Chapter 12: After the Spotlight

The buzz from the showcase hadn't worn off, but the streets always managed to remind Kendrick where he came from. Coming out of the gym, adrenaline still running deep in his veins, he saw Trenton waiting outside. Kendrick could tell in the look of his eyes this wasn't a friendly meeting.

Trenton pushed off the wall, walking towards him. "Look at you, K-Dawg," he sneered, his voice filling with sarcasm. "You think you are some kind of superstar now?"

Kendrick took a deep breath, keeping his expression calm. "I did what I had to do, Trent. I'm out here trying to make something of myself."

Trenton shook his head, the muscles of his jaw clenched. "And leave us behind, right? You forget who had your back all these years? You wouldn't have made it this far without me."

Kendrick felt the sting of Trenton's words, but he knew he couldn't let himself get dragged back in. "We both made choices, Trent. I chose to move forward. You chose… this."

The silence hung in the balance between them for one long moment, as years of their friendship weighed upon them. Then his face hardened and Trenton took one more step closer, dropping his voice low.

"You walk away from this, you're dead to me, K-Dawg. And don't think the streets won't come knocking on your door."

Kendrick didn't flinch. "Do what you gotta do, Trent. I'm not going back."

The anger and pain had twisted Trenton's face before he turned and strode away. Kendrick watched him disappear into the darkness of the night, the weight of the finality upon his shoulders.

He knew turning homeward meant giving up one of the biggest relationships of his life, but he knew if he ever wanted a future beyond the streets, he had to be willing to sacrifice it all.