𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆

xxvi.+*

"CHILL OUT BRO I CAN'T SHOOT THAT FAST!" a muffled voice shouted from the outer area of the house. "yo' who the hell." you groan in annoyance, peeling open sore eyelids. lazily heaving from your bed, you dress in a silky pink and black housecoat before opening the bedroom door with a tug; instantly greeted with the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

"yo' what the hell? turn that sh*t down!" you shout from the open frame. the volume on the tv never faltered making you storm into the living room.

"jalen i know you hear me- connie?" you gasp slightly. ruga, dani, and connie were in the living room spread across the sofa and floor, engrossed in video games with jalen; bags of chips and cans of soda lingered around the boys.

"jalen you know this not how momma keep her house. clean this up." you demand. jalen rolls his eyes and pauses his game, not bothering to glance at you for more than a millisecond. "you can't never jus stop d*ckridin' me man." he groans.

shock becomes evident on your face as you raise your eyebrows, lips ready to curl into a scoff. "what the f*ck? i know you not talkin' to me like that." you hiss. "i am. cause you the only b*tch that would-" "ay man don't call her a b*tch." connie interjected. he stayed back into the couch but his eyes flickered from you to jalen then back to you.

"ay man won't nobody talkin' to you." jalen snaps. "all i'm sayin' is if connie start swinging i might have to pop yo' ass." ruga shrugs. "no one's poppin' no one! jalen straighten up this livin' room." your mom settled as she turned on the kitchen sink. she shook her head as she listened to the situation escalate though she didn't side with either of you.

"you don't never do sh*t, you lay in here ona couch all f*ckin' day jalen . yo ass is a LEECH." you hiss, striding into the kitchen to greet your mom. "shut up nigga. you don't do sh*t, you nasty, and you letcho boyfriend f*ck on you in here." jalen retaliated.

"HEY!" your mom stomped, trying to defuse the growing situation at hand. "b*tch you got some nerve tryna bring up connie like you don't got a WHOLE baby somewhere out there you don't take care of." you chuckle.

"jalen matthew [l/n] ! you have a child?!?" your mom gasped. "yo daughter a thot pocket. remember that." jalen commented. you raised your eyebrows in surprise. "nigga don't ever call me no muthaf*ckin' thot pocket a day in yo pathetic f*ckin' life!"

your mom had gone silent, leaning over the counter with furrowed brows. "y'all know this, all this arguin' ain't good for my AFIB." she huffed, fanning her face with an open palm.

her soft structure turned into a full collapse when he knees buckled and she gave out. sweat lightly glossed her creased forehead as you dive down to pick her up. "my chest. hurts real bad." she mumbled. as the

"don't stand there dummy call somebody?!" you growl, reaching up to turn on the cold faucet water. collecting small pools in your palms, you drip the water across her face while keeping track of her slow, shallow breathing.

"mom please hold on. please momma i'm sorry." you whimper. "her blood pressure. you brought up her blood pressure." "i didn't do sh*t. you-" jalen started to say before being cut off. "can y'all stop arguin'? ya'll not makin' sh*t better for nobody." dani snapped.

the room was filled with an excruciating silence that help up for 7 minutes straight. when the sirens sounded and drew near, it wasn't long before rushed knocks echoed through the home. after being strapped to stretcher, the only thing you could do was follow your mom and wait.

your leg bounced violently as you stared into the distance. the waiting room was filled with silence apart from the medical equipment that hummed.
"jalen this not gon' work. you can't stay wit' momma no more and i can't neither." you murmur. all 3 boys turned their attention towards you from the sudden confession.

"this not gon' work. if you stay i can't. momma gettin' too old for us to be raisin' her blood pressure." "i'm not goin' nowhere." jalen scoffs with a disagreeing head shake.

"then it's settled; connie, when can i move in?" you question. "wait huh?" ruga double backs with widened eyes. dani and connie make brief eye contact before connie peers at you.

"you wanna move in wit' me? like in my house wit' me?" connie questions. you stare at him blankly, nodding your head slowly in confirmation. "ain't that literally jus what i said?" you chuckle. with a judgement glare jalen chuckles before dismissing the thought with a wave."you not finna go nowhere neither." he shrugs.

"watch me." you sickly smile before sweetly returning your attention back to a thinking connie. "f*ck it. when you wanna move in?" connie questions, leaving both ruga and dani with gaping jaws. "oh damn. this forreal." dani whispers which rugs approvingly nods to.

"i can tonight. i don't have much i wanna bring." you say. "after we leave then i'll take you home to get some stuff." connie suggests. you nod your head, sighing heavily.

"are any of you immediate family of mrs.[l/n]?" a woman in the blue and green scrubs questioned as she emerged from two sliding doors, clipboard in hand. "i am." you confirm, standing up and straightening out your house coat.

connie sends you a small smile before you follow the nurse to a room towards the back. with a quick glance back is was more than evident Jalen had no interest in coming back with you. "she stable,but be careful. if she has another attack this violent it could cause a stroke." the docotor sternly warned, flipping through a few loose papers. she handed you two after shuffling through the deck a few times.

"these are the new medications we've prescribed. is walgreens okay?" you quickly nodded before scanning over some general information about check ups and the medication details.

when she leaves, you burst into immediate tears. "i'm sorry momma." you whimper as you wrap your arms around her back. she groggily chuckles as she pays your arms, kissing your wrists. "it's okay baby. don't cry." she smiles. "i know this isn't the right time but i think i'm gonna move in wit' connie." you sputter just as suddenly. your mom raises her eyebrows in surprise before letting out a stringy sigh.

"that's not what i was expecting to hear," she laughs before firmly squeezing your hands, " but as much as i wanna say no, you're an adult now [y/n]. i have to let you make your own choices." she sighs. she stares at you intensely before tearing up. "my baby's growin' up." she sniffles.

"is that a yes?" you eagerly beam. she shakes her head before looking out of the nearby window. "i can't believe i'm sayin' this, but yes." "i love you momma." you smile before kissing her cheek.

"i love you too baby. now tell that doctor bring me my discharge papers so i can go to bed".