12.1: Forgiveness cont...
April

"No" Hazel said shaking her head. "I know I deserve it" Hazel stood there looking defeated like she had already gotten her ass whooped. Maybe she did some time back but she didn't get her ass beat today but she was about to.

"You low key had a problem with me and now when you get the chance to do something about it you won't. The least you can do is give me a fair fight and my round. Where's all that smoke you had for me! I was enemy number one and didn't even know it. Blow that smoke my way please. Played all in my face but despised me behind my back"

"April"

April stepped closer to her getting all up in her face. "Dirty lil Hazel always calling her lil sister to fight her battles. I'm not one of those ain't shit lil kids and I ain't that bitch Agnes. I'm the one you had a problem with right. I'm ya battle. Been fighting ya enemies since we were fuckin 10 and out of all people you choose to wrong you came for me"

Hazel's nose flared. April had struck a nerve. She knew exactly what buttons to press. She knew Hazel didn't like that shit. She never did.

"There we go now fight me" April said and mushed her head causing Hazel to gut punch her back.

April ate it. "That's more like it" April said taunting her.

They went toe to toe blow for blow and swinging at each other getting all of their aggressions out. For the time it took for Hazel to air out her dirty laundry. For the time it took April to get out of her head wondering about what did she do to Hazel for her to even attempt to betray her. There was no comic hits Pow and Bam. They were hard hits and skin clashing blow for blows. They fought like two chicks in the street like somebody done tried to steal their man. There was no hair pulling, clawing at the face, and absolutely no razor blades. It was a real fight filled with nothing but hard hits.

"Get that shit ma" Dave yelled but everyone else remained quiet.

Everyone else rooted for no one...well out loud. They sat there silently watching and waiting to see who would be the one to stand up with their hands raised in the end. Even talkative ass August remained silent because he felt that shit. He knew what the two sisters were like together. This wasn't an April vs Millie fight. This wasn't April vs Karrueche fight. This was two sisters who obviously still loved each other who were fighting through their pain.

They went from standing to bent down on the ground with Hazel on top of April to April pushing Hazel off of her and now sitting on top of her. They tussled back and forth till they were tired but not before April threw the last and final blow to Hazel's rib cage making her fold over and scream out in pain.

"That was for ya fuckin nephew. Next time choose ya battles wisely" April spat. This time around April didn't whoop someone's ass on behalf of someone else who caused her pain. She didn't whoop Hazel's ass because of what she had been dealing with when it came to Millie. She didn't whoop her ass because of what was going on between her and Dave. Hazel got her ass whooped because it was caused by her, was her, and her alone.

"I'm done" Hazel cried out defeated as she blew out a tired breath and sprawled out on the floor in pain.

"Damn my ribs hurt now. Lil big sis took home the W like I knew she would" August said finally speaking up as usual. Everybody shook their heads at him watching him hold his ribs like he had just got punched himself.

April sprawled out right beside Hazel trying to control her breathing. "Seems like you've been practicing" she said as she looked over at an out of breath Hazel.

She laughed and winced in pain. April had shown her no mercy and every hit packed a punch. "After what happened back in LA I had no choice but to" she jokingly admitted.

"That's our cue" Ian said to everyone and got up from his seat. The ice had been broken. He stepped inside of the ring with two cold bottles of water and two fresh towels then handed them both to April and Hazel. "Good fight 1 and 3. Now can I trust y'all in here alone to talk like adults" he said and asked as he looked at them still laid out on the floor.

"Yes" they answered in unison.

"Good don't make me come back in here and make y'all go another round"

"Daddy" they said in unison again then looked at each other. Even with them being apart for almost two years they were still somewhat in sync. It wasn't that easy to throw away decades of a relationship especially with someone you called your sister.

"2 get ya ass over here too" Ian said and looked over at Alaina.

