"Can you go over this and see if this right?" Dell asked India who was laying down. 

"No."

"Indi, I'm tryna see if this right."

"I don't care." 

"I'm not even playing." 

"I'm not either."

"Indi, I haven't been doing school work in two years. I just need you to go over this shit so I know I'm not that rusty." 

"What are you asking me for? It's a whole damn genius that live in this house." 

"What if this shit wrong? I don't wanna seem dumb in front of her." 

"You are dumb." She laughed. 

"Aight whatever." Dell put the paper on the table getting annoyed. 

"Dell, you're so insecure when it's come to your education and I don't understand. You're not dumb, far from it. It's okay to ask questions and Aspen not going to judge you, she taught a whole damn class, she have the patience."

"Aight." He sighed grabbing the paper. He walked in the kitchen seeing her reading some science book. "Aspen?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You could go over these and tell me if I got these wrong?" He asked handing her the paper.

"They're all wrong." She stated without even looking at the paper. 

"You didn't even look at it." 

"I could tell just by glancing, you're equations are wrong so the answers going to automatically be wrong." 

"So what's the right equations?" 

"How about I'll help you later?" She asked turning back to her book not even waiting for a answer. 

"Okay." He said slowly furrowing his eyebrows. He walked downstairs to the basement seeing the boys, he sat down on the couch. "What the hell you do to Aspen? Why she so mean now?" 

"You noticed that too, right?" Gee asked. "Girl turning into India." 

"What you do?" Dell repeated.

"I ain't do shit to her." Jamie looked up from his phone. 

"You ain't notice she been so mean?" KC asked.

"I bumped into her earlier and she told me to watch where I'm going, I had to do a double take like girl I'll fuck you up." Gee stated making them laugh. 

"I don't know what's wrong with her." Jamie shrugged. "She ain't really talking to me so I'm tryna give her her space." 

"Fuck is space? Let Ky ask me for some space. The only space she getting gon be between her teeth after I knock em out." Gee said.

"Girl, stop following me." They heard Jahsya laugh as Nay was behind him. 

"I just wanna know." 

"What you wanna know for?" He chuckled. "You gon be mad, Imma feed you then eat ya pussy then you gon be back under me. What you wasting both of our time for yo?" 

"You real lucky Aspen go with Jamie." She threw his phone at his chest going back up the stairs.

"Fuck she mean by that?" Jamie asked confused. 

"You dumb." Dell chuckled.

"Jah probably cheated on her so she saying she would of fucked you to get him mad." KC explained slowly.

"Why you keep cheating on her?" Gee laughed.

"I ain't cheat on that damn girl, she just mad and annoying. She gon leave me alone for a while if she think I did." 

"Y'all relationship really amaze me." Dell chuckled. 

"Our relationship the funniest shit ever." Jahsya laughed. 

"Nah shit weird." Jamie stated. "Y'all been together for damn near four years but y'all single during the school year and in a relationship in the summer. Shit weird." 

"Cause I was in that stupid ass military school, y'all know I could only see her when I come in the summer so whatever shit she got going on ends." 

"Exactly why Rage mad." Dell laughed. 

"That's outrageous." KC corny ass joked making all of them laugh. 

"I'll fuck Rage up." Jah shrugged. 

"I don't know bout that one, Rage knock shit out." Gee stated.

"He ain't knocking me out so I don't give a fuck."

"If he knock you out, I'm knocking him out anyway." Jamie said.

"Never was boy knocking me out, word to." 

"So you gon let ya girl be mad at you? Cause Nay the type to make you feel her pain." KC stated.

"Nothing she could do will ever have me in my bag, I don't care enough."

"So the fuck she still ya girl for?" Jamie asked. "Let that girl go." 

"Nah, don't let me make it seem like I don't care for Nayeli, that's my shorty."

"But?"

"Ain't no buts, that's my girl point blank."

"You hurting my head." Gee shook his head.

"Y'all know I don't do that expressing my feelings shit."

"Try baby thug." Jamie said making them laugh.

"Fuck I'm expressing my feelings to y'all for?"

"Bitch, we talking bout to your girl." 

"Y'all niggas annoying." Jah laughed but going upstairs to Nay room nonetheless.

Jamie who wanted to get something to drink walked up stairs to the kitchen seeing Aspen put on one of his hoodies. He was going to say something but decided not to, he wasn't gon force her into talking, she'll talk when she ready.

"I'll be right back." She announced.

"Where you going?" 

"To Chick-Fil-A, do you want anything?" 

