Jerome groaned waking up slowly blinking trying to adjust to the light. His mother, Deira, and Saint were all standing over him.
"Jerome baby are you ok? What happened?" His mom asked. "Frank called me and said you were at the hopistial and I came as quick as I could."
"I'm good ma." Jerome groaned.
"Who did this to you?" His mom asked.
"I don't know. I didn't see him." Jerome lied. He knew if he snitched on Grayson he'd lose everything.
"Are you sure?" His mom persisted.
"Yes ma."
"Are you ok?" Saint asked coming to the other side and looking at Jerome.
"Yeah I'm fine."
"The doctor said you had a broken nose, and some really bad buizing." Deira said.
"Damn." Jerome said.
"I'm going to get you something to eat." His mom said walking out.
"Are you ok, really?" Deira asked leaning over Jerome.
"Naw. But these drugs they got me on makes it 10 times better." Jerome said.
Deira reached out and touched some of the bruises on his chest. "I want you to feel better."
"I will." He said leaking up and kissing her. It turned into a make out session before the door closed.
"You can't even wait two days after breaking my sister heart to be kissing on other females. Yeah, you love her alright." Grayson said sitting down.
"Hey Grayson!" Saint said running over to Grayson.
"Wassup Saint." He said high fiving him.
"Hello Grayson." Deira said in a flirty voice waving and smiling.
"Don't you look nice." Grayson asked standing up. He circled around her never taking his eyes off Jerome. "Fine ass. How old are you again?"
"16." She said proudly.
"Young just like I like them." Grayson said kissing her ear, then whispered. "You should come visit my house, and we can have some fun."
"Ok." Deira said smiling.
Jerome groaned and Grayson shook his head. "I'm out." He winked at Deira. "Bye."
"Bye." She said.
"Deira what the hell?" Jerome asked.
"What I like him." She said. "He's cute."
"Ok, but you fucking me, you can't just go fucking other niggas?"
"What?" She asked. "I don't understand."
"You are my girl, no one else can have you." She nodded. "You have sex with me, and no one else."
"Not what mother say back home." Deira said. "Iya rẹ wi i le se ojo ti bi ọpọlọpọ enia buruku bi i fẹ."
"What?" Jerome asked. Saint covered his ears.
"She does this all the time." Saint said. "I have no idea what she's saying."
Deira sat on his bed and continued to tend to his body lightly touching it. "Does it hurt really badly?"
"Ahh!" Jerome said when she touched a certain spot.
"I'm sorry." She said backing up. Jerome's mom came back in and gave Jerome a sub.
"Thanks ma." Jerome said as he unwrapped it and licked his lips. "I'm so hungry."
"I'm hungry." Saint said looking at Jerome and his mom.
"Give him half of yours, Jerome."
"Ma."
"Do it." Jerome handed Saint half his sub and Saint sat down and began eating.
"Are you hungry, baby?" She asked Deira.
"No I'm fine." She said pushing her hair back.
Grace was hanging out in her room on punishment for having sex. She got her phone, laptop, and ccomputer taken away. Grayson said he'd give her one of his old phones, but it would be in a couple days because he couldn't come back to her house. All she could do was watch TV and sleep. After finding nothing good to do Grace, called it a night and said goodnight to her dad.
She came back in and there was a knock on her window. She looked and smiled a big smile at Kelly. "Hey!" She whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"You not responding to my texts and I got worried." He said leaning in and kissing Grace.
"I got my phone took." She sighed. "My brother found out I was having sex and told my dad."
"Bummer? Can I come in? It's kinda cold out here." He said. Grace moved to the side and let him in. "Thanks. So how he find out?"
"Long story." Grace said walking over and locking her door. "Don't wanna talk about it."
"Ok." Kelly said taking his winter coat off and sitting on her bed.
"What you want forreal?" Grace asked sitting next to him.
"I just wanna chill." He said pulling his second layer off.
"Well I was planning on going to sleep." Grace said.
"Are you kidding? Winter break just started, we got shit to do." Kelly said pulling her into his lap.
"I get off punishment next week." Grace said. "Next Friday."
"Ok, so you broke up with Jerome today?" Kelly asked. Grace nodded slowly thinking about what happened. "That's good."
"Mhm." Grace said leaning back against Kelly. He kissed her cheek and draped his arms around her waist.
"What's wrong?" He asked. "You miss Jerome?"
"No." Grace said crying. "Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him."
"Woah what he do to you?" Kelly asked holding her tighter.
"He's a lying, cheating, muniplitive, idiotic bastard." Grace told him angrily. "I never want to see him again."
"What did he do?"
"Kelly I don't wanna talk about it?"
"Talking about it makes you feel better." Kelly said.
"You know what? Kelly, I don't want to talk about it." Grace said sternly trying to stand up.
"Ok, you don't have to talk about it." He said softly holding on to her.
"Grace are you sleep, we need to talk?" Her dad said.
Grace sniffed. "Not right now please. I'll be out in like five minutes."
"Ok, hurry up." He said walking away.
"You need to leave." Grace whispered picking up his stuff. "Hurry up."
"I'll see you later." Kelly said kissing Grace and dressing back up. "Bye."
Grace got rid of him and cleaned her face leaving her room. "Yes daddy." She said walking downstairs.
"Come have a seat." He said. Grace slowly walked over and sat across from him. "So I understand that you are growing up and you want to be a rebel. What teenager doesn't? But I want you to know that I love you. And I trust you. I understand you won't always be my baby girl. I understand the signs that you can do more on your own now, but sex? You are still young and this is the same age your mother got pregnant at. I don't want that to happen to you, and ruin your future."
"It was one time." Grace said.
"It was your first time and there will only be more." He said. "I was hoping you would save something so special for your husband, but I guess not. You're fast just like your mother."
"Daddy, I'm not fast." Grace whined. "I sped up a little bit, but I can slow back down."
"No, you need to know that having sex like adults can come with adult responsibility." He said. "When I became a father I was 18 and your mother was 17. After one mistake, that's all it takes. We put our lives on hold and sacrificed it all for your brother. If we were mature enough to wait instead of being fast like everybody else. Maybe your brother wouldn't be out in these streets, we would've had time to get our lives together and she might just be alive. Not saying I don't love you or my knucklehead son, but think about the consequences of your actions."
"Yes sir." Grace said sadly. He wasn't making her feel really guilty for for doing what she was doing. She thought back to everytime she had sex thinking about if they used a condom. She knows Kelly used one. And she saw Jerome put on one.
"Go to bed." Her dad said. "I'll talk to you in the morning."