"Ok" she pouted and walked over to the ring and stepped inside. "See I get in trouble because of y'all" she said looking down at them before squeezing her way in the middle of them on the floor just like she always did when it was just the three of them. She always had to be in the middle.

"Aight come on y'all" Ian said as he stepped out of the ring and gathered everyone so they could give the girls some space to talk.

"Ma I'm one call away if you need me" Dave said as he watched her before making his way to the door.

"Boy she good now bring ya ass" Ananda said while pushing him out of the gym.

"I know mama I just"

"Just what David" she said cutting him off

"Nothing" he said and walked his ass out with August laughing behind him.

Once everyone was gone and the door was shut behind them silence engulfed the three sisters as they laid there in deep thought. They all couldn't believe that this is what they had turned into. Their relationship was once so much stronger than this or so April thought. Yet here they were in a silence that they had never experienced before when they were around each other.

"I don't know what's going on between you two but he loves you" Hazel said breaking the silence. "It's all in the way he looks, speaks, and so protective of you"

April smiled because even someone who hadn't been around them could see and feel the love Dave had for her. She couldn't even lie to herself that shit warmed her heart and did something to her especially with how attentive he had been towards her lately. She missed that shit and she low key still craved it. Their time in Barbados only made it worse. "He really does but we're having a lil rough patch at the moment" April said telling the truth. There was no need to lie when everybody knew about her and Dave's breakup.

Hazel sat up and April and Alaina immediately followed suit. She grabbed April's hands in hers and looked her square in the eyes as her eyes welled up in tears. "I'm sorry April. I'm so, so, so very sorry. You're my best friend, my sister, my savior, and my mentor. You've been by my side since day one. You held me down when you didn't even know who I was or when I had no one in my corner. No one was looking out for me. Family was a no show and the teachers weren't shit. You just knew that I needed someone. You were just this tiny ass lil girl with a heart full of gold and it didn't matter your size your bite was always bigger than your bark. I know what I did was wrong and fucked up on so many levels" Hazel said as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

"Why did you do it though? Like I understand from all the things that were said the first time but why. You were my best friend. You're my sister I would never do anything to intentionally make you feel a way. I never want for you or Alaina to feel as if I'm better than you. You know I always thought and treated my shit like it was our shit. If I got it y'all had it no questions asked. It's always been that way. I know you had your issues but I never once thought that I was apart of your issues. I shared everything with you. I shared my parents, my lil sister, and everything else we had with you" April said looking over at Hazel while Alaina leaned her head against her shoulders.

"When everything first went down I blamed all of my troubles and issues on you. Like I said before you had parents who loved and cared about you. I didn't. You had a lil sister that doted on you. I had no one. You're exceptionally smart. You get along with everybody. You found love. You found a place to call home away from the home we had with our parents. Everything you touched turned to gold. At the time I was in my own head dealing with my own shit that I took all of my frustrations out on you" she replied.

"Sure I knew I had a better life and I know I was doing way better than anybody would think with the way I grew up. But I felt like I wasn't supposed to make it. I wasn't supposed to be who I am today. I was supposed to be what my parents left of me...nothing and nobody. I was supposed to be a product of my environment" she said through tears. "It didn't matter what I accomplished or what you did for me because in my mind I was battling my own demons. Every time something was going good for me in my head it twisted into something bad. I felt like the other shoe would always drop and take me back to that place. I still felt like that lil girl trapped inside of my head" she continued. "No matter what I did it never made me feel like I truly accomplished anything"

