Volume one.

"Where the hell is he?" I rolled my eyes checking the time again for the fifth time in the same minute.

I had a job interview for a second job and my stupid ass baby father isn't here to watch our child again. He's an hour late and I should of been gave up hoping he would come. He lets me down every chance her gets but somehow I still have hope in him.

I looked down at my son who was sleep and sighed. I began taking off my clothes and called hoping I can reschedule knowing I couldn't seeming as though this was my third time cancelling on them. I shook my head feeling the tears in my eyes from frustration. I laid down cuddling up to my son hoping to sleep the frustration away.

I was awaken up from my sleep by Keohn sliding in the bed behind me, I scooted away from him making sure Kreed didn't wake up. He put his arm around my waist and I pushed it off me getting up knowing I had to do homework.

"Wassup with you?" He asked sitting up.

"Nothing. There isn't anything wrong with me."

"It obviously is with you doing allat dumb movement shit with yo neck."

"Where were you-" I stopped to look at the time. "Two hours ago when I needed you?"

"Needed me for what?" He avoided my question.

"I told you I had a interview today and thanks to your irresponsible ass I couldn't even reschedule it because that was going to be the fourth time!" I raised my voice in annoyance.

"Oh shit, I forgot. Damn baby, why didn't you call me?"

"When do you fucking answer Keohn?!"

"I get that you mad but quit yelling before you wake him up."

"It's not like you put his ass to sleep anyway, he has two parents so why does it feel like I'm the only parent?"

"You making it seem like I don't take care of him." He scrunched up his face. "What you need a second job for anyway? You could barely handle the one you have."

"Are you dumb or are you stupid? Tell me how much a case of diapers cost? Shoes? Wipes? Milk? When you spend money on your responsibilities instead of spending it on non-important shit like drugs and ya bum ass friends then you can say something."

"I hear you and I apologize Spence, come here." He held out his hand reaching for me as I stood there not moved by his statement.

He sighed but stood up coming to me, he wrapped his arms around my neck and stupidly, I hugged him back. We stayed like that for at least two minutes before I pulled back sitting at my desk so I can start my homework while he sat on the bed laying back.

"So where were you?" I asked pulling out my highlighter so I can remember the important details of the reading task.

"I went with Face to bust some moves."

"Did you even go to school?" I looked at him and when he didn't answer I already knew he didn't. "I don't wanna hear nothing when you don't graduate on time."

"Nobody wanna hear that right now." He waved me off.

"I don't give a fuck, you have a child or do you keep forgetting that?"

"What the fuck does Kreed have to do with me not going to school? You just talking because you got a mouth." He scoffed.

"Nobody wants a dumb ass parent, what are you going to tell him when he decides he wanna follow in his father footsteps? You not going to school mean you doing something you not supposed to be doing."

"Yo, stop tryna check me." He sat up looking at me. "You got one son, you tell him what the fuck to do, not me. You not my mother and I'm not listening to shit you saying."

"You right." I shrugged not wanting to waste my time knowing he wouldn't listen anyway.

I continued doing my homework ignoring his presence, once I was done my English homework I moved onto math hearing Kreed whine. Keohn rubbed his back rocking him making me go back to my homework knowing he got it. Hearing my stomach growl, I hurried up and finished so I can make dinner.

Walking into the kitchen, I washed my hands then I took the ground beef that was defrosting over night off the counter and began prepping everything. I was going to make lasagna pepper boats, it was basically lasagna in a bell pepper. I saw the recipe on Facebook and wanted to try it and tonight I was.

Keohn, now shirtless in basketball shorts, walked in the kitchen washing his hands then sitting at the table looking at the ingredients on the table. He knew it was lasagna and got excited since it was his favorite food.

"I can help?" He asked as I nodded even though I didn't wanna be around him. He always helped me cook for some reason.

"Why you always wanna help?" I asked.

"I just like spending time with you doing something you love." He said making me smile.

"Open those pack of cheese please then put the ground beef in the pan and stir it occasionally."

Doing what I said, he rinsed the pan and putting the ground beef in as I cut the bell peppers up making sure to cut each one perfectly. I looked back seeing the meat was browning making me get the can opener so I can open the tomato paste.

"Wait, why you cutting the peppers like that?"

"Remember when I told you about trying that lasagna stuffed peppers? That's what I'm doing."

"This shit bout to be slamming, you got enough peppers right? I want like four." He said making me roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I bought twelve and if it's still meat leftover and you like it, I'll make some more tomorrow."

"You be coming through baby, for real." He smiled making me laugh.

"Right."

He drained the meat then mixed all the ingredients I told him to, everything was done so all I had to do was stuff the peppers. I heard Kreed began to cry and before I could move Keohn beat me to it going to get him. I began stuffing the peppers then put them in the oven washing my hands drying my hand on the towel.

