. She wanted so bad to go up there and wrap her arms around him and tell him it was ok and that she forgave him, but she didn't move. Only Bobby did. She heard Bobby's voice thanking everyone for coming. She didn't want to move. She just sat there. She saw Jerry's face appear in front of hers.
"Hey." He replied rubbing the side of her head. She turned away from him as tears streamed down her face. "You're ok." He replied. "Come on, we are going to go back to my house."
"I can't move." She whispered. She sniffed before wiping her face.
"Yes you can." He reached down and grabbed her hand. He pulled her to her feet as she held his hand and laid her head on his arm.
"Hey man!" Bobby replied wrapping his arms around Jerry's neck. Bryant walked off to the side. "How is she?" he asked still hugging his brother. Jerry pulled away and looked at him. Jack looked over at her.
"Hey baby brother." Jerry replied pulling Jack into a hug.
"How you been?" Jack asked.
"Good." Jerry smiled. "Come on you guys, I'm having a gathering at my house."
"Hey baby girl." Bobby replied walking over to his sister.
"Hey." She kicked a rock on the ground.
"You going to give me a hug?" Bobby asked.
"Sure." She replied. She didn't even lift her head as she walked into his arms. She snuggled her head under his arm as he squeezed.
"I've missed you." He replied.
"I've missed you too." She let go of him.
"Come on, let's go to Jerry's." He put his arm around her shoulder. Jack had already walked to the car as she looked around for him.
"How's Jack?" Bryant asked.
"Don't know. Don't really talk to him much." Bobby replied. "That's fucked up huh."
"Yeah." She whispered.
Bryant watched from the guest bedroom window as Jack walked out in the middle of the street with a cigarette in his hand. She sighed as she let her hair down. Bobby had walked out to him and hugged him before they walked towards the house. Jack had looked up at the window, she couldn't find herself to move. She just stared at him. He looked away and smiled at something Bobby had said. She moved towards the door and prepared herself before heading downstairs. She walked out the back and found Bobby and Jack kneeling down talking to Daniela and Amelia. She smiled before walking over to them.
"Hi." She whispered. Jack quickly turned towards her.
"Hi." He replied back.
"I just…" she started.
"You're a policeman." Amelia's voice sounded. Everyone's eyes turn towards the cops that just walked through the gate.
"That's right and you are all under arrest, don't nobody move." Green's replied. The little girls take off running. "Hey where you going?" he called after them.
"What about me Green? You gonna arrest me?" Bobby asked.
"It depend, you straight?" Green asked.
"Straightish…" Bobby smiled.
"I know it Bobby." Green pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks for coming, Green. Ma would've been happy you made it to the service." Bobby replied.
"Shit, your mom would've been happy you made it back for her funeral! "
"I didn't come back for no funeral." Bobby retorted.
Green looked up at his partner. "Thanks, but we have it under control." Fowler replied.
"Yeah I can tell. Detroit's finest cleaned things up."
"Calm down Bobby, we got these punks. Some kids across the street witnessed to gang bangers going in the grocery store."
"Forget that, Green. I used to make a good living around here because cops like you couldn't find tits in a strip joint."
Jack looked over at Bryant.
"How about you come inside, get you some coffee and donuts, the get the fuck out of here." Bobby replied before walking away.
"You coming?" Jack asked looking back at Bryant.
"Naw you go ahead. I'm going to stay out here for a little while." She replied.
Jack turned to walk away. "Can we talk later?" he asked turning back around again.
Bryant just looked at him. "I mean just me and you, there are some things I need to tell you and I need you to listen to."
"Sure." Bryant replied. "Whatever you want."
"Okay, I'll see you inside." He turned and walked away from her. She slowly turned around again so he couldn't see the tears that had begun to stream down her face. She was so mad at herself for crying, but she couldn't help it. She wanted so bad to scream at him. She wanted so bad to ask him why he wasn't there for her. She just wanted him to be with her.
