One Mississippi

Chapter Fifteen✔️

Chapter Fifteen: Khaiyon?

KILLIAN leaned against the wall, watching the girls quietly. Martavius had let them outside and they just lied in the beach chairs, staring at the clouds. He couldn't hear the conversation between the two, but that didn't stop him from watching them quietly.

"Do you enjoy stalking?" Jahmez asked, walking up, causing him to jump. Killian turned and pushed the boy's shoulder, looking back out the window. "Which one?"

"Aaliyah," he whispered, staring at the top of her head. "I'm in love with her."

"Love?" Jahmez asked, raising an eyebrow and staring at the girl in disbelief. "Killian, you just met the girl, calm down," he stated, looking at his friend. "Besides-"

Killian groaned, lying his head against the window. "I swear if you say she's Nathaniel's I'm going to punch you in the head. She's nobody's. She's not property."

"Well, technically she is," he shrugged, referring to her being stuck in the system. Killian glared at him. "But that's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say is that she's stuck somewhere she's never been before being traded for money. I don't think the first thing on her mind is you. Or Nathaniel for that matter. Give her some time to settle in, if she ever does."

He turned and looked back out the window at the two girls. Aaliyah was finally getting around to walking without the crutches, but she still used them occasionally. They both watched as the girls made their way to the pool, sitting at the edge and running their feet through, creating small ripples of waves.

Slowly, realization hit Killian. "You know, that's the smartest thing you've said in a very long time," he stated, chuckling to himself.

Jahmez shrugged, biting his bottom lip. "What can I say. You guys never give me a chance to actually talk or have a decent intellectual conversation with you. Y'all don't let me in on the business deals and you shut me out when you're talking in the group. I'm the outcast and I've never been given a chance to actually show you that I'm not just an idiot that says the first thing that comes to mind. . . well, sometimes," he stated.

Killian squinted his eyes, letting his words sink in. It was true. Jahmez was never given the opportunity to prove that he was mature enough to be talked to like an adult. Although he was the youngest of the group, they still treated him like he was twelve.

Maybe it was time to give him a chance to have a voice.

"You know what, you're right," Killian said, turning around. The young boy was gone. "If anything, that nigga got a professional ass stealth mode on him."

He turned back to the girls before backing away from the window and disappearing deep within the house.

"This is nice," Aaliyah whispered, feeling the cool water touch her skin softly. "I haven't been outside in forever."

"That makes the two of us," Snow mumbled. "Are you getting in?"

She shook her head no. "I don't know how deep it is."

"So?"

"If my feet can't touch the ground then I'm not going to try it. For my safety, is all," she explained, staring at the dark, heavy trees ahead of her. A tall Black Cherry tree sat at the edge of the large backyard. A great forest beyond it. "Speaking of safety, do you think Kolson is okay?" she asked out of nowhere.

Snow turned and looked at her. "Why do you ask about her?" she asked.

Aaliyah seemed surprised. "Why wouldn't I ask about her? She's my best friend," she pointed out.