Lasting |His Block the Trilogy |

|2.11|

Anthony sighed. "My kids first and foremost. They don't deserve to live the life I did, without a father,"

"Then my momma, she done lost my daddy and my older brother, she damn sure can't lose me," He continued. "Lastly it gotta be Jhenea," He shrugged his shoulders while muttering that out.

"You just listed a whole bunch of people that I ain't got. You really got people to live for. If that ain't enough to tell you to live yo' life no matter how shitty it may seem right now, then I don't know what is," Matthew shrugged.

Anthony was receptive to what Matthew had just said. He sat in silence processing everything. Although the conversation was so short, it held so much substance that it could branch off to 1000 different meanings.

He has so much to live for.

Year Four, Present

"You not excited for your trip Payso?" Samantha asked her granddaughter who was shedding a helping hand with cleaning the dishes after breakfast.

Jhenea and Artist made it down to New Orleans to have one more visit with Anthony before the family headed to Puerto Rico. Samantha insisted on them staying at her house since she had more than enough room. She rather them be nearby than at the cold and empty place they called "a condo".

Payton motioned her shoulders up before sauntering them back down. "I wouldn't call it excited but I'm not too upset by it," Truth be told, Payton would rather end the school year off by staying in New Orleans, however, her mother had other plans. Beylan moaned and groaned about how much Payton had shifted from being her usual happy self.

Beylan thought that maybe this vacation would bring back her bright aura daughter that she had a few years back. She knew that Payton had been through more difficult things than any average 14 year old, however, she didn't want Anthony's actions to weigh down on Payton her entire life.

Payton has changed so much over the years. She seemed to be staggered in a deep slump of sadness that no one could uplift her from beside Anthony and sometimes her best friend Jade.

Beylan was feeling pretty useless since she wasn't aware of which direction she should take with Payton. She was hoping that this trip Jhenea invited them to would not only make Payton happier but also bring them closer like they once were.

"I feel a lot of negativity. What's that about?" Samantha questioned. She had just wiped down the counter with a disinfectant wipe which she disposed of in the trash immediately after.

Letting the dishwater drain from the sink, Payton dried her hands with a paper towel. Turning to face her grandmother she had a stagnant look spread across her face. "I just don't get how we're supposed to act like we're such a happy family while on this trip when we barely even speak to each other,"

Samantha sighed before perching a hand on her hip. "Well, no one is telling you to act honey,"

"Mommy is!" Payton complained with a stomp of her foot. "She wants me to act like I wanna be there, she wants me to act like I'm not angry at Jhenea, and she wants me to act like I haven't been depressed for the last year or so," Payton listed off her grievances.

"You're angry with me Pay?" Jhenea barged in with Artist right behind her.

"You're depressed?" Samantha raised a brow at her granddaughter questioning her right after Jhenea.