Homegoing

8:00 p.m. Saturday night, October 11th, Greensboro, North Carolina.

Destiny is waiting for her friends Trevon and Giselle to come pick her up for the homecoming party at North Carolina’s A&T university, her alma matter. “So how long are y’all gonna be out?” Destiny’s mother Vera asked. “Ma you know homecoming is all day, all night” Destiny replied. “Yeah, but we ain’t hardly seen you all or all night since you been home.” Destiny’s father Charles added as he walked in on the conversation. “Daddy you know I’ve been tryna catch up with everybody since I got back Thursday. I’ve missed everyone since I moved after I graduated 2 years ago”

“Yeah yeah” Charles sighed. “I guess when you gotta go…ya gotta go. Mama and daddy be damned.” As Charles walked away, Destiny rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Be patient with him, Des” Vera began. “He’s just still worried about you being back here and out since…ya know…”. “Yeah I know, ma” Destiny added. “Are you sure you’re okay to go out?” Vera asked while embracing Destiny. “Well, I gotta get back out in the world some time” Destiny sighed.

Destiny then heard honking of a car horn outside her bedroom window. Her friends Giselle and Trevon had arrived to pick her up. “See you later ma” Destiny said while hugging Vera goodbye”. “See ya later, baby. Be careful” Vera replied. Destiny walked outside and made her way to her friend’s jeep. “D-Money WHAT IT DO!!!” Giselle and Trevon cheered simultaneously. “What up gang?!” a cheerful Destiny responded while climbing in the back seat of the jeep. Giselle then drove off as the trio made their way to A&T campus.

“I missed y’all so much” Destiny cried. “We missed you too” trevon replied. “I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch for so long .” “You don’t need to apologize” Giselle began. “Two years ago you nearly lost your life in a traumatic situation-” “Giselle!” Trevon interrupted. “No it’s okay” Destiny added. “I’m getting better by talking about it”. “No, Trevon is right” Giselle continued. “We can talk about it after the party. Let’s go enjoy ourselves.” The three friends then pulled up infront of Alex Haley Hall on A&T campus which was now jam packed with party goers. Destiny, Giselle and Trevon got out of the jeep and made their way inside.

As soon as the trio entered the party filled hall they were greeted by their friend AJ. “What up Aggies?” AJ greeted while handing everyone drinks. “”What up boy?” Trevon replied as he bumped fists with AJ. “Looks like the party just got lit” Giselle added while studying the rowdy crowd. “Yeah and y’all are right on time, what’s up Des?”

“What up A?” Destiny replied with a slight smile. “You know we missed you around these parts” AJ added in a low tone. “Well it took me awhile to get back, but hey…I’m here.” The four shared a brief awkward silence before Destiny excused herself. “I’ma run to the bathroom real quick, y’all. I’ll be right back.” Destiny walked upstairs and entered the bathroom to the right at the top of the stairs. She briefly stared in the mirror above the sink and thought hard about how much courage it took for her to come back to a place that caused her so much pain two years earlier. She grabbed the towel off the rack to her right and began wiping her face. When she removed the towel from her face and opened her eyes she was startled by what she saw in the mirror.

Standing behind Destiny was someone in an Aggie jacket and a blue and yellow ski mask. Destiny yelped in fright as she turned around to face him. “Who…who are you?” Destiny shivered. From out the small of his waist he pulled out a hunting knife and lunged at Destiny’s throat. Before he could connect a cut Destiny ducked back and nearly hit the bathroom mirror while letting out a scream. He raised his hand to take another swing, but Destiny kicked him in the groin forcing him to fall over and drop the knife.

“HELP!!!” Destiny screamed as she ran out of the bathroom. The ski-masked man ran after her and grabbed her by the mouth and waist as she veered out into the empty corridor and tossed her into an empty dorm room. Destiny feel to the floor as she looked up at her aggressor. “Who are you? What do you want?” Destiny asked in fear. “For you…to pay for what you did” the man said in a low tone as he pulled out his knife.

“Hey Des, where you been-?” Trevon started as he entered the dorm room unexpectedly. “What the hell is goin’ on?” He continued while being taken aback by the site in front of him. The man then turned around and stabbed Trevon in the gut as Trevon punched him in the face knocking him away. From behind the masked man Destiny took a lamp from the nightstand to her right and broke it on the man’s back as he fell to the ground. She then ran over to a wounded Trevon and helped him up as he fell over. “Oh my God Tre are you okay?” “I…I don’t think so” Trevon trembled. “Hey what’s goin on?” Another party goer yelled from outside the room while catching site of Destiny and Trevon.

The man with the knife then stumbled to his feet and climb out the room window, disappearing into the night. More party goers then came from the corner of the corridor and came to Destiny and Trevon’s aid. “Oh my goodness what happened” Giselle said peering through the group. “Somebody tried to kill us both!” Destiny yelled frantically. “Who?” One boy asked. “I don’t know” Destiny replied as she looked back in the room and saw that the man was gone. “Where’d…he go?” Trevon struggled as he lay bleeding on the floor. Destiny stared out the window in fear as more party goers came to their aid.

To be continued…