October 11th, 2023 | Wednesday

        Sitting in the middle of the comfortable mattress, Josiah had her laptop sitting on her lap as her fingers moved a mile per minute typing up the essay she needed done by 11:59 that night. This was the first time since her ninth grade year that she had procrastinated her school work until the last minute.

Feeling the bed dip, she lifted her head looking at Paris crawling back into his bed after he went to use the bathroom. He had just woken up from his nap, only to see her doing her homework so he didn't even bother messing with her like he usually would.

He got back into his spot and wrapped his arms around her waist calmly. "You writing a essay?" His deep voice broke the silence between them and in the whole apartment. Jordan currently wasn't home so it was completely quiet besides the constant sound of her fingers hitting the keys of her keyboard.

She hummed in response confirming his suspicions. She cleared her throat, "I'm almost done though." She added although he didn't mind.

"What class the essay for, ma ma?" He closed his eyes back laying on his side with his arms still wrapped securely around her.

"My world religion class." She answered, running her tongue over her lip as she finally added the last period of her paper. "I'm done, thank the lord." She blew out a breath feeling a large amount of relief. She felt accomplished, and proud of herself knowing that if she was ever in a time crunch she would probably still be able to handle it.

"When it was due?" His eyes opened just in time to see her closing the lid of her laptop deciding she would proofread it in an hour to give her brain a break it desperately needed with the overtime it had just done.

Sighing she pushed herself back, laying on her back. "Tonight at 12." Her reply had unknowingly made his face scrunch up in confusion knowing she didn't particularly like waiting til the last minute to finish her school assignments.

"So why you wait this long to do it, you had too much work or something?" He asked, his eyes glued to her the entire time he inquired.

Her face fell flat looking directly at him. "Paris you of all people know alot has been on my mind and my life has been very hectic. I couldn't even wrap my mind around the fact that I had an essay." She stressed, and from that he just kept quiet because he was sure their situation was the most stressful out of everything.

Still he found himself grinning, her expression of words were cute to him in a way. He loved when she expressed herself and as of lately she had been struggling to do so. Tre was still in his feelings and only gave her one word answers so she hadn't even tried to have a talk with him, and Paris was adamant on taking a step back from their friendship.

He had admitted it only once out loud to Josiah, but he was really hurt and offended by what Tre said and implied just like Tre was hurt and offended by Paris's actions. They were both too headstrong, and at the rate they were going after only three days, it felt like it would take months for them to even look at eachother.

That's what hurt Josiah the most. Due to their actions, an inseparable trio had slowly fallen apart, and even worse it put Jordan in the most difficult spot being in the middle of the feud. It was even worse since he knew about Josiah and Paris, but Tre of course didn't know that because then he would have animosity towards him too like they predicted he would with them.

"You right, that's on me lil mama." He nodded his head so that she wouldn't rile herself up too much over the thought. He quickly caught on to how she was constantly overthinking about the smallest things. Granted this wasn't so small, that would only make her overthinking worse.

Aggressively she pulled her loose hair strands behind her ear and this time she was wearing little gold hearts in her first holes, and small diamond studs in the second ones. He always took notice of her earrings, he felt they complimented her face. "I wish you would stop putting all our issues on just you. This was a team effort." She gestured between the two of them.

He sucked on his teeth. "Your transgression's is mine, Siah." He corrected, watching her sneakily roll her eyes at his statement. "What I told you that night in Waffle House?" He questioned, watching her eyes shift as she tried to remember what was said by him.

She licked her lips feeling hopeless. "I don't know, you said a lot that night." She could remember everything he said in one big blurb because the majority was him flirting and promising they would someday be together. "Just tell me." She finalized.

He adjusted himself on his side making sure she was looking at him. "I said dat whenever sum wrong wit you I jus wanna make it better," He paused watching the exact same glimmer return from the first time he ever said it to her and wooed her over.

"Like im a little kid and you wanna kiss my boo boo's." She finished, and he nodded in return, happy she remembered his exact words.

