*

Prince and I went to the park, chatted and play basketball together and chased each other for about a good two hours and now I'm exhausted. The boy runs fast man, faster than me. I tried to run as fast as him but it's impossible. Prince should be in track not basketball. Haha.

But anyway, Trey picked me up from the park to visit Mama in the hospital. She's in chemotherapy and she just had surgery a few days ago and she's in pain. More of her hair fell out and her head is completely bald. She's gotten weak, pale and she can barely walk so that leaves Trey in charge of Dylan, Sabrina and I at home.

Sabrina thinks just because Mama is in the hospital, she can have Jason over until she gets out and Dylan stays out of the house and go to parties.... Trey tells them to stop doing that but they never listen...

Trey only picked me up because Sabrina refuse to meet Mama because she's "sleepy" and who knows and cares where Dylan is at. I really don't know why they don't wanna see Mama. They think everything else is more important than a mother with cancer... Just horrible siblings. Sabrina is starting to be more disrespectful to Mama, Trey and I. Probably Dylan is teaching her his disrespectful skills.... She's so careless and she wants everything in the world and Mama still wants to throw her a birthday party and buy everything she wants. What a shame.

"Ariel, you're too young. Please break up with him. Mama said that you can date when you're eighteen and you're not even close." Trey said after I told him that I'm dating Prince.

"I know I'm too young but he won't do anything wrong to me." I shook my head.

"Yes he will, he will break your heart and leave you with a baby in your hands before you even turn eighteen." He rolled his eyes.

"He's not like that I promise." I put a hand on his shoulder.

He stopped at a red light and turned his head to me.

"How do you know?" He raised his eyebrow and slid his hands off the wheel.

"Because he's sweet, he's kind and he also told me that he's not a person that'll cheat on me."

"Just because he said that didn't mean it's true."

"He's an honest person."

"Didn't he date that other girl? Her name is Mia right? One of your friends.."

"It's Nia and yeah." I nodded.

"Why did they break up?" He asked.

"He told me that she cheated on him."

"Shoot Ariel, you might cheat on him someday because he's a bad guy." He looked back at the road.

"Haha. No I won't. He's not a bad guy." I chuckled.

"If Nia, Pia, Mia, whatever her name is, cheated on his ass, it's probably because he's a bad guy." He put on hand on the wheel and start driving.

"I doubt it." I disagreed.

"I won't tell Mama but if you come home pregnant someday me and Mama gon whoop ya ass and his ass." He raised an eyebrow.

"That'll never happen but okay." I shrugged.

"Ariel, I kinda want to spend more time with you. Ya know? We should bond together someday. Just you and me. We never get to talk to each other much and I miss talking to my little sis." He smiled a little.

"Okay. When though?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, still driving fast in the highway.

"Hm. I'll have to think about that later." He mumbled.

"I miss you too Trey. You're always busy and you come home late." I crossed my arms.

"It's because I have a girlfriend and I have a job." He chuckled.

"Sorry for coming home late though. But anyways it's been almost six months since we've did something together. I don't like bonding with Sabrina and Dylan cause you know, they're mean and I'm not really close to them. I like bonding with you because you're my favorite sister."He smiled.

"Aww. You're my favorite brother." I blushed.

"I want to spend more time with you because I'm moving out soon." He looked at me.

My smile turned into a frown.

"You're moving out? Wha? You can't move out!" I hit his arm.

"I'm sorry but I have to. My girlfriend and I want to start a family." He shrugged looking back at the road.

"But y'all ain't even married! Jerk!" I hit his arm again.

"Aye. Stop hitting me. Calm down, it's just a few minutes away. I'll visit y'all every week."

"When are y'all moving?" I asked.

"Probably when Mama gets better."

"But what if she get sick again?"

"I'll probably come and take care of her or if she's in the hospital I can stay with y'all. I don't know." He shrugged.

I crossed my arms and looked at the road.

