Easy Enough

Chapter 1

"You fast ass little girls betta not come up pregnant while you out here running these streets! Cause ima tell you who ain't bout to take care of no bad ass kids -- Janice Patricia Starks!"

It was just another Tuesday in my Auntie Jan's house. She was yelling at her daughter and my older sister for doing lord knows what while she's sprawled out on the beat-up couch. She has a lit cigarette in one hand and a Natural Ice in the other while she's laid underneath her good-for-nothing boyfriend, Tony. You would think she'd get tired of preaching the same old sermon to the two teenagers, but my guess is that she'd stop once she found out her daughter was already pregnant with one of those "bad ass kids" she spoke so highly of.

I learned a long time ago to just stay to myself and out of their way. It made staying in this hell hole a whole lot easier. Once I come in from school, I do my homework, then go to straight work a few blocks away at a little Caribbean restaurant. This little job doesn't pay much, but what little I do get, I save and hold on to it for dear life. My goal was to graduate and get the hell away from this place as quickly as possible. I just couldn't fathom having to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Devyn. Hey girl!" My cousin, Danielle, greets a little too friendly. She's known to have to worst attitudes I've ever seen, so this tone change had me on edge. I was sure she was getting ready to ask for one of three things: a favor, to borrow something, or money.

Not even bothering to look up at her. "What do you want?"

"Dang! I can't be nice to my favorite cousin without wanting something?" I glanced up to see her wearing a fake hurt expression on her makeup caked face.

"No." I answered without hesitation. "Again, what do you want, Danielle?"

"See, I don't even want to ask no more." She responded with her attitude peeking through.

"Well don't." I finished the last of my homework and started packing my things into my bag so that I could get ready for work in an hour.

Something told me that she wasn't going to stop there, but with the little hope that I had that she would, I tried to put my stuff away as quickly as I could. 

Just as I was about to walk into the room to get changed she decided to speak up. "Okay!" 

Dammit. Rolling my eyes, I turned around to face her in anticipation for whatever she was about to ask for.

"Um... Can you do my hair in them two cute braids that you did for that girl, Trina? I already went to the hair store and got this," she said holding up two packs on bright blue kanekalon braiding hair, "and I'll pay you $20. Please?"

"You still owe me $60 from the last time I did your hair. So, as soon as I get that we can talk about it." And that was all it took. That perky smile that once graced her face dropped and replaced with a look of pure disgust and annoyance. She spun around and stalked in the opposite direction with all of the attitude she could muster.

I dug into my back pocket and checked the time on my pre-paid cell phone. I had just enough time to get ready and get to work on time. The last thing I needed was Ms. Fay snapping on me in front of everyone... again. So, I hurried and threw on my black t-shirt with Caribbean Shack written in bold, green letters across the front along with my black and white converse and headed out.

As I walked down the old, creaky hallway and out of the front door, my sister Erin stepped in front of me.

"Will you bring me back some of them banana things y'all got in there when you get off?" She asked, blowing a big blue bubble.