A lot of the things he said had deeper meanings to them, so to him it was crucial that she listened to the things he spewed, even if she felt like it didn't make sense at the time. "Right, so yo problems is really my problems." He finished off. "I know the shit wit yo brother takin' a toll on you as of right now, but just give him time, he aint gon' be able to be mad at you for that long." He promised.

If he knew anything about Tre, or even what he learned from watching him be a big brother for the past few months, he knew Tre couldn't remain angry with Josiah of all people. Anybody else may have not had the same luck, including him, but that was just life.

Paris finally began lifting himself up from the bed they were occupied in, feeling like he had just laid down. "You hungry?" His words were smooth and even made her clit thump for a reason she had yet to discover.

She nodded her head quickly and he side eyed her. "I'm not getting you seafood." His words crushed her, and it was evident since her lips parted in offense. She didn't remember the last time someone told her no.

"See, my brother would've never said no to me. He always get me what I want." She frowned, getting up from the bed to look for a pair of his sweatpants she could wear. His pants fit her more snug due to her thick lower half but he loved to see it.

He twisted his lips to the side searching for his hair tie, unmoved by her words. "Seafood throw off yo PH balance." His words only made her frown further, wondering if he was trying to say she had an odor—which was exactly what she asked.

"You saying I stink, Paris?"

His lips twitched, he liked how she always said his name in almost everything she said to him. Like she loved his name just as much as she loved him. "No but you will if you keep on." His tone was stoic and she gasped.

"You think this shit is a game , Siah? Don't trust anybody who eat seafood two, three times a week, especially cause they be trynna prove how much money dey got and shit. Smell be seeping through dey pores." He continued to lecture, having his own experience of being friends with someone who constantly ate seafood.

"You are so rude."

"I'm real, now what you wanna eat." His face fell flat feeling as if she were playing with him and stalling or something.

Rolling her eyes she replied, "Wing stop."

Taking his keys from the dresser they were placed on, he slid his feet in the Nike slides and started his way out of the room. She was close behind, her nose buried in her phone as they moved through the apartment.

Leading her out the door he noticed she smelled like some type of sunshine rainbow scent. He couldn't even explain it. Even with how good he was with words he was drawing a blank on how to explain the fresh scent she resembled.

Closing the door behind them, he used the hair tie he was previously searching for and walked behind her pulling his hair up into the signature bun he preferred. "Gotta get my shit retwisted." He stressed lowly.

She only hummed in response like always when she didn't know what to particularly say. "Who does your hair?" She allowed him to hold the door as they exited the building the garage was.

"My dukes." He replied shortly, hitting the button on his key fob the closer they got to the car.

He pulled the passenger door open, noticing she hadn't come with anything besides her phone. It was a habit he forced her into, because if she brought her belongings she would try to pay for something which he tried to avoid. "Hey, can I drive?" Her question caught him off guard. "Your car is better than mine." She added like it made a difference.

She knew how valuable his cars were to him.

She could see him silently contemplating inside of his mind and gave in with a simple nod watching her scurry to the other side. As long as it wasn't his hellcat he was fine. "Here, ma." He tossed the keys over the car and she caught them effortlessly.

She squealed in excitement pulling the door open. His heart fluttered at her happiness and slid into the passenger seat since he had opened the door for her. "You know how to get there now?"

"Yep." She confirmed with a nod already twisting the key while his door was still open.

"Look at you den." He joked, finding humor in her eagerness.

Once she started the car and backed out expertly, Paris found himself staring at her as she drove his car like it belonged to her. It made him wonder things like, "Who taught you how to drive?"

She was focused on the road and the radio music was so low it sounded like whispers in the back of her mind. "My mom, but I took Drivers Education so I wouldn't have to take the real DMV road test." She admitted and he smiled in amusement.

"You must've couldn't drive for real."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was so scared of failing honestly. The School test was much easier, then all I had to do was go to the DMV to get my license. From my understanding, Florida has different road laws though." She stressed outloud.

"You got a Florida license?" He went on probing her, picking at her mind like any other time they were in a confined space together and alone.