"You know what I get from Chick-Fil-A."

"Okay." She nodded grabbing her car keys.

Aspen walked out the door playing music, she got into her BMW turning the volume all the way up. Chick-Fil-A was literally a seven minute drive but when she got there the drive thru was lining up, she sighed getting out. She looked down at her baggy outfit due to her wearing all of Jamie clothes, she got into line looking at the menu although she knew what she wanted already.

"Aren't you Jamie girlfriend?" Some girl asked smiling.

"Sure."

"How does it feel to know him? Is he really that amazing?" Another one asked.

"No offense but he high key my man but I love y'all relationship, he really loves you."

"Thank you?" Aspen questioned not knowing whether it was a compliment or not. 

"Can we get a picture?" 

"I'm not the one y'all like so why do you want a picture with me?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"If Curry fans see Ayesha, they gon want pictures. Uzi fans want pictures with Brit even though they aren't together, NBA Youngboy fans want a picture with Jania-"

"You have never seen a picture with Jania and his fans." Her friend cut her off making Aspen laugh. "No one likes her."

"Yeah, I was with you til you said that." Aspen chuckled making them laugh.

"So can we get a picture?" 

"Why not?" Aspen shrugged. 

"Can you take our picture?" The girl asked some boys, when they turned around Aspen rolled her eyes at who it was. 

"Sure." Smiley smirked taking the girl phone. 

Aspen posed for three pictures, they both hugged her then grabbed their food as she moved up ordering her and Jamie food. She moved to the side so other people can order, after seeing somebody get a strawberry milkshake she immediately wanted one.

"Wassup Aspen?" Young said getting her attention. "I see you got fans and shit now."

"Yeah, y'all." She mumbled.

"Damn, you mean now." Smiley chuckled. "But on a serious note, we ain't tryna talk to be on no disrespectful or funny shit. We really need to talk." 

"What do we need to converse about?" 

"Jugg." 

"Don't know who that is."

"Oh, we should've said Darius then." Young stated.

"I still don't have an idea on who that is."

"Aspen, he doing bad." Smiley stated. "He stopped selling, he bout to get evicted, shit just going bad for him."

"Y'all his brothers, pay his bills and support him." She shrugged.

"We been doing that but we got our own bills to pay." Young said. "You know how his grandmother raised em? She died so he got the responsibility of raising his two little cousins."

"I just want to know why are y'all telling me?" Aspen looked at them. "What can I do?"

"We not asking you to give him money or shit like that, we just want you to have a conversation with him. You got him into getting his GED, you could get him out this shit please."

"Order 413." The cashier yelled making her grabbed her food and milkshake. 

"That's not my business." Aspen shrugged.

"You ain't this heartless Aspen."

"Maybe that's the problem." She stated walking out without looking back.

She got back in the car pulling off without a second thought, she got back home quicker than she did going there. She parked carelessly then got out the car seeing Jamie was still sitting in the kitchen, she handed him his food as she ate hers silently. 

"Jamie?" She called out. 

"Wassup?" He spoke typing. 

"Can we have sex?" 

"Now?" 

"Yes." 

"You won't have a full conversation with me but you want sex from me?" 

"All you had to do was say yes or no but okay." Aspen rolled her eyes opening her science book up. 

"I'm not saying no." He grabbed her milkshake drinking some.

"Don't sound like you're saying yes either."

"Come on Aspen." He stood up reaching for her hand.

~

"Why we here? You pregnant?" Gee asked Ky.

"It just turned summer, you crazy as hell if I'm getting pregnant boy."

"So why we here?" 

"So we can get tested dirty ass."

"I don't got shit, I got tested in jail." 

"That was before you was fucking the correctional officers." She spoke making him furrow his eyes. "Why you putting on your fake confused face? That's another reason you was in the hole for thirty days, right?" 

"Imma fuck Jamie up."

"I found out from the lady you was fucking, she came to me women to women telling me she was fucking my man." 

"We was single at that time." He pointed out. 

"I'm not mad, I just wanna be safe."

"How she even find you? She too old to even be hitting you up." 

"Gee it's not hard finding me when I'm always with you."

"True but I need to talk to you bout sumn anyway."

"What?" 

"My mother and sisters wanna talk to you so I told them-"

"Nope." Ky cut him off shaking her head. "You're not bout to give them a opportunity to jump me again, I'm tired of it."

"Ky, that's over for real." 

"How do I know that though? You're not the one getting jumped by people who twice your age." 

