Page 85 of I Heard It All Before

“Wait, so Asha’s brothers ran up in Lo’s house and robbed him?” Cam asked, recalling the story that Demi told him about the three intruders who forced their way into her home. That sounded like something that Asha’s brothers would do, so Cam wasn’t at all surprised.

“Yeah, and they knocked him and his wife around and shit. I just waited in the car up the street until they were done. So, we got away with that but, not too long ago, I got busted with a lot of dope and went to jail,” Randy confessed.

“Damn man. I hope you got a good ass lawyer. You’re gonna need one,” Cam replied.

“Wait, there’s more. I stayed locked up for a few weeks and I almost lost my damn mind, until one of the detectives came at me about helping them out,” Randy continued.

“Helping them with what?” Cam questioned.

“They wanted me to give up Lo in exchange for my freedom,” Randy answered.

“I hope you turned them down. Please tell me that you turned them down,” Cam begged.

“I couldn’t man. That was the only way that they let me go. I told everybody that my mama put her house up, but that was a lie. My mom’s ain’t even fucking with me like that right now,” Randy acknowledged.

“Why not?” Cam inquired. Randy’s mother reminded him of his own. She was always there for him and supported his dreams just the same.

“She hated that I was messing with Asha, especially since she knew that you were with her first. Then, she got wind of me selling drugs and she didn’t want no parts of it. I called her from jail and she hung up in my face. If I didn’t give up Lo, I would still be behind bars,” Randy said.

“You probably would have been better off. That nigga Lo gon’ be out for blood when he finds out,” Cam pointed out.

“I know, but what other choice did I have?” Randy asked.

“You should have taken that L and kept it pushing. The fucked-up part is that you’ll still probably go to jail, even after helping them with their case,” Cam informed him.

“I already know. I did everything that they told me to do and they’re still talking five to ten years. I’m a first-time offender, but they didn’t even take that into consideration. They wanted to put eyes on Lo, so I gave them all the locations that I’ve known him to frequent, including the place where he picks up his packages. They didn’t have shit without me and they lied to me about everything,” Randy said angrily.

“That’s how it goes bruh. They’ll lie and tell you everything that you want to hear to get what they want. I lost count of how many times they tried to come at me with that bullshit. They might reduce your sentence, but snitching doesn’t guarantee you no jail time at all. I wish you wouldn’t have done that though. I appreciate you wanting to give me your shop, but you really need the money. I was lucky enough to have my pops showing up to court for me, but that shit ain’t cheap. You need a lawyer and you need one bad,” Cam warned him.

“I don’t need no lawyer because I’m not going to jail,” Randy replied.

“Didn’t you just say that they offered you five to ten years?” Cam reminded him.

“Yeah, but I’m not sticking around to do it. I’m dead either way. Once Lo finds out what I did, he’s gonna kill me anyway. I can’t do no jail time because I’m not strong enough for that. I don’t see how you did that shit all those times,” Randy replied.

“I really didn’t have a choice. If it was up to Asha, I would have been in the same predicament as you. She don’t give a fuck about nothing but the money. I’m sorry that I’m about to have a baby with her thirsty ass,” Cam complained.

“That bitch is the devil, but I can’t wait until all the wrong that she does catches up with her. You’re who she wants and I’m happy as hell that she can’t have you,” Randy replied.

“I’ve already moved on and I’m happy with my choice,” Cam acknowledged.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Randy said with a forced smile.

It’s not that he wasn’t happy for his friend, he just had a lot of other things on his mind. Randy was lost and, for the first time in a while, he felt alone. There was a time when he knew that Cam would have his back, but he fucked that up by being a fool for Asha. Crazy thing was, he knew that Asha was still in love with Cam. She never even tried to deny it. Randy wanted her to love him that way, but he knew that she never did. He was her puppet and she pulled the strings well.

“You’re gonna go on the run, aren’t you?” Cam asked him.

Randy was making moves like he was about to leave and never come back. He was writing letters to people and giving away shit like he knew he wouldn’t see them for a while. Randy had done him dirty, but Cam felt bad for him. Randy wasn’t built for that life and he kept trying to tell him that. Randy and Kobe were good boys and they kept Cam balanced. They were supposed to always have each other’s backs, but Randy fell off somewhere along the way.

“Good luck with everything Cam. Cars are your life, so I know that your businesses will do well. The shop is the same as it was when you left. All you have to do is hire some more people and it’s all good from there. I know that you probably have to go, so I won’t hold you,” Randy said, ignoring Cam’s previous assumption.

“I know that we haven’t talked since everything went down, but if you need me, just call me. I mean that shit Randy,” Cam replied.

“Your forgiveness is all I need,” Randy said as he reached his hand out for Cam to shake.

“You already got it,” Cam said as he grabbed his hand and pulled him up into a hug.

Randy felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, as he and Cam embraced just like old times. He regretted a lot of things in life and betraying his best friend for Asha was right at the top of that list. He also regretted how he did Nia, and he hoped and prayed that his letter would explain things to her better than he ever could. He poured his heart out on paper, something that he probably couldn’t do face to face. He heard that Nia had started dating a dude that she went to school with and he wished her all the best. She was a good woman and she deserved to be happy.

“I love you, man,” Randy said as he fought back tears.

“I love you too, bruh. And remember what I said. You have my number, use it if you need to,” Cam replied before he turned and walked away.

Randy waited until he was sure that Cam was gone before he left and got into his own car. He’d held his tears in for Cam while they were together, but he could no longer keep them at bay. He was hurting and he wasn’t used to feeling that kind of pain. Physical pain was okay because medicine could help that go away. Mental pain was torture because it followed a person around no matter where they went. Not all pain was visible and Randy was living proof of that. He tried to encourage himself, but the voices in his head wouldn’t let him be. Randy sighed deeply, deciding that it was time for him to go. There was no need to think about it too long or prolong the inevitable. Reaching under his seat, he grabbed what he was looking for and closed his eyes to say a prayer.

“God, forgive me and have mercy on my soul,” Randy said as he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, ending his young life right there in the IHOP parking lot.

---