I don't want him to move. I'll miss him. I'll be stuck with Sabrina and Dylan and that's not fun.

*

I felt somebody shake me hard calling my name. I woke up with my head on the window and the car is not running.

"Ariel. Wake up. We're here." I heard Trey's voice as he shook me.

I sat up and took my seatbelt off while I opened the door.

*

The nurse walked us to the hospital room door where there's a tag that has Mama's full name on it. "Naomi Kai Bleu" We walked in carrying her favorite colors, pink and purple balloons and flowers for her. She's sitting up on the hospital bed watching the little flat screen tv mounted on the wall. There's stickers and cords on her chest connected to machines that beep. There's a table with food on it and it looks like she didn't touch it at all. She looked over at us and made the biggest smile on her face.

"Hey!" She exclaimed in her hoarse voice.

"Hey Mama." Trey and I said together slowly walking towards her.

Trey let go of the balloons and let it stick to the ceiling and gave her the flowers he had in his hand. I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek and Trey did the same.

"What you doing Ma?" Trey smiled sitting down on the chair next to her.

"I'm thinking about the stuff I should buy for Sabrina." Her voice sounds irritated.

"Why thinking about that? You should think about getting better soon and leaving the hospital instead." I joked.

"Well, tell my body that." Mama chuckled.

She has a skinny tube in her nose that goes down her throat. I wonder what that do and I wonder if that's uncomfortable....

"Y'all need to help me plan." She added.

Trey groaned softly and rolled his eyes.

"Why Mama? I don't wanna." I whined.

"Shut up boy. She's your sister and you need to be helping me plan and help me buy some stuff she wants cause I can't do it all."

"I don't wanna waste my money on her." I heard him mumble.

Mama's smile faded away into an agonizing face.

"I have bad news." She said quietly grabbing my hand and Trey's hand with her cold and shaky hands.

We looked at her puzzled and and scared on what she's about to say. She looked like she was about to cry but she kept it in, looking down. There's bags under her eyes and around her eyes are dark, her eyebrows are gone, her lips look cold and dry.

"I have a might year left of my life." Her voice shook.

Trey and I gasped in disbelief and I tightened my grip on Mama's hand.

"But Ma.. Wha? This can't be happening-" Trey started looking worried.

"But, I don't think so, I think I could live five more years." Mama said trying to make it better.

"Mama still. We don't want you to die. I want you to have grandchildren." Trey squeezed her hand looking into her eyes sadly.

"What?" She looked at me puzzled.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I want to marry and start a family soon with Chanel." He said quietly.

Mama opened her mouth in disbelief.

"Really? You're going to marry her?" Her dry voice sounded like she was getting a little excited.

"Yes, and start a family and I really want you to be a grandparent Mama. I really want my children to have grandparents since we didn't." He looked down.

Our grandparents died the day Trey was born. Mama said her parents got killed in a car accident on the way to see Trey in the hospital after she gave birth to him.

"Well, you and I have got to ask God to keep me alive." Mama encouraged.

Mama looked at me and smiled weakly.

"Ariel, do you want to have children?" She asked.

Well, kids are cute but having a human body kicking your lungs and heart, trying to murder you before they're even born, not my thing. I will NEVER be pregnant ever in my life. I'm sorry. I don't wanna go through that painful shit. The birth thing through the vagina looks painful too, I'd rather eat raw chicken than give birth. I might adopt though...

"Yeah, adoption would be great." I nodded.

"Ariel, thats sweet but I kinda want my own biological grandchildren." She chuckled.

Would if I can adopt a kid that looks exactly like me.

"Mama. No." I chuckled.

"I'm adopting whether you like it or not. I would love to keep my organs not kicked and for it to be in place where God put them." I laughed.

"Oh. You're so dramatic." She playfully rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"But seriously Mama, don't go. Please." Trey went back to the conversation.

"Ask God and he'll answer your prayers." Mama weakly smiled and winked.

Mama sighed and sat up in her bed a little bit.

