mikey pov
laughter echos from downstairs. kiara's laugh stands out from samila and my moms laughs. i sigh.
why the hell am i moping in my room while the girl i love is downstairs?
i just can't bring myself to go down there. i can't bring myself to face her. how can i ever trust her after what she did to me? how can i look her in the eye again?
i guess i don't. i don't trust her again. i can't look her in the eye. i can't hurt myself like that.
"mike." my dad says. i look toward my door to see him standing there. he's angry. like really angry.
"yea?" i answer.
"you know your ex is here?" he asks.
"who?" i ask, acting clueless.
"kiara." he states.
i fake a confused reaction.
samila pov
mom follows dad upstairs.
"kiara." maliki says excitedly. he walks up to her and pulls her into a hug, completely ignoring me. "how you been?"
"good. i've been good." kiara says with a smile. "i didn't know you were back already."
"yea i got back yesterday. i'm just staying for a few days though." maliki replies. "you know if aliana is doing anything tomorrow?"
"we were gonna watch movies all day but i'm sure she won't mind hanging with you." kiara smiles.
"good. don't tell her i'm coming." he says pointing to kiara sternly.
"i won't." kiara replies.
mom and dad walk back downstairs.
"you need to leave." dad says. mom stands in front of him.
"marcus."
"no. she needs to go." dad repeats. mom glances back at kiara.
"i asked her to come. she's here because i want her here. you do not dictate whether she stays or goes when she's mine and samila's company." mom says sternly.
"no. it's ok. i'll go." kiara grabs her phone and keys off the kitchen island. "thank you for talking to me about my brother simone and thank you for cooking for me. thanks for inviting me too, samila. i had fun. i'll see you guys around." she smiles before heading out the front door. she closes the door behind her. as soon as the door closes, the sound of yelling fills my ears.
"what the hell is wrong with you marcus?" mom yells. i'm almost sure kiara can still hear her from the other side of the door. i sigh.
mikey walks downstairs.
"kiara was really here?" he asks, interrupting mom and dad's yelling.
"yes mike. she was here." mom says.
mikey walks to the front door. he opens it. the sound of a car engine roaring down the road fills my left ear. he slams the door closed and turns around to look at us.
"ever since that girl has come to our house, my son hasn't been in the right state of mind." dad says.
"that girl loves my son. the fact that you could act so cold toward the only girl who i've known to truly love and care for my son, that scares me." mom looks at him angrily. mikey takes that as his cue to leave as he storms upstairs.
"mom, calm down." maliki says. he places a hand on her shoulder.
"you're gonna pack up the rest of the food i made and take it to kiara's house along with an apology." mom says. she glares at dad before speeding past him upstairs.
"damn." i sigh. i head for the stairs.
"mila." maliki says.
i turn around to face him.
"i'm sorry." he sighs.
i shake my head.
"it's not your fault." he walks up to me and pulls me into a hug.
"come on. let's go check on mom." he leads me upstairs.
we walk down to the end of the hallway. maliki knocks softly on moms room door. he opens it slowly. the both of us walk through. mom sits on her bed.
"you ok mom?" maliki asks.
"i will be." she says. she stands from her bed. she walks up to her closet and grabs a blanket from the very top shelf. she grabs a small pillow with it.
"who's that for?" i ask looking at the items in her hand.
"your father. maliki, can you take this downstairs and set it on the couch?" my mom asks.
"yea. i'll go now." maliki say taking the items from her.
"tell your father he's sleeping on the couch tonight. also, tell him he's taking the food to kiara's house tomorrow morning. if he doesn't, he might as well take his clothes with him when he leaves for work in the morning." mom adds.
maliki nods knowingly and heads out her room.
"are you ok mom?" i ask.
"i'll be fine mila. i just need a minute. ok?"
"ok." i pull her into a hug. "i love you mom." i say.
"i love you too mila." mom replies. i release her from our hug. i walk out of her room and close the door after me. i walk down the hall to my room. mikey walks up to me before i walk inside.