"I got jumped by some old niggas in jail, I could relate." He laughed.

"I'm not even playing right now." Ky stated. "I understand they important in your life but do they understand I'm important?" 

"Erbody knows you important to me."

"They don't."

"Ky please, I'm promise shit not like that."

"I'll go but I'm only giving them three chances. Once they pass them three chances don't ever in your life try to sit us down again because-"

"If they use their three chances you don't have to worry bout talking to them again because I won't be talking to them either."

"I can't make you stop talking to your family."

"You not asking but I'm telling. We been together for seven years, if they don't get that you half of my heart then they in the way."

"Okay." Ky chuckled.

~

Aspen sat in a pizzeria eating her pie of extra cheese pizza, she was checking emails and her schedule. Darius walked in looking for who he was meeting, he saw her and almost smiled. He walked towards her getting her attention as she locked her phone sitting it face down. 

"Thank you for coming." He said sitting down. 

"Are you doing as bad as they described or that was just to get me here?"

"Who?"

"So we're playing dumb, okay." She nodded.

"Aspen, I really don't know what you talking about." 

"Smiley and Young told me you're going to get kicked out of your house." 

"They didn't tell me they talked to you, I thought you was here because you finally wanted to talk."

"Why did you stop selling drugs?" 

"Because I don't want to be a drug dealer all my life, I told you I wanted to be something in life, I wanted to have a career."

"You told me a lot of things." 

"Yeah, I know and I know I'll never be able to-"

"We were together for five months." Aspen stated. "I told you everything Jamie put me through, I told you things I never told anyone else, I cried to you about things and for five months you were playing and lying to me."

"I lied about my intentions but I never lied to you, everything I been through was real, all the time we spent together was real. When I told you I loved you, that was real."

"When I say I love you to someone, I mean it." Aspen glared. "You played and deceived for me five months, that's not love. You knew why you were doing it and you still went through it, you had every opportunity to tell me." 

"You right." 

"Why me? Why couldn't you go after anyone else? I have never did anything to anybody for you to do that." 

"When I first started this, it was nothing personal. I saw how Jamie was so in love with you and I couldn't beat him so I wanted to hurt him. I knew if I got you to feel what he feel for you for me, it'll hurt him so I plotted."

"You had so many chances to tell me." Aspen mumbled with tears in her eyes. "Do you know how it feels to be such a good person and everyone disappoints you? I'm never thinking about myself, I put everyone above me and I get hurt every time. I get hurt for being a good person." 

"It was never meant to hurt you." Darius stated honestly. "I wasn't thinking of you, you was just a pawn in the game."

"You used me." Aspen wiped her eyes. "I bought the hoodie you have on now, I let you use my car multiple times knowing I could get in trouble because you didn't have a license, I got you your apartment. I did so much for you just for you to use me and make me feel like nothing."

"I can't say sorry enough and I'll always feel so bad for what I've done to you because you are a genuine person and you didn't deserve any of this. Seeing you cry is making me feel worse than I already am." 

"You can't change the past so it doesn't matter how sorry you are." Aspen spoke blowing her nose.

"I just don't want you to hate me, although you should."

"I don't believe in hate." Aspen said picking up another slice. "You look like you haven't ate, you can get some."

"Thank you." He mumbled grabbing a slice.

"So what are you doing with your life?" 

"I just started training to be a firefighter two days ago, in a few months I'll be one officially."

"Smiley and Young made it seem like you were a bum about to be homeless raising kids." 

"I am now taking care of my two little cousins because my grandmother died so they didn't lie about that." 

"I'm sorry for your loss." 

"I'm sorry for yours too, isn't today your brother birthday?" 

"I didn't know you remembered." Aspen sadly smiled. "Yeah, it's Zolah birthday." 

"Sorry I came with my bullshit on this day."

Aspen phone started ringing making of them look down, she contemplated on answering Jamie call but then decided not to. She pressed the lock button then looked back at Darius as he ate his pizza minding his business. 

"I have to get to my grandmother house but I'm going to order another pie so you can take home and feed the kids." Aspen stated. 

"You don't have to do that." 

"I have money to spend." Aspen told him as she told the lady to get two more pies. 

"Even after all the shit I did to you and you still looking out for me." Darius shook his head. "Like I said I can't apologize enough or take time back but I do regret what led up to this." 

"I didn't come here for you, I came here for me." Aspen spoke. "I needed to know what did I do to deserve to get treated like that and you answered it. You don't have to keep apologizing, I forgive you."