"I will never understand how you feel because I didn't experience what you did. I didn't see what you saw and I wasn't put through what you were put through. Regardless of that we all had our own struggles and issues so I do understand that. I also know that you've saw a lot of shit that you shouldn't have and just because you came to us didn't necessarily mean that your past life was erased. But with the way we were raised all you had to do was speak up and we would've stopped everything for you just like we always do. I don't know if I was so wrapped up in my own shit that I didn't see you hurting and struggling but I'm sorry if you think that I failed you" April said as her own eyes teared up. She was never a fan of one sided friendships and if she ever made anyone of her sisters or friends feel that way she'd be pissed at herself.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You couldn't see me struggling because I was good at hiding it and not wanting y'all to see me weak and at my lowest. Y'all were doing good and I wanted to do the same so I hid my hurt" Hazel said. "And you didn't fail me. Like you said you were always there for me. To me it made sense to toss everything at you rather than hold myself accountable or blame the people I truly had a problem with which was my parents. It was easier that way and honestly I was jealous of you. How could I not be when you had everything that I didn't"

April shook her head in disbelief. "Hazel you've been our sister since we were ten years old. We're damn near thirty. There was no need to hide from us and definitely nothing to be jealous about. You of all people should know that just because it seems like someone has everything it doesn't necessarily mean that they have it. Even a person with everything they're still missing out on something. You forgot that we're all successful in our own right. I'm low key a fuckin geek and I work doing geek shit" April said laughing a little. It may seem like she's one of the cool kids but at work around computers she's a full blown geek and in her own world. "2 is an elementary school teacher and a model and you're a business owner. You have your own clothing line along with your own modeling agency and both are doing great. All of us have degrees. All of us make bank separately and together"

"You also have to realize that I didn't ask to be here so the parents I did get I'm just blessed that I got them right along with my doting lil sister. The same lil sister that I dote on myself. Sure being smart comes to me naturally but I pushed and pushed and pushed myself because I wanted and needed to make sure that none of us ever went back to poverty. That was my main goal. I don't get along with everybody but I give out the same energy I want back and I get it in return. Everybody doesn't like me and most keep it cordial on the strength of who I am and what they think they can get from me. While you see them as friends I have to look and read between the lines because most of the people who come my way have an ulterior motive. And yes I found love and I was blessed to find it more than once but anybody with eyes wouldn't count that shit as an accomplishment if they went through the same shit that I went through for love. The love I had was one sided. I gave it and didn't receive it. Sure it was all good in the beginning but that's bout it. As far as finding a home my home is wherever my family is. Whether it's in Jersey by our parents and uncle or in LA by Alaina and Ebony. As long as I have my children and Dave's punk ass by my side I am home" April said and paused so she could open her bottle of water and take a quick sip. "Another thing everything that I touch doesn't turn into gold. I do fail every once in awhile. Shit everything I work on is based on trial and error until I can get it to work full proof. That's just like my damn relationships. Those shits flop way too often. You just focus on the good shit you see me do instead of my flaws and failures. I'm not perfect and don't strive to be. I don't understand how you can be on the outside looking in when you're part of the inside"

"And with me knowing all of that I still couldn't get out of my own way or my head. I felt a way for a while and after you mentioned that Trey was checking you it just ignited everything. In my head you already had everything that I didn't have and now you had a piece of the man I loved. He explained everything and it was nothing like I imagined but I was still in my feelings and of course in my head. It felt like what more could you want. I admit I saw red and ended up doing stupid shit because of jealousy. Jealousy is one hell of a drug. I'm sorry for everything I did to you especially telling Millie all of your secrets. I know I was dead wrong. I shouldn't have been communicating with her to begin with" she said apologetically.

April snatched her hands out of Hazel's. "I let that shit go a long time ago. I just can't believe that you told her ass all my shit. It wasn't like y'all were close friends and you slipped up some shit I told you in confidence. You told her shit with ill intent for her to hurt me and you had her tell the world. It doesn't matter how much I scrub the internet it will always be there for the world to see because we all know people love taking screenshots. That shit hurt. I had already dealt with how the media portrayed me when I was dealing with Chris but eventually after years of being broken up it got quiet until that karaoke night. After you paid Agnes to air me out all that shit did was focus on how much of a failure Chris and my relationship was. It focused on how dumb I was for going back and how I was trying to ruin a relationship he was in that I knew absolutely nothing bout" April said and looked off into space. The internet had crucified her more than once. People who didn't know her were coming for her, judging her, and kicking her back in like she had done something to them personally.