"why was she here?" he asks.
"we were talking to her about her brother." i reply. i turn my door knob and open my door. he stops me by grabbing my arm.
"was that it? just her brother?" he asks.
"yea. you know i would tell you if it was anything else." i say. i smile at him assuringly. i walk in my room and close the door after.
mikey pov
"are you really mad at dad?" i ask walking into moms room.
"yea. i am." she replies.
"why?" i ask.
"because he knows how much she means to you. he knows how much she means to all of us. she wasn't just your girlfriend mike. she was like family to us. she truly loved you and we loved her. marcus has had his disagreements with kiara's actions, but he's expressed to me how he thinks she's good for you. now he's upset that she was here? i don't like that." she explains.
"i know dad didn't like her at first but i personally don't think he's done much wrong. he's expressed how he feels and he's stuck with that." i say.
she looks at me with a shocked expression on her face.
"the way he's went about it was wrong. yes he's expressed his initial feelings for her but he grew to like her. he's shown me today that he lied when he told me that." she says.
"i just think this family is better off without her. i need to move on and i want the family to move on too." i say.
"i love you mike, but you don't and won't dictate who i invite to the house i'm paying for." mom says. "if you want to move on from her, i'm all for it, but don't tell me to move on too." mom says. she looks at me genuinely hoping i understand. "i understand your wishes, but i'm gonna do what i want regardless."
"ok. i just don't want you to be surprised if i show up with a new friend." i say.
"i won't." she tosses her hands up in surrender.
"i love you mom." i smile.
"i love you too mike." she says.
kiara pov
"you saw mikey?" aliana asks.
"i caught a glimpse of him when he opened the front door while i was driving away. at least i think it was him." i sigh.
"i initially thought he wouldn't even be there while you were." tobiah says.
"me too." isaiah replies.
"was the food good?" uriah asks through isaiah's phone.
"yes, it was. i was supposed to bring some back but marcus started yelling at me to leave." i sigh.
"he yelled at you to leave?" uriah yells.
"yea." i reply, fidgeting with my fingers.
"i'm coming down there." uriah says.
"on my way now." tobiah replies through my phone.
"no. i'm ok. i just wanted those potatoes." i laugh.
"she made potatoes?" aliana asks excitedly.
"yea she did." i reply.
"we're going to get them right now." aliana says.
"no. it's fine. i'm not stressing about it." i sigh. "tobi, when are you coming back?" i ask.
"i'm not sure. there's no easy way to tell. i've been hiding for a while, but i already know he knows i'm alive." tobiah shrugs.
"stay safe. i don't know what i would do if i lost you." i sigh.
"you'll live your life just like you did before." tobiah replies.
"i guess." i sigh.
"i'll see you later." aliana says. she grabs the door knob to the front door.
"where the hell are you going aliana?" isaiah asks.
"to get them damn potatoes." aliana says.
"ali."
"what?"
"no."
"why?"
"we can just make our own." i say.
"simone's are better." aliana whines.
"then get them tomorrow. it's too late to go over there now." isaiah jumps in.
"you guys are haters." aliana groans as she throws her head back in frustration and walks back into the kitchen.
"i'll talk to you guys later. bryan and i have some business to take care of." tobiah says.
"ok. talk to you later tobi." i say.
"for sure. i love you." he smiles.
"i love you too." i reply. i smile back as he hangs up the phone.
"damn. he don't love me?" isaiah asks jokingly.
"guess not." aliana shrugs.
"i'll see y'all in a few days. i'm going to a party." uriah says through isaiah's phone.
"ok. bye homie." aliana says. she goes into the fridge.
"bye ali. love you zay. love you ki." uriah says.
"love you too." isaiah and i reply in unison.
uriah hangs up the phone just as the doorbell rings. i sigh and stand up. i walk to the front door. xaela stands on the other side.
"hey xaela." i smile.