Bryant had ridden with Jerry back to their mother's house. She didn't want to go back, but Bobby persuaded her to. She looked over at Jerry as they arrived at the house.
"I don't think I can go back in there Jer." She replied looking down at her hands.
"Yes you can. Nothing is going to change." He replied.
"Everything has changed Jerry. Can you not see that?" she asked staring at him.
"Get out Bryant." He told her slamming his door. Bryant looked outside as her brothers walked to the steps. She opened her door and heard Jack talking.
"So, shit, Bobby, what've you been up to?"
"I'm a freakin' college professor, Jack, what do you think I've been doing."
"I doubt that."
"What about you? You still sucking a royal cock left and right, or what?
"Fucker."
Jeremiah started laughing as he opened the door. Bryant couldn't help but laugh as she made her way towards the porch.
"It's not right leaving me out in the cold like this." Angel's voice sounded in the dark room. Jerry cut the light on.
"Hey little brother, you asshole!" Bobby yelled walking over to him.
"I miss my plane!" Angel tried to explain.
"And you missed our mother's funeral Jarhead." Bobby wrapped his arms around him.
"And baby brother." Jerry replied slapping him on the back.
"Jack." Angel replied.
"You cut the afro off." Jack replied giving his brother a hug. "Haven't seen you in forever!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Hey, did you get your teeth whitened?"
"Shut up, Jackie boy." Angel replied shoving Jack away. "Well looky here." He replied looking over at Bryant. "Who is this gorgeous girl?"
"Shutup." Bryant replied walking over to him. She felt his arms come around her shoulders.
"You've grown." He replied in her ear.
"Yeah well it's been three years." She replied letting go.
"Yeah, well…" She just stood there.
"Let's go inside. It's cold." Jeremiah replied.
Bryant looked at Angel before turning back around to the door. She was so mad and she couldn't even say why. Jerry slowly opened the door to the house and everyone walked in. She stopped and looked around. Everything was different to her.
"I'm hungry. You guys want something to eat?" Angel asked.
"No, I think I am going to go get some sleep. Angel, you, Jack, and Bryant take your rooms, I'll sleep in Ma's." Bobby didn't look up as his made his way up the stairs.
"Yeah, I think I am going to go get some sleep to." Bryant replied.
"Bryant…" Jack called after her.
"Not now Jack. I don't have the energy." She replied.
She heard him sigh. "Let it go man. It's going to take some time." Jerry replied. Jack nodded his head before walking up the stairs himself.
Bryant threw herself on her bed as she walked into her room. She reached for the covers and threw them over her head before turning the light out. She opened her eyes when she heard music coming from the hall. Angel had cut on his radio.
Sunshine, blue sky, please go away,
My girl has found another, and gone away
With her went my future, my life is filled with gloom,
So day after day, I stay locked up in my room
Bryant sighed as she grabbed her bear from the wall and snuggled with it. She closed her eyes and listened. She rolled over as the music seemed to have gotten louder.
I know to you it might sound strange,
I wish it would rain (oh how I wish that it would rain)
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
She threw back her sheet as tears streamed down her face. "Mama." She cried. She pushed her face in her pillow as she began to scream. She screamed until she had no more energy. She fell back into her bed as she sobbed.
Cause so badly
I wanna go outside (such a lovely day)
Everyone knows that a man ain't supposed to cry
But listen, I got to cry, cuz crying, ooooooooh,
Is the pain, oh yeah
"ANGEL!" she screamed. "Cut the damn music off!"
She heard the music stop and footsteps come towards her room. She just laid in her bed as she watched her door come flying open. She didn't move.
"We need to talk." It was Jerry's voice. She didn't move. "Don't play that shit Bryant, I know you are awake. The whole house just heard you yell at Angel."
"Go away Jerry. You don't understand." She told him.
"Understand what?" he asked.
"Everything."
"Then explain it to me because I am dying to know."
"Stop being such a smartass." She snapped.
"Fine whatever." Jerry slammed the door behind him.
