Dear Journal,

It’s the 1st of June. Now it may seem like a big thing to be hot in June, but in L.A it’s always hot. This was the hottest ever and I had to go to school. It’s my 10th-grade year. If you are wondering, I go to Clifton Hill High. Yeah, my school’s known for letting students be creative. But I hate 10th grade. Anyway, back to the story. So it’s June 1st, the hottest day in years in L.A and I had to go to school. I’m floating high, passing it to my homies. When all I hear is beep, beep.” Rise and shine, today’s hotter than ever.” So I wake up. I looked at the cable box, it’s 6:30 a.m. I got a whole hour until school. I walked in my closet.

I picked out my new Dr. Martens boots with the neon blue splashes on the black background. Then I picked out my black cargo shorts and my neon blue shirt with ripped sleeves. Lastly, I got my neon blue and white snapback. I organized my stuff on my bed. I went in the kitchen, and I looked at the stove clock. It was 6:45 a.m. So I decided to make my mother some banana pancakes, turkey bacon, cheese eggs and coffee. One thing I learned from my grandfather was how to cook but since he’s gone and grandma being sick. I don’t really have anyone to teach me any more of their old recipes. Man, I miss him. By the time I was finished, it was 7:10. I made me a plate and cup of coffee to go. Then I gave my mother her food because unfortunately, my mother isn’t your typical mother. My mother has trouble getting out of bed in the mornings sometimes. Then I went to my room and hopped in the shower. When I got out it was 7:20 a.m. So I dried up and got fresh for the day. By then it was 7:25 a.m., I got everything I needed. I smelled, looked, and felt good.

Soon as I stepped out the door, My brodie, Funnyboy, was pulling up. My brodie, Funnyboy, had a Charger like me. The difference was he had a black and white Charger. So I hopped in my car and he followed me to school in his car.Me and my boy were best friends since we were 3 years old. Me and him were like two peas in the pod. We got to school at 7:45. We lived 15 minutes away from the school. So it wasn’t really nothing. But classes didn’t start until 8:20, so we had 35 minutes to chill. We pulled up in our cars, and I put my car in park and ate my food. When I was finished the radio read 7:50. I got out the car to people crowded in groups talking. See me I wasn’t like that I was more of a popular, quiet type guy. I had the muscles, the six pack, the car, the money. I knew everybody but I just liked not to be seen. So I walk pass everybody.

Everybody saying “What’s up, Jason.” I said “What’s up, everybody,” and went in the school. My locker was the lucky number 13.

I got out my English, Math, Spanish and Arts textbooks for my first 4 classes. This time it was 8:10, so I just went to Mr. Clover’s class and sat on the floor listening to my iPod for 10 mins. Now, to make a long story short. When lunch came, I decided to walk up to my friend Nevaeh and ask her out but my boy, Funny Boy kept telling me it was too soon to be talking to another girl especially since I just broke up with my ex, A’anisah. Mind you, that break up was 6 months ago and I was trynna move on. So I asked her out anyway, but my boy messed up the moment when he asked her best friend out right by me at the same time as me. Nevaeh had said “Yes” but her and her best friend wanted to chill together. So I drove to Taco bell and got the Doritos taco and went back to school.

To fast forward, the story my brodie, Funny Boy was kissing Nevaeh when I pulled up. I was flaming but then when my iPod played “One Love” by Bob Marley. All I could do was chill. Then 10 minutes later they saw my car and me watching while I enjoyed my Taco bell. They then ran. I just laughed because I just lost a best friend and girlfriend. So 2 is not always better than 1. I’m 1 on my own.

Later that day, when school was almost over, I got called to the principal’s office, it was 2:30 pm.

My principal said, “Son, sit down.”

I said, “Did I do anything wrong?”

He said, “No, Son, you are an excellent student.”

I said, “So what seems to be the problem, sir?”

Mr. Douglas looked up and said, “Son, I’m sorry to inform you that your grandmother is dying and wants to see you.”

He then said, “Do you have all your homework, if you do you can leave early.”

I just begin to cry. Then I just ran to my locker and then to my car. I cried the whole 30 minutes to the hospital and all I could think about was what I would do without her.

I got there and ask the receptionist what room April Mayflower was and she told me room 213. I walked into the room. My grandmother said, “Is that my baby?” I said, ”Yes.” I was crying then she told my 2 cousins and 2 aunts to go outside with my mother and uncles and to close the door behind them.

She said, “Jason, get that big blue duffle bag under my bed.” I picked it up and it was heavy.

She said, “Put it right here.” She had moved her legs a little to sit the duffle bag on the bed. She said, “Listen, before you open it. There’s a letter in it and keys to me and Papa’s house. When I die, leave here go to your house, get some clothes, then go to the house and live there. Promise me that you will think smarter after you read the letter. I don’t want anyone to know about this not even your mother. I will explain everything in the letter me and papa wrote.”

I said, “Grandma, can I go to the bathroom real quick?”

She said, “sure.” So I went and came back from the bathroom because I heard her coughing while I was in the bathroom. She said,” Baby, when you leave the room; tell them that the duffle bag has my favorite dress in it and I wanted it to be dry cleaned.”

I said, “Grandma...”

She began to talk slower and less. But lastly she said, “We love you. I love you. Papa loves you. We believe you hold the legacy.”

I begin to cry and she rolled her eyes back as she held my hand. She died. The machine beeped and I ran out the room crying carrying that heavy duffle bag.

