happy new year y'all boys 🥳 glow-ups & positivity all 2020!

"I'm in the ghetto." Brielle whispered as she paced back and forth across Josiah's porch, "Ratatataaa."

She was far from the ghetto since Josiah had followed Hakeem's steps and moved out of the hood, but Kayla had shown her the video and she couldn't stop saying it after that.

Josiah wouldn't answer his phone, and not feeling like waiting, Bri caught the bus to his house to wait for him to show up. It wasn't that good of a plan at all, especially since she knew Kyra still stayed in the home and may be the one to come back first.

Hanging on to the tiny bit of hope that she still had some good luck left in the universe, Brielle decided to go and keep her fingers crossed she didn't run into the delusional human being that was now Kyra.

But of course, that's not how things work.

It shouldn't have come as a shock to anyone that the set of tires that turned into the driveway belonged to Kyra's car, and she had her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the person standing on her porch.

"You came to the wrong house." Kyra said as she stepped from the car, "Josiah's hoe lives like 30 minutes from here. If you start walking now you'll make it before the sun goes down."

When Brielle used to fight, it seemed like people never tried her this much. Now that she was trying to be a better person, everyone was saying things that were worthy of her dragging them.

"Go in the house before I push your ass down these stairs." Bri threatened calmly.

They both knew the threat was baseless, and Kyra rolled her eyes while sticking the key into the door, "What you want Bri? I'm busy."

"What you busy with? Planning your baby daddy reveal? You gone open up a box and whichever nigga come out that's who you want to raise your baby?"

Kyra walked into the house knowing Brielle would follow, "You worry about staying off the booger sugar, and I'll worry about my child and his fathers. With an 's'."

She seemed so nonchalant about the future that Bri found herself wondering if Kyra had actually gone insane. Walking around as if she hadn't a care in the world, yet in a few months, she'd have to come clean."

However, Kyra was a very good actress, and her mind was in a constant state of chaos as she tried to develop a plan.

Bri examined Kyra, looking for signs of a mental illness, "I feel like, you could at least have the decency to tell him. Y'all talk shit about me lying but it was never about anything like this."

"The decency? Remember I was the one in the relationship with him for years, and he didn't have the decency to not do a lot of shit. It's things he doesn't even know that I know, and-"

"Then you should've left Kyra!" Brielle yelled over her, "Nobody made you stay!"

What annoyed Kyra the most was that Brielle was trying to come back as this delivered person when she was in fact the same person as before, just without the cocaine. She was still the same person who had lied and used people for her gain, yet no one called her out on it. They were apologizing and groveling, meanwhile she was skipping around like a saint.

Since Kyra was still silent, Brielle continued, "And even when you made that decision to stay, you knew everything. You're tryna trap him with someone else's kid. That's fucking trifling."

"It's jokes when it's him, but I'm trifling and I'm not shit when I do the same thing?" Kyra asked, "You can still talk to him like it's nothing, but you brought your messy ass over here tryna tell some shit he already knows?"

The ending of her sentence made Bri question if she'd heard her right, "Huh?"

A smile appeared on Kyra's face as she saw Brielle's look of disbelief, "Yeah, exactly. So many fucking people in my relationship and nobody know what's going on."

Despite the convincing tone of Kyra, Brielle didn't believe that she'd told Josiah anything. It was insulting to her that Kyra thought she was stupid enough to believe it, but she decided to go along with it, "Oh well nevermind then."

"Girl please. You still gone run your big head ass outta here and call him. Only reason you in a rush to say something is 'cause him not knowing doesn't benefit you."

In a way, Kyra was right. Had Travis and Bri still been in the same spot as before, Brielle wouldn't have been in a hurry to tell Josiah the newly discovered news. She acted as if she were the decider of all things, deciding who was told the truth and who was fed more lies.

Instead of responding, Bri just stared at Kyra until Kyra nodded her head, "If Josiah ends up dead, that's on you."

"Why would Josiah die?"

It was such a stupid question that Kyra couldn't help but laugh, though the racing of her heart made her want to do nothing of the sort, "What you think they just gonna shake hands and giggle? Somebody gotta die."

