Edited
Kayla
Even though I started out coming here nervous, I was actually pretty calm now. Essence was full of life and she was really funny. I found myself being very comfortable with her and vice versa. Like now, Andre was off somewhere on the phone while we have our bonding moment. "You have a boyfriend?" I asked with a smile.
"Well...kind of," she laughed. "We're just...testing the waters."
"Are you in the same class? Is that how you met?"
"Well no. He's actually in college," she blushed. "That's why it's a secret. I know how my dad and brothers are. They're really protective."
"How old is he?"
"Twenty. But I'm only 17 so it's okay...right?"
"Well," I mumbled. "I've never been in your situation before. I would say keep it friendly because trust me, I know how college life could be. I mean, I'm not saying he doesn't like you or anything. I would just be cautious. You hear all those stories about college changing you and most of the time you brush it off. It's not a rumor or a myth you know. I know from experience."
"I know. I honestly didn't give him the time of day at first. Like what college kid wants to deal with someone in high school? But he's not all that bad I guess." I was happy to have this type of conversation with her. With me being the only child I could never have these kinds of talk with a sibling. "So you lost someone to college huh? Must've been rough. Was it a boyfriend?"
"No," I chuckled. "Nothing special like that. I guess I wouldn't say I lost them per se. I just found out some truths I didn't want to be true about them. I guess I knew for a long time they weren't who I thought they were. I just became ignorant to it and desperate to keep the memory of them alive."
"I know how it feels," she whispered. "How close you and my brother are, I'm sure you know about our sister Mickey?"
"He told me."
"She was my best friend growing up. I mean the Jackson kids were all best friends of course but being my big sister meant I had someone to always look up to. I had someone to always play with and someone to talk to about everything. Even though my loss is different from yours, I still know how it feels." I placed my hand on her shoulder to give her some comfort. "Enough about this sad stuff, how'd you and my brother meet?"
"Well, I wasn't in the best condition," I chuckled a bit. "I was in a very low place in my life and somehow, he helped raise me up. He really proved how much he cared about me in the short months I knew him. It's only been three months but it feels like a lifetime. Lot of drama but there were also good times."
"Awe that's cute," she smiled. "You guys make a good couple. He seems genuinely happy with you. Ever since Mickey-" she stopped talking and looked off at a picture. I looked too and noticed the picture of a chubby faced girl smiling brightly at the camera. "When she died, it's like part of him died too." Tears were in her eyes so I hugged her. She shed a few tears before pulling away with a smile. "But I can see he's really coming back around. Thank you."
"I don't think it's all me," I mumbled nervously.
"Oh trust me," Essence giggled. "It is. I believe it's that big booty of yours too."
"What?" my face was hot as hell. She laughed at me. "We're not doing that! Honest."
"Mhmm. Okay. If you say so." Just as I was about to try my best and persuade her into knowing that I was not sleeping with him, Andre walked back in the room.
"Mom and dad's outside," he said.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Essence ran out squealing. It took me by surprise so I jumped.
"Being that she's the only one here it's easy for her to get lonely," he said. "My parents take a couple trips a month. They don't like being gone for too long since she'd be in this big house by herself. Sorry if she's clinging to you. After Mickey...she's tends to get attached fast."
"It's okay," I said honestly. "I've always wanted a little sister."
He smiled at me. "You can have mines if you want," he joked.
"I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind," I smiled.
"Lil nigga I know you saw us pulling in," I heard a deep voice fussed. "Your punk ass could've helped with the damn bags."
Andre smacked his lips. "Nigga you bench three eighty the hell you need my help for?"
"That's beside the point." A very tall man wearing all black came in. He looked very young and so handsome. He was first glaring at Andre but then his eyes fell on me. I immediately got nervous under his gaze. He broke into a smile before walking towards me. "Well, I'm quite sure you're not one of my kids. Who might you be beautiful?"
I blushed hard at his compliment. His beautiful sounded so much like Andre's. "I-I'm Jakayla. P-Pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," he winked.
"Pops, I will kick your ass." Andre came over to me and glared at his father before smacking his hand out of mines. I was still kind of reeling my head around the fact THIS is his father. I mean, he looks really young. Almost like he should be a brother instead of his father.
"You wanna go at me lil' nigga? I'll beat you the fuck up."
"Who the hell is cussing in my damn house?" I heard a woman's voice.
"I the fuck am," his dad fussed back. "Y'all motherfuckers ain't about to gang me in my own damn house. I'll kick all y'all out."
