Poison // Jay Critch ✔️

23

Mir 💞

A Few Days Later...

"ROSE!", I yell from the front door, struggling with the grocery bags in my hands. I wait a few seconds for a response, only to receive silence. "ROSALYN!"

Once again, nothing but silence.

Smacking my lips, I walk into the kitchen and put the bags down.

"ROSE!", I yell again, walking up the many stairs.

I knock on her door, and call her name again, but she doesn't answer.

"I know this heifer can hear me.", I mumble, knocking on her door again.

"You know what..." I swing her door open, only to see complete darkness.

"ROSALYN!", I yell and turn her lights on. "What?!", I hear her yell back from downstairs.

"Where have you been?!", I ask her, walking down the stairs. "Umm... school?", she answers, chuckling afterwards.

It was at that very moment that I felt like the biggest dumbass.

"Shit.. I forgot. My bad.", I say, shaking my head.

"It's fine. You needed help with something?", she asks me, and I nod. "Yeah, can you help me bring some groceries in?"

She follows me outside and silently grabs a couple bags.

"You alright?", I ask her, picking some up myself. She simply nods, and walks away.

I follow behind her into the kitchen and it the bags down.

Walking back outside, I ask again.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look like you got a lot on your mind." Once again, she nods and walks away with the last of the bags.

I close my trunk and lock it before following her.

"Rose..", I call out, stopping her as she was walking up the stairs. "Yes, Miracle?"

"Come talk to me, dude. Yo' loud mouth ass ain't ever this quiet.", I tell her.

She audibly sighs before speaking.

"I just don't feel like talking right now. Maybe later.", she responds and tries to turn around. She pulls out her phone, and I watch as she texts someone.

"Nah, that ain't gon' work for me. We need to talk right now.", I demand, getting a little serious.

"Well, right now isn't going to work for me either.", she retorts.

"Watch it, Rose. All you gotta do is come downstairs and talk to me right quick. Nothing serious.", I say.

"That's the thing. It's nothing serious, so there's no reason to talk about it.", she tells me. "I'm just thinking about a lot right now, and I need time to process it.", she adds.

"Rose, just come downstairs. I can help you.", I say, rubbing my face. "No, Miracle. We can talk later."

"Bro.. I just wanna spend time with my little sister, Is that too much to ask?", I question, trying to guilt trip her.

"Fine...", she mumbles. "You wanna talk, Miracle? Let's talk.", she says, coming downstairs. "Thank you.", I chirp.

We sit down in the living room, and I turn the TV on.

"So.. you wanna tell me what's wrong?", I ask her. "I'm just finna keep it all the way real.", she says.

"Basically, I'm questioning a lot of stuff.", she tells me. "Like what?", I question, and she goes silent.

"Rose... you can ask me anything.", I tell her, rubbing her shoulder. "Fuck it..", I hear her mumble.

"Why did you leave?", she asks bluntly, making my heart drop.

I go completely silent, and the only thing heard is the TV.

"Hello?", she says, waiting for me to answer her. "I heard you..", I mumble. "Are you gonna answer me?", she asks me, and I shake my head.

"Why not? You literally just said I could ask you anything.", she says, staring blankly at me. "Rose, I swear if I could tell you, I would. I just can't.", I tell her.

"Mom said the same thing.", she says, and a small tear falls down her cheek. "What's so bad that y'all gotta hide from me?", she asks, wiping the tear away as fast as it had came. "Tell me, Miracle!"

"I. Can't. Tell. You.", I repeat. She lets out a dark laugh, and gets up.

"Fine.", she says, laughing again. "We can just act like we never had this conversation.", she tells me and begins walking away.

"You really wanna know the truth?" Her footsteps come to a sudden stop. "Yes, Miracle.", she answers.

"You were adopted as a baby, Rose.", I tell her blankly, turning around to her.

She stared intently at me with tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way..." I trail off, wiping tears of my own.

"It's just tha-" "Nah..", she says, cutting me off.

"You're lying.", she tells me, shaking her head. "I don't believe you.", she continues.

"Rose, I'm telling the truth. They adopted you when I was 6!"

She continues shaking her head and pacing the floor.

"Stop lying!", she exclaims. "I'm not lying!", I yell back.

"No. That ain't true. It can't be.", she denies, still shaking her head.

"But it is.  I would never lie to you, Ro.", I tell her.

"That's funny. I've heard that so much, but now nothing's adding up.", she responds, wiping her face.

A honk is heard outside, and we both look.

"That's my ride. I'm out.", she says and walks away.

"Quit running from your problems, Rose. Just stay and talk to me!", I tell her.

"Oh, really? You're telling me not to run away? In case you forgot, you KNEW how dad was ruining my life but you still left. For 6 years you didn't bother calling or writing to me. Not even a 'Hey, Rose. I still love you'. For SIX FUCKING YEARS, Miracle. Over 2,000 days!", she rants, wiping more tears.

"And now, all of a sudden I'm adopted? Is that another lie from dad to get me to act right?", she questions.

"Like I thought.. I'm done here.", she finishes, and walks out, not forgetting to slam the door.

As soon as the door shut, I finally realized how different my little sister really was. She trusts nobody, she believes nobody, her whole life is a lie, she's just... lost.

For hours I sat in silence, staring blankly at the muted TV, only interrupted by my ringing phone.

I accept the call, and silently put the phone up to my ear.

"Hello? Miracle?", I hear an all-too-familiar voice say. "Mommy..", I croak, breaking down.

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