"You know what?" Josiah began as he smacked loudly on the eggs, "These the best eggs I ever had. You did that shit Bri."

Brielle laughed while standing up to go wash her plate, "Thank you."

"You cooking every morning?"

"Nigga nooooo." Hakeem interrupted, "She ain't yo damn maid."

"I don't mind. I mean it's the least I could do."

That was truly how Brielle felt. He was letting her stay in his house for literally nothing, so she wouldn't mind cooking for him and his friend at all.

"Nah. He better take his ass back to Kyra if he want somebody cooking for him."

Brielle thought back to the lack of food he had in the house, "Where's all your food?"

"Damn she just called you broke." Josiah laughed.

"My mama cook for me." Hakeem answered, "I go over her house for dinner."

He took note of the frown of her face, "Why you looking like that?"

"How old are you?"

"20."

"And you still go to your mama's house every day to eat?"

"Shit how old are you? You need to be at your mama house eating."

Brielle sat back at the table, "I'm 17."

Both of the men in the room were silent, taking in the fact that this young girl was already off to a bad start in life.

"Bro you too fucking young to be in the streets and shit." Hakeem shook his head, "You needa go home."

"I'd rather die."

More silence.

It was awkward at that point so Brielle stood up again, this time leaving the kitchen to go back in the guest room.

Once she was gone, Josiah looked at Hakeem, "Whatchu' tell her that for?"

"'Cause it's true. I'll knock Grace ass out if she tried some shit like that."

"You don't know her living situation though. Somebody in the house might be fucking with her or some."

He'd considered that, but he also considered that maybe she just wanted to do drugs and her mama and them wasn't with that shit. Hakeem didn't think he knew her well enough to ask her why she wouldn't go home.

Yeah, he was letting Brielle stay in his house temporarily, but that was because he ain't want shit to happen to her, not 'cause he was wanted to know her whole ass life story.

"Either way, the situation still fucked."

Josiah agreed before switching subjects, "You told her you know dude who shot her friend?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Youn think that'll start some shit when she find out?"

Hakeem hadn't even thought about it. It wasn't like him and Mario was cool like that anyway, and even then, that whole thing didn't have anything to do with him.

"At least tell him not to come over here while Bri here." Josiah continued, "She gone feel a way if she see y'all talking and you know he killed that girl."

"This nigga done turned into a therapist. Can you shut the fuck up?"

"I'm tryna help you. Stay tryna talk shit with them baby ass plaits in your head."

"Yo' bitch like my plaits hoe."

• • •

Brielle sat quietly in the front seat, skipping through songs until Hakeem sighed loudly, "Man just pick some."

"I'm trying. You got all this trash music on your phone."

"It's not trash. You just don't know shit."

Brielle didn't even know where they were going. Hakeem asked her if she wanted to ride with him, and with nowhere else to be or nothing else to do, she agreed.

She finally settled on a Rihanna album, suddenly looking at Hakeem, "Why is this on your phone?"

"She fine as fuck. That dome she call a forehead be doin' some to me."

"She is pretty." Brielle agreed, reaching to turn up the volume.

"Nah, I said she fine as fuck."

"I think being called pretty is more of a compliment."

"How?" Hakeem argued, "Pretty sound plain, but if I say fine as fuck, you know I'd hit."

"Exactly. If someone tells you you're pretty, they mean it in a delicate way, without wanting anything from you, just a genuine compliment."

Her logic didn't make sense to him but he let the conversation go, "What are you willing to doooo? Ohhhh tell me what you're willing to dooooo."

She laughed at his singing while looking turning to look out of the window.

The timeline of how long Brielle would be staying with him was still a mystery, and when Grace stayed at his house, she always brought a lotta shit with her, which Josiah pointed out Brielle didn't have.

So he was taking her to Walmart to buy things she made need.

Brielle figured that out when they turned into Walmart's parking lot, the same one she couldn't go into anymore.

When Hakeem parked and went to get out, he noticed she hadn't made any effort to move, "What's wrong with you?"

"I uh, can't exactly go in there."

It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"We'll go to another one then."

"I can only go to the one in Theodore. Like 45 minutes away."

Hakeem laughed, "Damn. Thieving ass lil girl."

She rolled her eyes, "I'll stay in the car if you still wanna go in."

"I'm not grabbing no pussy covers, the last time the lady was laughing at me and shit. We'll just go to the other one."

"What are you talking about?"

"Matter fact, Grace might've left some at the house." He looked at Brielle, "Or you use the ones that go inside?"

It was then that she realized he was talking about pads and tampons.

"An entire fucking idiot." She laughed loudly, "Why would you think that's the name?"

"That's what Grace told me."

Her laughter grew louder, "Grace lied. Let's just go to the other one."

He shook his head as he realized now why the employee laughed when he asked where the 'pussy covers' were.

As Hakeem pulled out of the parking spot, he decided now was the time to talk about something else he'd been thinking about, "iight so Ian got no problem helping you and shit, but you gon' have to go back to school."

"I can't. I have to wait until I'm 18 or they'll just call my mama when I go there, and she'll call my p.o."

He should've guessed that she was on probation, but he figured her mama and them might've not been looking for her, "I'm harboring a felon. If them people come knocking Ion know you."

Brielle didn't respond right away, and when she did, her voice was low, "How long can I stay?"

"As long as you want to."

She didn't seem like the type to do no extra shit that'll piss him off, and even if she did, he'd just ask her to leave. Simple, really.

"But you can't be doing no crack."

"It's not crack!"

"Coke then. You ain't finna be putting that shit up ya' nose no more."

So her dilemma was either have a nice place to stay or have nowhere to stay and have sex to supply her with the drugs she wanted.

The answer was obvious.

Hakeem wasn't sure what the draw was to Brielle, he just assumed it was because she reminded him of his little sister.

That wasn't it at all.

• • •

Brielle stared at the substance on the bathroom counter, wondering if she should even do the lines she'd already separated.

If she didn't do them though, that night would've been for nothing. Plugging one nostril, she leaned to snort the first line, closing her eyes as it went into her nose.

The action was repeated, and then she stared into the mirror waiting for the euphoria to take over her body.

She didn't feel like she was lying to Hakeem about what she was doing, because she told herself that once this was gone, she wouldn't make an attempt to get more.

But isn't that what all addicts say?

_______

hakeem is so nice to my sis. i hope she stops lying to him 🥴

thanks for reading 💕