She got off the bed and stormed to her door. She heard the front door slam downstairs. She looked over at Jack's room and saw Jerry standing in the doorway. He was talking about Thanksgiving. He looked up and saw her glaring at him.
"Care to join us?" he asked.
"No." she spat. She walked back into her room and grabbed her coat before storming down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Jerry asked following her
"Screw you." She snapped before slamming the door behind her. It was still snowing from earlier, there was already a bunch on the ground. She didn't bother looking back at the house. She quickened her pace, hoping no one was following her. Where was she going? Ugh, how she wanted to be in West Virginia right now. Tears streamed down her face as she stopped in the middle of the street and reached for her phone. Kade. She thought. No. She was mad at him.
"Screw it." She replied dialing his number. It rang and rang. until… "Hello." A groggy voice came on the phone.
"Kade." She whispered.
"Bryant? Is that you?"
"Yeah." She sniffed.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"My mom's dead, Kade. Someone shot her." She began to cry harder.
"What?"
"Someone shot my mom and now she's dead. I don't know what to do." She sobbed.
"Where are you?"
"Detroit. I left my house, I couldn't stay there anymore. I am so mad that I just left."
"Go back, you don't need to be outside by yourself."
"Kade." She replied. "I miss you so much."
She heard him sigh. "I miss you too."
"I want to come back." She cried. "I don't want to be here anymore."
"Baby, listen to me. You have to go back to your house. I'm sure your…brothers are looking for you."
"No, I don't care about them" she sobbed.
"Yes you do." He replied softly. "Bry, you have a family now. I want you go to back to your house and I want you to stay there."
"Why are you doing this? Isn't this what you wanted?"
"No. I want you to be happy."
"Kade. I'm so scared."
"Don't be." There was a long pause. Kade went to say something, but Bryant spoke up first.
"Can I speak to Eli or Micah?"
There was a long pause on the phone. "Kade?" Bryant called out.
"I'm still here."
"What is it?"
"Bry, there is something I need to tell you."
"No." she replied.
"Micah was shot about three weeks ago downtown. He was mixed up in something he didn't need to be in in the first place. He didn't make it sweetheart."
Bryant covered her mouth as she back against a tree. "Bry, are you there?" he asked.
"I have to go." She whispered.
"No, Bryant." His voice was echoing her ear and she brought the phone down and dropped it to the ground.
What was happening? Everyone around her was dying. She looked back at the house and saw the light come on. "No." she whimpered. She slide down the tree and laid her head in her lap. The snow was freezing on her butt, but she didn't care. She just sobbed until she felt she couldn't anymore. She looked up around her. Her eyes were blurry, but she lifted herself up off the ground and began walking back to her house. Suddenly the lights on the street went out, she stopped in her spot. "Shit." She replied. She didn't want to move. Her heart seemed to stop beating. "please, please." She begged squeezing her eyes shut.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Bobby was in her face.
Her eyes came flying open and without thinking she wrapped her around his neck. "Thank God its you." She replied.
"What are you doing?" he asked pulling her away. "I've been looking for you for thirty minutes."
"Bobby, can we please just stay out here?" she begged.
"Hell no, its cold as fuck out here." He replied. "Come on we are going back to the house."
She sighed as he put his arm around her shoulder and walked her to the house. "What the hell is your problem anyway?" he asked.
"My life sucks." She replied.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well lets see. My mother was just killed, and my best friend from back home was killed three weeks ago. Yep, my life sucks." She smarted off.
Bobby nodded his head. "Jack's a little worried about you." As they got to the steps of the house
"I don't care about Jack." She walked a little faster out of his arms and into the house.
"Finally." Jerry replied walking over to her.
"I'm fine." She replied.
"What the hell?" Jerry replied.
"I don't want to talk about it." She replied.
Jerry looked over at Jack who was sitting on the couch, Jerry nodded his head. "Bobby, lets go upstairs."
"Why?" Bobby asked. "I have a few words to say to miss thang over there."
"Bobby." Jerry replied.
"What's going on?" Bryant asked.
