Seeing as Josiah couldn't go home and get his car with Raelyn in the back seat, Hakeem agreed to drop them off at the appointment and come back in around an hour and a half to pick them up.

"I'm not nobody daddy." Hakeem stated when they got out of the car, "Sneaking around to drop niggas off and shit."

"I'm like 100% sure no one's dad is sneaking to drop them off at an appointment. Tell him to stop cheating and you won't have to do it."

"That ain't got nothin' to do with me. If he wanna cheat then go 'head."

Hakeem didn't exactly dislike Kyra, he just didn't exactly like her either. It had nothing to do with what all the crazy shit that went on in her and Josiah's relationship, just the fact that she was always doing stuff he perceived to be extra. 

Case in point: Her sending the message to Rae saying Josiah didn't care about her having a difficult pregnancy. Hakeem felt like when Kyra decided to move back in after she knew about Raelyn, then she should've accepted that the man had a kid on the way that he had to take care of.

With that being said, Hakeem also didn't fuck with how Josiah was handling Raelyn since he stood his yellow ass in the hallway and told them that the baby was his, but wanted to switch up now to make his bitch happy.

"Niggas all the same." Brielle sighed, "I might as well get a bitch since y'all act like one anyway."

"You let them girls turn you out in there?"

Brielle shook her head and fought a smile, "Maybe."

Hakeem lived about 10 minutes from the hospital, so it made sense for them to go to his house to waste time. When they pulled into his yard, Brielle made a show of looking around, "Oh look, there's no one here."

"What you mean? Who else gone be here?"

She gave him a pointed glance, to which he responded, "She don't stay with me. That was her first time spending the night."

"Save that shit for somebody else because I don't believe it."

He let her move in after not knowing her that well, so of course she'd assume that he'd done the same for mayo packet.

"Bri she got a kid. You know how I am about my sleep and you think I'ma let somebody else child wake me up? Fuck nah."

"That's the only reason?"

Brielle hated how despite her hardest efforts, the uncertainness shone through her words as if she had the right to ask that question.

Hakeem still had yet to make a move to get out of the car, his hand remaining on the wheel, "You know it's not."

It seemed pointless to him to speak the words aloud when Brielle already knew what was up. She knew him better than most people in his life, so it was useless in answering her question in detail.

"I'm not a mind reader Hakeem. I can only go by what I see, and what I saw was you letting your girlfriend try to handle me."

"I told you Ion have girlfriends."

His nonchalance was beginning to irritate Brielle. Hakeem's answers to her questions were short, lacking the substance she wanted them to have. He had so much to say before, but now that they were alone and in the position to have a mature conversation he didn't want to.

"Fuck this small talk. Why you called that lady to your house? Don't say you were tryna help me either 'cause you could've called the police and not her."

This time there was a pause as Hakeem considered her question, "She had your P.O number."

"And? What my P.O did? Call the police like you could've done. You just wanted to be petty over some shit I tried to tell you."

Brielle was referring to the morning she and Hakeem went to Josiah's house when she attempted to tell him that she knew Travis prior to meeting him in Monica's house.

"Should've tried harder." Hakeem mumbled in response.

"What?"

"I said you should've tried harder. You ain't have a problem telling me all the other shit but you wanna lie about that."

Funnily enough, Hakeem still didn't know 'all the other shit'. Travis only told him that Bri was sneaking around to see him, but didn't mention Mario, Grace, or anything else that didn't directly involve Brielle.

"Love how you're so mad at me but you and Travis singing and dancing together. Make it make sense because the girls are confused."

"What girls? Ion give a fuck about no hoes being confused when they don't needa be worried 'bout what I'm doing no way."

"I- Don't worry about it. Tell me why you and his lame ass can be friends, but you sent me to prison."

Even if they were actual cousins, Hakeem had no problem pretending he didn't exist at first, but Brielle had heard they linked on the regular now. It may sound childish, but she found it unfair that he harbored so much anger for her when Travis was more of a liar than she was.

There was also the fact that Bri didn't know verbatim what Travis decided to tell his cousin.

Hakeem took much longer to answer, almost making Brielle think he wasn't going to, "I expect certain shit from certain people. Travis ain't shit, prolly never gone be shit, but I expect that from him." His voice dropped in volume, "Ian expect no shit like that from you."

