Sweeter Than Honey

Chapter 1: The Beginning

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"Meet me at dad's crib!" It was a text from my cousin, Jamila. She was talking about my father but my daddy raised her as his own when hers abandoned her. My pops was a good man like that.

I've always been close to my cousins Jamila and Liberty cause we was raised like sisters. I have two younger sisters of my own, Rochelle and Amethyst, so that makes five of us in total. I'm the oldest, which naturally fits my "what I say goes" personality. Ain't nobody gonna tell Honey Taylor what to do.

Okay, my name ain't actually Honey. My name is Luna. Luna Kaia Taylor. I earned the nickname Honey by the way my natural, long, honey blonde curls lay on my yellow shoulders, the type of yellow that turns into a golden color in the Summer time, like Honey.

I think about it for a minute before hitting Jamila back. I love my sisters to death but I told myself I wouldn't be spending so much time in the projects this Summer. I never enjoyed that sort of company, those niggas are all just looking to get in your pants and those bitches just need something to talk about. I just landed a great internship and a Summer job- I had my priorities set.

"I'll be there after work."

I never passed up an opportunity to chill with my girls. I kept a few friends close, but for the most part it was just me and my sisters. Jamila was 15 going on 25 and Liberty was 18 going on 14. No shade but she acts like a child. Me and Liberty were only a year apart, though. I'm 19.

Getting off the train in West Farms just felt like trouble. I've seen so many of my childhood friends lost to the streets, ending up teen moms, dead, or in jail. I promised myself I'd never become that.

Me and my sisters decided to go for some dinner at a local spot, Ronnies. On our way there, across the street we saw Liberty's man, Jahlil. Let me be clear, ONE of Liberty's men. I love Lib to death but she was a hoe.

"Yo cousin! Yo wait up!'

We ain't got no fucking cousins over here so we kept walking. Why the hell do these niggas get weirder and weirder with their cat calls?

At Ronnies, Liberty's phone would not stop going off.

"Yo Luna, Jahlil's cousin was most definitely checking for you back there. He wants to see what's up with you."

"Girl, I do not want no nigga from around these projects. You know me better than that!"

I've made it a point to never even give too much conversation to people from around my way. Shit, I deleted my Facebook in order to avoid all interaction with them! I was the definition of "bougie."

"He just moved here from Florida. None of these hoes have had him, or even seen him. He's a cutie- and he's fresh meat!" She joked.

"Why you auctioning him off so hard? Add him to your roster if his meat is that fresh then."

I had an attitude. I hate when these bitches try to set me up.

"I've seen him around, too. I think you should just have a conversation with him Luna. You never know who's good for you." Jamila said. Jamila was my younger sister but she was definitely my best friend. If I was going to talk to this nigga for anybody, it was only going to be for her.

"Have him meet up with us at the park. Invite Jahlil and Ashley, too."

Ashley was Jamila's girlfriend. We all think Jamila is fake gay but she told us to let her enjoy her phase so we're doing just that. Those bitches are the definition of messy. Constant cheating, fighting, the whole nine. But they're my bitches.