Free Family Over Everything by Paige Green

her.
    She had been raised in poverty and tried her best to keep her faith and belief in God through all of the trials and tribulations she’d gone through in this cruel world.
    Raped by her father and abused by her mother all of her life, Yolanda had done whatever it took to survive in the streets of Pittsburgh. When she got pregnant at sixteen by a man she had sex with one night, who later disappeared, her mother kicked her out of her house, forcing her to live in the streets. While she was pregnant with Melissa, she prostituted her body in order to save up enough money to get her a house. When a friend of the family finally agreed to rent her a house up Northview, she felt blessed. When Melissa was born, she raised her daughter the right way, making sure she always had respect for not only herself, but for other people, too.
    Looking at Yolanda, Melissa couldn’t help but think that the clock was ticking. Every day, she got a call from the nursing home, alerting her that Yolanda’s health was steadily decreasing. When she was finally ready to leave, she kissed her mother goodbye.
    When Melissa arrived back up Northview, in a much better mood, she was smiling and feeling good. Pulling her keys from her purse, she unlocked her door and stepped into her apartment. Finding it unusually dark and cold, she felt uneasy.
    â€œTwins? Corrine?” she yelled, but no one answered.
    As she walked toward the light switch to turn on the light, a pair of large, beastly hands wrapped around her slim neck.
    â€œWhere’s the rest of them at?” Jewels asked, staring into Melissa’s eyes.
    Fear gripped her as she gasped for air. When he let go of her neck and tossed her onto the sofa, she coughed uncontrollably and tears streamed from her eyes. She sat on the couch, trying to catch her breath and grasp the whole situation.
    â€œWhy are you here? What do you want?” she asked, her voice trembling.
    â€œYour boy got himself into some trouble, and now he has to pay the price. Where the fuck is he at?” Jewels asked impatiently.
    â€œI don’t know! I just got here! Please don’t hurt my babies!” Melissa cried.
    â€œI’m sorry, Melissa, but he’s played a dangerous game and he has to pay the price.”
    â€œWhat do you—”
    Before Melissa had a chance to utter another word, Jewels lifted his .45 caliber, aimed it at her chest and pulled the trigger.
    The bullet ripped right through her heart, instantly killing her.

    Deion and Corrine sat in the front pew of the church in Brighton Heights, bawling their eyes out. It had been more than a week since the death of Melissa, and she was finally being laid to rest. Dressed in a long, black dress with red flowers that Melissa had bought her a long time ago and her hair flat-ironed, Corrine held Deion’s hand, weeping and sniffling up the snot that was threatening to seep out of her nose. Deion, who was dressed in an all-black suit, shook his head in disbelief as he prayed to God to send the only mother he’d ever known back to him. The church was filled to capacity, the majority of different communities in the city coming together to pay their last respects to Melissa. She had undoubtedly made a special impact on everyone’s lives that showed their faces in the church. Melissa, who was being laid to rest in her favorite lime-green cardigan sweater and ankle-length skirt, appeared peaceful in the silver-plated casket.
    â€œWhere’s Day’onne?” Melissa’s neighbor whispered into Deion’s ear.
    Deion shrugged, instantly angered by the mention of Day’onne’s name.
    Something in the pit of his soul told him that Day’onne was the reason his mother was no longer breathing. Anything from him having stacks of money in the duffle bags to him wreaking havoc on the entire Northview could’ve made someone yearn to take Melissa’s life.
    When the preacher finally delivered the eulogy and