"I needed the closure too." Darius smiled. "I'm seeing somebody new and thanks to you, I know how to treat her how a queen deserve to be treated. She ain't as corny as you but she still let me spit my lines to her." 

Aspen smiled chuckling. "I'm happy for you, I hope everything coming your way is a blessing."

"I'm happy that you're the type of person you are, don't ever change because you been hurt." He told her. "The world deserve to see everything I see in you."

"I am pretty awesome." She laughed standing up. "Goodbye Darius." 

"Good thing I got my library card on me." He stated making her furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm definitely checking you out." 

Aspen smiled laughing, she was going to say one back but couldn't think of one. She just shook her head smiling, he stood up too. He pulled her into him hugging her tightly as she did the same, she really needed one of these hugs.

"Thank you." She mumbled still holding on to him. 

"I needed one too." He told her.

"This the funniest shit I ever saw in my life." Jamie stated as Aspen unwrapped her arms looking at Jamie. 

"Don't make a scene in here." Aspen spoke. 

She looked at Jamie, Gee and Jahsya shaking her head, if they wanted to jump him they would because KC wasn't here to talk them out of it. Gee was already looking at him daring him to say something and Jahsya just didn't care, he was with allat bullshit. 

"Here's your pies." The girl smiled handing them to Darius. 

"Thank you." He nodded grabbing them. "Remember everything we talked about, see you Aspen."

"You do the same." She smiled. "Bye Darius."

"I really feel like you want me to kill him." Jamie stated making her roll her eyes. 

"We gon order our shit." Gee stated. 

"You won't have a fucking conversation with me but you got time to be all over niggas? Like what the fuck is up Aspen?"

"I was not all over him, I gave him a hug." 

"What the fuck are you even talking to him for?" 

"I did not come from you, you're aren't Josiah or Ivory to be telling me what to do. I don't tell you who to talk to-"

"You don't have to! I have common sense to know not to talk to no nigga who was using me, didn't you tell me this nigga called you a bitch while I was in jail? Like damn, ain't you supposed to be a genius?"

"You're mad so there's no point in having a conversation while you keep yelling at me, you have a child on the way but that child isn't me." Aspen stated grabbing her bag and phone. 

"Yo, you pissing me the fuck off." Jamie said balling his fist up.

"Okay." She was about to walk off but he grabbed her hand. 

"Where are you going?" 

"I'm going to my grandmother house, is that okay with you father?" 

"Know what, fuck it. It don't matter to me anymore."

"Okay." 

She waited until he released her arm then walked out while he was getting even madder, he ain't know who the fuck this Aspen was but she was bout to get beat the fuck up. He ain't know what the fuck was wrong but this was his last time trying and he meant that shit. 

"Just let her breathe bro." Gee shook his head holding the three boxes of pizza.

"I don't give a fuck no more." Jamie stated.

~

"Hi mama." Aspen smiled hugging her. "Where's papa?" 

"He trains with Yayo but he should be on his way back now."

"You look so tired."

"I am, ever since JC stopped breathing I be scared to sleep when he sleeps so I barely sleep." 

"That's not healthy."

"I'll be okay." She stated. "We're going to Johannesburg, South Africa in a few days so hopefully, I'll have enough rest."

"I wish y'all take me with y'all."

"You know you could come princess." 

"I know but I can't, not right now."

"I ain't talk to my baldhead daughter today, did you?" 

"Yes but she's most likely sleep, that's all this pregnancy make her do. She sleeps, eats then go right back to sleep."

"She finally happy bout being pregnant?" 

"No." Aspen chuckled. "She still curses daddy out, saying she had plans."

"She only 32, she better stop playing." Alyssa chuckled. 

"She'll get over it one day."

"What's wrong with you? You a little off."

"Jamie and I just had a argument because he's mad I met up with Darius but he doesn't determine what I do, if I needed closure then that's what I need."

"I know how it feels to be used and I understand the feeling of wanting to know why it had to be you. I've never got my closure from Aiden because he died before we can have that talk, before I even got a chance to forgive him. Did talking to Darius make you feel better?" 

"Yes, I really needed to know it wasn't me."

"Then Jamie just gon have to be mad and understand, you had to do something for you." 

"You and papa were together when he had Jaylen, right?" 

"Yeah."

"Did you ever feel jealous?" 

"Did I?" Alyssa scoffed. "I was pregnant the same time Morgan was so when he had to go to doctor appointments with her or had to go feed her because of her cravings used to drive me crazy. Especially after I lost Kaijah, I felt like he shouldn't of been crying with me because he had a baby either way like I was the only one that was supposed to be grieving."