She was hoping that her words would scare Bri into being quiet.

What she'd said was the truth though, and it made you wonder that if Kyra knew that someone would end up dead, why she chose to go that route.

Her plan to deter Brielle might have worked, only Bri had more faith in Hakeem and Josiah than Travis.

• • •

"This whole time?" Josiah asked Hakeem in shock, "He was fucking with her this whole time?"

Josiah was reminded of the time he and Hakeem spoke about Mario talking to 'some young hoe'... He'd called Grace a young hoe and didn't even realize it.

"The whole time. She said he told her Bri gave him herpes."

"That nigga got herpes? All them times I let him hit my blunt!"

"He slept on my couch." Corey sighed, "And ate and shit too man. I'm finna ghost my landlord 'cause I can't stay there no more."

As Corey and Josiah were talking shit about Mario for having herpes, it didn't occur to them that they were also talking about Grace.

Monica had taken it upon herself to explain it to Hakeem so he knew how it was spread, how the medicine worked, all of that, but his friends were still ignorant about the matter.

"Ain't it like a bum-bump? They touch you and the shit pop up on your arm?"

"Ion know and don't give a fuck. Don't even breathe in my direction."

"Breathe?" Josiah questioned, "Don't look at me. Can't see out my eyes no more 'cause you spreading that shit through the air."

Hakeem felt himself becoming irritated, "It don't work like that. Y'all be saying anything."

He was already regretting bringing them, but he wanted everybody in the complex who was outside to see Mario get taken from his apartment, and he preferred the 'back up' of sorts. A terrible route to go, but it was highly unlikely that anybody would tell the police, while still remaining highly likely that word would be spread through the neighborhood.

Thus reiterating the fact that Grace, Bri, and anybody else he said not to fuck with, shouldn't be fucked with.

Seeing that he wasn't in the mood for their jokes, Josiah and Corey exchanged a look before going back to sitting in silence as they waited for Mario to arrive.

It was only quiet for a few minutes or so before Josiah asked, "What you waiting for anyway? We might as well just shoot his ass time he come through the door."

Corey shook his head, "You must be tryna pay off everybody in this hoe? That's doing too much."

"The sun still out and Terminator over there talking 'bout carrying that man outta here so what's the difference?"

"He ain't gone be dead though."

"It don't matter." Hakeem interrupted, "I already said what I'm doing."

"Niggas be hella rude." Josiah mumbled.

Time continued to pass slowly, and the three men were growing restless. Hakeem stood up, "Let's go to his mama house."

"Damn moms finna get clapped. It be like that."

Fortunately for Mario's mother, he was making his way to his apartment and she'd live. Live to bury her son, but live nonetheless.

• • •

Later that night, Josiah went inside his house and stepped straight into the shower.

As the water fell from the showerhead, he focused on scrubbing all events from today off of his body. Without trying to, he began humming a song and rapping the lyrics to himself, "I tell my bitch I'm faithful but I still got the hoes."

Ironically, Kyra walked in as he was on that part, "Oh trust me, we know."

He laughed while the water dripped into his face, "Wassup, Kyra?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

She'd thought about what Bri said, and came to a conclusion about who she wanted to be with, and it wasn't Josiah. Though it could be seen as common sense, Travis showed Kyra that 'ups and downs' didn't include cheating and getting other women pregnant. She could be happy without having to accept all the drama that came along with Josiah.

So it was simple: Kyra planned on leaving Josiah for Travis.

"Talk about what?"

Taking a deep breath, Kyra pulled the shower curtain back to look at Josiah, "I don't wanna be with you anymore."

She expected a reaction of some sort, but he merely shrugged, "Cool."

"What?"

"I said 'cool'." He replied, reaching to turn off the water, "Ian finna beg you no more."

"Beg me?"

Josiah nodded, "You ain't even acting like no girlfriend, and barely a baby mama. But it's cool. I'ma show up at the baby shower, shoot you some money every week, and we can trade weekends."

His nonchalance was starting to piss her off, "Bitch you acting like you were a perfect boyfriend. Fuck you."

