WE'RE NOT KIDS ANYMORE

WNKA : THREE, to firsts

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm twenty-two now. I think I can handle it. Do you think I can handle it?"

"I think you should talk to your father. He can support you. He knows people in real estate. He can set you up with an account for your bills."

"No." Jazz shook her head. "If I'm gonna do it, I gotta do it on my own."

Anna exhaled, watching her daughter. "What happened to moving in with Blossom?"

"Nothing." Jazz replied way too fast.

"I'm just saying that was quick." Anna, Jazz's mother, commented.

"I just don't like the idea of roommates." She lied. Her mom looked at her blankly, in an attempt to not be judgmental. Or at least not show it. But, Jazz saw it, replying, " It's not like that. I can trust my girl. She's nothing like Auntie Kylie so please stop wishing that on me and my best friend." She said, smiling at her mom sympathetically.

"She's not your aunty anymore. You may refer to her as bitch ass wench or queen of whores, but not aunty. And for the record, I wouldn't wish my situation on my worst enemy let alone my own daughter. I just want you to be safe. I missed all the signs. Keep your eyes open. Always. You promise me that and I won't bring it up ever again."

"I promise to keep my eyes open." She smiled.

"Jazzmine, I missed all the signs because I was blindly trusting someone who I thought had my best interest at heart, hon."

"Mom." Jazz said, looking her mom in the eyes, "I swear I'll be careful. You don't have to worry about me getting tricked or scammed. You can't scam a scammer, right?" She laughed earning a stern look from her mother. "I'm kidding, mommy. I'm not scamming. Anymore."

"Who the hell raised you?" She asked in faux but also real disgust.

Jazzmine laughed, taking her mother's hands into her own. "I love you mommy." She cooed.

"I love you, my princess."

"You're my queen. And I'll see you later, okay?"

Walking back to her car, she bumped into a tall darkskinned man who excused himself then looked back and before continuing called, "Jazzy?"

Jazzmine turned shock covering her face, then excitement, "What the fuck, Geo? What are you doing here?"

"Um... I'm not here." He looked at her seriously . She smiled, nodding her head. "We'll what are you not doing here?" She asked, thirsty for tea.

"How about I tell you over drinks later?"

"I'm in." She smiled, preparing to walk away before being stopped by Geo, "how is your mom by the way?"

"She's... she's hanging in there. Trying to seem unbothered by it all." He nodded his head, putting his hand out to tap her arm sympathetically. "I'm sure it makes her day when you visit."

"I hope so. I can't really do anything else to help." She said, looking down saddened, then hiding it with big toothy smile, "I don't want to ruin your mood, tho. You still have my number, right?"

"Yeah, I'll text you so we can decide a time and place."

"See you."

He nodded, turning to walk away. After the long drive from one city to another, Jazz finally arrived at the three story picturesque mansion where she lived with her father and his gold digger of a wife (jazz's words, not mine).

Before she even got to the staircase leading up to her room on the second floor, she was stopped by a question coming from Miranda, her dad's new wife. "How was your mom?"

Jazz inhaled sharply, anchoring herself before responding. "Why?" She snapped. The woman three years Jazzmine's senior just exhaled, dropping her arms to her sides in defeat. "She got a new cell mate today. Big Gretch. She already tried to fuck her twice and it's only been seven hours." Jazz laughed obnoxiously, knowing she'd mortified her step mother enough for her not to ask her anything else for the next couple of days.

"Thank you for that.... information?" Miranda squinted her eyes, walking out of the common area, leaving Jazz to her own peace.

Not too long after, she was sitting across from Geo at a happy-hour event. They were downing drinks like they used to when they first started drinking together in high school. Jazz coming from an upper class home and Geo having grown up in the area attending the most elite boarding school, the two from different parts of the tracks could always find a common friend in alcoholic indulgence— but after today, Jazz knew there might be more commonalities they share.

She laughed at a comment Geo made, responding with , "she's really nice though. We could get along, we have so much in common but I feel like I would be betraying my mommy by liking her. So, instead of staying an making Miranda's life hell as I should, I'm moving out."

"You need a roommate?"

"Who? You?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Um because you're a man?!" She cheesed, leaning over the table for emphasis. "My parents would neverrr approve."

"We'll, are they paying for it?" He asked, challenging her rejection of the idea with a smile.

She shrugged, taking a sip from her drink. Looking him up and down. "I'm paying for it myself. I just got signed to an agency not too long ago so I'm not gonna be struggling. Like, AT ALL." She emphasized the last two words, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Well, seems like we have a deal." He said, putting his hand out clasping it with Jazz's in an affirming handshake. "You know why I was there today?" He asked, referring to them running into eachother at the jailhouse.

"No. Are you gonna tell me why?" She asked, opening up the tab that was just placed on their table by a waitress. Putting her card on the receipt, handing it back, she looked over at him. Obviously he wasn't going to tell her. "So you're not gonna tell me? You said you'd tell me over drinks."

"You remember Greg Debby?"

"The only other Black guy in our class in middle school? Duh."

"You haven't heard what happened to him?"

She looked at him, puzzled. He waited for her to say yes or no, but she didn't realize that that was what he was doing so she said, "well fucking tell me, Geo.", in a desperate tone.

"He was murdered. The guy who did it was just brought in today. He's only getting like 10 years which we all know really means 6 or 7 with 'good behavior'. Fucking white privileged bullshit."

"What the hell?!" She whisper yelled, snacking Geo on the arm across the table. "That's not what I wanted to hear." She rolled her eyes, getting a laugh out of Geo.

"I can't tell you why I was there. But that's what I heard while I was there. That shit sad."

"Yeah, it is sad that you tricked me into getting drunk with you."

Geo laughed. "I just miss the old days. Us chilling and getting lit together. We used to be inseparable now I never see your successful ass."

"Exactly, successful. Successful and busy as all get out. I haven't slept a full eight hours in like seventeen years I swear." She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"The price of fame." Geo mumbled.

"Famous? Nigga, I wish." Jazz smiled, hopeful eyes glowing in the dim light.

"You will be."

"You too mister award winning independent filmmaker." She said leaning back in her seat, holding her glass.

"That's just minor." He brushed off the compliment, humbly.

"That's just the first." She said, matter-of-factly, raising her brows. She held her glass up and Geo held his to hers, "to firsts."

"To firsts." He repeated, taking a sip.

arie:
p: 08/03/2021
e/rp: 08/08/2021
e: 10/14/2021