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THE DEEP ATTRACTION

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Like This by Kelly Rowland

"You wanna keep that boy, then make it jump like this. Y'all didn't think that I could make it bump like this."

KAMARIA WOODS
SEPTEMBER 22nd 2007
SATURDAY, 9:01 pm

SAMIR SHOOK HIS head with a sly grin plastered on his face watching kamaria of all people speed walk in order to get to his mothers front door quicker than her brother.

Tameeka loved both of them like her own, but kamaria was positive she loved her more. Kyaire on the other hand had to object to that feeling as if she had lost her mind. If she loved anybody more it was him.

Cayeton slowly closed the door of the car, following behind Samir like a lost puppy. Kamaria got to the front door quickly before knocking continuously in order for tameeka to get to the door quickly.

Kyaire and kamaria couldn't stop the laughs submerging from the continuous knocking as they pushed each other from the door until they heard the locks being undone.

Kamaria kicked Kyaire in the shin making him hiss, dramatically hopping on one leg. Kamaria took that as a chance to push him down as soon as the door swung open.

Cayetons eyes lit up with a smirk on her face, seeing the mug on Samirs mothers face as she was sure kamaria was about to get cursed out.

"Who the hell!—" she paused laying eyes on kamaria and her mug immediately dropped. "My daughterrrr!" She restarted her phrase throwing her arms around kamaria tightly in order to hug her. "I missed you girl." She continued.

"I missed you too boo!" She exclaimed in the hug as the two carelessly blocked the entrance. "Ahhhhh!" She screamed slightly. Tameeka was basically her god mother or something. It was so hard to explain.

Meeka kissed her on the forehead finally letting go.

"Wow, so you love her more." Kyaire appeared to be hurt as he played with them trying to show kamaria who was really boss.

"Oh without a doubt." She nodded effortlessly, "but you know I love you too Kyaire. Come in y'all." She stepped aside letting kamaria walk in the cozy home first before the other three followed.

"Heyy, I'm Cayeton." She took the liberty to introduce herself placing her hand out for a handshake. She learned that mothers tended to like when girls spoke for themselves so she picked up the habit.

"Hey Cayeton, I'm tameeka. I'm his momma." She pointed at the boy who began putting his arm out to side hug his mother. "So who are you too peanut ?" She questioned as she hugged him.

Samir smacked his teeth, "momma please do not play with me wit dat nickname." He muttered with a side eye while kamaria tittered. She had gotten used to calling him slim as everyone else, but he would always be peanut to her. "She my friend ma, why you so nosey anyway." He playfully mushed her to stop her from answering.

Cayeton looked at him as if he had grown two heads but he knew exactly what he was doing. If he let her speak she would gather all this false hope for herself. "Well okay, y'all can sit." Tameeka shrugged.

She could tell that by the look on her face she was hurt by his words, and it made her want to get on her son about mistreating, and playing with her intelligence. It was just she knew what ever she had said would go in one ear and out the other.

Actually, if you called yourself telling him what to do, he would do the complete opposite just to show who really ran him. That was Nobody.

He loved his mother, but they had an silent understanding.  She couldn't tell him to do anything, but she could advise him and point him in the right direction and pray she got it in his head.

"I'm finna use the bathroom real quick." Kamaria pursed her lips sticking her hands in her pockets as she began walking out of the living room. She knew the floor plan by heart, she had spent nights over there, holidays, and sometimes birthdays.

Kyaire and Cayeton began looking at the tv, but slim was watching her.

So he knew first handedly that she didn't go to the bathroom once he saw her make a right into his room. He had two rooms, one at his mothers house and one at his fathers house.

His room at his mothers house was a little more bland because he was with his dad more though. "Aye...imma be right back I need to get something out my room." He was already up and out his seat once he finished his sentence.

He walked down the hall bussing a right, walking into his room. A entire look of confusion took over his face when he spotted her coddled up in his bed under his covers.

His eyebrows were furrowed with a frown on his face as she peeked her eyes open. She began smirking before breaking out into laughter while he was still whole heartedly confused.

"Damn, my bad slim." She apologized sitting up once she flipped the covers over her. "It's just, your bed has memory foam, and you got such thick and cozy covers. I love it so much." She admitted with a sigh still sitting on it.

"Nigga how the hell do you know that?" He questioned hearing her reasoning of her being laid up his bed as he walked sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Cause, I stay the night here all the time. Ion touch your shit or nothing but when it's time to knock out, I be right here in this god crafted bed, faithfully." She patted her palm on his bed twice for extra measures.

Listening to it he playfully scoffed, "you a sorry excuse." He mushed her head back as she dramatically fell back from the force. She sat right back up smacking the side of his head, making his hand fling out to pop her in the face. She leaned back and he missed by a few centimeters making her snicker.