"You know how the world viewed me. You knew how bad blogs and random ass trolls came at me and you went ahead and gave her a fully loaded gun to come for the one person that would go to war for you no questions asked. You had them thinking that I was a home wrecker. Like I just came onto Dave while she was in a relationship with him. You had people thinking I just came in and snatched him away from his family when it was the other way around. I couldn't shake that nigga if I wanted to. You were at my house the day her ass popped up at one of his hosting events and started taking pics with him as if they were still fuckin around when that man was mines...all mines. You know I rarely care bout what people say bout me but when most of the world puts a target on ya back and their all saying whatever just to be apart of the crowd those words hurt" April said and closed her eyes tight before shaking her head trying to shake away the tears and how she felt when it felt like the world was against her.

Alaina grabbed her hand and squeezed it letting her know that she was there for her as usual. It was them against the world till the day they died and when death came they'd still would be mobbing out together in the after life.

Hazel deeply sighed. "That wasn't my finest moment and no matter how many times I have to say it I'm truly sorry. I never intended for things to go that far and blow up as big as it did"

April inwardly rolled her eyes. She was pretty much tired of people telling her that they were sorry for hurting her. She just wished that they would all just stay true to their words. April looked around the gym and got silent for a moment. "This shit is crazy to me. What we are today I would've never thought that this could or would become of us. I fell madly in love but I couldn't call you to gush about how I found my soul mate. Or that I was even pregnant with Charlie. Mind you the same day I found out that I was pregnant with her is the same day I found out that you were a snake. When daddy was telling me bout who was out for me mommy was walking into the room with a positive pregnancy test" April said and rolled her eyes remembering how confused she was about everything that day. "I couldn't call you to tell you I was moving back to LA. Shit I couldn't even call you to tell you that Dave had proposed to me not once but twice and each time I said yes. I couldn't call you to tell you hey I'm getting married and it's gonna be this and it's gonna be that. Wedding dress shopping and everything else that comes with getting married I couldn't tell you shit. I had to exclude you from everything going on in my life"

"When I started bonding with Kairi and Alaina, Ebony, and Mimi were getting to know her I couldn't even call you to introduce her to her other aunt. My kids don't know shit bout you. They don't even know you exist and poor Royalty she knows of you but I guess you didn't realize that when you fucked up not only did you fuck up with us but you fucked her over in the process. You can say and think whatever you want bout Chris but when I wasn't there who the fuck was on auntie duty with my baby to make sure she was still straight? You were! But you didn't think about how she would be caught in the middle. Like do you not understand that real friends don't do what you do. You gave snake in the grass ass vibes. You gave smile in ya face and kick you in the back vibes. The same bitches we talked bout you turned out to be on of those same chicks" April snapped.

Hazel put her head down and took a deep breath before releasing it. She couldn't even say shit after that because they all knew sorry wasn't going to cut it.

"Did mommy and daddy even tell you bout what happened to Agnes" April asked.

"No" she shook her head. "They don't give me any tea when it comes to you and Alaina. They tell me that y'all are good but that's it. Anything else I learn from social media and I know that most of the time they be reposting garbage so I take it all with a grain of salt. Shit after everything went down I blocked and deleted her contacts on everything from her number to her social media accounts. I don't know what her ass has been up to I haven't been checking for her"

"Well last New Year I found out some mighty good information on her and as usual when you fuck with anyone of us daddy and unkie get to work to make shit shake. By then I already had Charlie so I was able to shoot her a nice ass fade. But not just her. I'm pretty sure you remember Chris's ex Karrueche"

"Huh what does she have to do with any of this" Hazel asked confused.