She nodded her head. "Tre helped me," Her tone was solemn thinking about her brother. She didn't know how much longer she would last knowing her brother was angry with her. Paris could tell but he didn't know what to tell her because he didn't make empty promises.

Treyvon was too unpredictable when it came to certain things.

"Enough of me, you never talk about your parents." She pointed out, easing her foot onto the brake as she came to a stop sign. She glanced at him after making the complete stop and then continued.

"I'm real close wit em, if that's what you askin'. They not together but they best friends. You would think they knew each other from birth." He thought of them. "They would love you though."

She nodded once. "Exactly, so why haven't I met them yet?"

He laughed. "You not ready for dem yet baby, but real soon." He told her with a nod, putting her feelings at bay.

"You like calling me little sneaky stuff huh." She remarked while he closed his eyes softly allowing her voice.

"Sneaky?" He sounded genuinely confused because there was nothing sneaky about the names he loved to call her.

"Yeah sneaky." She mocked his voice, snaking her head to the side. Her shoulders shimmied unintentionally, just simply feeling excited to be behind the wheel of his car. "Why aren't you playing your gangster music? What was your favorite song as a teenager?" She shot out questions.

He raised his eyebrows trying to remember a song he was in love with , which felt so long ago to him. "A young teen or like eighteen nineteen type shit?" He leaned his head against the window as the world passed the both of them by.

Raising her eyebrows she continued. "Hmmmm," She pressed her foot against the gas softly. "Like highschool, sophomore or junior year." She answered, "Put it on." She added with innocence dripping through her pores as always.

His smile never deterred as he grabbed his phone that always connected to his car play automatically when the car started. "I barely even remember," He admitted trying to remember him in highschool over six years ago. "I think it was like..." He trailed off as he typed on his phone.

"I don't even know why I'm so eager, I doubt I even know the song." She giggled knowing the majority of the songs they listened to growing up was the complete opposite type of genre.

"Yeah probably not." He agreed, finally clicking on the song then leaning up twisting the knob to increase the volume in the car. There was a somewhat settled tune before the beat dropped and she recognized it instantly.

"Omg I know this song from TikTok." Her eyes lit up and he frowned at her.

"I knew this shit before TikTok made it blow, but you know what I'm not even gonna be dat person." He tucked the bitterness in his voice and swallowed the rest of his words. "I loved this song though," His fingers moved to turn the notch to the right, increasing the volume more than before.

It was Suge by Dababy.

He couldn't help but to think about Tre carrying the pill shaped speaker as they walked along the sidewalk with Jordan towards the park for the basketball court. "Man, this our shit." Tre would burst out, being charismatic as always.

He never thought the song would give him a nostalgic feeling but it did.

She smiled when he fiddled with the button next to him and let his tinted window down. The sun was setting by now so it wasn't as hot. The wind was slapping him in the face as he rested his elbow on the window seal. "My stomach is growling," She sighed both hands safely on the wheel.

He finally took the time out of his admiration to allow his googly eyes to simmer down. He stifled a deep chuckle. "Why you sitting up so far?" He laughed at her softly. He leaned up over the middle and pulled his long arm across her while they sat at the stop sign.

Her breathing was steady allowing him to pressing the electric buttons on the side of the seat. "Noooo I won't be able to see." She complained, still doing nothing to stop him.

"Ain't this shit a safety hazard or sum." He retorted with a frown, finally feeling like the seat he was adjusting was good enough to leave alone. "I just realized this the first time I actually seen you drive." He commented, leaning back into his seat.

"I'm a passenger princess sometimes, and you love it." She remarked, pushing him into silence again so he was now quiet. "But yeah, I like for people to drive me around , I've been driving since I was fifteen. I just also hate asking people to drive me too. So when people offer, my heart flutters." She giggled.

He smirked at the cute quirk she didn't even realize she had. "Noted, ma." He nodded once, and her lips parted silently scolding herself for over-explaining once again. It never failed but always amazed her.

She blushed and tucked her lips in before continuing their drive.