"Always wanna play." He muttered shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his dread locs. "This bitch is comfortable though." He said lowly feeling like he was sitting on a cloud. Maybe he needed to stay here more because she had a point.

"Right right." She nodded agreeing, standing to her feet. "Fun while it lasted, I guess." She muttered sliding her feet back into her slides that she shedded before she crawled in his bed.

She sighed unzipping her jacket to remove it from her body. "She got da heat on innis bitch?" She asked rhetorically feeling hot while he shrugged standing up.

"The lil baby hot." He placed the back of his palm on her forehead. "Aww, you sick and shit." He said playfully even though she felt fine.

He grabbed her face between his to palms pulling her closer as he placed a kiss in her forehead, followed by her left then right cheek placing them all over her face as she laughed trying to pull away.

Her face burned while she became flustered. "Stoppp." She dragged pushing him back so he wouldn't see the blush on her face.

He reluctantly let her go still laughing at her as she held her jacket to the side of her face to hide her smile. "Get out my face dude, imma tell ya momma." She playfully joked trying to move around him but he blocked her way.

"Ion care, tell ha, snitch." He rebutted softly yanking one of her curly fro pigtails. As a reflex she swung her hand colliding her fist with his shoulder.

"You always pulling my hair." She uttered reaching up and yank a hand full of his own hair making him smack his teeth. "Now we even boo." She shrugged carelessly with a huge grin plastered on her face.

She twirled dramatically on her heels facing away from him towards the door walking through the outer space themed room from when he decorated as a young kid. "Byeee cutie." She dragged almost in a taunting tone as she removed herself from his room leaving him in there.

She sauntered back into the living room seeing Kyaire demolishing his plate of pork chops with homemade cornbread dressing, homemade mashed potato's and cheese broccoli like there was no tomorrow.

Kamaria shook her head before her eyes shifted to Cayeton whom was staring at the tv which was set on the channel playing music videos on MTV jams. She had previously denied a plate claiming to not be hungry so she was just sititng waiting on Samir to return.

"Lil bit that's you? I got yo plate right here." Tameeka spoke once she snaked her head around the corner to see the tiny framed girl standing there now slightly invested in the tv too.

"Oh," kamarias face lit up as if she had forgotten that quick. She rounded the corner to the kitchen as she heard stairs room door open letting her know he was coming back. She still paid it no mind as she grabbed the plate being handed to her.

She immediately picked up the clear plastic fork scooping up some of the mashed potato's. She loved when tameeka made them because there were always still potato chunks in them that she was unable to mash fully and it was so good to her.

She moaned as the food entered her mouth, like it was food porn.

"This so good ma," she nodded In appreciation before using her fork to pick up some of the broccoli as a string of cheese followed, placing it in her mouth in satisfaction.

"Who in here moaning and junk." Samir rounded the corner making tameeka snicker. She loved that her food had that affect on kamaria the most, because she was a very picky eater.

Kamaria loved things that carried lots of carbs like bread, potato's, pasta and more, so those were the things you had to cook to perfection in order of approval from her.

"My daughter, I'm such a good cook." Tameeka boosted herself feeling full of it at this point now that Kyaire and kamaria had shown her how good her food is.

"Why you always callin this hood rat yo daughter. Could've swore you had two kids, and she ain't one." He referred to his older brother on his mothers side, while he mushed kamarias head as he walked past her but she solely ignored him into focused on her food.

"Uh uh don't put yo hands on my baby, she's eating. She can't defend herself." Tameeka frowned making Samir audibly gasp. His mother was really going hard with this daughter thing, and deep down he knew it was bothering Cayeton whom had just entered the kitchen.

"Tell her don't put her hands on me then. She abusive." He retorted opening the fridge to get the green two liter sprite bottle sitting in the in the door.

"Oh shut up snitch." She rolled her eyes pulling a chair out at the table taking a seat while Cayeton leaned in the wall saying nothing. She didn't know how to insert herself in the conversation but she needed to get on tameekas good side.

"You sure you don't want a plate sweetie?" Tameeka asked noticing the look on her face, and Cayeton reluctantly nodded at her question happy that she asked again before she had too. That was a good sign.

"Momma why you ain't tell me lil but be sleeping in my bed, I gotta wash my sheets now." Samir taunted to get under her skin as he pulled a seat out next to her with the plate he fixed himself. He always complained about his mothers portioning when fixing his food so he just did it himself.

"Boy stop trynna show out, you the dirty one." Kamaria slapped his shoulder with slight force as he stifled a laugh.

"Right." Tameeka co-signed her making Samir drop his jaw at his mother, the way she defended her with her life was something else to him. Kamaria was way closer with his mother then she was with his father.

