𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄.

nine.

"You can say that," she shrugged her shoulders and let out another deep sigh. "I feel, different,"

"Different how?" He scrunched his eyebrows together.

"I don't know, like my energy has shifted into something bigger. It's weird, nevermind," she shook her head, not wanting to go in detail about her spiritual journey.

It was too much and no one understood the first thing about it. Blacks ways and teachings were deemed bad, making it taboo to talk about. She felt like she was going to help people but the world was so ignorant. And learning how to speak to a brick wall was gonna take more than a professor and text books.

"Well, you got me wanting to know now," Gino smacked his lips. "Stop shutting me out, I actually give a fuck about you,"

She ate that, cause it felt like a slap in the face damn near. He was being honest with her though she had a tendency to push people away, especially when it came to questioning her.

Her beliefs were sensitive to her. And with the way her mother would treat her, it just added more fuel to the fire.

"Like before any of this I felt like a child trapped in my adult body. I wasn't able to create, speak, or think clearly. But now I have an all-new outlook on things and I don't know if it was the argument or...yeah," She blew out.

It still felt unreal to her that Gino had taken her virginity. But it felt good to her, she enjoyed every minute, but her little girl self had finally formed into her adult body.

She wasn't trapped in this cage anymore and it felt like a release of toxic energy. Her depression still took it's course but she was ready to be a happier Giselle.

"Hmm," Gino scratched the top of his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "I don't feel any different. But I hope you feel better, I don't want you upset about anything."

"Yeah, way better. Thank you," Giselle said smiling over at him. It was her turn to take him in. His chocolate skin and bright brown eyes. He was as handsome as ever but she genuinely didn't see him the way he saw her. If only there was a stronger connection between the two.

And she wanted it, bad but she knew Gino was not her person. The spark wasn't there for her, but it was there for him. He felt like he could spend his life with her.

She's always been a hermit, someone that didn't like being around others. But maybe she should step out of her comfort zone, she figured things may change as time moves on.

It didn't take them long to pull into the driveway to Giselle's estate. Both of them unbuckling their seatbelts as they saw their parents standing outside.

And they weren't too happy by the look on their faces.

Gino felt like he wouldn't get in too much trouble. His parents were laid back and usually didn't give him a hard time. But Giselle, on the other hand, was a bit afraid of her mother's reaction.

As they walked up to the front steps, their parents glared down at them.

"I'm glad y'all okay," Kojo scoffed, a weight was lifted off his chest. And he didn't know much about what was going on but when he overheard AJ and Rocky arguing he felt the need to intervene.

And then also knowing his son and Giselle were gone also made him a bit worried. Kojo had been stressing out about the safety of his family and friends.

He was just getting a feeling and he wasn't doing anything to put them in danger but he knew something bigger was going on. Like God was stirring up his pot of messiness.