"Mom." I covered my mouth.
" no, I told her until she apologizes to you and take the initiative to start treating you better as my daughter. We're gonna always have a problem, and I'm gonna always be ready to tap that ass any little thing she says. I didn't protect myself, because I didn't know how fucked up the shit that she was doing was. But now that I know, how you feel, she will never ever get a chance to treat you like that again. I will beat her ass every day if I have to. I don't know what Dave does for work or who he is, he's a beautiful man, but he's not the best thing walking."
"Can I get a be-" Joshua looked at me. "I mmm- what did I come in here for." He asked me.
"I don't know Ramirez." He laughed. "She knows babe." I laughed and he sighed and walked over to me and hugged me.
"I missed you so much baby." He held me.
"I missed you too, I have just been at work." I kissed him and he rubbed my back.
"You look amazing." He hugged me again.
"Thank you. OK now get off of me." I pushed him back and he laughed softly. "Before somebody comes-"
"Where the beer man?" Mr. Hodges walked in. "Hey princess." He hugged me and I patted his back.
"Come on man, get the beers." Josh snapped. "Stop tou- come on."
" you youngings have no patience." I laughed softly.
" the older crowd takes too damn long, y'all moving slow motion. Talking about young like I ain't 41 years of age." Josh scoffed.
Between the both of us, I do not know who gets agitated the fastest with other people. Josh is the cutest and sweetest thing in the world when it comes to me, but he doesn't play. He tries to be nice sometimes and people just seem to always say the wrong thing that pisses him off and one thing about him he go and say what he got to say, no matter how he say it, or when he say it. He's snappy, but that's usually as far as it goes.
"Let me go speak to dad." I looked at my mom and she nodded.
I stepped in the patio and they looked at me.
"Hey dad." He hopped up.
"Hey baby girl, I missed you so much." I hugged him and he squeezed me. " I have to talk to you." I nodded.
"Okay." Let him go and he kissed my forehead.
"Marcus!"
"Excuse me." my dad rushed in the house.
"Hey everyone." I looked around and soon as my I've made it on him mh eyes damn near popped out my head. "Mr. Derek." I hugged him.
" oh, fuck the rest of us." Mr. Kevin joked.
That is the only one of my dad's friends that I cannot stand. I fucking hate him. His daughter was literally the worst kid in the fucking world, he always got me in trouble.
" how have you been?"
" i've been great, I'm surprised that you and my son don't speak anymore. We were just talking about you yesterday. You know, trying to get him out the house for some fun but only time he wanna leave the house is his fiancé invited him out."
Fiancé.
"Cool, yeah, the last time I heard from him was maybe six or seven months ago, he was tell me about his girlfriend, and then I never heard from him again." His dad face held confusion. " next time you see him just tell him congratulations and tell him I said hi." He nodded.
It was actually cool seeing Mr. Derek at my house. I haven't seen him around my dad in years.
" you are growing up on us, Millie." Mr. Kevin looked at me and I nodded in agreement, " you look so different now, I still remember you being that chubby short little girl that used to be running back and forth on the football field."
