The Heart I was Given

Chapter1: Boulevard

Zoraya POV

Watch where you're going kid! A strong arms jerked me off the road, I stumbled, almost bumping into a nearby stall, because I was caught off guard

I snapped my head back sharply to check who the jerk might be, but he wasn't even there, just some angry eyes gnawing at me

I sighed abruptly and tried to maintain my balance

Well it's not a new thing, that's how life has been in this side of the world

I glanced at the gloomy sky, no doubt it would rain anytime soon. I tugged at the item in my pocket tighty as I continued my journey down RDR

Yeah… RDR a short acronym for Raw deal Road

The street is one hell of a bustling one, lined with shops and business of all kinds, where different people of all ages hustle and bustle along the sidewalk.

I dragged my feet sluggishly as I made way through the thick crowd,

The air is thick with the smell of sizzling meat from the corner BBQ stand, mingling with the sweet scent of freshly braided hair from the nearby salon

Some nod to the rhythm of the beat blasting from the boombox on the corner, kids laugh and chase each other through the crowd.

Navigating through the crowd, I inhaled deeply and gagged almost immediately, the smell, I mean an unholy agglomeration of perfumes, body odor and over-applied cologne.

A loud cheer echoed from my right where a group of men gathered around a makeshift dice game

Get him! A voice yelp from a 2 storey building few meters from the gathered men

I looked up only to see a blonde guy taking the risk of jumping, I stopped, he won't dare jump right

But no I was wrong, he land with a thud, I flinched backwards and scrunched my face from the sounds of cracking bones

I bet he broke a bone or two, but he couldn't focus on that for now as to avoid being caught

He got up and limped away as fast as his broken legs could carry him.

If I should make a guess…. Either he stole something or r***d a minor, or involved in some gang shit

I huff and shrugged my shoulders, what more could life be in “Boulevard?" Cramped in, bitterly poor

You see, my life started out on the Eastside of the “Boulevard ghetto”

By ghetto I do not mean a casual old victorian style house, I mean a real worse slum where people would run through your door chasing each other with knives on the regular

I was 10 when my mama left , I lived with my father and two siblings.

And here in Boulevard is our sanctuary, the only place that can accommodate people like us. And the price to pay is a steep one.

There was never a moment of peace…. there's always a fight going on, rapid shooting, sometimes a gang fight which result in many deaths

My siblings and I all had our problems dealing with mental health and even abuse

Lucas the youngest is suffering from Asthma, he's 10

Kayla, the one after me is just being aggressive over nothing, she barely speaks and whenever she decides to say a thing, she'd make sure she annoys the heck out of everyone. She's 14

I on the other hand…. I don't even know where to start, my brain is so messed up, I could barely concentrate in school

“Zora" a voice chanted, pulling me out of the trance I submerged myself in, I looked up only to find “Leilani” walking up to me.

She's a black girl with pretty eyes and long eyelashes and round mouth, she braided her long curly hair into two side messy braids

“Hi" I tried to force a smile,

Didn't even realize I was already infront of the prison I called home.

Where's Gigi? She asked in her usual cold tone not bothering to return my greetings

He's said he's gonna take a rest after leaving the pharmacy with me earlier. I said scanning her eyes

She then walk away hurriedly without any response

I scrunch my eyebrows as I watched her running in distance,

Leilani isn't fond of me, which I don't know the reason why. She just had this cold bitchy attitude towards me, but I don't care either

She's the least of my problems.

But wait…. Why'd she come all the way here just to ask for Gigi? She could just call him on the phone

Is something wrong? I questioned myself

No..no… Gigi is not the type to get into trouble, I murmured shaking off the bad thoughts creeping into my head

Hmmph! I sighed….. looking up to my block house which seemed like a fortress, its crumbling facade, a testament to the harsh realities of life.

The once solid walls now bear the scar of neglect and decay, like a battle-hardened warrior.

Graffiti tags and symbols cover the walls, a colorful but ominous language that speaks of turf wars and street loyalty. A poignant reminder of loved ones lost

The window cracked, held together with frayed tape and prayers,

The front door, reinforced with metal plating and a heavy-duty lock, looks like a bunker entrance, as if guarding secrets and stories within

Rusty gutters, clogged with leaves and debris.

I call it the “Hell-hole" for it's more like a prison to me,

I went in through the gate, to the 4th floor where our room is located,

it's a two room abode, whose floor is made of worn wooden planks that creak and groans beneath every steps, as if protesting the weight of the world.

the exterior walls, once a warm yellow, now wear a faded cloak of neglect, with patches of crumbling plaster.