"And why you invited yo friend over here if you not even gone talk to her, bothering my baby." Tameeka continued to refer to her as her baby, making Cayeton purse her lips wondering the same thing.

Samir wanted to say he barely invited her and it was her idea to tag along, but he decided against it remembering her practically crying on the phone earlier. His mother would probably slap him into next week knowing that.

"Cause, she acting shy like she don't be talkin all the time. Talk little girl." He eyed Cayeton who was standing there awkwardly as she accepted her plate from tameeka.

"No I'm not, you just ain't talkin to me." Cayeton denied picking her fork up toying with her food.

Tameeka slyly jerked her head back, she wanted to say something about her playing over it if she wasn't going to eat it but she wouldn't. "So how old are you Cayeton—wait where Kyaire?" Tameeka cut herself off.

"He's asleep on the couch, I think the food got to him." Cayeton giggled making kamaria raise her eyebrows. She craned her neck around to see, and there and behold he was sleeping with his cheek resting on the palm of his hand. Kamaria cackled watching her brother lightly snore as his palm pushed his mouth open leaving leeway for slobber to escape.

"Anways im seventeen." Cayeton went on ignoring kamarias laughs.

"How did you meet slim?"

"Uhh..." she trailed off looking at Samir wondering if it would be smart to tell her. She swallowed the lump in her throat feeling kamarias eyes burning a hole through her skull wanting to know the same thing.

Samir had been home for less than three weeks. It didn't make sense. "My friend was on the phone with her boyfriend who is also in juvie and I heard him in the back ground so I asked about who he was , then gave her boyfriend my number to give to him and he called me a week later." She explained truthfully.

"Ohh, so how long have you guys know each other then since you met him when he was inside?" She questioned now curious. That was a unique way meet someone incarcerated—especially a juvenile. She understood if it was a grown man in adult prison but he wasn't.

"Around six months." Cayeton nodded giving the approximate estimate to when they began communicating with each other.

"Oh.." Tameeka trailed off not even knowing how to respond to that. She couldn't lie, she did view Cayeton differently than she had only a few minutes prior but she didn't know if it was good or bad. Regardless she was only a child, and she couldn't hold that against her.

"Yeah, so anyways I need a job or sum." Samir switched the subject looking directly at his mother who's interest he had quickly piqued. Tameeka couldn't lie and said she had her doubts, she felt like the first chance he got he would get back into street activity.

She wasn't completely wrong, but playing it smart he had been laying low in that department. "Hold on I don't think I heard you correctly." Tameeka gulped.

Kamaria started giggling at her making tameeka crack a smile. "Ma you heard me, I said I need a job or sum." He said truthfully. Since he was holding off on fast money, he needed some sort of income for the time being.

"And why is that—I mean I'm not kickin you while you down I'm just wondering." Tameeka spoke truthfully while Cayeton nodded agreeing with his mother. What would he possibly need a job for.

"Cause, lil bit finna start tutoring me and believe it or not it ain't free dukes. Even though I saved her life, and I need extra money in my pocket, I'm getting by but it ain't gone hold me up fa long. Feel me?" He questioned making kamaria gasp.

"What you gasping for, this service should be free." he playfully rolled his eyes.

"Nothing in life free play boy."

Tameeka immediately raised her eyebrows. "You getting tutored? I thought you was too busy." She re-quoted his excuse that he used being his regular stubborn self.

"And I am—" he went on to defend himself, "but I mean, it's lil bit. Where can I go wrong wit dat? We both know ian passing with a F. It literally mean fail." He explained while kamaria continued eating her cornbread dressing.

"Mhmmmm, plus he in good hands." She dusted nothing off of her croptop. "Ion like math, but dat don't mean I'm not good at it." She said with a cocky smirk.

"Shut up, you just better remember what I told you cause I'm serious." He referred to his grades progressively getting better, "I will drop you like a bad habit." He licked over his lips.

A smirk etched on her face as she got ready to bother him some more. After earliers events when they apologized once again and promised to drop the animosity it felt normal again, and she felt as if she could breathe.

"You can't possibly think you can get rid of me that easy? Or are you really mentally challenged like I always thought?" She wiggled her eyebrows earning a laugh from his mother and he smacked his teeth.

"Why didn't you just ask me to help you, I wouldn't have charged." Cayeton spoke using her fingers to play with the ends of her hair.

Slim looked not expecting the question at hand, "well first it ain't no planned junk or nothing. I was just telling K3 how I was failing geometry and her mom spoke up and said she could probably help. Also, I didn't even know if you was taking it—or good at it either . It was something that happened in the moment." He found himself explaining for some odd reason.

Cayetons throat burned. He was technically right, she passed geometry the previous year, but she barely retained any information from the prior year, she couldn't help him if she wanted.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she spoke up again. "How long have you guys known each other again?" Cayeton questioned letting her curiosity get the best of her as her eyes bounced back and forth between the two watching their encounters.