"A lot...let's just say that she and Agnes along with Profit whose actually her husband and Hood who was Dave's friend all did some fuck shit. They're all in jail as we speak. Somehow Agnes's luck finally paid off and she ended up winning the lottery for a few million. No one knew bout it because she found someone who made sure the money went through a shady company rather than a person. So since it was a business she didn't have to go public"

"Bitch say what" Hazel said shocked and still confused as fuck.

"Yup" April nodded. "True story she hit the lottery and Cream Cheese well Kae to you reached out to her on the same page in ya book and they decided to join forces and come for me. This time around it wasn't shit they knew bout me but Cream Cheese convinced her to put a hit out on me simply because Chris couldn't give her all of him because of me. Agnes paid Hood the money well half of it and if he succeeded he'd get the rest but as you can see I'm still alive" April said and smirked while trying to gage Hazel's reaction. Yes she knew Hazel had nothing to do with it but she wanted to see if she was genuinely upset about it and not her just talking and apologizing out the ass. You know smile in her face and laugh behind her back type of shit.

Hazel's eyes darkened, her eyebrows furrowed, and her lip twitched as her fist balled in her lap. "I'm confused are we talking bout someone coming to snuff you off type of hit" she questioned pissed off and as if she hadn't heard correctly. It was as if her ears were deceiving her.

"Yup a hit, hit. She paid Hood 2.5 million to get rid of me but five million for the whole thing. I'm supposed to be dressed to the nines right now buried 6ft deep sleeping with the worms right now" April said and nodded.

"First off I know I fucked up and I take full accountability for doing what I did but ain't no way in hell that I'm a participate in no shit like that. What I did to you was dead ass wrong but to even think about killing you let alone paying someone to do so ain't what I'm here for. I didn't mean for no shit like that to happen. Let alone her ass is too damn dumb to think of some shit like that. She's easily persuadable it doesn't take much to get her on board when you dangle money in her face. She doesn't care about shit but a bag so Kae was definitely in her ear. Two am I still part of the same family because what do you mean she's in jail? She's supposed to be dead and 9ft to be exact fuck six" Hazel said as a matter of fact. She knew the only thing that saved her ass was that she was family because they wouldn't have killed her but they'd a left her ass with absolutely nothing and no one. She'd be walking around with a target on her damn back if she ever stepped wrong again.

April and Alaina burst out laughing. "Oh we know you had nothing to do with it" Alaina said in between laughing. Shit if she had it would've been some slow singing and flower bringing. Well she wouldn't be swimming with the fishes but if she had done something like that she might as well be. It would be no coming back from something like that.

"Can y'all explain to me why she's still alive because if she hit for millions she still has access to still have some shit go down. Then if she's in jail she's around more help than she needs be. She's surrounding by criminals. What's stopping her from doing so when bitches kill for less" Hazel asked needing to know because in their family Millie was supposed to be 9ft under at this point. The light of day wouldn't be a privilege at all for her.

"Trust me if I could she would definitely be 9ft but I can't. That's my child's donor. I love her too much to do something like that to her 'mom'. I can't be the one to take that from her even though she hasn't been around in I don't know how long and she's definitely asked to be dealt with. I'm not bout to destroy my family because of her bullshit. I simply whooped her ass. Well beat her ass until she shitted herself. Then me and 2 tagged teamed her and ole girl. Afterwards daddy called up a friend to lock all their asses up. Now will all of them have the same fate only time will tell" April said and mischievously smirked.

Hazel shook her head still in disbelief and ran her hands down down her face. "I caused all of this shit"

"Nah you egged her on and put a battery in her back but she was already in my life and on some petty shit from jump. You just helped the girl get her ass beat. But that's neither here nor there" April said and shrugged. "But real talk were you ever my friend or did you just stick around because we made life easier for you" April asked straight up because the way Hazel had moved around with Millie it didn't seem like she was. If anything she felt like Hazel was a fraud and a stranger because sisters let alone family didn't fuck you over. Well some family because family sometimes were the first ones to fuck you over.

