Josiah sadly followed behind Grace and Neriah as they led him through Target.

He'd already been to multiple stores, and they claimed this was the last one. They said that 2 stores ago so he didn't exactly believe them.

Grace stopped in front of candles, putting it to her nose before holding it towards Josiah, "Does it smell good?"

"Yeah."

He hadn't even smelled it, but he'd let their apartment smell like literal shit if it helped them get out of here faster.

Neriah paid the deposit in full by herself instead of waiting for Josiah to get paid, telling him not to worry about it.

Now that he thought about it, she was spending money like crazy, buying basically anything she thought was 'cute'. It was unnecessary shit too, like vases, lamps, and mirrors.

She wasn't no damn gardener, what you buying a lamp for and the apartment come with lights, and the bathrooms had mirrors so it really wasn't no point.

"Where you getting all this money from? You be fucking them girls hair up so they'll come back the the next week?"

"Sometimes I dance at Cookies N' Cream." Neirah said casually, referring to the club where she worked.

Josiah laughed, "I'm being serious though. You must be slinging bricks or some?"

Neriah didn't know why she chose now as a time to tell her brother, but she just felt since they were going to be staying together, he'd want to know where she was.

And plus Grace was there so he likely wouldn't get mad.

"I'm not joking."

Grace looked at Josiah from the corner of her eye, waiting to see his reaction. She didn't think it was that bad, Neriah was a dancer, not a prostitute.

Not that she judged prostitutes or anything.

Josiah was quiet as they continued to walk through the store. He wasn't angry that she danced, not that he wanted her to, but Neriah was old enough to know what she wanted to do.

He was more so upset that she didn't say shit about it and was making the trip every night without them knowing where she was going.

"You don't think that's some shit you should tell somebody?" He asked when Grace magically needed to go to the other side of the store for something.

Neriah lifted one shoulder, "I mean you be doing too much sometimes. I didn't feel like arguing."

"You'll rather somebody try to rape you or some than argue with me?"

"I don't come home by myself. Malik gives me a ride."

"Wait, you told him but not me?" Josiah questioned, touching her arm so she'd stop walking, "What the fuck?"

It was even more confusing that Malik didn't tell him once he knew. If he had a younger sister and Josiah saw her dancing somewhere, it wasn't any way he wouldn't tell him.

"He didn't know at first. He saw me there one night and that's how he found out. I asked him not to tell you, so he started taking me home."

Josiah shook his head, "Y'all just some lying mothafuckas' ain't it?"

"See there you go. It's not that serious.

"It really is, but you got it Riah."

"Its'-" She stopped talking when she saw him walking away to go find Grace.

• • •

Later that afternoon, Hassan watched emotionlessly as Josiah threw his stuff in a box so that he could leave.

"I think it's fucked up y'all leaving me here by myself." Hassan grumbled, "Who gon' cook for me? Who gon' speak up when mama go on her rants? I'm all alone out here."

Josiah ignored him, still throwing things across the room.

"And then y'all moved moved. Ain't even in walking distance."

The further away the better, Josiah thought before telling Hassan, "Take the bus dude."

"Niggas be dancing on the bus now. I'm tryna make it to my destination and a nigga spinning on his head and shit. Ian got time for that."

He stopped packing to look at Hassan, "You just be saying anything." He laughed, "What's wrong withcu'?"

"Man just take me with y'all. I'll tell mama I ran away."

The rest of his packing went similar to that, Hassan trying to come up with ideas to convince Lia to let him move in with his siblings, and Josiah laughing at how stupid those ideas were.

As he was kicking the box into the living room, he saw her sitting quietly on the couch.

Josiah was prepared to keep walking like he hadn't seen her when she spoke, "I guess you couldn't do better for yourself, just for you." Lia stated, "It had to be because of a woman?"

Growing up, Lia had always been somewhat strict, somewhat annoying, a typical black parent. This shit she was doing now though, this was new for her.

"What problem do you have with Grace Ma?" Josiah asked while turning to look at her, "She hasn't done anything to you, and you be treating her like she just the worst person ever."

"Call it mother's intuition. She's not good for you Josiah."

"Let me make that mistake then. 'Cause I'm not seeing what you seeing."

Grace had done nothing but help him, for no other reason than the fact that she cared enough to do so.

He couldn't understand why his mama had a problem with that.

"By the time you see it, it'll be too late." Lia warned, "I'll be praying for you."

• • •

"He's doing fine." Mason's counselor told Isiah as he exited his car to go inside of work, "I think he'll be ready to come home soon."

Isiah thanked him for the information, hanging up before he stepped inside of the elevator.

He got a report on Mason every morning, wanting to know how his treatment was coming along. He was somewhat proud that his son had gone to rehab.

Only somewhat, because he shouldn't have needed to go in the first place.

His assistant smiled at him, telling him someone was in his office. He knew that already since he'd instructed them to be there when they called asking to meet.

When he walked in, the woman tensed slightly, looking over her shoulder at him.

Dramatic, Isiah thought.

As he got comfortable in his chair, he leaned back, staring at her, "What can I do for you Lia?"

_______

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