"Six and a half years." Samir mumbled lowly looking down at his plate.

The look that flashed across cayetons face didn't go unnoticed by both his mother, and kamaria who felt a way about it. "In human years?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah since I was ten and she was nine." He nodded looking up to lock eyes with her as her heart plummeted against her chest. That was when he met Kyaire, and they we're basically a package deal.

"I'm going back in the living room." Kamaria pushed her chair out to stand to her feet, she tossed the empty paper plate in the garbage along with the fork as tameeka stood to going to follow her.

"That was so awkward, they don't know what they got goin on." Kamaria whispered towards tameeka making her nod agreeing with her.

"Right, where Dey do dat at?" She questioned rhetorically making kamaria snicker at the fact that she was co-signing her shenanigans. "I don't think she a fan of you lil bit." Tameeka revealed as they took a seat on the couch.

"And what you think that for. Everybody liked me." She pointed at her self concededly before pausing, "except for my sister, she got beef. Still love my ghetto twin." She finished making meeka stifle a laugh.

"She don't like you because of the way peanut be looking at you. I just saw it first hand, or maybe it's the way he handles you. I can't put my finger on it." She informed kamaria making her swallow.

The way people around her kept stating the same thing made her feel like she was in denial, but she couldn't have been. It was just impossible.

"Well maybe I'm blind. How does he handle me?" She asked confused while glancing at her brother who had slumped over as was snoring a little louder than before as he went deeper into his sleep.

"With care." Tameeka stated confidently . "It's the little things truthfully. Things that always goes right over your head, and I won't be immature and blame it on a crush that I'm not even sure he really had. It could've been my pure imagination—but, he does treat you different from other females though, I know that. It's like he puts you on a pedestal. He does things for you that he doesn't think a regular girl deserves. Even when he was in JDC." She explained.

Kamaria let the words sink in.

"I really don't think we should have this conversation right now ma. I mean he is like right around the corner." She used her thumb to point.

Tameeka shrugged, "hey, let's just be real. It's inevitable that the time will come. I just want you to know I called it, it's something there. Weather it's romantic or not." She finished.

The words replayed in kamarias head over and over. She really didn't want to be one of those people who claimed they didn't see it, but she didn't. Plus, him stating on many occasions that it was a platonic thing only lit the fuel at her claim that it couldn't have been as serious as tameeka made it.

Not only that, but tameeka and Kourtney were the only ones who were adamant on it being true. She didn't think it was smart to go off what two people were saying when they hung around a heap of people who hadn't brought it up.

"So, are you interested in anyone?" Tameeka chose to switch up the topic a little bit. She didn't want to, but kamaria was right, they were right around the corner talking about him. She didn't want anyone getting the wrong ideas about her intentions.

"I mean...it's this one boy—matter of fact you know him. I wouldn't even say I'm interested in him but sometimes I entertain him from time to time. I toned it down these past couple of weeks because I think he's really catching feelings and I didn't know how to feel about that." She expressed pulling at the loose skin surrounding her knuckle on her middle finger.

"And you said I know him? Who?" Meeka questioned eagerly.

"Saint."

The audible gasp that fell from her lips almost had her regretting telling her who it was. Kamaria wasn't even interested in him, at all.

"You said you not interested though?" She reiterated making kamaria shrug with a nod.

"Yeah im not. We just been cool for so long because of me and his sisters friendship. That's the only boy based thing going on in my life right now." She disclosed.

"Apart from my point." She pointed at her making sure to add it as kamaria laughed. "What you think they talking about?" Tameeka peeked her head slightly to see them having a conversation going back and forth.

"I don't know, but she looks disinterested." kamaria stated eyeing the look plastered on cayetons face.

"She ride it like a roller coaster, Soon as I get her to the top she screams. I put her out like a light, she'll be out for the night. Soon as her head hit the pillow, sweet dreams."

Kamaria averted her attention to the tv as the music video for Ride by ciara and ludacris played. "He so cute, he needs to grow his hair back out though." She eyed the rapper seductively, as she tucked her bottom lip between her top and bottom row of teeth.

"Stop lookin at that man like that." Samir mugged her walking out the kitchen to catch her looking at her like she had hearts in her eyes.

"Stop worrying bout me bruh." She waved him off crossing her smooth long chocolate colored leg over the other looking to the side to avoid her clear embarrassment.

"Exactly, don't worry bout what she doin. Acting like you her dad or something." Cayeton spoke up mushing his head while he rolled his eyes at her statement.

"Heard what the hell I said though—my bad ma." He apologized for cursing before plopping on the couch next to kamaria.

"Mhm, yeah your bad." Tameeka shot slyly.

Thoughts and predictions?

MYA OUT🫡