"Sit down." Jack told her.
"I don't want to." She told him.
"I don't care anymore what you want Bryant. Now sit your ass on the couch."
"Jack, you cant…"
"Sit down!" he yelled. She slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, but refused to look at him. "Thank you." He rubbed his hands over his face before starting. "Three in a half years ago you came into my life and I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect ma to adopt a little girl. It wasn't right to me to bring a girl into a group of boys. Especially us." He laughed but stopped when Bryant didn't even move. "I fell so in love with that twelve year old girl who sat on the stairs for the first time though. The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew we would be the best of friends."
"Where are you getting with this?" Bryant spat.
"Just listen." He told her. "We spent everyday together, we did everything together. For two years you never left my side."
Bryant laid back against the couch and closed her eyes. "Until one night, you decided you wanted to be a little rebel and not hang out with me." Her eyes shot open. "What was I suppose to do Bryant?"
"Stop." She told him.
"You wanted to go to the party so bad, that I just assumed you liked some guy at school. I wanted you to have a life outside of us. I wanted you to have friends and I wanted you to go hang out with them instead of hanging around the house all the time. I wanted you to be happy."
"Happy?" she snapped.
"Yes. So I talked ma into letting you go."
"So its my fault?" she asked wiping a tear that escaped out of her eye.
"No, I'm not saying that."
"What are you saying Jack? Spit it out!"
"It took me a very long time to come to terms with what happened that night. I was so scared Bry and I knew you were too. I had gotten a letter in the mail about my audition at the Tavern and it was a contract asking me to come to New York and play for a local band there. It was my chance to become someone. I knew I couldn't leave you though."
"It must have not been a hard decision."
"Stop it, please." He begged. He paused before starting again "You repressed everything you were feeling for two weeks. You wouldn't talk to me, you hardly even looked at me. What was I suppose to do?"
"Tried harder!" Bryant yelled.
"I did!" Jack yelled back.
"Bobby left, then you decided it would be a great idea to leave too."
"You told me too." He replied.
"I didn't think you would take me seriously. I was so mad at you."
"I know you were." He sat down beside her. "You are still mad at me."
"Our family fell apart then and no one seemed to care at all." She wiped her face as tears streamed down it.
"I am so sorry for leaving you. I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I thought maybe if everyone was gone you would come out of your state and you would come back to life. It seemed like you had died after that night at the party, I couldn't even get through to you to eat something."
"Our lives changed that night Jack, mine more than anyone's. I didn't expect it to be too much for you because you weren't there. You didn't see what I was saw, but still you found a way out and you took it. You took it so fast that I couldn't comprehend what was going on until I found your note on my bed. A note. You wrote me a freakin note to explain yourself of why you left. And the whole time I thought you were mad at me for what happened or something. I still think you are mad at me, like it was my fault. You weren't suppose to leave me alone. You weren't suppose to leave until I was of age and like we planned, we would move to New York together, but you didn't care about that."
"I thought about taking you with me. I did, but I knew if we all left it would kill our mother so I just left on my own."
"I didn't care about that Jack. I didn't want you to leave me." She cried.
"I am so sorry. If I could change it if I would, but I cant. I wish so much I could change that night and that day that I left, but I cant. I don't want you to hate me. I want us to go back to the way it was. Our mother just died Bry, please don't shut me out. I need you ok."
Bryant looked away as tears streamed down her face. "Ok." She whispered. He touched her shoulder, a little scared of what she would do. She turned around to him and looked at him, then she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.
"Thank you." He whispered returning the hug. "I've missed you." He whispered.
"I've missed you too." She whispered back. "Please don't leave me again." She begged.
"I wont, I swear." He told her.
Author: Ok, so I know I left you with a little cliffy. Care to guess what happened? Hm…..you will just have to wait to see what happened to her that night that caused everyone to leave. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I changed her time a little, she was twelve when she was with Kade and them and its been 5 years instead of four. Please review and let me know what you think….
REVIEW!