Hazel took a deep breath and exhaled making sure to give April eye contact. "I was your friend first but more your sister than anything. I fucked up. What I did to you I wish I could take it back. I wish I hadn't done any of it. It cost my ass and not monetary value because at the end of the day money doesn't mean shit if I don't have my family...my sisters by my side. I ended up losing not just you but 2 too. I put a big ass wedge in the one family who made sure I had a home and a family to call my own" she answered. "I see how it took a toll on mommy and daddy more so mommy. Every time she called or came to visit me I could tell that she was questioning herself and hurting but she never let me go. I thank her for that because she could've wiped her hands with me"

April nodded. "Besides all the bullshit with Agnes, how you felt bout my relationships with Chris and Twin, and how I didn't see that you liked me. We honestly shouldn't have even crossed that line. We were raised as sisters and should've kept it that way. I never intended to make you feel used or anything else. What I'm mad at the most is that you brought Junior my baby boy into this shit. No one knew he existed and when I finally told y'all you went ahead and told Agnes bout your damn nephew. It wasn't like he was alive or sick or could defend himself. He fuckin died before he had a chance at life" April said and teared up. That's what hurt her the most. She was used to people making up lies about her on the internet but to throw her son out there was the ultimate low blow. "I was already dealing with his death alone at that, how my body betrayed me, and even the fact that Chris had just learned bout him. Let alone our parents. I would never do no shit like that to you. Jealousy or not it's just some shit that's off limits and Junior should've been off limits to you. You threw my child's whole fucked up situation right back into my fuckin face. I broke down literally broke down in front of you and Alaina and that's what you chose to share with Agnes. At the end of the day everybody pretty much knew bout my fucked up relationship with Chris so that was nothing but my son was everything"

Hazel wiped her tears and held her head down in shame. That really wasn't her finest moment. Once the smoke had cleared that had been one of the things that stayed in rotation in her mind. It ate at her. "I never meant to toss him in your face as well as Chris's or make you feel less than or anything else that you might've felt when I mentioned it. I was out for self and not thinking about anybody else but myself. I can't really give an explanation that would even make sense. What I do know is that I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. I should've never even mentioned him at all. It wasn't my place to do so and in the way that I did it, it didn't make it any better for you. There's nothing I can say or do to take away the pain that I caused you. All I ask is that can you find it in your heart to forgive me and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you and becoming the sister I never was for you"

April wiped her eyes. Junior would forever be a sore spot for her. But she had long ago forgiven Hazel and it wasn't for Hazel's sake but for her own. "I forgave you a long time ago Hazel. I had to do it for myself. If I wanted to be a better me I had to forgive you. When it comes to you I never stopped loving or caring for you. No matter what we go through you will always be my sister. I just can't trust you and that right there is up to you to fix. I'm tired of seeing mommy hurting by our relationship and having Alaina in the middle of ya shit"

"Same here...when all of this happened I had been so busy thinking of myself that I never once thought about mommy, daddy, or even you Alaina. By the way I'm sorry for the pain that I caused you too and for tossing you in the middle of all of this unnecessary drama. I love you 2. I don't want to go another day without my sisters in my life. It's been hard and I know it's my fault. I miss y'all every day. I know we can't pick up where we left off and it's going to take you guys a long while to trust me but can we please go back to being sisters and working on our relationship" Hazel said and asked. They could see that she was being genuine about the whole ordeal but she had fucked up so bad that they were going to tread lightly with her. She could talk a good game all day long but those actions had to add up and with the way April's trust meter was setup these days she wouldn't dare close her eyes around Hazel just yet. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me and that right there is what April wasn't trying to be.

Alaina looked at Hazel, rolled her eyes, pulled her arm all the way back and jabbed the fuck out of her shoulder.

"Shittttttt" Hazel groaned and grabbed her shoulder rubbing it.