The severity of what she did wasn't based on her actions per se, but rather the fact that she felt so comfortable lying to him every day when he was always honest with her.

"And you had my people out here serving you." Hakeem continued,  "That was fucked up too."

"Isn't that something you supposed to take up with 'your people'? I'm willing to admit where I fucked up, but you don't have the same energy with everybody and I don't like that about you."

Of course he didn't have the same energy with everybody. Everybody didn't hold the same position in his life.

Hakeem sighed, ignoring her statement, "You still ain't admit where you fucked up at."

When the roles were reversed, Hakeem apologized both times without hesitation. Brielle hadn't even acted like what she did was wrong.

It'd crossed her mind that she should apologize, but at the same time, she'd never had to give out a major apology, "I'm ssss."

Hakeem looked towards her, trying to figure out what she was doing, "You having a stroke or some?"

"I'm ssssooo."

Reaching for his phone, Hakeem began dialing 911, "Don't talk. They finna be onna way."

"Boy don't call those damn people!" Brielle yelled, "I'm tryna apologize.....I'm sorry."

Hakeem shook his head, "That shit almost killed you didn't it?"

"I'm on my last breath. Now your turn."

While Brielle knew she needed to apologize, her asking for one in return threw Hakeem for a loop. He didn't see what he'd done that needed an apology. He'd still do it, he just wasn't sure why.

"I'm sorry."

"For?" Brielle prompted.

"Ian make you do allat 'for' shit. I said I'm sorry."

"Yeah, but what I was apologizing for was obvious. You got multiple things to apologize for."

Hakeem tapped his finger against the armrest, "I'll apologize for calling your mama, but Ian apologizing for sending you to that lil place. You can be mad at me for the rest of ya' life for that but you needed to go."

"I guess. You could've gone about it differently and I feel like your motives were wrong but okay."

It appeared as if Hakeem were trying to 'punish' her in a way since he didn't feel the need to call anybody until he grew upset with her.

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them, and Hakeem felt the need to fill it, asking, "Where you staying?"

"Back at my mama house."

"That's straight?"

Brielle shrugged, "It will be until I turn 19."

She was always waiting. Waiting until she was 18 at first, and now waiting another calendar year to make the necessary changes in her life. It's just the way things were, so she tried not to think about it too much, and focus on the things she could change like school and finding a job.

"You know you ain't gotta stay there, right?"

Hakeem's offer was loud and clear, Brielle just didn't want it, "I'm fine for now."

A nice gesture, just not one she was considering after recent events.

He couldn't blame her for feeling like that since he was the one who acted as if he'd thrown her belongings away, "Heard you. You ate yet?"

"You finna cook me something?"

"I mean..... it's some bologna in there if you want a fried bologna sandwich."

"My taste buds too boujie for bologna now. I'm not homeless anymore sir."

Both of them knew the conversation was nowhere near over, nor was their relationship anywhere close to where it once was, but it'd do for now.

• • •

Grace eased herself down onto the couch, tears dripping from her eyes and onto the fabric of her shirt.

This was the second outbreak that she'd experienced since finding out she had herpes, and it hurt just as bad as the first. Blisters were in the most uncomfortable places, causing her to barely be able to walk or stand.

The more she thought about having to live with the disease, the less her will to live became. When she first found out she contracted herpes, she was comforted in knowing that she was lucky enough to find the person she thought she'd be with forever.

Only to find out that the same person had purposely given it to her.

Grace said purposely because even if he wasn't 'trying to' he still made no effort to alert her to his status, nor did he go to any extreme lengths to make sure she didn't get it.

Squeezing her eyes shut through the pain, Grace thought of the last encounter she had with Mario shortly after Brielle went away.

Grace's friend, Jamila, was standing cross-armed by the door, watching her disapprovingly, "I'm not getting why you still tryna hang with him."

She didn't want to answer the question because she didn't know why she was going to link with him either, "He wants to talk or something I don't know."

"Grace what is there to talk about? He gave you herpes. You're 16 with herpes. This dude ruined your life and you still gonna let him get some words off? There wouldn't be anything he could say to me."

Needing someone to confide in, Grace told Jamila about her situation, and for a high school friend, Jamila surprisingly hadn't uttered a word to anyone.