I walked in the room not seeing my boys and I knew they weren't in the living room so I checked in the bathroom seeing Keohn standing over Kreed as he tried to get him to use the DC potty training urinal. I leaned on the wall as Kreed looked up at Keohn confused.

"C'mon Kree, you been doing it for the last few days. You got this." He encouraged and Kree laughed making me shake my head and smile.

"We'll bother mommy all night and watch cartoons if you go. Look just watch daddy again." Laughing again Kree mocked his actions and used the bathroom making Keohn smile in satisfaction.

I walked away letting them have their moment, I grabbed my phone going onto the couch going through theshaderoom page. Kree and Key sat on the couch with me turning on the t.v as he went on Netflix going to The Flash. They began watching it not paying attention to me at all which I didn't like cause I was bored.

"Key, the cable bill is due next week." I reminded him.

"Imma pay it tomorrow so I won't forget."

"Okay, I'm paying for food and shit this week, right?"

"Yeah, I gotta pay the rent tomorrow too. Imma do that first then the cable bill in case I don't have enough, cable not a necessity."

"Do you need more money?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. This ya week to buy cleaning supplies and food and shit, I got this."

"Sir, yes sir." I smirked.

Keohn and I had been together since we were twelve and he gotten me pregnant at fifteen. Both of our parents kicked us out once finding out so we lived in and out of shelters or sleeping on family couches. Keohn father decided to get us an apartment since he didn't want anything happening to his only grandchild. When Keohn and I turned eighteen, he put the apartment in our name and still pay most of the rent.

I work part time at Popeyes making 11.75 an hour meanwhile Keohn sold drugs. I wanted him to have a better job but I wasn't going to knock his hustle or judge him for doing what he felt he needed to. I just hated he didn't go to school everyday but as he said, I wasn't his mother so I stopped telling him about his self. He wouldn't listen to anyone anyway, he was so hardheaded.

"My mom texted me earlier." He said making me tilt my head in shock.

"She finally texted you? Wow, what did she say?"

"She wants to meet up and talk."

"Are you going to?"

"Nah, I got more important shit to do than to be wasting time on her. We had all the time in the world to talk before she decided to put me out."

"I can't tell you what to do but I think you should go see what she wants to say."

"I'll think about it."

"You won't." I laughed going to check on the food. Seeing it was almost done, I sat out two plates then went back in the living room seeing Key and Kree both laughing as I recorded them for snapchat.

"How much money you make today?" I asked looking at him.

"Go count it for me, mamas." He said making me go in the room seeing two stacks of money sitting on my desk. I shook my head going back to the living room.

I began counting the big bills first then the smaller bills, I counted it two times then looked up squinting my eyes. He glanced at me then turned his head towards the t.v then back at me.

"What?"

"This twenty four thousand."

"Okay, so why you looking at me like that?"

"How do you make twenty four thousand in a day?"

"By understanding you have responsibilities at home and to your kid and girlfriend so you grind like you don't have nothing." He said mocking my words from earlier. "I didn't make that all from today either."

"Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes smiling.

"Take two hundred from that and go get ya nails done or something." He said facing back towards the t.v.

"That's nice but no, I can go buy Kree some more clothes-"

"He has enough clothes but do you? It's okay to treat yaself sometimes babe, be selfish for once."

"I hear you." I smiled as he peeled off three hundred from the stack and handed it to me. I heard the timer go off making me get up to take the peppers out the oven.

After sitting them out, I put the money back in the room then washed my hands grabbing both of the plates. I took a picture putting it on my Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook as I did with all my food. Putting four peppers on his plate and three on mine, I grabbed two can sodas and bought our plates in the living room sitting them on the table. He sat up and immediately grabbed his plate making me laugh.

"Yo, my girl be doing shit y'all see in movies and shit." He said recording making me laugh. "Ay Kree, tell mommy thank you."

"Dank you." Kree screeched jumping on me making me laugh.

"Get that camera off me." I laughed picking up my plate.

Starting to eat my food, I watched Flash with my boys and occasionally fed Kree whenever he looked at me telling me he wanted more. My phone vibrated making me look at the Instagram notification from Keohn as I rolled my eyes watching it. I was cute in this video so I wasn't going to say anything or make him take it down.

"Babe, you should really think about selling ya food, that could be ya second job. I could deliver them or be here when someone want a order."

"I never thought of that."

"I'm telling you, you'll make so much money just by doing what you love."

"I don't have money like that to be wasting."

"I'll start ya business up then. I'll buy all the ingredients you need, the platters, whatever. I got you."

"Okay, let me sleep on it then I'll tell you my answer."

"Ain't no tell you my answer, you're doing it." He turned picking up his phone making me roll my eyes, so damn demanding.

After we ate, he put our plates on the table then laid on the side of me. I leaned back with Kree head on my lap as Key big headed ass laid his head on my shoulder. They both put their thumbs in their mouth watching the t.v and laughing at it making me smile. I liked the moments like this where nothing else mattered but us.
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Keohn