"You'll be aight but I been forgave you too. All I ask is that if you have something on ya chest or you're feeling a way please speak up bout that shit because I can't do this twice. The second time will be worse than the first and I'm talking bout worse for you. It's not a good feeling to see your two big sisters and best friends at each others throats over something that could've been talked bout. You talk to us bout any and everything else but you couldn't open ya mouth for that shit you pulled. That's some bullshit and we all know it. Let alone the way you came at 1 you had to be feeling that way for a long while. That's not no overnight shit. I love being in the middle but not in the middle of bullshit" Alaina spoke her peace. "So if you still with the fucks leave us be. Ain't nobody got time for no shit like that" she said grilling the fuck out of her. "We're doing just fine without you and will continue to do so if you choose to stay an enemy"

"I hear you loud and clear and I ya absolutely right I had been feeling that way for a while but I didn't want to admit that I felt inferior or insecure to anyone" Hazel admitted. "By the way if y'all are up to it I'd like for y'all to come and have a session with me in therapy. I'm done with the childish games and I have no ill will towards neither of you an enemy isn't what I'm trying to be"

"Just tell me when and I'll be there" April said. She wanted to see her in front of her therapist anyway just so she could see how to really move around her and better understand her.

"Same here and now that that's out of the way you owe me clothes from the last few seasons I missed" Alaina said wanting her shit and wanting it now.

They all shared a laugh.

"I have both of y'all clothes already boxed up and ready whenever you want them"

"Good"

"So how have you been" April asked.

"Actually pretty good besides missing family but good nonetheless. Between work and working on myself I'm in a better place and I feel better than I have in a very long time. Once I got to the root of my problems and taking accountability for my actions certain shit got better. I don't do much anymore besides work and therapy and when I do go out it's quick and basically me running errands. Y'all know I don't do friends. Well I have a few associates at work but they aren't y'all" she replied and shrugged.

"I'm glad you're in a better place but like you used to tell me all work and no play isn't good for anybody" April said.

"True but I have no one to do those things with. How have y'all been"

"Same shit new day. I'm good still working with these bad ass kids that I somehow love lawd. Me and lil daddy are still going strong but he's about to go on tour soon and since ya back don't be mad if I randomly pop up wherever you live at now looking for food and company" Alaina answered. Alaina was going to play her role and keep one eye open just to make sure Hazel was being true to her word. You know keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Hazel laughed. "You're more than welcome. I'll send you my address when I get my phone"

"I know you keep up with me on social media" April laughed. "But for the shit you may not know or don't know what to believe I am doing fine so no need to worry bout me. I am now a happy and proud mother of three girls and one fur baby boy named Teddy B and yes I really am Royalty's God mother. I sat down with Nia we talked, she asked, and I said yes and signed my name on the dotted line. As you can see my love life is up in the air at the moment so there's that. Other than that my ass is good. I'm finally back at work and loving it after being gone for so long"

"I still can't believe you had a kid well kids let alone took off from work. We've been trying to get you to take a hiatus for years. But damn I missed a lot and the fact that you even sat down with Nia says a lot"

"Holding grudges is exhausting" she shrugged. "But yup you got three nieces and one of them wants to know where you been" April said talking about Royalty.

Hazel smiled then frowned. She had truly missed a lot. She had been so busy trying to be petty that she missed out on all the important events and people who mattered in her life. "I miss my Ro too but I can't wait to meet the other two. Hopefully Chris let's me back into Royalty's life. I know I need to apologize to him too" she said and sighed. April wasn't the only person she needed to make amends with. What she had done had affected the whole family.

