Monday, April 13th - The Following Week
That Afternoon
Monroe, It's the beginning of spring break and I'm still stuck in this house. I still haven't said anything to Corbin and I can tell that it's frustrating him. I honestly don't care if it does, I have nothing to say to him and that's that.
However, I can't say that this punishment has been hell. Lately, I've been sneaking out of the house with Princeton after Corbin and Shaun goes to bed. I know it's risky but I can't stand being in the house all day, the only place I go is school then back here. But, Princeton makes it better when he comes to my window almost every night.
I smiled a bit, thinking of this guy. He really knows how to brighten my days when I'm stuck here. I just get so excited when he I see him, even when I just hear from him. Sometimes, he just calls to talk and the conversation is interesting every time.
I hear my door open, grabbing my attention. I turn my head from the window, seeing Corbin standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets. I turn my attention back to the window, looking out into the empty streets until hearing him speak.
"Shaun and I are heading over to aunt Janice's, I don't know what time we'll be back." He said. I give him a simple nod before looking away. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time until he left, closing the door behind him.
I sigh as well, slowly making my way towards the bed. I plopped down as Buddy cuddled next to me while hearing the car starting. I stare up at the ceiling, hearing them pulling out of the driveway, signaling that they were gone. Seconds later, my phone goes off, takin my attention from the ceiling. I grabbed it from my pillow, staring at the screen and a smile appears.
"Hello?" I sung.
"Open up Princess." He said smoothly. The sound of his voice made me cringe as I sat up from the bed.
"Okay." I say before hanging up. I quickly eased my way out of the room and down the stairs. I step out of the main entrance, opening up for him.
"Hi." I chimed as he stepped in. He chuckled, embracing my figure while shutting the door with his foot. I giggled, feeling his light breath tickle against my skin.
"How you doing mama?" He questioned while pulling away.
"I'm better now that you're here." I answer truthfully while locking the door behind him.
"Oh really?" He chuckled, entering the main entrance.
"Yes." I answered, gently biting my lip. I follow behind, eyeing him down the entire time until he turned towards me.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Nothing." He Said begin.
"You just look different." I said with a small smile, admiring him for a moment. He was dressed in a pair of black sweats and a simple white v-neck. Most of the time, he's wearing all black with a leather jacket and shades. He's always so mysterious, now he just seems like a casual guy.
"Is that in a good way?" He raised his brow.
"Of course."
"I like it." I added.
"Thank you." He chuckled. I smiled once again, leading him up the stairs to my room. He stepped in after me and I crack the door as he took a seat on the bed.
"So what brings you here?" I interrogated.
"I don't normally see you until later." I said. He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.
"Ah, nothing too major." He began.
"I just really wanted to see you." He said, looking into my eyes.
"Really?"
"Yeah." He said with honesty, gently pulling me towards him.
"I really did." He continued.
"I-" I begin until hearing the front door close.
"Crap! It's my brother." I panicked, quickly pulling him from the bed.
"You have to hide." I told him, pulling him towards the closet. I shoved him inside, hearing Corbin's voice along with Shaun's.
"MONROE!" He called out. I begin to answer until Prince pulled me in with him, quickly shutting the door.
"What are you doi-"
"Sh!" He said, pulling us further into the closet. He pulled us right in between a rack of clothing hanging up. I begin to speak until he placed his finger against my lips as I hear Corbin make his way into the room.
"Moe?" He called.
"Y-yeah!" I answered. I watched his shadow from under the door as he placed his hand on the doorknob.
"I-I'm changing!" I quickly stated.
"What do you need?" I asked. I could feel Princeton's breath against my neck as he held onto me. I shivered, smelling the aroma of strawberries and mangos as he pulled me closer to his warm body.
"I just wanted to talk to you." Corbin said from the other side.
"I thought you were going to Aunt Janice's?" I asked. I felt Prince's hands slowly make their way to my hips then back to my torso. He embraced me tightly, making me high off his cologne as well. He was killing me and didn't even know it, that's how amazing he smelled.
Suddenly, his fingers gently dug into my skin, catching me by surprise. I jumped, trying to pull away as a smile smeared across his face. I bit my lip, pulling away from him but he pulls me back to him.
"Stop it." I whispered lowly.
"Yeah, but Monroe its been a week now." Corbin continued.
"I don't want you to ignore me forever." He said in a soft tone.
"I want us to make this right." He finished. I tried my hardest not to laugh as Princeton continued to tickle me. I let out a soft giggle, pushing him further towards the wall, causing a loud thud in the process.
"Oh shit!" He whispered while laughing, only making it harder for us not to laugh.
