BUSTED

Here I am again. Back in the same damn position I promised myself I wouldn’t get into . As I sat at the table , I tried to put my head in my hands , but the handcuffs wouldn’t allow me to reach. So I just sat back and stared at the ceiling . I hear the door open and my heart quickens . A officer , and a detective walk in. I sit up in silence . The detective sits in front of me. “What really happened Oz?” The detective asked.  I look at his name: Detective Reese.  “Look Detective , I already told y’all the story. My boys and I were walking and some car pulled up and started shooting. I don’t know who it was , and I don’t know the people in the car. All I know is I got shot at, and y’all asking the wrong people. Where my boys at anyways ?” I shrug. I was tired , hungry , and mainly annoyed. I’ve been in here for hours .Detective Reese sighs and pulls out a notepad and starts writing . I watch him. After he’s finished he puts the pen down, folds his arm and looks at me. “In order for us to help you, you have to tell us the truth.” He states. “Man I told y’all the truth . I don’t want to answer anymore questions. I just wanna go home.” I claim.  We sat there looking at each other. He sighs, and begins to put the notepad up. The detective and the officer exchange looks and nod. “Alright.” He stands up and heads for the door. As he leaves , another officer enters and approaches me. He forces me to stand up and walks me to the front of the police station. As I approach a front desk, the officer takes the handcuffs off. I rub my wrists. After answering the questions as the clerk fills out my paperwork, I’m excused to leave. I see my boys outside and I couldn’t help but smile. As soon as I opened the door they all hovered over me. Hugging me, dabbing me up, exchanging handshakes . “Man what they ask you in there?” Slim asked.  I sucked my teeth. “Man they was asking all types of s**t. But let’s get out of here. I’m trynna bounce and get the f**k from here.” Everyone laughs and we start to walk in the opposite direction. As I follow everyone I turn my head and see Detective Reese looking at me. He don’t need to watch me , I thought to myself. He tripping.  We were a block away when Junior asked , “So what you trynna get into today Ozzy Oz?” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Man look, I ain’t trying to do nothing . I’m trying to get to the crib man. Especially since the feds is hot on me , ya dig?” Junior nods his head agreeably . “I feel you O, but me and the boys is heading to the block later on tonight . You trying to slide.?” He looks at me expectantly. Slim and the others stopped walking to look at me . We were all standing in front of my house. I take a deep breath . “Look, I’m just trying to lay low.” Slim and the others start sucking their teeth and starts begging for me to come. “Hey hey.” I laugh . “I’ll let y’all know . Aight?” Slim, Junior and the others starts play hitting me and hugging me. I start walking to the porch. “Alright y’all I’ll holler at y’all later .” I throw up the peace sign. Everyone throws it back and starts laughing and continues to walk up the street. I walk in the door and my mom was standing right there with her arms crossed. I could tell she was mad. We stood there for a moment.  "Care to explain to me why I received a phone call from the police station today?Why they questioned you for 32 hours? And about what?" Her voice was getting stern and angry. I knew I had messed up. A couple months ago I had promised her that I wouldn't be in no more trouble. And now look. Back in the same position. "Momma, it wasn't even my fault. Some dudes rolled up in a car and started shooting and-." "Shooting?!" She interrupted. " At you? For what Oz? This is what I be talking about, them streets ain't got nothing promised to you but death." Her voice started to shake, and tears started to well in her eyes. I felt  bad because I knew she was right. But this was nothing new to her, or to me. I hear a door open down the hallway. I look to see a tall slim man walking towards us. It was my dad. I took a deep breath,. He walked up to my mom, kissed her on the forehead and told her to go back to the room. After she left, it was just my dad and I and the room never felt heavier. Finally, he took a seat at the kitchen table, and motioned for me to sit with him. I slowly sat down.  "It would kill your mom if anything happens to you," He starts. "It would hurt me, your mom, your sister." He stops. "Oz, this street life has to stop." He puts his hands behind his head and leans back. For a moment, it's just silence. I was a little angry that they just didn't understand. My friends always had my back , no matter what. If my parents were so concerned, why didn't they show up to the police station? The thought of that angered me.  "Its not just the street life pops." I explained. "They've always been there for me, and vice versa. It was just the wrong place at the wrong time." "Which should've never happened. " He snapped. "You're smarter than that O, and you know it. I can't keep having you run the streets and bringing that danger to your mom and sister, or to this household." "What danger?" I argued. "I ain't have nothing to do with those dudes that shot at us Pops. We was just walking down the street minding our business when they rolled up." "Oz," my dad started,  "you know how dangerous it is. If you think your "friends" are gonna protect you from bullets, you're wrong. Bullets don't have a name." "So you expect me to leave my boys behind because of the streets? That's all there is Pops. Look where we live in, you've seen what goes on out there. But the fact that I got shot at, ain't had nothing do with me." I look at him, begging him to understand with my eyes.  He sighs and closes his eyes, then opens them, then sits up. "If we have to have this conversation again, you're out." I look at him in disbelief. "So you mean to tell me that  since something that happened to me that was out of my control, you gonna kick me out and blame me?" I started to stand up and he met me at eye level.  "I'm not playing. " He looked in my eyes.  I knew he was being serious. I sucked my teeth and sat back down, and laid my head in my arms. I listened to him walk off. I knew my parents wanted what was best for me, but they just didn't understand like how I wanted them to.Of all people, I was hoping Pops would.  It wasn't about the streets. It was about the family that I made, when I felt I didn't have a real one. I have people that watch over me. That shooting happened at the wrong place and the wrong time, and no one was prepared for it. What's even messed up is that I know who was shooting, and I made a deal.