"Who the hell you playing with Henry?" A short woman with salt and pepper hair came into the room. She was pretty plump with a cute face. Aside from the gray hairs, you wouldn't think she'd be that old either. "Get knocked out if you want to." The man grumbled under his breath. The woman finally noticed me and I completely froze up. She had to be Andre's mother.
"Momma!" Andre ran to her.
"Boy you just saw me outside," she rolled her eyes but hugged him nonetheless. She gave me a soft smile. "Hello sweetie. You must be this girl I've been hearing so much about."
I quickly stood up because I didn't want to seem rude to her by staying in my seat. "I-I-It's nice to uh m-m-meet you," I stuttered really badly. When I was young I used to stutter all the time. Now it only happens when I'm nervous or scared. The more anxious I am, the worse I stutter. It's so embarrassing. "I-I-I-I'm a..." Holy shit did I just forget my name?!
"This is Kayla mom," Andre chuckled a bit. "And yes, this is the girl you've been hearing about."
"You are so beautiful," his mother smiled brightly. "You don't have to be nervous baby. I won't hurt you."
"She'll corrupt you first," his dad chuckled. Ms. Jackson elbowed him and he grunted.
"You have such a beautiful shape as well. How old are you?"
"I-I'm twenty t-two."
"And you're stacked like this?! My lord your momma must've been feeding you real good. I always wanted that Coke bottle figure growing up."
"Yeah but you were shaped like a two liter bottle of Pepsi," Mr. Jackson laughed.
She gasped. "Asshole! I was not! I had all the little boys chasing me!"
"And I beat them all the fuck up. You were MY Pepsi bottle."
"Ewe you guys," Andre said walking out. I know he did not just leave me here with his parents! I'm going to kick his-
"So are you guys getting married after he graduates or you?"
"What?!" My voice was high pitched. I think I hit a Mariah Carey note at the end.
"Well, Andre used to say if he brings a girl home that means it'll be his wife," his mother shrugged. "I assumed you both were that serious."
"B-But we only knew each other a few months," I tripped over my words.
"I proposed to his mother a month into the relationship," Mr. Jackson said.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
She nodded. "But when I said no he said he wouldn't ask me again. So I had to be the one that proposed next time." She eyed her husband while he just beamed with pride.
"W-We're not getting m-married. We j-just officially got t-t-together."
"Okay I was just checking. I'd hate to have to hurt my son on his first day home. I would love to get to know you better though. Let me get comfortable and we can have a little girl chat okay?"
I smiled a bit. She wasn't really intimidating at all. She seemed very sweet. Although...she was a bit crazy. "Okay."
Andre
After my parents got settled in my mom took Kayla away to her room. Probably to interrogate her and then tell her some messed up stories. I wanted to be nosy and go eavesdrop but my pops dragged me to his office. "Old bastard," I mumbled walking in behind him. He turned around and punched my dead in my chest. I swear I couldn't breathe for a few minutes. "Ah shit man!" I held my chest.
"That's for talking shit," he shrugged. He sat down behind his desk while I sat in front of him. "I was going to beat your ass for causing so much trouble this semester but I see what you been fighting for. Good job son. You didn't pick someone ugly."
"Man why you always got to assume I like ugly girls?"
"Because your ass was always with an ugly girl. Stupid ass. Almost had an ugly ass baby with one too." I smacked my lips. He will never let that shit go. "She seems nice though. Maybe she'll rub off on your hot headed ass."
I chuckled. "Yeah. She's helping me grow. I feel calmer when I'm with her."
He smiled. "Same with your mother. She was the only person to get me in line." We sat in silence for a little while. "Alright, you wanna tell me why Jones is out on a job? A job you gave him?" He raised his eyebrow to me.
"I just want him to look into something," I said. "No big deal."
"I would've believed you if this isn't Jones we're talking about. And you have Wiz on an assignment as well."
"I just need some information." My pops looked at me for a while.
"Am I ever going to find out what it is you're looking for?"
"The truth," I said. "I'm looking for the truth."
He nodded his head slowly. He pulled out a blunt and lit it. To know my pops is fifty years old and still smokes weed like he's a teenager is almost comical. "Be careful son. The truth is a powerful weapon to have."
"I know. But it's something I need." I knew my pops would find out about me using our two best information specialists but I wasn't worried about how he'd react. He knew when it came down to business, I was never reckless.
You can think of our information specialists as highly favorable and profitable PI's. Wiz would be our number two guy. He's a really smart guy my pops met when he was young. Computers were his main thing. He could hack into almost anything undetected. We normally used him to find any dirt on our competitors to see if they were trustworthy enough to be our partners and such. He was amazing. He could find any information even if it was hidden or deleted. He'd probably be number one if his standards weren't so strict and the fact his methods were specific for technology.