"How you mad 'cause I'm letting you leave? Ain't that what you wanted?"

That is what she wanted before he was so willing to do it. Before, every time Kyra had even hinted at leaving, Josiah would tell her she couldn't, usually resulting in him threatening to harm anybody she thought about being with.

Kyra could've just left the house, happy that the talk had gone so well, considering. Except she thought she knew why Josiah was okay with her leaving, and she was upset about it.

"I just don't understand why you tryna be with a bitch who wanna be me." Kyra began, thinking she was about to start another argument.

Josiah surprised her by turning to face her, looking as if he was actually considering her question, "Me and Rae just be chilling. She cool as hell once you get her to stay off that messy shit."

"You don't know how to 'chill'. Stop lying."

After Josiah pulled his shirt over his head, he walked closer to Kyra, bending to her level to make sure he made eye contact, "We ain't gone talk about lying right now bae."

At first, Kyra was sure Bri hadn't reached Josiah to tell him anything. But as she gazed into his eyes, she was certain that he knew about Travis.

"I left you." Kyra whispered, "I was single."

Josiah laughed, "You right. And you still single."

The meaning of what he said was vague at first, becoming clear only when Kyra noticed that he was looking at her in a way that was foreign to her, a look usually reserved for people he hated.

He suddenly wrapped his hand around her throat, hard enough to apply pressure but not cause any pain, "The only reason you not dead with that nigga is 'cause I owe you a kid."

Kyra clenched her eyes shut in fear, thinking at any moment he'd tighten his grip and end her life on the bathroom floor.

Instead, he kissed her, pressing his lips against the side of her face, and pulling back to whisper in her ear, "But once you drop, if I see you again I'ma kill you where you stand."

He didn't mean that at all. At the end of the day, he did his dirt, and Kyra did hers but she didn't deserve to die for that.

Letting go of her neck Josiah left the bathroom, "Get your shit out my house too."

There was a time when that wouldn't have bothered Kyra because she would've gone to Travis' house. However, the sobs that wracked her body as she lay on the cool floor served as an immediate reminder that she no longer had that option.

• • •

Urine dripped onto the floor as Mario could no longer prevent himself from having to relieve himself.

"Damn Keem you beat the piss out bruh." Corey laughed.

"I swear on my life she said you knew." Mario nearly pleaded, "She said you wasn't tripping 'cause we was cool."

He instantly regretted his decision to talk when the pain from Hakeem kicking him in the stomach registered, "Bitch she ain't say shit like that. Lie again."

They watched him attempt to crawl to the door, unable to lift himself over the dead body that blocked it. It could have been a sad sight, yet no one in that room cared about what happened to him.

"Please let me just shoot this nigga." Josiah stated darkly while staring down at Mario, still in the murderous mood he'd been in since Brielle gave him the news about him not being the father of any child.

Josiah finally turned his phone back on, looking at the many messages from Brielle, "Damn Keem what's wrong with Bri?" He asked, clicking her contact to call her back.

"What you mean? Ain't nobody said nothing to me."

"Where you at?" Brielle asked in place of a greeting.

"I'm over here by Semmes. You good?"

The line went silent, and the pause made Hakeem look over at Josiah, "Well what the fuck wrong?"

"Damn nigga can you wait?!"

Brielle heard Hakeem's voice, and sighed, "Tell Hakeem to bring you to my mama house."

"I'm driving, and Ion even much like your mama."

She hung up the phone.

"How I get to her mama house?"

Neither of them really spoke other than the occasional directions from Hakeem until eventually they arrived at Bri's house to see her brother bringing the trash outside.

"He look like a fuck nigga." Josiah observed, "I'll beat his ass."

Hakeem rested his head on his hands, "That man ain't did shit to you. What be wrong witchu'?"

They didn't have to wait long for Brielle to come outside, watching her slowly make her way towards the car and slide into the backseat, "Hey."

"You straight?"

Bri shook her head no, "Kyra pregnant by Travis."