"You alright in there?" Corbin asked.
"I'm...I'm fine." I said as I tried pulling away from Prince.
"We'll just talk when I get back." He said.
"O-okay then, tell Aunt Janice I said hi."
"Alright." He said. We remained silent until hearing him leave the house. As soon as they drove off, Princeton laughed aloud and I let go of a deep sigh.
"You could've gotten us caught." I said pushing him.
"But we didn't." He continued laughing.
"Oh my god." I giggled, slowly making my way towards the door. I slowly peeked my head out to make sure he was really gone before stepping out. Princeton followed, closing the door behind him.
"You have a lot of clothes." He said while plopping back on the bed.
"And you have a lot of guts." I replied. He chuckled, sitting up.
"You gotta learn to live a little, mama." He responded.
"Yeah, okay." I stated.
"And how did you get here so quickly right after my brother left?" I questioned.
"I hung around the house." He shrugged.
"Seriously?" I chuckled.
"Yeah." He answered while standing to his feet. I watch him make his way over to me, hovering over my petite figure.
"That's how badly I wanted to see you." He explained, caressing my cheek. I could smell the sweet scent once again as his breath tickled against my nose.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"My place." He smiled while taking my hand.
"Wait." I say while grabbing my phone and keys. I slipped on my converses before standing to my feet. He led me out of the room then down the stairs. We made our way out of the house and I lock up before leaving behind him.
"I don't know what time my brother will be back so we have to make this quick." I told him.
"Don't worry Princess." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. We quickly made our way through the park, leading towards his house. I smiled as it came to view because for some reason, I loved his home. I felt relaxed the last time I was here, it's just a peaceful place.
"Jacob?" I hear the voice of an older woman as we step inside.
"Yeah?" Princeton answered while locking the front door. He headed towards the kitchen and I follow behind, looking around again. He greeted her as she came into view, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She spoke to him as they begin a conversation, not even realizing my presence. I slowly eased my way further into the kitchen, catching her attention.
"Oh, Dios mío, quién es esta magnífica criatura?" She gasped, speaking rather quickly.
"This is Monroe." Prince introduced.
"Mi, ella es tan hermosa, es increíble!" She gasped.
"Si." Princeton replied, looking towards me.
"She is beautiful." He added, biting his lip. I found myself blushing, looking down at my feet.
"Moe this is my grandmother, Amelia." Prince introduced.
"It's nice to meet you." I say with a sincere smile.
"It's very nice to meet you, Monroe." Her accent was thick, but she could speak very well.
"Are you and Jacob together?" She asked.
"Ma!" Prince whined.
"What? Have you not scooped her up? You need to Jacob." She replied.
"Oh my God, where's Julius?" He asked her.
"Upstairs, taking a nap." She simply answered.
"Thank you." He said while taking my hand into his, leading us out of the kitchen. I giggled, catching his attention as we tread up the stairs.
"What's so funny mama?" He asked.
"Your grandmother is very sweet...and funny." I answered.
"Yeah, she's something else." He chuckled. He opened the door to his bedroom, allowing me in first. I look around, admiring his simple colored interior before speaking.
"You have a nice room." I complimented.
"Thanks." He said. I suddenly hear the sound of gibberish, catching my attention. I noticed a rarely large baby bed on the other side of the room. I then spotted a bush of curls, revealing Julius pulling himself up. He smiled, meeting eyes with me as I made my way over towards him.
"Hi Julius." I greeted. He stuck his arms out and I took him into my arms. I stroll over to Princeton's bed, taking a seat at the edge.
"He's such a cutie." I said, gently playing in his hair.
"He looks a lot like my mom." Said Prince as he rest on his back. I remained silent for a moment, wanting to know about his parents. I didn't want to seem nosey, but I was curious of his family and how he and his brother ended up with their grandmother.
"Princeton?" I softly called, catching his attention.
"Yes?" He answered.
"What-" I began, quickly ceasing myself from going any further. I didn't want him to snap at me or grow angry because of the things I wanted to know, but I really needed to.
"What?" He asked, sitting up. I could feel his eyes on me as I looked down at the floor, gently biting my bottom lip.
"Never mind, it's nothing." I say.
"You can ask me anything, mama." He said, tucking my hair behind my ear. I look up from the floor, focusing on Julius' hair as he slightly tugged at my shirt. I shut my eyes for a moment, preparing myself for what's to come.
"What happened to your parents?" I hesitated to ask. He looked away then down at his feet, not answering and I knew right then that I messed up.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that." I began.
"No, it's okay." He stated, placing his hand against my thigh. He remained silent for a moment, staring back at the floor again before looking ahead.