Another guy my dad met on the streets would be Jones. He too is a hacker but he also likes to take to the streets. His methods of information hunting can be categorized as questionable. He doesn't mind breaking rules and laws to find what he is looking for. We don't use him too often since he's a bit more reckless.
"Wiz told me you have him looking into Victor and Steven's business."
"I just feel it's a bit fishy. Even after all the times I assaulted Chris and Josh they're still adamant about us being friends and to bring the businesses together. Something didn't seem right so I wanted to take a look at what's been up with them."
My dad nodded his head. I knew Wiz would spill what I wanted him to work on. He's extremely loyal to my father. I don't mind since it wasn't a big secret. But this job was specifically for him while I gave Jones a more daunting task. I knew Jones wouldn't open up his mouth. Part of his policy is to never speak about the jobs that he's on. In other words, since I was the one that hired him he wouldn't tell my dad the details unless I tell him to.
"They've been pushing me to make the arrangement," my pops said. "They knew you wouldn't combine the businesses so they asked me to make the contracts. I guess they think I'll be more cooperative."
"Are you?"
"I'll wait and see what Jones comes up with."
"Jones isn't on the same assignment. I have him looking into something else."
"I know. But I feel like I should wait and see what Wiz and Jones comes up with before making a decision. Business is business and I've worked too damn hard to fuck up mines with a rash decision." The one thing I really admire about my dad and what makes him one good ass business man is his experiences. He used to run the streets and even though he came up in the world he keeps that hood mentality. He uses his street knowledge and applies it to his business which makes him fiercer than most. "There's another reason why I pulled you in here though."
"What's up?"
"Victor just called me and said they're bringing some girls to stay with us," he rolled his eyes. "Daughters of this big shot lawyer or something. Said they'll likely be the ones Chris and Josh marry."
I nodded my head. "So he's really going to turn this shit into a business deal?"
"Yup. I gave the guy's name to Wiz so he'll look into that as soon as he's done with your stuff. This guy must have something they want."
"Yeah." Chris and Josh's parents had been scouting all major companies with of age daughters eligible enough to marry Chris and Josh so they can go into a 'special' contract. Like my pops brothers married into money, if you marry into more money your business grows in revenue by at least fifty percent. Depending on how well you work together. Marrying into a lawyers franchise is difficult but the outcome is rewarding. "They still trying to find one for me?" I smirked.
"Yup," he chuckled. "I told them they're wasting their time but they insist it'll help our company and with five companies coming together it'll be almost like a hostile takeover."
"Yeah they're a little too late. My future wife is already here."
"You might want to tell her that," he chuckled. "When we proposed the idea she nearly passed out."
"I️ don't know why she acting brand new," I️ rolled my eyes but grinned nonetheless. "She already knows she ain't going nowhere so of course marriage is down the line somewhere."
"When y'all getting married?" He grinned.
"After graduation," I️ laughed.
"Crazy ass," he chuckled. "So you going to plan a whole wedding in a month?"
"Shit we can just go to the courthouse and make it official and have a ceremony later."
My old man laughed. "I'm just glad to see the old you back. The good part at least. Things haven't been the same since-" he stopped talking for a minute. Probably thinking about Mickey. I know my pops miss her even though we don't talk about her much. "Still can't believe it," he said. "My baby girl has been gone for almost ten years."
"Still feels unreal," I said. Sometimes I expect Mickey to walk through the door like nothing ever happened. It's a hard pill to swallow. "Pops I'm-"
"Don't," he said. "I don't know how many times we got to say it. It wasn't your fault. It's no one's fault. Mickey...was too young to deal with everything that was bothering her. She's gone, but my baby girl lives on in all of our memories." He turned to look at me. "I guess it's comforting to know we got our own personal angel watching over us in a way. And now, it feels like she's closer than ever. She really is similar to our Kayla isn't she?" I nodded my head numbly. He has no idea just how alike those two are but he can tell nonetheless.
There was a knock on the door before Essence popped in. "You better come rescue your girlfriend. Mom is breaking out the baby pictures. And you know you looked like ET growing up."
"What you say lil nigga?" I bucked at her. She ran out quick.
"You was an ugly baby. Must've gotten that from your momma side."
"What the fuck pops?!"
"Your mom had some ugly ass family members. Bald head babies with no edges. Poor little Latreshia."
"Man Imma tell," I got up laughing. I'm glad to know my pops is doing well even after her death. It took him forever but he's finally accepting it.