𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇.

four.

"Dad, you and I both know that's some white people shit. I know you like these people and all but hiking?"

"It's something new to try. We don't do different shit often so," He shrugged.

"And I must go?"

"I know your mom won't so yes..."

"God knows our heart why do we have to—"

"Cause it's something that I want to do, Kacie. We don't do these often so please for me, just suck it up and deal with a short little hiking trip." He expressed.

I think the reason he was so adamant on it was because him and my mother used to go on these together while I would stay home on certain trips. Sometimes I saw him living my mother's life through me and I hated it.

Because I looked a lot like her he pretty much expected me to act like her in certain aspects too but I wasn't at all. My mother would've gladly accepted to go on this hiking trip but I've never been the type. But to make my father happy I guess I would.

...

        "Once you actually sit down and devote some time to learning this unnecessary ass shit it actually starts to make sense." Lani said.

Whenever I got feedback like that I just felt like the greatest tutor in the world. I felt like I explained things very well and helped people learn easily. Most teachers at McKinley don't take the time out to make sure that their students actually understand and grasp the subject because they suspect that the students aren't listening anyway.

I actually explain the subject to the kids I'm tutoring in detail. And most of them tell me that they actually understand it. Plus, their test scores after my tutoring doesn't lie.

"Kacie just got it like that. You need to become a teacher for real." Neno patted my shoulders then came up behind the desk I was sitting in to give me a hug.

"I could never be a teacher."

The don't get paid enough and they're not respected at all. If teachers started getting paid like doctors did then maybe I would consider it.

In my opinion they deserved it. Teachers were the reason that adults knew half of everything that they need to know to operate the world. They were fundamental without them we would dumb as a box of rocks.

That's just me though.

"My friend tryna' be one of those business women who boss you around and wear pencil skirts. And period though, I ain't mad at it." Lani snapped as she wrote down the examples I had written out on her paper.

"I don't know why I thought that you'd wanna be a teacher or guidance counselor or something. I definitely see you in a school." Neno kept his arms around me, talking up against my neck.

Why he so close to me?

"Why is you all up on my friend?" Lani frowned.

"Cause yo' friend smell good. What this is, Cici?"

"Warm vanilla sugar." I laughed cause it wasn't even one of the best perfumes I had and it barely lasted more than an hour.

"It smell good." He finally moved away from me and Lani just gave me a side eye followed by a chuckle and I already knew what that meant.

This nigga does like me.

"Anyways, is this right?" Lani handed me her paper.

I looked through all of the answers and cross referenced them with mine seeing that she had gotten all of them correct.

"Yes ma'am." I said handing it back to her and she just smiled and did some weird dance. I guess it was her happy dance.

"Don't ever do no shit like that again." Neno mugged her.

I just laughed seeing that the time for the session was almost up. We had been here two hours going over everything that they needed to know for their test. I was happy I already took chemistry as a sophomore and didn't have to deal with the new teacher that they had now.

But I had went through the most important material since this was the second to last meeting before it.

"Y'all wanna go over anything else before five o clock hit cause at five on the dot I'm going the fuck home." I asked.

Neno shook his head, "This not related to the chemistry shit but I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get some ice cream and shit tomorrow."

Tomorrow...

"What time?"

"Round two maybe. I don't know." He shrugged.

I knew that I had that church trip planned for tomorrow but my dad never specified what time. And if the time the trip was didn't align with the date I had then I just wouldn't go on the trip. Because technically, the date was planned first since my father never told me an exact time.

"That's fine with me. Baskin Robbins?" I asked and he just nodded his head with a smile on his face showing off his power chains that were now blue instead of black.

I loved his smile.

I caught myself liking pretty much everything about him.

...