Everybody tried to stop me and I yelled, “Leave me alone. She wants this dress dry cleaned.”

Then I rushed to my house in 20 minutes. I left the duffle bag in the backseat. I ran in the house I got the biggest suitcase I could find, and threw all my clothes, sneakers everything in the suitcase. I cleaned my room out. My room was empty, nothing but my bed, TV and the nightstand. I carried my suitcase and laptop out to the car and then ran back to lock the house door. I drove 40 minutes from Clifton Hill to Mountain Hill. I drove to 183 St. Charles street. There it was, Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The house I spent most of my time at. So I opened the drive way gate and drove up. Then I closed it back. I got out the duffle bag, suitcase and laptop bag. I took the keys out the little pocket of the duffle bag to open the door. Then I got in the house and it smelled the same. It smelled like banana pancakes and sweet potato pie. I left the curtains close then I walked into the kitchen. I walked back into the living room got all my stuff before I went upstairs I checked to make sure I locked the door. Then I ran to my old room. Grandma’s house was made like mine but their house was more like home for me. But I settled in and put everything up. Then I sat the duffle bag in the middle of my bed.

I opened it, and it was filled with money. I dumped the money on the bed. Out fell 6 gold blocks and the letter.

The letter was 2 pages long. But Grandma said, “I knew everyone would go money hunger. So me and papa left everybody only $1,000 in the will. The house we left to you along with everything else we owned. We put your name on the lease of everything. So you inherited everything. Nobody can take you to court.”

Then my phone rang and rang. When I got up to look, I had 10 missed calls. One from my mother, Nevaeh, Funny Boy, my cousin Day, my cousin Vanessa, my two aunts, my two uncles and A’anisah. I called A’anisah back. My grandparents loved her. Grandma mentioned working it out with her in the letter. Me and A’anisah were still cool. So I called her. She was like me but didn’t want friends, just associates. She had no best friends or girlfriends, because she was like me. Drama was not her thing. She came at 5:40 pm. We sat in the dining room. Me and her talked about everything from us breaking up to Funny Boy kissing Nevaeh to my grandmother’s plan to us getting back together.

She said, “She wanted to get back with me, but I just seemed happier.”

We had lost track of time and it was 7:40. So she called her mother back from a miss call and asked if she could keep me company.

Her mother said, “Yeah.”

So we drove to her house. We decided I would drive her to school tomorrow. She parked her car and went in the house. She came out 10 minutes later with her mother. I got out the car helped her with her bags and gave her mother a hug. Later that night, me and A’anisah got back together which was what my grandmother wanted. Then the next day, we got up at 5:30 am. We got dress in two different rooms because my grandfather taught me to have respect for women and she was a virgin and didn’t want me to see her get dress. We ate breakfast. By then it was 6:30.

So we left for the 40-minute drive. We got to school, it was 7:10. We got out because I had to talk to Mr. Douglas and I knew he got to school at 6:45 every day.

I said, “Baby, I’ll meet you later.” A’anisah said, “Okay.”

She stayed outside in the front of the school. Then I went to Mr. Douglas office and knocked twice.

He answered and said, “Come in.”

I said “Mr. Douglas, can there be a way where I don’t need my mother’s signature or permission to do anything in school or my life period.”

I told him what happened and I got everything, but I had to get one last signature from her and I had to go to the courts. So I decided to get the signature today, after school and go to the courts tomorrow. My day went well. I killed Funnyboy and Nevaeh …. with kindness. I told her kindly that we were over and Funny Boy that our friendship was over. So after school, my baby and I drove to my house. I knew it may get ugly with my mother so I told her to stay in the car. I went in the house, and there my mother was sitting in the living room with bottles of Hennessy on the coffee table] So I got straight to the point.

I said, “Ma, I want to become independent for school. These papers basically say that when it comes to school and my life. I don’t need your permission for anything.”

She said, “Give it here cause that’s one less thing I have to worry about. Where you been staying?”

I said, “By myself.”

She said, “I said Where? not with Who?” in an angry tone.

I said, “Are you finish?”

Then I took the signed papers and begin to leave. She then got up and tried to slap me. I grabbed her hand and threw it back.

I said, “For once, I’m not young, you can’t hit me. I’m thankful for the great mother you are when you're sober, which is every 2 days but I'm done.”

I walked out and got in the car and begin to cry.

A’anisah said, “Baby, It’s going to be okay. Let me drive.”

So I moved over with tears falling from my face. She walked around the car. She began to drive. She drove to my grandmother’s house and we went in and talked about it. But I realized something after her mother came and picked her up. I came to the conclusion that my grandparents knew how my life would end up. They planned it. I have no relationships except with A’anisah and my late grandparents.

Then as I came to that conclusion I didn’t know what was happening, but I saw an image of my grandparents sitting at the table with me. I felt my grandfather’s hand on my shoulder.

He said “Son, we were here to guide you and only you. We love you and stay peaceful. The lessons we taught you. You will use them all through your life.”

Then my grandmother said, “Baby, We love you, and you better treat A’anisah right and marry her someday. She’s the one, Jr.”

Then just like that, they were gone from that day on and at that moment I became the man I /wanted, needed and was taught to be. I had angels on earth my whole life. Now to continue the legacy and being the man I am will be a test. Let’s see... If I pass with one angel left.

Your boy, Jason