"hey." she smiles back. "i was coming to talk to isaiah but some guy just pulled up in the driveway." she says. she points to the driveway behind us. i look past her to find a blacked out dodge charger. a blacked out tahoe is parked on the curb in front of the house.
"xaela, get in the house." i pull her inside and slam the door. i lock the three locks on the door. "aliana go lock the back door." i say.
"why?" she asks curiously.
"just go. hurry." i exclaim. she hurries to the back door. xaela walks in the living room with isaiah.
"hey zay." she says.
"xaela. what are you doing here?" isaiah asks as i close the blinds.
"i came to talk to you." she says.
"about the thing?" isaiah asks. i turn to face them.
"yea. the thing." xaela replies.
"what thing?" i ask curiously.
"nothing." they both reply quickly.
"i'll let y'all keep this secrecy for a while." i say. i run to the closet beside the door.
"ki, why are we locking the doors?" aliana asks.
"there's a blacked out charger in the driveway and a blacked out tahoe on the curb." i say.
"ooo. is the charger a 2019 model?" aliana asks excitedly.
"yea. it is." i reply.
"yes!" she smiles. "wait no. aren't those mafia cars or something?" she asks.
"a dodge charger isn't, but a blacked out 2019 dodge charger is. so is a tahoe. at least that's what tobiah told me." i shrug. i grab a few kali sticks tobiah left in the closet. i place them in front of the front door. "zay. i need you to do something for me."
"what?"
"go get dads gun." i say.
"what?"
"go get his gun. there's a mafia outside the house and i need you to go get dads gun. take xaela with you. when you get the gun, come back down here." i demand.
"kiara."
"go!" i whisper shout.
he grabs xaela's hand and hurries upstairs. i go to the kitchen island and reach under the counter. i grab the throwing knives from under the counter.
"you think this is a test?" aliana asks.
"i have no idea, but i'm not taking any chances." i reply.
i place the knives on the kitchen island. i take them out, one by one. isaiah walks down the stairs with xaela in front of him. he walks up to me. aliana grabs the gun stashed under the living room couch. she grabs the ammo with it.
ever since tobiah came into our lives, he and my dad agreed it was a good idea to teach us to protect ourselves. us knowing tobiah was alive was dangerous enough, but meeting him, that was the real risk. dad agreed to get a gun and place it in his room if we need it. he also agreed to stash one downstairs along with throwing knives. tobiah taught me how to throw knives in case i needed to. he taught all of us how to fight, but he trained uriah and isaiah more. he taught aliana how to use a gun more than anything. he also taught her the best places to shoot someone without killing them. she caught onto it easily, which scared me a little, but i didn't question it.
a loud thud is heard upstairs. the four of us instantly look up as if we could see what's going on upstairs. i place the belt buckle of knives around my waist. i grab two and hold them securely in my hands.
one of the windows in the back behind the kitchen bursts open. two men run into the house with guns. aliana shoots one of them in the hip. he falls to the ground, as does his gun. she shoots the other just below his shoulder. he drops his gun and holds onto his arm. i grab both guns and unload them, then take them apart quickly. the window in the living room bursts open. three more men jump through. isaiah shoots one of them just below his shoulder. he hands the gun the xaela. he charges at one of them. he jumps and knees one of them in the face while punching the other.
four men run down the stairs. i throw one of my knives. it lands on a shoulder of one of them. i throw another. it hits the same guy in the thigh. aliana shoots one of them in the head, killing him as he tries to shoot her. she grabs his gun and shoots one of the other guys. i grab a knife from my belt buckle and slice the last one along his arm. i slice him again on the other arm, and again on his left leg. he drops to his knees in pain. i get behind him as marcos walks through the front door. he kicks the kali sticks out the way. two men securely have isaiah. xaela points a gun at someone behind me. aliana points her gun to marcos. i place a knive to the mans neck in front of me.
"well, well, well. what do we have here?" marcos says. he looks at the four of us and smiles.
♕⚤♔
~TT