"Now, can we get to planning Sabrina's party?" She changed the subject.

"Sure." Trey mumbled.

"Go get some paper and a pen." She pointed at a wooden table.

*

For about an hour we spent thinking of the things Sabrina likes and writing it down on the paper. Some day, we might go shopping and buy presents for her before her party, I might get Latoya to help me because there's a lot of things on the list. We used 3 full papers of the things Sabrina likes and Mama wants us to buy them all.

Trey stopped his car beside the curb to drop me off at home.

"Bye Ariel. I'll pick Chanel up and come back. I might come back in two hours and if you need anything, call me." He unlocked the doors.

"Bye Trey. Love you." I got out the car and closed the door.

By the time I got to the door, he drove off. I hear loud music muffled through the door and people inside yelling along with glass falling on the floor. My heart raced, not knowing what's going on behind the door and left me concerned. I opened the door slowly and a lot of smoke came rushing out the door and the loud music became louder.

I screamed in panic, not knowing what's going on. Through the smoky air, I see William and Dylan dancing on top of the coffee table in their underwear with beer bottles in their hands and cigarettes. They have the stereo blasting loud and a few other people on the couch smoking marijuana and yelling.

"What is going on in here?!" I shouted in disbelief.

Everyone looked at me and laughed. Dylan and William stopped dancing and they hopped off the coffee table.William laughed and held his hands out.

"There's a party going on! Don't you see?!" He yelled over the loud music.

"Why?! Get out of here! All of you! This is not your house, it's my mom's! Do this shit somewhere else!" I raged clinching my fists.

"Who the hell you talking to?!" Dylan walked towards me.

"All of you! Bitch ass!!!" I yelled at him.

"Aye Will! Come get yo girl! She's asking for it!" Trey pulled my shirt and puffed out smoke in my face.

"Get off me!!!" I slapped his hands really hard but he still kept my shirt in his fist.

William walked closer to me, making my heart pound out of my chest and my legs start to shake. He breathed his cigarette in and blew it out in my face.

"Come here baby, you're gonna like this!" He picked me up.

"Put me down!!!!" I screamed hitting his back.

He rushed up the steps with me in his arms and swung Mama's room door open.

"Since yo Mama dying in the hospital, we gonna use her room for now on." He chuckles.

He threw me on the bed and I quickly got back up and tried to get to the door. Before I could even touch the knob, his hand hit my chest and pushed me back on the bed.

"I don't want this cigarette anymore. Do me a favor and smoke it for me." He smiled holding the cigarette out.

"No.." I slapped his hand away.

I pulled my phone out and dialed 9 before he snatched it out of my hand and threw it against the wall making a big hole on it.

"My phone!" I cried.

"You ain't gon call 911 on me!" He laughed.

"Smoke the thing!" He demanded.

"No!!!" I screamed.

"Bitch! Smoke the thing NOW!" He shouted in my face.

His breath smells full of beer and burning cigarettes. I sat there and tears start falling down my face.

Window? I should jump out and he won't catch me at all

He pulled a gun out of his pocket and held it against the side of my head.

"Okay! Okay!" I cried.

He held the cigarette in my mouth.

"Breath in and breath out, if I got to say it again, you're dead." He threatened.

More tears falls down my face as I took a shaky deep breath in and out.

"Good girl. Now, take off your clothes, it's time to do this again." He winks.

"No!" I cried.

He pulled the trigger and I flinched back a little thinking that he's gonna shoot me but he didn't.

"Do it NOW!" He shouted.

I cried louder and I slowly took my shirt off.

I have no choice. I have to do it for me and my family. He has a gun. He will kill me if I don't do what he say.

He took everything off me and raped me again with harder punches and kicks, he forced me to smoke the cigarette he had. He did all this in 1 hour with the gun to my head, just in case I didn't do anything he ask me to do. He had his other hand hugging my neck tight so nobody would hear me.

I hate my life.

(•This happened to one of my best friends...•)