First Round Lottery Pick by Franklin White Page A

get Tori.
    When we got to the park where there were two sections separated by a bridge, Jalen looked at me to find out what side to check first, and I pointed toward the nearest entrance. We had to make a quick sliding stop in the path that was lined with rocks because there was a link chain tied to two metal poles to stop cars going in after dark.
    â€œForget this!” Jalen said and smashed right through it.
    The next thing I knew, we were on the other side of it and going down a winding, dusty road looking for Tori. We saw a car up ahead with headlights on and stopped behind it. We ran up to the car and looked in and saw a body laying face down. Then, all of a sudden, there was a scream, and we jumped back.
    Up underneath the girl, a guy showed his face. “Yo’, man what you guys doing out here?” He reached under his seat and pulled his pistol.
    â€œLook, man, we ain’t mean no harm, okay. I’m looking for somebody, and I thought she might be up in this car.”
    His eyes were squinted because Jalen’s lights were burning the hell out of them. He went back and forth, pointing the gun at us. “You sure that’s all this is?”
    â€œYeah, man, we’re sure,” Jalen assured him.
    He looked at us again. “You see anything?”
    â€œLike what?” Jalen wanted to know.
    â€œWhat you looking for?” He looked at us again and put his pistol down.
    We moved away from the car.
    â€œThere’s nothing else around here, Jalen.”
    â€œLet’s go over to the other side.”
    We ran to the car, and Jalen smashed on the gas and peeled out to the other side of the park, where we sat for a few minutes. Then, at the very end of the park, we noticed a car parked with the back end toward us.
    â€œThat’s got to be Tori in there, Jalen.”
    â€œYup.”
    â€œPull all the way up, man, all the way up.”
    Driving up to the car was creepy. Jalen was driving slowly, and the rocks under the tires made the whole situation more intense. When Jalen stopped the car, we walked up to it and looked in. Tori was in the backseat with her eyes closed.
    I opened the door. “Tori? Tori?”
    â€œIs she dead, L ?”
    â€œTori?” I called out like three times. I was scared to touch her, but I did anyway. Touched her face then put my hand on her chest to see if she was breathing. “Tori? Tori? Tori, are you okay? Tori, answer me, damn it!”
    She finally responded. “ L , is that you? L . . . ”
    â€œShe’s alive, L ! She’s alive! C’mon, man, pick her up and get her in the car!” Jalen shouted.
    We were not wasting anytime trying to call an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She looked weak and was barely breathing and crying out for her mother and sisters.
    She had her head on my lap in the backseat as Jalen pushed it hard to the hospital. I could barely hear Tori, but what I did hear, I didn’t like at all. She kept saying they wouldn’t stop, and when I looked down toward her legs, she had marks on the inside of her thighs that looked like razor cuts.
    The hospital took her away from us right away.
    When we went outside to move the car, there were close to thirty policemen pointing their guns at us, telling us to kiss the pavement. We did exactly what they told us.
    By the time the police stopped asking us questions about how we found Tori, it was way over an hour later. We got back into the hospital and saw Tori’s mom there, all of her sisters, my mother, and, of all people, Toy.
    My mother stood up and gave me a hug when we walked into the waiting room. “Boy, are you all right?”
    â€œYeah, Ma, I’m cool.”
    â€œLangston, why didn’t you call us to let us know where you were going? You could have been hurt out there.”
    â€œWe didn’t have the time,” Jalen let her know. “All we wanted to do was get Tori back.”
    â€œBoys ain’t never