Heart To Heal

XXIV.

"I know I told momma that I wouldn't fight anymore, but I might have to give her a thorough ass whooping just one good time."

"Nah, let me come up there and do it. I'm not a student, so they can't suspend me." Renni said, blowing a bubble with her gum.

"You can go to jail though. I'm sure momma isn't about to bail you out." Hailey chuckled.

Renni thought about it for a second, "You right. I'm serious though, tell Armadillo not to step out of line." She told her sister, standing up from the chair with her son in her arms.

"Her name is Arnecia."

"Whatever. Anyways, I'm about to go home, love you." Renni said, pulling $40 out of her bra and tossing it on Hailey's bed. "I know it's not much, I'll give you more when my paychecks start rolling in."

"Alright, drive safe. I love you too. Thanks for the money."

"I will, and no problem."

"Bye fatty!" Hailey called out to her nephew.

"Say bye-bye auntie!" Renni told him, tickling his tummy. The baby stared at his aunt, and started making blabbing sounds with his mouth.

"Good enough." Hailey laughed.

"I'll text you when I get home."

"Please do."

Renni exited her sister's room. Her footsteps traveled down the hall and into the living room. A few seconds later, Hailey heard the front door open and close, so she knew her sister had left.

Hailey grabbed her phone, typing in her password quickly. She clicked on the phone icon that was on her screen, and went to her call log. She clicked on Zealand's name, and began to FaceTime him.

The screen read Connecting..before his face popped up.

"Wassup?" He smiled, propping the phone up on his bathroom counter as he washed his face.

"Hey handsome." Hailey said, sitting up in the bed. Besides her best friend and big sister, Zee was the only other person she was actually interested in talking to every day. He made her feel content.

••

Xavia sat on the balcony of her parents house, feet propped up on the railing. Due to it being November, it was chilly outside but she didn't care. A brown cardigan covered her arms and Ugg boots were on her feet. It was nearing seven in the evening, and the sun was setting. She took in the beautiful sky above her, admiring the swirl of pink, yellow, orange and purple tones.

"You've been out here a while, you okay?" Xena appeared behind her, causing Xavia to snap out of her thoughts and turn around.

"Yeah, just came out here to think." Xavi told her mother.

"Mind if I join you?" Xena asked. Xavia shook her head. Her mother sat in the chair next to her, placing her glass of wine on the small table that was between them.

"So, what's on your mind?"

Xavia sighed. "Everything." She chuckled. "You know my friend Zealand right?"

"The one you claim you don't like even though you know good and well you do like? Yeah I know him." Xena said sarcastically, making Xavi roll her eyes playfully.

"Well, I made the decision to tell him about my feelings for him. The only thing is, I decided to write a note explaining how I felt. I know it sounds childish, but I didn't have the guts to do it in person. Long story short, he called me yesterday and told me that he's interested in another female and just wants to be friends." Xavia explained.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry." Xena shook her head, before taking a sip of her wine. "But, don't let that get you down. There's more fish in the sea, Zealand is just one bubble guppy."

"Ugh, you sound like Nana. I get that there will be other boys, but right now my heart is set on Zealand. It's just really disappointing."

"Trust me, I get it. I went through the same thing when I was in high school. As time goes on, it won't phase you anymore. I don't want you to be sad over some nappy headed boy, okay?" Xena told her.

She nodded. "I'll try not to."

"Good. Now, who is this other girl that he's interested in?"

Xavia smacked her lips. "This girl named Hailey. I did her hair one weekend, then next thing I knew she was enrolling at our school. I noticed she was sitting next to Zealand at lunch one day, and that's when I learned they knew each other. Her grandmother babysits kids in the neighborhood, and Zealand's little sister is one of those kids. He went to go pick his sister up one day and that's when they met."

"Chile, that's crazy. What does she look like? Is she even cute?"

"Yeah, she's actually very pretty. She's super short and petite, around 4'11. Light skinned, baby face, clear skin, nice shaped body. She's even the co captain of the cheer team, which Arnecia isn't too fond of."

"Sounds average to me." Xena shrugged. "I mean, that's what boys usually always go for. It gets played out after a while."

"True." Xavia agreed. "I wish I was one of those super pretty girls."

Xena whipped her neck around. "Excuse me? Xavia Bishop you are one of those girls. You may not look like Hailey, but you're beautiful. I didn't raise you to compare yourself to others. Don't you forget that, understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Xavi said quietly.

"I love you." Her mother reached over and pinched her cheek.

"I love you too, mommy." She gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry baby. The right boy will come along. You'll see."

TBC...
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Thoughts?

Excuse any mistakes.