Hours had passed by now, and Josiah was stepping in the house with her leftover wingstop in one hand with her tumblr and set of keys for many things in the other. She had to shut the door by using her hip, before she began walking towards the back where her room was located.

She was sure everyone was home due to it being a little after eight pm and the cars parked out front. "Oh—shoot! True you scared me." She exhaled. She had already taken a few steps when she realized True was sitting on the couch in the dark as if she were waiting on someone.

"My bad, I'm just aggravated." Her attitude induced tone didn't go unnoticed, but it didn't sound indifferent to Josiah because that's the only way she had heard her speak before.

"Why are you aggravated now, what's wrong." She placed her keys on the hook just for the time being so she could lock the door back. She wasn't sure if True knew of her knowledge about the current pregnancy so she just wouldn't say anything and hopefully it wouldn't slip out either.

True's eyebrows dipped like she had been waiting for someone to ask so she could complain about her mother freely, even while she was still in the house. "She's not being supportive enough for my wishes, like after being my stable financial crutch the past few years of college, now she decides it's time for me to find a way to support myself and now a new addition? That doesn't make sense and is very backwards." She complained.

Josiah opened her mouth to reply, but Natalia had walked around the corner revealing she had been eavesdropping. "True, I never took you for a person who twisted up other people's words in your favor but you need to check it real quick." She pointed at her daughter. "I told you that I would support you but that also meant you had to start pulling your own weight since you're about to have a new responsibility."

True only rolled her eyes in response.

"You don't do shit, and by that I mean shit. You're failing in school and I support your young adult partying habits, then you decide to add a child into the mix? My youngest child is almost an adult and you think I'm about to care for another child as if it's mine while you continue to party? I'm a busy person too!" Natalia felt furious once she said it out loud and really realized the circumstances.

True had some nerve in her opinion.

"Okay mom," True spoke in a dismissive tone and Josiah felt so out of place as if she was invading. "This that shit I be talking about, I'm just finna go stay in the hotel. I'm not in the mood for this shit right now."

"With my money," Natalia tilted her head, trying to get True to see the bigger picture. Of course she didn't mind caring for her children or grandchildren, but True had totally lost sight of whose money she was using for these things.

"I'll use my credit card! Damn!" True snatched her things up.

"Exactly, the one I pay for every month." Natalia huffed, leaving the room before she could go any further.

True rolled her eyes but didn't care to argue with her mother's back. She finally stopped to look at Josiah who she hadn't really been paying mind to, only reaching out to vent about her problems. She was swimming in male clothing, but her jewelry shined through all of that.

"Cute ring," Her eyes trailed over the dancing diamonds without any light. "You coming from a nigga house?" She knew the signs too well because she had been in that position many times before to be able to read in between the lines.

Josiah blushed but bit her tongue since she didn't want to tell True that. She was never around True and Paris in the same setting to peep the type of energy they had with each other, but considering she knew about their little make out session she would just keep it to herself for as long as she could.

"Ion even know why I asked girl, you wouldn't even wear no shit like that." True spoke as if she really knew Josiah the way she was portraying to. At least she wasn't being rude though. "He must be big money though." She whistled heading towards the door, her eyes finding their way to the ring once again.

"Yeah fasho, I seen that ring at Tiffany and Co. I see you sis." Were her last words as she pulled the door open and left just as fast as Josiah came.

Josiah raised her eyebrows, lifting her hand to admire the ring on her finger. She hadn't taken it off since she first put it on, ensuring the most supervision she could provide for it.

Her eyes raced upward when Tre walked out rubbing his eyes as if he were tired, lacking a shirt and wearing some Nike sweat shorts. He inwardly sighed when the look on Josiah's face dropped to a pouty expression. "Mmcht, come on." He sucked his teeth, nodding his head towards the back.

She smiled, following after him into his room which she'd only been in twice and she hadn't done anything but stand next to his door both times. This time he shut the door behind her and gestured towards the foot of his bed. "Why you walking around here pouting and shit." His words were simple, reaching for his tray before flopping right next to her.