"My dad...was a drug addict." He began.
"And a dealer."
"I never really saw him most of my life because he was in and out of prison."
"When my mom found out that she was pregnant with Julius, she kept it from him, for as long as she could."
"But as she gotten bigger, she could no longer hide it."
"That's when she decided to leave, to get away from my dad."
"She had Julius last year in May and I was the only one to support her."
"I told her to stay home while I worked."
"I got hired at some factory, but they eventually fired me for something I didn't do."
"After failing to find another job, I had no choice but to do what my dad did pretty much his entire life."
"I started selling."
"I didn't tell my mom about losing my first job and I definitely didn't tell her about what I was doing on the streets."
"I saved up and made enough for us to live off of."
"Things didn't start going down hill until my dad found us."
"When he saw Julius, he blew up about it."
"But I told him that he was mine in order to save my mom."
"He believed it at first."
"Until one day, I came home finding him all over her."
"He beat my mother until she bled."
"I fought him off until the police showed up and my mom was rushed to the emergency room.
"They said she would make it, but-" He stopped, looking down at his feet.
"She died two hours later." He said.
"My dad was sentenced for life and my grandmother took us into her care."
"It haunts me when I look at him sometimes."
"And what's so crazy about it, as that it wasn't too long ago when it happened."
"It feels like my mother was just here, carrying him." He continued.
"I don't want to set a bad example for my brother but, it's hard Moe."
"I would do anything for him." He said, tussling through Julius' hair.
"I just need a chance in life, you know?" He finished.
"I'm sorry Prince." I said, looking towards him. I noticed his eyes turning pink as they watered a bit. I turned my body towards him as he stared into my eyes.
"Don't cry." I softly spoke, my heart melting from the sight of it.
"I'm not crying." He replied, sniffing while looking down. I lift his chin up, staring into his brown orbs...they were even gorgeous when moist.
"It's okay to cry." I said to him, wiping the tears away.
"At least in front of me." I added with a reassuring smile. He placed his hand against mine as I caressed his cheek. I pulled away, standing to my feet to place Julius at his play mat. I watched him move about, grabbing every single building block he could get his hands on.
"Why are you so different?" Princeton softly questioned. I turned towards him, slowly making my way over to the bed.
"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"You don't treat my like everyone else does." He responded.
"It's like you actually give me a chance." I remained silent for a moment, thinking of a way to explain things to him.
"No, I don't treat you like everyone else does-" I began.
"Because at the end of the day, you're someone who has feelings."
"You may not show it, but I know that they're there."
"My grandmother raised me to give everyone a chance and never judge a book by its cover." I say.
"But, just by looking at you--I knew that there was something about you that I had to figure out."
"I may not have experienced what you've went through." I continue.
"But, I know what it's like to be alone and to feel unwanted."
"People not giving you a chance in life." I say.
"Back home, no one wanted to be around me, no one wanted to talk to me, no one wanted to give me a chance."
"My mom fled away while pregnant with me."
"She kept me a secret from everyone except for my grandmother."
"I never knew my dad because, well-"
"He never knew I existed."
"But after my mom tried to give me up for adoption, my grandmother took me instead."
"Raised me until she passed away."
"I had no friends, I had no family, I had nobody by my side."
"I only had her in my life."
"She was the one who called me beautiful everyday."
"She was the one who would spend time with me whenever she could."
"She was the one who told me that everything was going to be alright."
"She was my best friend, my only friend."
"And when she took her last breath, my entire world changed."
"I was alone and I felt like I was in a box, trying to find my way out." I said, feeling my tears against my cheeks.
"But then I met you." I said, looking into his eyes.
"Everyone told me to stay away, but I didn't...I couldn't."
"Because deep down, I knew that we both shared something that no else did."
"Loneliness."
"Desperate to find someone to latch onto."
"Look how instantly we clicked and it hasn't even been an entire month."
"It's like-"
"We were meant for each other." He said, looking right at me. I looked away from his stare, not wanting to answer that part. Were we really meant for each other...or is it just our emotions getting the best of us?
"It's almost like-" I began.
"Gravity." He said.
"Pulled us together, yeah." I chuckled a bit.
"I don't care what anyone says about you, Princeton." I said, placing my hand on his leg.
"I enjoy being around you, I can be myself around you without you judging me."
"I can tell you things without you discriminating."
"Where have you been all my life?" He asked. I smiled, giggling softly while looking away.
"I guess, I've been here this entire time." I said, slightly tapping my fist against his chest where his heart rested. He took hold of my hand, placing a gentle kiss against my knuckles and I shivered in response.