"Yea he might not be as nice as I am but who knows. But any, who that middle child of mine will give you a run for ya money literally. Got her on this swear jar shit so she's a bloodhound when it comes to curses. She'll approach you with her hand out and tell you to run it and if you don't got the money she'll hound you until you get it" she said talking about Kairi. By now she felt like she had to warn everybody about Kairi. "The baby who's name is Charlie Ava Brown but we call her Triple B because our last names Brown, Blackmon, and Brewster. That one right there just learned how to run because she damn sure doesn't walk anywhere and now she's learning how to talk. I carried her for nine months and her first word was dada and all she does is call out for her damn dada and papa"

Hazel laughed. "I can't wait to meet them"

They continued to talk and catch up feeling like they had so much to fill in each other about. All of them could tell that they had all took a major loss when their relationship fell apart. Being together with just the three of them was needed. It was nostalgic. It was therapeutic. It felt like a missing piece of the puzzle had finally been found and put in the right spot.

"By the way Thanksgiving dinner is at my place again this year so don't be late but there's two questions I need to ask you though before we part ways"

"Shoot" Hazel said and nodded.

"Did you actually like me? I know you said all that shit but you could've been talking out the ass" April asked because they might've messed around but she never gave out that vibe that she was searching for more. Honestly they hooked up a few times but it was never one of those types of hook ups because April had other people on her roster for shit like that.

Hazel groaned and rubbed her hands down her face sort of embarrassed. "Yes and no. I knew nothing could or would come out of it. It was a harmless crush that got out of hand. According to my therapist it was one of those situations where someone in trouble latches on to the person who saves them from said situation. Thinking about it now that's definitely a line that we shouldn't have crossed and one where I shouldn't have even stepped to you about" Hazel replied.

April nodded. "Agreed"

"Second question"

"Did you really love Trey or was that just some shit to do" she questioned wondering if her whole relationship with Trey was fake. Shit it wasn't her business but she still wanted to know.

She sighed and a look of sadness washed over her face. "Trey was one of the realest relationships I ever had with a man. He loved me when I didn't love myself. I loved him. Honestly I still love him but I know I'm not right for him" she answered as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "He saw me through and through. My mind was clouded by so much bullshit that I hurt the man that I loved. I took away his child...our child without giving him two thoughts. It's crazy because the excuse I gave him wasn't even the truth. I know he would've understood me and been by my side throughout the whole pregnancy but I was scared to admit how I was actually feeling. When I talked to him I was on an emotional high. I was unhinged and everything that came out of my mouth probably would've been different if I had just took a breather and some time to myself. I made those decisions to abort my babies because I'm scared as hell to turn out like my parents...petrified" she cried. "I couldn't put Trey or a baby through no shit like that. He deserves the world and I hope one day that someone gives him that and more. But yes I did and do still love him. He'll always have a special place in my heart"

April and Alaina looked at each other and pulled Hazel into a group hug. That's the things about life you can have a shitty upbringing and be saved from it all and no matter what there's still a possibility of your past making it's way into your future. People don't realize that your childhood years are important. They help shape you. They help mold you. Those scars are real. Those scars are deep. You can hide them all you want but they still haunt you and will eventually come to light. Childhood trauma is real and can definitely affect you well into your adult life. It's your choice whether to learn from it and give it all you got or let the past take over and pull you down with it. But in the end the chose is always yours.

_______________________________
-Hey boos happy reading I hope y'all enjoyed.
-We've finally had that fight and sit down with Hazel. It had to be addressed even if some of us didn't care whether or not Hazel was around. I had to tie up a loose end because I didn't want for the book to end and have someone wondering what every happened to her and their relationship. Hazel had deep rooted issues that stemmed from her childhood that she just couldn't shake. Although she went about things the wrong way it just showed that no matter how far you come the past will always be lurking until you actually do something about it.
-They still don't trust her but like I said keep your friends close and your enemies loser.
-I know some of y'all have been wondering and questioning about the Millie and Dave sit down. There will be a chapter on that. I wouldn't take that away from y'all. I just need it to flow with my story and not just drop it in. Besides I need to make sure that I give it my all.
-Any, who sharing is caring so tell a friend to tell a friend. Don't forget to comment, vote, & add to your libraries 🥰
-If you aren't commenting no problem just make sure you color the ⭐️ please & thank you 🥰