Jameson

Story of Dominick Jameson who lives in a rough neighborhood. All he has is basketball and friends, but he suddenly finds himself losing it all.

                Today is one of those nice, warm summer days where the kids go to the park and play. The older guys play basketball, with the high school kids trying to show up those Ju-Co guys who couldn’t make it to university.  They still have something to prove, and nothing to lose.

                The girls watch the guys play, and some of them even step onto the court to show that ladies have game too. Michelle Bennett proves that every time, and she’s beautiful with the rock.

                The rich people drive around in their Lexus’ and Mercedes’, making the lower class stop and stare with the fantasy of the same life. Someone will get there, they just have to. Momma always tells me that if I work hard, I’ll have a nice car someday.

                I sure hope she’s right.

                Me and the boys sit on the bleachers looking out at the basketball courts. It’s a bunch of college kids playing a little 3-on-3. Our buddy Correll got into the game, the first one out of our group. He’s a senior headed to Indiana in a month, ready for college. He’ll blow the coaches away for sure.

                He’s got skill, and he knows it. We all watch in awe as he crosses over a graduate from last year, Andre Perry, the best defender in school history. Correll lays in a nice one and some of the girls cheer. He’s the best on the court, and he loves to prove it.

                I watch as a black Hummer with tinted windows cruises down the street, going real slowly. It doesn’t take a genius to realize what’s about to happen. As the windows roll down, my deepest fear becomes a reality.

                “Drive-by!!!” someone screams, and everyone scrambles to get away.

                The sounds of gunshots go off, making my ears ring. I jump down off the bleachers and run under them for cover. As I crouch down, I hear screams and the hard breathing of my other friends.

                “Oh damn, who’s that man?! Them fools are crazy!” yells Adrian, Correll’s younger brother.

                “I don’t know who it is. I just saw the car drive slow and the windows roll down. I wasn’t about to wait and see who it was.” I say, nearly out of breath.

                Mark and Donovan look scared out of their minds, but Adrian looks surprisingly calm. Probably because he’s used to this sort of thing, since he’s lived in downtown L.A. for fifteen years. I could see in his eyes that this was nothing new.

                All I could keep thinking was how such a sunny day could end up so badly. I couldn’t stop worrying about everyone else, especially Correll. He was out on the court and didn’t have anywhere to go. Hopefully, I think to myself, he’s okay.

                When the shots stop, I hear someone shout, “Take that, you little snitch!”, and the car screeching away. My ears wouldn’t stop ringing and no one moved for the longest time, when the sirens finally sounded, everyone got up to see the end result.

                Children were crying, people’s faces looked terrified, but no one looked hurt. A few mothers were trying to calm their children down, and a couple of people were crying. The overall scene looked grim, and when all eyes turned to the basketball court, it got worse.

                The guys who were playing got away, except for one. Lying on the court with his white t-shirt now stained red was Correll, and he wasn’t moving. I could feel my eyes start to water and my stomach start to turn.

                The look on Adrian’s face was something I’d never seen before, because I knew that no matter what happened, he would never be the same again. He runs over to Correll, screaming at the top of his lungs. People around have their hands over their mouths, simply shocked.

                When Adrian gets to Correll, he falls on both knees, unable to do anything but cry. He holds Correll in his arms, and the inevitable truth sinks in.

                Correll isn’t coming back.

Author's Note

Wanted to know if this is a good start or not.