• • •

I yawned loudly, feeling tired now that the high had worn completely off.

We still weren't at Kyser's friend's house. I didn't know if it was because we were walking slow or if her idea of a 30 minute walk was different from mine.

"This the longest 30 minutes I ever experienced in my life." I complained.

"That's his house right there." She pointed, "So shutcho crybaby ass up."

The house had men sitting outside shooting dice and I frowned up, "What in the ghetto hoodrat hell?"

"Bri I'm sick of you."

"You taking me to a damn trap house." I laughed.

I really didn't care where we were going, just wanting to mess with her. I'd stay in a thousand trap houses as long as they had water and heat.

She stopped walking to laugh, holding her stomach, "Bitch that's that man house. You so disrespectful."

"Girl. Tell your friend he needa do maintenance or something. This bitch is tore the fuck up."

"You homeless and still talking shit? I can't deal with you."

The closer we got, the louder the voices got. I hated that it was so many men outside, but you get used to it quickly.

"Demond." Kyser called as we walked into the yard.

He looked up, recognition registering on his face when he saw her, "Wassup Ky? You need some?"

Nobody even looked at us, too focused on the game going on.

"Lemme stay here tonight. We can be gone in the morning."

He nodded and returned his attention to everyone else, "You can go up in there."

She led me around back so we wouldn't walk through their game, using the back door instead. The inside was nicer than the out, and it smelled like Fabuloso.

A typical house in the hood.

Kyser moved around with familiarity, like she'd been here a lot before.

"You must come here when you don't have anywhere else to go?" I asked while we went to the bathroom to shower.

"We used to talk before he met his baby mama. We still cool though."

Clearly.

"She gone beat your ass for staying here." I teased, putting my hand under the stream to test the temperature.

"Never worried about a bitch beating my ass. I wouldn't talk to him again anyway."

I kept quiet, stripping and stepping into the shower. I wasn't concerned with Kyser seeing me. After all the shit we've seen and done, the last thing that could make me uncomfortable is being naked around her.

"I'm going to my mama house to get some clothes." I told her while washing my face.

"Good luck with that shit. You want me to go?"

"No. In case she call the police or some stupid."

My house was about 20 minutes away, 10 if I ran, which I planned on doing.

I cringed as I put back on the same clothes and stepped aside for Kyser to get in.

"I'll be back."

• • •

My mama's car wasn't outside so I knocked on the door, waiting for one of my four siblings to come answer.

Kayla was the one to pull it open, looking at me happily, "Where you been?"

"Where mama?" I asked instead of answering her.

"She work at the gas station now. Doesn't get off until 12."

That gave me more than enough time to pack some clothes and get the fuck on. I walked into the room I shared with my other sister and changed into something that fit before getting a book bag and shoving more stuff in it.

"Your P.O. looking for you." Darnishia said sounding like she really didn't care, "She told mama this time you not getting out until you 18."

"They gotta catch me first." I replied.

"You so extra. I never seen somebody wanna be homeless."

If I hated anybody in my family, it was Darnishia.

It wasn't actually her fault, more of my mama's since she catered to her every fucking need like she was her only child.

To my mama, the world revolved around her, nobody else mattered.

As I walked out of the room, I bumped into my brother who was on the phone, "Yeah she here right now."

"Man get your snitching ass on!" I yelled while walking to the front, only to be confronted by my other brother who was blocking the front door.

So they was tryna trap me in here.

I've gotten clothes before and they let me come and go as I pleased. I don't know why they were doing this now.

"What is wrong with y'all? Ain't nobody finna stay here."

"Mama on the way."

"Fuck mama and fuck y'all too for calling her."

If she was on the way, that meant she called the police, and like Darnishia said, if I get caught again, I'm not getting out for months.

I'll be damned.

Turning around, I ran down the hall, locking the door to my mom's room, the only room with no burglar bars.

With little time before they picked the locked, I hurriedly unlocked the window, jumping out.

Just as I hit the ground, a police car stopped in front of the house. They must've called them before even calling my mama.

"She on the side!" I heard them yell.

They was finna have to work if they wanted to catch me.

My shoes slapped against the earth as I raced away from them, tugging on the straps of the book bag so it would be tighter against my body.

They were more persistent than the usual ones, chasing me until I ducked into an alley and hopped the fence to the other side.

When I was sure they were gone, I leaned against the wall trying to catch my breath.

I need to drink more water or some, I thought.

I knew they'd be circling the area, so I needed to find somewhere to hide for an hour or two.

Walking out of the alley, I looked around to see which way would be best to go.

I was in for a long night.

________

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