A Sistah in the Gang World!

Your life must be really good if you live in an area where you’re not worrying about anything in the world, only what you going to wear tomorrow. “Ha ha” lucky ya’ll right? My name is Tynisha; I’m 15 years old and live in The Bronx, New York. I live with my mom and older brother, Tyrone. My brother and I are very close we got each other’s backs, but my mom and I on the other hand have no connection at all. The way my mom treats me, leads me to doing bad things. You can consider that I’m still in school, I barely go but that’s because I’m out running the street. I don’t need to know history if I’m living in the present and going to the future 2+2 is 4 so? My brother is the same way, and my mom hurting me, he takes up for me, that’s why we are so close. I’ve seen and done everything there is to see; fighting, bodies, guns, leading to the inside of a jail cell. You can just say I’m a troubled girl.
“Tyrone, owe your hurting me.” I said as Tyrone sat on me as we wrestled. I loved wrestling with my brother, because I always won except for today. “Ha ha, so you want to give up now TeTe?” Tyrone cooed at me. TeTe is the nickname he gave me; it always made me smile when I was younger. “Yes, Tyrone get your big self off of me.” Tyrone finally got off of me. I started rolling around trying to catch my breath. “Get your dramatic self off the ground.” I started laughing at him as, as soon as I got to my feet I jumped on him and he instantly fell on the couch. Our brotherly, sister moment ended when shots start being fired through our window. The shots were loud probably heard down the street. Tyrone grabbed my arm and dragged me to the back room, and we hid in the closet until the shooting stopped. What just happened?
I looked over at Tyrone and saw his eyes glossy. He gasped air so deeply, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I opened the door so I could let some light in and I looked down at his hand that was covering the shot wound. I gasped as tears streamed down my face. “Tyrone hold on, keep your eyes open. Sing that song that you always sang to me.” I ran to the kitchen and got towels and water. “But please don't cry, *cough* dry your eyes, never let up forgive *cough* but don't forget, girl keep your head up…Keep ya head up, oooo *cough* child things are gonna get easier ooooo child things'll get brighter *cough*” I rushed back to his side, to see him struggling. It hurt me so hard to look at him in so much pain. “Ty keep singing bubba, keep singing… look at me, keep your eyes open.” His eyes started to roll and closed I tapped him lightly on his cheek to open them. He began to struggle even more. I put pressure on his wound as I called for an ambulance. Luckily they was already around the corner, they put him on the gurney then in the truck.
I looked at him and we locked eyes the whole way to the hospital. “Tynisha” I knew something was wrong when he said Tynisha, he never calls me Tynisha. “Yes, Ty I’m right here.” “TeTe I love you with all my heart be careful out there, find them for me.” With that he closed his eyes and the monitor went to a straight line. I screamed and cried as the doctors held me back “Time of death 9:07 p.m.” I couldn’t believe my best friend is gone. I hopped out the ambulance right when they pulled up to the hospital, and took off running not knowing where I would end up.
I made it to the pier and just sat there and cried my heart out not caring who walked by and saw me. I cried so hard I became sick, but I didn’t care. I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up I had a major headache and a big plan on my brain. I walked to my house with a tear stained face, right when I walked in I was greeted with yelling. Of course my mother was home. “Where you been? Why does my house look a mess? Ugh, you always got to be so ungrateful. Where is your brother?” I rolled my eyes and went to my room and got my things that I would need for my plan. I walked back out into the living room to see my mom waiting for me to answer her by the door. I pushed her out the way; “Tyrone is dead” was the last thing I said as I walked out the door.
I walked to the street that I always was on. “Ya’ll listen up, Tyrone; my brother was killed last night. Some guys came and shot up our house. Now I got a plan, and it can work with as many people as I get, so who in and who out?” I looked around and every man there stepped up. I smiled and nodded and told them the plan.
That night we headed out to the people I had a strong feeling that came to my house last night. We stood in front of their warehouse building door. We busted in the door, with all our weapons pointing them and theirs pointing at us. “Who is the leader of ya’ll?” They all looked over to this big strong looking man that was sitting behind them at a desk. “And who wants to know?” The sistah that lost her brother to your shoot out at my house last night. He stood up and walked over to me very slowly. “You and your brother owe me for the death of my nephew. I cocked my head to the side thinking back. “Your nephew is Jerome Nelson, he owed us money and kept holding out so you know what happens.” He looked at me in my eyes, never looking away. I turned around and looked at my guys, when I turned around he hit me with his weapon. And the war started. Mr. Nelson and I going at it head to head. He cornered me and I panicked. I thought of what my brother would do and I couldn’t concentrate.
In a blink of an eye, the loudest shot heard, I thought it hit me I looked down without any wound. I looked up and saw Mr. Nelson going down on his knees. I looked past him and saw Tyrone smiling at me. I shook my head. “Tyrone … no it can’t be.” Tyrone started to fade away and I saw him floating up. “TeTe I will meet you at the crossroads baby girl.” Then he disappeared.
I looked around and saw my guys leaving out the building door. I looked around and walked out. When I got out the building I looked up and saw a star gleaming brighter then even. I remembered a saying my brother use to say to me. “Tynisha you just a Sistah in a Gang World.”