Round The Way Girl [BOOK 1]

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-On "Old Habits Die Hard."

Akira:

I stared at the girl. I seriously gawked at her. Why you ask? She was beautiful. I mean seriously, she was beautiful. I haven't seen her before. I looked over at Chresanto, a bit confused by his reaction. His face didn't change the anger still present in his features. My brows furrowed and my nose scrunched.

Despite the sour expression Chresanto was throwing her way, she was smiling widely. She was black, but clearly mixed with something else. Her long brown hair was curled nicely on her head. Her eyes were a light brown, making them the first thing you took notice of. She was wearing a tank top, and some black shorts along with some flip flops. She must be here to stay.

"Chresanto!" She called out, her smiling getting even wider. I looked away from her, and back at Chresanto. It looked like he was getting angrier by the second, a ticking time bomb that could blow at any moment. Yet, the female didn't seem fazed. I opened my mouth, about to speak when I heard another voice. I knew this voice too well.

"Surprise!" Mia chimed as she emerged from the living with Tammy standing beside her. I left out a short breath. Chresanto threw his arms up in the air, out of frustration.

"Wonderful," He exclaimed, "Are there more? Please bring them all in." The sarcasm in his voice so thick, every would he spoke flew into the air like thick smoke.

I drew my eyes back to the female who stood in the middle of all of this. Her eyes met mine and her smile grew wider. Before she could get a word out, Chresanto grabbed my hand and dragged me away, towards the backyard. I was met by the hot summer sun, feeling ten times hotter than the last time I had ventured out here. What the hell is going on?

"Chresanto?" I called out to him, as he went on dragging me past the picnic tables. We walked past the pool and over to the empty patch of grass that took up one-fourth of his backyard. I pried my hand from his tight grip, having his hand fall to his side lifelessly.

I stared at him blankly, waiting for him to register some type of explanation. After a few moments of silence, I got fed up.

"Chresanto, what is Mia doing here?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. He looked up from the ground, making eye contact with me for the first time in a while.

"I don't know! I had no idea that she was coming." He shot back, his eye narrowing. When I didn't say anything else, he sighed.

"Mia is a friend of Tammy's. That's how I met Mia in the first place. I didn't think I would see her here. Tammy must have invited her. I don't blame her though, it's not like they knew I was going to show up like this. I mean Mia being here is one thing but..." his voice trailed off, his forehead creasing as he fell deep into thought.

I couldn't read his face too well. He looked like he was feeling a mixture of things. I was hoping he'd go into greater detail, but he turned away from me without a word. I chuckled humorlessly, placing my hands on my hips and sighing. I threw my head back, looking up at the sky, as if I'd receive some answer. Who is she? Why does she have Chresanto shaken up like this?

I should just go and ask her. I should just waltz up to her and question, "Who are you to Chresanto?" It'll let her know that I mean business. I began to walk towards the house as she stepped out from the kitchen and out into the backyard. The family members noticed her right away. She stopped walking at stared back at them with a blank face. Slowly, a small smile formed on her lips. The family members didn't return the gesture. Chresanto returned to his seat with no words. He was focused on his food, eating quickly. He didn't look up once, taking another spoon of food into his mouth.