She watched him pick up the pack of backwoods. "The same reason you are." She frowned, opening the top of her wingstop box, her mouth watering at the sight of the mild boneless wings. Basic, but her favorite.

He scoffed with a phony grin. "Your sister and best friend fucking wit each other behind yo back then lying to yo face like they friends making you look like a dummy too?" His face had fallen stoic once he said the words out loud, realizing how much of a dummy they both played him for.

She cleared her throat, tearing the lid off to her ranch. "I'm sorry, we really didn't mean to offend you—" Her sentence went unfinished.

"Don't speak for that nigga, only you." He interrupted her.

She sighed. "I'm sorry," She apologized. "I'm just confused on how the situation warranted such an abrasive reaction." It was the conversation she had been yearning for. Where she could explain herself and get understanding.

He poked his lip out like he was processing her words. "Cause yall played in my fucking face like the shit was a joke, and I felt offended by the fact alone." He retorted, continuing to roll his blunt. "The other shit just made it worse."

He started licking it to seal it, so she took it as her chance to retort. "Something like that wasn't intentional though, Treyvon," She wanted him to understand that much, at least. "I would never do something to spite you because I love you so so much." She tried to kiss his cheek like always but he swerved her.

"Lips damn near been on dat nigga." He uttered slickly and she gauged with an open mouth.

"Did I lie?"

She rolled her eyes and dipped a wing in her ranch. "Shut up."

Lighting the blunt he took a pull. "If you felt like it wasn't wrong, you wouldn't have kept it from me. The nigga got you doing shit out of character, Josiah. You was in a relationship." He finally argued.

"You can't even see that shit cause you so wrapped around him, apparently. You wasn't even like that before you got here." He continued as smoke spilled from his lips. "Then yall let me sit there and believe that he was really being a good friend to me by treating you like a little sister, I basically pushed yo ass in his arms cause of the way yall made shit out to be. The lying shit what I'm most mad about." He expressed.

"Then on top of that imma assume you know bout True—" he paused watching her slowly nod. "Okay so you should know it's gon' be a problem within that and our household when she find out cause even though it wasn't that serious to him, True ain't gon' take it lightly cause she hate rejection and she not gon' accept that shit from you especially because of the role you play in her life." He preached, opening her eyes.

She didn't know how True would react, but Tre coming out and saying it frightened her a little bit. "But it was just a kiss..." She trailed off and he shrugged, realistically she was just trying to get him to confirm it was only a kiss like Paris promised her.

"Yeah, and she hate that she couldn't get more." Tre explained, putting some of her worries at ease. "From the beginning I told both them niggas to just leave you alone, especially him. He got problems I bet you ain't even come around to realize yet, and the nigga a walking drama magnet. I knew he was gon' try to corrupt you, but I had faith that you was stronger than that shit."

"I feel like you're taking things too much out of context. You act like he's a playboy and has me looking stupid in some sort of way. How exactly did he corrupt me, he actually treats me well—better than Micah ever did and I was with him longer and he had better resources." Josiah came to his defense, keeping her tone to a medium so that their discussion would get heated.

Treyvon looked at her with squinted eyes. "You mean the nigga that was yo boyfriend while you was sneaking around on him with Dice?" He retorted, "It's different ways to corrupt someone rather than just one. That nigga made you lose yo morals just like that." He snapped his fingers.

He reached over her and grabbed the missing camera Josiah had been searching for. "Ion know if you been lookin for this or not, but yo ex had it." He emphasized ex, leaving out the part where Micah explained to him what was on it trying to get out of the beating.

"When did you see Micah?" Her eyebrows raised, but he obviously wouldn't answer that.

When he was finished he looked at her, noticing the way she was chewing slowly, letting his words sink in. "I can see it in yo face that you ain't gon' stop fucking wit Dice though, so do you and I hope you ready to ride it out." He shrugged his shoulders, "I still love you, and I'm not mad wit you no more. But fuck that nigga." He shook his head.

"Real shit."

Thoughts and Josiah and Paris talk?

Trues situation?

Tre and Josiah's talk?

Predictions?

See you Tuesday, kisses💋

M.O.🫡