Being straightforward was the only way she could make herself  go through with this conversation, so she began rambling in an effort to get everything out, "They started having sex when Raelyn sent that ultrasound, and now I think she actually likes him. I should've said something when I first found out, but she was talking about telling Hakeem that I was friends with Travis but I wanted to do it myself, then when I came home I could've said something too, but I wasn't sure if the baby was yours."

It was deathly quiet in the car, the awkwardness surging to an all-time high.

Josiah started bobbing his head like he was listening to music, only none was playing in the car, "You said before you left, so since December?"

"Yeah."

"That's crazy," Hakeem mumbled, trying to make sense of what Bri had just told Josiah.

It took a while before Josiah spoke again, "You had wanted some else Bri?"

"....No."

"I'ma fuck witchu' later then."

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't upset about Brielle not telling him when she first found out. Her explanation made sense, but he still didn't wanna talk to her with the incident so fresh on his mind.

Her shoulders slumped as she heard his tone, but she was aware that is was her fault, "Okay."

"Time you going to sleep tonight?" Hakeem asked before she got out of the car.

"I don't know."

"I'ma call you when I get home."

Once Bri had gone back into the house, Hakeem whistled, "We finna go get that nigga or...?"

"Gotta know that."

"Ion want him to die right now." Hakeem responded to Josiah's suggestion, clearing the fog of the past from his head, "That be too easy."

"It all feel the same I'm telling you."

That wasn't true for Hakeem. Causing Mario the maximum amount of pain wouldn't make Grace not have herpes, but it'd make Mario wish for the remainder of his life that he would've avoided her.

Hakeem looked down at Mario again, "Nah not yet."

He never called Bri that night because he didn't go home, inflicting agony unto the crippled young man well into the wee hours of the morning.

• • •

Hakeem held onto the door for dear life as he watched Brielle almost run them into the back of a car, "I thought you said you could drive."

"I can."

He shook his head, "You can't. I been in shootouts Bri and I still ain't never been this damn scared."

When Hakeem suggested she drive, he was under the impression that she knew how. Now as he sat there and nearly experienced death multiple times, he figured it was just God's way of telling him his time was up.

"You're very overdramatic." Brielle dismissed, swerving through cars to get into the left lane, "We not dead yet."

As soon as she said that, she neglected to check her blind-spot before switching lanes, making the car beside her blow their horn relentlessly, "Oops."

"Ain't no fucking oops." Hakeem said while turning to look out the back window "Who the fuck they blowing at?"

"Pass me your gun so I can wave it out the window."

She was joking, but Hakeem thought she really wanted to wave a gun at the car, reaching into his pants to give it to her, "Here."

"Nigga I-" Bri paused the sentence to laugh, "It's a joke!."

It'd been a interesting car ride thus far, especially with Brielle's car version of russian roulette. She asked Hakeem if she could take him somewhere, calling it a surprise, which was what prompted Hakeem to ask her if she wanted to drive.

The destination wasn't that important to Bri, but the conversation she wanted to have with Hakeem was.

Kyra made a point when she called Brielle out for only telling the truth when it benefited her. In the case of Josiah, she honestly didn't know he wasn't the dad, but with everything else she held out because she had other motives.

With Travis it was because she liked him. Not in a romantic way, but more so the way you love a troubled friend or family member. She also thought she'd found an ally in him.

With Mario, she wanted to wait until she found out more about he and Grace's relationship so that when she went to Hakeem with the news, she'd ensure he ended up dead.

She and Hakeem had already apologized to each other for other shit, but if she wanted to go around calling people out, she had to at least own up to everything she'd done.

Hakeem watched her turn on her turn signal, indicating that she was turning into a parking lot, "This the surprise Bri?"

"You sound ungrateful but try me and I'll turn this car around and you can go home."

He laughed, "I'm always grateful. I'm just saying I thought it was some else."

Once she'd parked, they walked to the door, a smile tugging at the corner of Hakeem's mouth. At the counter, Brielle turned to look at him, "Dollar menu only."

"Oh damn I forgot you got a bag now. I thought i was worth more than the dollar menu but you just humbled me."

