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cut her off before she could get worked up. “You talked, Bleu. I listened to your dreams. Your plans. That was never in the cards for me, so let’s drop it. That school shit. That’s your thing. Don’t worry about me. You just worry about getting better.”
    She fell silent, because there was no point in arguing with Noah. Once his mind was set that was it. Her heart was broken for him, however. She told herself that she would make it happen for the both of them … go off to school, get on, and come back for him. He was her best friend and had gotten her through so many hard days. There was no way she was leaving him behind to get sucked in by the game. There were only two ways out: prison or death. She feared those destinies and knew that he deserved more than the bad hand he would eventually receive.
    â€œCome on, B. Let’s get you in bed and order some food. You been on that liquid shit for weeks. You need to get your weight up. You looking like skin and bones,” he said.
    â€œHa.” She smirked as she climbed into his bed.
    â€œOnly reason you’re not on the couch is because you’re fucked up,” he said with a wink.
    â€œYou better stick a pillow between us and get on the other side. Ain’t no telling what kind of miles that couch got on it,” she said jokingly. She winced and she gritted her teeth as a sudden shock of pain erupted through her. Laughter was like an internal earthquake and Noah immediately noticed her discomfort. He grabbed the prescription bottle out of his pocket and poured two painkillers out into the palm of his hand. He passed them to her and then disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with water. She swallowed them and then leaned back against the mountain of pillows as an awkward silence filled the room.
    â€œNah, take the bed. I’ll crash on the couch. I’ll be out most nights anyway. Just rest. I’ve got to make a few runs. I’ll try not to be long. If you need me, text me,” he said.
    She nodded and then watched him depart. When she heard the front door close, she exhaled. It was the first time since waking up that she had been alone, and it gave her too much time to think. She was trapped in a world that she was supposed to be three thousand miles away from.

 
    3
    Noah flipped his hood over his head to shield himself from the falling rain as he stepped outside. Stuffing his hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie, he made his way to his car. He needed some air. Bleu had made plans for his life that he had never intended to fulfill. He wasn’t a schoolboy. All he knew was the struggle, and he had plans to hustle his way to the top. They each had dreams, but they were drastically different. He had his sights set on taking over the streets and with Bleu recovering in his home he had to take care of her. She was another mouth to feed and his nickel-and-dime hand-over-fist sells weren’t enough for the both of them. If she was going to depend on him while she recovered, he didn’t want her to want for anything. She was his best friend. He would give her the world, but first he had to get it.
    Their bond had been cemented by a decade of telling each other everything. A part of him was happy that she was now forced to stick around a little longer. He loved her more than anyone else in his life. The older they got, the more beautiful she became, and the more his feelings crossed the fine line that led to something more. He would never speak of it, however. The life that Bleu imagined in her head left no room for dope boys or street kingdoms. She wanted the white picket fence. That was the reason why she wanted to run so far away from the hood. He didn’t blame her. She had lived the hard-knock way. As soon as she had announced her plans to go away to college, Larry had rented out her bedroom. He wouldn’t even give it back to her after she was shot. She still had to get out, which was