Trapped & Clueless✔(renamed)

Freedom wanted

"Baby can I talk to you for a minute?" Stacy asked while following behind Jahlil through grandma Joy's house.

He continued to walk to his destination without even giving her a look. "They want us in the kitchen."

Stacy stood there watching his figure disappearing into the kitchen area. He was truly upset with her, which was something she couldn't handle. It wasn't making her situation any easier, it just got a lot harder.

Finally Stacy made it into the kitchen where everyone including grandma Joy was. She stood next to Jah despite his issue with her. He didn't diss her, but appeared uninterested when she tried to ease the tension by holding on to his arm-after what had just happened in the living room earlier, everyone knew something was up.

"Now that we have everybody," Grandma said. "I wanna go over Caught Up just a few good times just to see how it sounds right now."

As she went on, Jah was subtly trying to get out of Stacy's hold. Some noticed, but no one said anything.

"We all heard the song right? It's a Kirk Franklin song, not too hard." Grandma asked.

"Yeah we listened to it together, I like it." Aja said while everyone agreed.

"Everyone know their parts? Sopranos, altos?" Grandma asked while her eyes fell upon Stacy. Once her attention was on her, Stacy's uncomfortable mood didn't go unnoticed. "What's wrong with you Jelly Bean?"

That was a nickname only grandma Joy called her, no one really knows why but Stacy didn't seem to mind it.

Stacy shook her head.

"Ok," grandma replied skeptically.

They went over the song quickly and tweaked minor mistakes and misunderstandings of the song. Their love for it grew. Jah and Stacy seemed to get through the song without any troubles.

"Ok that was good," grandma Joy said. "That's all I wanted to hear, we can do a full rehearsal the day before at the church. I don't wanna hold you young people up, I know y'all probably tryna go clubbin' or something."

Everyone chuckled. "Nah GG," Dwayne replied. "The club ain't go up on a Tuesday since 2014."

They laughed. "Right," said Aja. "I'm finna go to Club Home."

"What does VTP, mean again?" Grandma Joy asked.

Aja sighed. "Voices That Praise, I told you this ten times already granny."

"Well eXcuUuseE me."

Jah tapped Hao on the arm, "Can you drop me off at home bro, I'll fill up your tank."

And again, the room's atmosphere got really dark. Stacy has her own car that of course she shares with her working boyfriend. She never acted funny towards him for not having a car. What's yours is mine was a phrase they living by (to some extent). So since in her mind it was his car too, she was angry that he really was choosing not to ride with her.

"Jahlil..." She said sternly while looking him in the eye.

"Yes Stacy?" He replied.

Geneva and Kendra eased their way out of close proximity to everyone else while scratching their heads and looking off elsewhere.

They wanted no parts.

Aja was leaning against the counter with bulging eyes. And the boys were just shaking their heads.

Poor grandma, she had no clue what was going on.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Stacy asked Jah while walking to a Aja's childhood bedroom. When she was gone, all eyes fell on Jah so he felt obligated to follow his girl.

He went in the room where Stacy was and closed the door behind him. He didn't say anything.

"Really?" Stacy asked.

"Really what?"

"You gone keep ignoring me or are you gonna talk to me like an adult?"

"When I wanted you to talk to me and be real you couldn't do that, so why should I talk to you now? How do I know that everything you say now isn't a lie?" He asked.

She scoffed. "Really, that's your answer?"

"Yes," he looked at her crazy. "What more do you want from me?"

"I want my boyfriend back!" She shouted barely above a normal voice.

"I'm still here and I ain't going nowhere," he explained. "But if you don't tell me the truth, it may be an exception."

Stacy was already crying. They had built up in the kitchen when she heard him call her by her first name, they were ready to fall once she had made it to the room, and when the conversation started they were coming down like a flood. Now she was having trouble wiping them all away.

"The truth is that it's a lot going on right now, and I just need you to understand and be here for me. I feel so alone in this situation right now and what I need is for my boyfriend to hold me and tell me what to do," she cried.

"Ok I don't know about none of that shit," Jah honestly replied. "But we can talk about it if you'd just answer this question for me...TRUTHFULLY."

"What is it?" She sniffled.

Jahlil shrugged, "Are you cheating on me?"

Stacy rolled her eyes. "No I'm not cheating on you!"

"You know you make me suspicious when you got people calling your phone all hours of the day every time I look up. And then you lied about it, Stace."

She rubbed her head in distress. Then she thought to herself fuck it.

"It was my ex."

Jah's face went confused really quick. "What ex?"

Stacy sighed and plopped down on the bed when she realized she forgot she never told him about her past relationship. For all Jahlil knew, he was Stacy's first.

"You got an ex?" He asked.

"Yes," Stacy finally let out.

Jah looked around confused as he sat down next to her on the bed. "What the fu- when did y'all date?"

She began scratching at her arm lightly, indicating that she was anxious beyond words. She had kept some secrets from Jah, and even though they say the truth will set you free, she didn't feel like she was close to freedom at all.

"I met him in April, the month before I graduated, and we dated until that December."

"How Stacy?" He asked with true confusion plastered on his face. "Me and you made it official the day after Thanksgiving that year."

Stacy looked in his eyes and tried to enjoy how he looked now before she told him this.

"I know." She looked down at her lap. "I cheated on him...with you"