The first room, dimly lit by a lone window, It serves as both living room and kitchen.

A tattered curtain, hangs limply, dividing the space, a small stove, fueled by scavenged wood and scraps, squats in the corner,

The second room, barely large enough for a double bed, is a cramped sanctuary. A faded quilt, stitched together from discarded fabrics scraps, covers the bed. A small tattered mat lies beside it

The wooden planks here are even more worn, with deep groves and scratches that seems to tell stories of their own

A small rickety table, adorned with a lone candle stand and worn out books stood at the corner of the room

My dad occupies the first room while I and my siblings occupied the second

“Big sis" Lucas called out from the bed

I hurried towards him quickly, fear written all over my face

Lucas, what's wrong? I asked as I crouched beside the bed

Nothing I'm fine, his raspy voice mumbled,

Kayla who was sitting at the table looked back in fear as well, but soon avert her gaze somewhere else.

I took out the item in my pocket, then hand it over to him

Albuterol! He screamed and sprang off the bed

Where did you get this? He asked impatiently

I thought something was wrong with him earlier, I exhaled

Uhmmm “Vaney" got it for you, a smile stretched out my lips

Kayla's head snapped back in a seconds, glancing at Lucas hand , she glanced at my face then continued with whatever she was doing

OMG! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! Lucas squealed

I'll like to meet him and thank him personally, Lucas whined

Hmmm… he's not the type that accept gratitude, I said squeezing Lucas shoulder

But I want to! He protested,

Alright… I said and got up, making way to the tiny kitchen. It's 6pm already

I'll make dinner, I huff

I scanned the whole place contemplating on what to make, not like we had foodstuffs, after rummaging, I discovered some potatoes

This will do, I murmured to myself

I wash the pots and began boiling the potatoes

“I bet this would cost a couple dollar, vaney is just the best, Lucas murmured from the other room”

I smiled and made way to space dividing the kitchen from the room, mom and dad picture frame hanged besides each other

He couldn't even forget her, even after she betrayed him, what a good heart he got.

You see...... Lucas was right, Vaney is what I described as an Angel, because he appeared at the most crucial moment of my life

If it weren't for Vaney, only God knows where I'll be at.

Recently my dad got a job as a low ranking worker at an industrial company, it was the happiest day of our life

the moment he broke the news to us back then.

Not that the salary is huge, but at least we could eat a 3 square meal, and pay the rent,

But dad's got other plans, he told us he would like us to go back to school, which I see as a very good decision

But if he were to send us to school, it will affect our feeding. because his salary couldn't pay the tuition fee and also feed us, talkless of even paying the rent

And truly the only mindset I had was to go to school and secure a very good Job, then move everyone out of this Hell-hole.

Because that's the only way to escape this shitty life, although I always wanted to own a beverage company, but that's a wild dream

But I don't think being poor should deprive me of dreaming big.

So dad's proposition seems to make sense, so we'll have to choose between a full belly or education

I and my siblings all agreed to go back to school, Because we dropped out two years ago

We are used to hunger, but what are we gonna do about the rent?

“God got us” was what my dad would always say.

Yeah…. He's a believer

He tried to raise us religiously, but I'm not religious.

Don't judge me….

Because out of the motherfucking 9 planet! God decided to toss me into this f*****g sewage!

I'd be grateful if he made me an Alien, instead of a human only to live like an Animal.

So we heed to Dad's words and went back to school

But we regretted it, I'm not gonna lie, at some point it was hard to carry on. because I came to realize you can only concentrate on books with a full stomach and a sane mind.

We barely eat, and this ghetto makes things worse

But the most shocking thing happen, “God spare me a pity eyes for the first time”

Because at the worst phase of my life, on the verge of the second dropout, “Giavanni" appeared

He's what you call perfect in terms of handsome, he's black, perfectly built body, chiseled jaw, and amber orbs, you could mistake him for a Greek god.

Apparently he's from Georgia, he's 24, a college dropout, he appeared out of nowhere staying on the south Boulevard.

The street calls him “Gigi” but I call him “Vaney”

We met in an awkward situation,

Flashback to 2 years ago

2years ago I was on my way back from school, when some group of freaks kidnapped me, they took me some dark alley where I was stripped half naked and almost r***d by “carlos” the most vicious villian in “Boulevard

Vaney came out of nowhere, like a knight in shining armor.

You trying to r**e a kid! The voice stopped “Carlos" from soiling me

Carlos sprang up, then charged towards Vaney without second thought, but was hit by a deadly blow.

He dropped like a sack of potatoes while his minions moved back in fear.....