"You never told me that." JC said coming in the kitchen. 

"Doesn't matter now." She shrugged kissing him. 

"Hey princess." He kissed Aspen on her forehead. 

"Hi papa." 

"Why y'all talking bout pregnancy? You pregnant?" 

"Of course not." Aspen stated. 

"Stay that way."

"I plan to."

"Jamie having a baby?" 

"Yes and I'm jealous. Every time I try to tell myself I shouldn't be, he gets up to order her food or calling to check on her. It's selfish but I can't help my thoughts." 

"Can't no one tell you how to feel about something." Alyssa stated. "How you feel is how you feel but you can't resent him for being a man about this situation."

"Having a baby by someone you don't love is hard too." JC added. "We see what we have at home then what we got pregnant, it's hard on both especially when you don't want the baby."

"I think I would of felt better about this situation if I wasn't there when they talked."

"Who talked? Jamie and his baby mother?" JC asked. "Been there."

"Twice." Alyssa chuckled. "I had plenty of conversations with Morgan but Morgan was just a bitter ass bitch, when we had our talks she tried to tell me I couldn't be around Jaylen, he couldn't be alone with me and allat. Now Jaylen consider me as his mother, isn't life funny?" 

"She wasn't like that, she was actually nice. She apologized for slapping me-"

"His baby mother the one who slapped you?" Alyssa cut her off. "Nope, we can't forgive her until you slap her back." 

"We're not listening to your grandmother." JC shook his head. "What else did she say?" 

"She invited us to the baby shower, she told me she glad I'm going to be around their child and more stuff like that."

"It's too nice, I don't trust it." 

"Alyssa." JC hit her.

"You know it sound too good to be true but we gon let this play out." 

"I need a drink." Aspen sighed real lowly so they won't hear. 

"I can't give you a drink but if you accidentally go to the basement and sit at the bar and mistake something as juice or water, I won't be mad." Alyssa smirked. 

"If my bottle of Hennessy feeling a light, it'll be just a coincidence." JC added. 

"I'm spending a night." Aspen chuckled turning her phone off. 

"Okay, we're going to order some tacos later. Want some?" 

"Yes, order plenty." Aspen smiled going to the basement.

She walked to the bar looking at all the different types of liquor, she picked the Paul Masson drinking straight from the bottle. She sat down on the couch going through the different home videos, she played all the ones with her in it as she got drunk. 

"Cheers." She held her bottle up then drinking some more. 

~

"Jamie?" Aspen called out. "What you doing here? What time is it?" 

"It's 4 in the morning and you called me."

"I called you? And you came?" 

"I'll always come when you call me."

"You're mad at me though." Aspen mumbled as she looked in his eyes. 

"I couldn't of been mad forever."

"Who even opened the door?" 

"I know the code to the gate and door." He chuckled. "You getting drunk on Mondays now?" 

"I wish you weren't haven't a baby." 

"I wish I wasn't either."

"But you are."

"That's why you been acting like that towards me?"

"We were supposed to travel the world, spending money on stupid things, just living our best life and I was supposed to have your first child." Aspen cried. "We've been talking about having a baby together since before we even knew what that meant and now you're having one."

"Just because I'm having a baby don't mean everything stops Aspy." He wiped her face. "We're still doing everything, it may not be soon but we still gon to do allat."

"Everything's been a little shaky and I can't handle losing you for the third time."

"What you mean for the third time? You never lost me baby, I'm here, next to you. You can't ever lose me because I love you, I'm in love with you. No one can come between us, including my baby, I won't let it."

"I'm in love with you too." Aspen smiled real wide making him laugh.

"I'm sorry about bugging on you earlier." 

"I'm sorry about not talking to you about things but I needed that closure from him so I can let it go." 

"As long as he know I'll beat him up for you."

"You'll beat up anyone for me." Aspen grabbed his face kissing him. 

"I'll do anything for you."

"I know."

"You know what they say bout make up sex?" He asked kissing her neck.

"You know what they say about drunk sex?" 

"Nah, put me on." He smirked laying on his back as she straddled him. 

"It goes a little something like this." Aspen smiled pulling her pants down.
________________________

They back like crooked crack🤞 feel me? 

MY BIRTHDAY IN 21 DAYSSSS, DO YOU HEAR ME??? Where them Pisces jawns at?? 🗣️🗣️