"It'll probably only take a few minutes." Grace mumbled back as she slid on shoes, "If your mama ask tell her I went home."

"How you go from a "few minutes" to "tell her I went home?"

"Can you just do me this favor? Please, and thank you."

Jamila weighed the decision in her head, trying to decide what to do. When Grace first began using her as a cover, it was for boys they went to school with, not Mario's overgrown ass. Even when she found out she still lied for Grace because she didn't necessarily see the harm.

Now that she was well aware of just how harmful Mario was, Jamila wanted no parts, "I'm good. If she asks where you went, I'm telling."

Grace still pushed past Jamila to exit the house, and she hadn't talked to her since.

"Hey." Grace nearly whispered as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Wassup? You done ignoring me?"

"Why did you lie about Brielle giving you herpes? I saw the paper with the date on it in your room."

Mario nearly ran into the car in front of him, "Huh?"

"You lied to me. Again."

"Baby I-."

"I lied to my brother for you, my mama, everybody. Only for you to have me looking stupid."

Grace had willingly told those lies because she'd wrongly examined the dynamic of their relationship. There was no way he could make her believe that he loved her after this.

Which could make you wonder: Why was Grace in the car with him anyway?

"Ion know who gave me that shit." Mario answered truthfully, "But I told you I was sorry for it."

"I'll take your sorry to the doctor with me and see if they can do something with it."

When Mario saw that Grace wasn't falling for his lines like she usually did, he became upset, "So what the fuck you get in the car for if you was gone have an attitude and shit?"

"Take me home then.  Oh wait, you can't because my brother will literally beat the shit out of you."

"You talking to me crazy when Ian said none out the way to you. Walk your ass home for all I give a fuck."

In true Mario fashion, he tried to contact Grace again after that, only this time she'd blocked him.

Monica approached the sofa, handing Grace a bottle of water and two pills, "You need anything else?"

The tears continued to fall as Grace shook her head, "I just want this to be over."

"It will be soon." She responded sadly, hating to see her daughter like this even if she did bring it upon herself, "Try to get some rest."

When Grace noticed her mother making a move to get up, she reached for her arm, halting her, "Can you stay for a while?"

In an instant, both occupants of the living room were crying.

Positioning herself so that Grace's head rested in her lap, Monica remained in that spot for the rest of the evening.

• • •

The tiny dog began barking loudly when it saw a person walking onto Travis' porch.

"Stop all that fucking barking before I send you 'round the corner and you end up in somebody wing plate!" Travis shouted while making his way to the front.

Almost as if the dog knew what her owner meant, she switched out barks for whimpers as she waited to see what Travis would do.

"Damn you got a Taco Bell dog?" Corey asked with a laugh.

"Hell yeah man. My girl brought this hoe over here and I can't stand this lil barking ass nigga."

The 'Lil barking ass nigga' was also known as Bella, Kyra and Josiah's dog.

He often mentioned his girl in front or Hakeem and even Josiah, but never gave names. Since neither of them cared to ask who it was, it was almost as if Travis were telling a joke that only he knew the punchline to, or like he was playing a game, with him being the only one privy to the rules.

"Felt that... You got that other shit though?"

Travis nodded his head and walked back to where he was before Corey arrived, handing the bookbag to Corey, "I heard Bri out. Make sure she don't get ahold to this."

Corey and Bri had never talked or shared more than a polite smile, but he was close enough to Hakeem and Josiah to speak up for her on their behalf, "Gone chill on her."

"You know I'm just talking shit." Travis lied with a smiled, "Y'all getting too sensitive."

"I'ma fuck witcha' later."

As soon as the screen door closed, Travis looked down at Bella, "You know ain't no way I'ma let them fry you. Kyra'll beat my ass."

He rubbed Bella's stomach for a minute or so before going back to the kid's room, finishing assembling the crib that he and Kyra picked out.

• • •

i think that apology went well lololol. my sis said she's not moving back in w/ him rn & i have to stan a sensible queen! 

travy! my fav is back & ready to stir up some mess. the girls can't waittttt.

y'all kyra damn near moved in w/ the boy 😩 i was surprised asf that y'all were shipping rae & josiah so fast but shitttt now that i see how kyra been moving, i ship them too.

thanks for reading 💕