𝓓𝓔𝓐'𝓼 𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓴𝓲𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓮𝓬𝓮 // 𝒥.𝒫.

CHAPTER TEN

I take Andrew's words into consideration, and we dance a little bit on the front porch. But his phone buzzes in his back pocket, he looks at it.

"Hey, I hate to do this to you and your family but I have to go to work. Do you think you can tell W.J. that I am sorry, as well as with everyone else?" He speaks to me gently, I nod with a small smile. We briefly kiss each other and I walk back inside.

I see Junior walk inside and right past me. I frown at him, and decide to follow after him. I knock on his door that he slammed shut. "W-Who is it?" He stammers as there's shuffling sounds. "It's Rena, squirt." I say softly. "You-You can come in." He announces, stuttering slightly.

I come into his room and quietly shut the door, I look at my younger cousin. He has teary eyes. "R-Rena..." He chokes out, and I go over to him and hug him. "Hey, Juni. It's okay. It might not feel like it right now, and I am definitely not using Drew's words, speaking of Drew, he is sorry. He is being an adult." I say with a small giggle, after ending the hug.

He looks at me with a strained smile, "Oh, i-it's fine. But, w-why are you with me when they are still outside?" I give him a sympathetic look back. It gets hard to talk about the whole concept of death, considering how young I have lost my mother, then my mother's parents once we moved to New York, and one of our cousins shortly afterwards before he, himself, was thought of.

"I know how you feel right now. I have, um... I have been–" I stop myself as I see him silently crying and pull him into my arms. "Oh Juni, it's okay. I am right here, doll." I promise to the teenager. He begins silently crying in my arms.

After a few minutes of comforting him and deciding to let him have his space to do whatever he does to clear his head with a kiss on his forehead.

I decide to go back to the living room. But before I fully come in the living room, I hear Aunt Skyler remark to her sister and Uncle Hank, "Ask him how long he's known." I lean against a wall, for I am not seen. But Uncle Hank sees me, he gives me a sympathetic gaze before turning his attention back to Uncle Walt.

"I guess a month, maybe. Or t–" Uncle Walt starts, I stare at the back of my uncle's head in disbelief. "Oh, for God's sakes, Walt." Aunt Marie sighs then continues on, "We're just sitting out there having a cookout like nothing's going on." She did prove a point, he dropped a bombshell onto everyone.

"He made me promise not to tell anybody. Christ, these last 48 hours." Aunt Skyler informs tearfully, which sounds more like an emotional nag, in my opinion. I hold back the urge to roll my eyes at her. "And it's the weekend, so I couldn't even get his doctor on the phone." She starts venting now.

"Uncle W..." I decide to make my presence known as I walk over to sit on the other armrest of the couch. There is no way I am sitting next to my hormonal and emotional pregnant aunt. I feel all of the other adults eyes shift their eyes on me. "Why—I mean, really. Why wouldn't you want to tell any one of us about this? I understand that you might feel afraid right now, but we are all here for you. That's all I will say, I will right by your side in this." I manage to get out as I gaze at him now.

Aunt Skyler now looks back at her husband as do Uncle Hank and Aunt Marie, "Walt, don't you see? I agree with Serena on this. Everybody just wants to help you. We're family. We get through these things together."

I look down at my Mother's ring, I have the sudden desire to leave. I feel like crying, I feel like yelling, I feel like screaming. I feel like God is out to curse me for everything that I have done.

"Um, I need a minute." I jog out to my car after collecting my things and drive off, I call Jesse. "Yo, Jesse. I am coming over. I need to distract my mind." I tell him, he has music playing which sounds like The Pack's song, Fly. "Hey Combo, before you go, turn the music down! Turn that down, yo!"

"Seren, what was that?" I groan and hang up then honk my horn. Jesse peeks out of the blinds and sees me in my car because I have rushed over. He nods at me. I get my bag after parking it, and I lock my car up then I toss my bag over the fence and jump onto it then over it with ease even though my height is small.

I grab my bag then jog up to the door and he lets me in. He closes the door behind him and locks it. I go over to where he probably was and sit on the sofa after moving Skinny Pete's legs. I probably look dead inside but Jesse being him, says something that makes me grin. "Yo, check out these, uh, fake Pop-Tarts."

I look as the other person has gotten back from the bathroom. I take notice of a strong odor that is not any drug I have done. It smalls like blood and acid. God, no, don't tell me Jesse murdered someone in here of all places.

"These are mad tight, yo." Jesse holds out the box towards Combo, then at me. I lightly move the box back towards the close friend of his.

"– No, J. Thank you, but I am good."
"– No, thanks, man, pass."

"Your loss. These are from, like, Canada, or something. Imported." Jesse informs, I roll my eyes slightly. "Hey, you, what happened to your hallway, man? Did, like, the ceiling fall down or...?" This catches my attention and I stare directly at Jesse.

He avoids my eyes staring him down, as he looks at Combo. "Oh, yeah, uh..." He begins stuttering out.

I quickly chime in to save his ass. "No, C. I think the house is just settling. It's reaching its old age peak." Jesse nods at me, "And it hit me in the eye. Heh-heh. It's bananas." I hold back the urge to facepalm as Jesse chimes in with that statement.

"Yo, my pops could fix you up, he's, like, a contractor or something." Pete offers and I notice that Jesse has been listening intently. "Yeah? Yeah, right on, I should grab that number." My phone vibrates in my back pocket.

"Say, uh Jesse, you still cook a little crystal?" I look at Combo and at Jesse. I reach in my bag and toss him a cherry and grape flavored and scented teenth bag. "Knock yourself out, man. Well if ya excuse me gentlemen, I am getting a call." I then lean in closer to Jesse.

"Good luck explaining of what you do with my uncle, JP." I tell him in his ear so only we can hear what I'm saying. After I get up with my purse, I hand a green apple and an orange scent and flavored teenths to Pete on my way out.