She was still mugging him while he began reciting his order, "Just lemme get the uhhhh, Hot & Spicy only cheese and ketchup..." He looked down at Brielle, "Can you buy a broke nigga like me some fries?"

The woman taking their order snickered, "You might as well get the combo."

"He might as well not."

Hakeem sighed at her smart ass mouth, now thinking about how his hamburger bun would be drug across the floor in the back.

"And two large sweet teas." Bri concluded the order, turning to whisper to Hakeem, "Just put soda in it."

"This a cheap date." Hakeem laughed, taking his cup and making his way to the drink machine.

"Hakeem you're a hoe, and I'm not spending a lotta money on you and you for the streets."

"I spent money on you when you was for the streets."

"That's your duck ass."

If anyone overheard their conversation, they'd be very confused as to what the nature of their relationship was.

"And besides." Bri continued as she sat at the table, "This isn't a date."

"What it is then? Ion just be eating at no restaurants with anybody so if this not a date, I'm finna go finish being a hoe."

He'd eaten at Red Lobster with Maya, but that was different. He didn't wanna be there, and he damn sure didn't let her think it was a date.

Holding back a smile, Brielle shrugged, "Have fun. Be safe."

Hakeem stood up from the table as the employee called their order number, "I'm tired of being a hoe. I want somebody to save me from the streets."

Even if she laughed at what he said, she was secretly hoping he was being serious.

When he came and sat back down, Bri's demeanor had shifted, "On a more serious note, I wanted to... apologize. Again."

"You brought me to McDonald's to apologize?"

"This the last time I do something nice for a nigga I swear."

Hakeem didn't know what exactly she was apologizing for, so he waited somewhat patiently as she pretended to be focusing on drinking from her cup.

"I think that sometimes I go about stuff the wrong way like I tell half-truths just so I can be like 'Technically I wasn't lying'." She still hadn't looked up from the straw, "I don't really know how to word what I'm trying to say, but yeah."

He smiled at her terrible attempt at an apology, "I could go take a shit right now and it'll sound better than that."

"I'm finna go home 'cause see you doing too much."

Reaching across the table, Hakeem snatched the keys that rested next to her cup, "I'm just saying its outta nowhere."

"It was." Brielle agreed, "Darnishia told me I shouldn't hold on to apologies. I guess she got that from her therapist."

Bri hadn't told Darnishia who she was apologizing to, or even what the apology would consist of, but her older sister gave her that piece of advice last night as they both laid in their respective beds.

Hakeem was inspecting the bun to see if he saw any signs of dirt, "I thought you ain't fuck with your sister?"

"I don't."

Being that he had a sibling as well, he knew exactly how that went.

Bri silently watched him eat, suddenly saying, "I don't want you to talk to Maya anymore."

It wasn't like he talked to her that much anyway, "Heard you."

"Or anybody else."

This was a rare act of boldness on Brielle's part, and if Hakeem rejected her, she'd probably go play in traffic.

There was always a chance with Hakeem that he'd say the wrong thing at the wrong time and completely ruin a moment. As he sat there shoving fries in his mouth, he thought about his response before speaking it aloud, "That's cool too. When the girl ain't homeless that pussy just don't hit the same."

"Can you be serious for literally a few seconds?" Brielle groaned as she rested her head on the table.

"Man bruh I left that damn t.v on for months. You tell me if I give a damn about not saying nothing else to them hoes."

He felt like his actions spoke louder than words. Even if some of the actions were questionable, the beneficial actions outweighed the detrimental ones, and Hakeem thought she should be able to spot the fact that he was only trying to be with her.

Bri smiled, "Okay. I found a new show for us to watch too."

"You gone spend the night?"

"Negative. You not about to trick me out no coochie."

Their corny McDonald's 'date' continued well into the evening.

• • •

bri & hakeemmm sitting in the tree, f-u-c- nvm. lmaoo, im happy they thinking ab making it official. pls stand by for hot makeup sex 🥰

well...... i feel bad for kyra. sis was just doing what he did to her tbh.

travis AND mario ded. ARE YOU VIOLENT MFS HAPPY??????

thanks for reading 💕