When Melissa woke up, she saw a bunch of bright lights in front of her. She squinted her eyes and watched as her eyes adjusted to the bright room. Once it did, she noticed that she was in a hospital bed. She felt on her face, jumping as the sharp pain of Sway's injury surged through her cheeks. Melissa looked at the mirror next to her and saw a faded purplish bruise on her left side.
"Oh, you're awake!" The doctor smiled.
"Where......where am I?" Melissa murmured in a drugged tone.
"Why you're in the hospital, dear! You partied quite hard last night." The doctor smiled. "One of your friends called the police to help you after you passed out. Do you remember what happened last night?"
Melissa couldn't remember anything that happened after she used the bathroom.
"I......I used the bathroom and...I don't remember anything else." Melissa murmured.
As the nurse fixed her blanket, Melissa heard Louis arguing with her parents outside of her room. Melissa squinted her eyes at them as the nurse shook her head.
"Yeah. They've been going at it ever since you've arrived." The nurse sighed.
Meanwhile outside of Melissa's hospital room...
"What the hell were you allowing her to go to a party for when her grades aren't right, she's been kicked off the swim team, and she was snorting cocaine not even two weeks ago!?" Rodrigo snapped.
"She needed some sort of freedom-"
"Freedom? FREEDOM? FOR WHAT!?" Maria snapped as she got in his face. "So that she could wind up in the hospital for the second time-"
"You ever think that she may have been rebelling against you guys because you won't let her breathe for once!?" Louis scowled at the both of them. "Melissa didn't do any of this when I was living with her!"
"You know what, she's not allowed at any parties. End of story." Rodrigo demanded. "Do you understand me?"
Louis shook his head, giving them a disgusted look.
"No."
"Excuse me?" Maria said as they both gave him a surprised look.
"I am an ADULT and as long as Melissa's living under my roof, I make the rules that she live by." Louis continued.
"Then she'll be living back with us-"
"YOU TOLD ME that you'd give me a month to turn things around. It's only been a few days. It's my turn to try to shape Melissa up, so stay out of it." Louis snarked, interrupting Rodrigo. "If she isn't better by then, she's all yours."
Rodrigo and Maria shook their heads and stormed out of the hospital. Louis sighed and slowly walked into Melissa's room, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her.
"Melissa, what the hell happened at that party?" Louis growled.
"I don't know!" Melissa plead, not understanding. "I hung out and went to use the bathroom, next thing I know I woke up here."
"They found some sort of date rape drug in your system, Melissa." Louis said in a serious tone. "Are you sure that someone didn't drug you?"
Melissa thought back to the party, thinking of the last time that she was awake. The closest memory she could think of was when she got a drink from the table and sat on the boys lap. The only people who were around her was Mercedes, Trina, Britt Bratt, and the three boys. Everyone else were off in their own world.
"I got the cup on my own but, I don't think any of my friends would do this to me...."
"Melissa your car was found in an alley and you were passed out on a bed inside of the home. Something wasn't right at this party." Louis said. "Had your friend not called the ambu-"
"Wait a minute, who called the ambulance on me?" Melissa interrupted.
"Some black boy named Sway or something." Louis shrugged, giving her a slightly agitated look. "That's what they were calling him at the party."
Melissa glared angrily at the wall, taking an angry exhale.
"Sway...." Melissa growled to herself.
"What's wrong, Melissa?" Louis asked in confusion. "You oughta thank him! If it weren't for him, the ambulance wouldn't have gotten to you."
Melissa stared off into space for a few more seconds, then smiled at Louis.
"You know what, you're right." Melissa smiled. "I should stop being a little brat."
"You're staying here for the night so that they can make sure that you're alright. But seriously Melissa, you can't be doing things like this." Louis said as he stood up. "You already know how mom and dad is, so I'm trying to prove them wrong."
"I know."
"Goodnight Melissa." Louis said as he kissed her on her forehead.
Once Louis left, Melissa reached for her purse and checked her alerts. She had a text from Trina.
Trina: I hope that you're alright. You had to much alcohol, guh!
Melissa frantically typed in her passcode and called Jionni. As it rang, he answered the phone.
"Fuck you won't, Lissa?"
"No need for the attitude, Jionni!" Melissa scowled in a low tone. "I was calling you to ask a question."
"What?"
Melissa rubbed her forehead, leaning forward.
"What happened last night?" Melissa asked. "Do have a clue?"
"What you talkin' bout?"
"Well I remember texting you and using the bathroom, then I woke up at the hospital." Melissa sighed in an exhausted tone. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on."
Jionni chuckled a little, shaking his head.
"I'm so sick of you playin' games wit me, Lissa." Jionni said. "You really startin' to piss me off."
"What are you talking abou-"
"Dint' I tell you that I want thankin' bout datin' Kiara? I fuckin' bailed out on ha' ass thankin' you was serious and you pullin' pranks!"
"What the hell are you talking about, Jionni?!" Melissa asked in a louder and more serious tone. "I don't even remember leaving the hospital!"
Jionni shook his head, leaning back.
"You n' Sway got a lot of shit in common. I see dat's why y'all like playin' games."
Melissa paused, scrunching her eyebrows.
"What the hell did he tell you, Jionni!?"
"You must ain't thank I was gonna find out?" Jionni laughed. "You funny as hell, Lissa."
Melissa scrunched her eyebrows, getting a little more tense.
"Y'know, for someone who swears they know how to keep their eyes open for "snakes", you sure as hell aren't good at it!" Melissa snapped. "You believe everything that come out of everybody's mouth!"
"You know what, let me serve some honesty fo' dat ass. You been actin' crazy, snortin' cocaine and dressin' like a skank on the corner and you expectin' me not to believe that you wouldn't hesitate to play games wit' me to fit in wit' yo friends?" Jionni snapped back. "This 'New Lissa' ain't shit!"
"Excuse me?"
"Until you turn back to normal, I.....I can't fuck wit' you no mo, Lissa."
Melissa scrunched her eyebrows again, slowly nodding her head.
"Alright, well until you stop listening to the shit that comes out of people's mouths, I can't fuck with you anymore either." Melissa scoffed. "By the way, at least I can afford different clothes. Go ask the drug dealers around the corner for more money so that you can buy another outfit, asshole."
Melissa hung up the phone, leaving Jionni with his mouth creaked open. He couldn't believe how bad she disrespected him and what she said.
Still, Jionni meant everything he said as well.
On Monday, Jionni saw Kiara sitting by herself at lunch. She wasn't sitting by herself because she didn't have friends, she was sitting by herself because she liked her own space. After losing her son, she often remained reserved during classes as well. As she ate, listened to music and read her book, Jionni took his tray over to her table and sat across from her.
"Hey." Jionni said, cracking a small smile.
Kiara paused her music, glancing up at him and giving him a blank stare.
"What is it, Jionni?" Kiara asked in a bland tone, looking back down at her book.
Jionni paused, placing his fork into his meatloaf.
"Look, I want to 'pologize bout last night-"
"It's not a big deal." Kiara scoffed.
"Nah, it is. I was wrong fo' bailin' out on you like dat..." Jionni continued. "I'd have a damn fit if someone did dat' to me."
Kiara continued to read her book as Jionni continued to push her.
"So, you forgi' me?" Jionni asked.
"You bailed out on me and left me by myself at a restaurant at 10 o'clock in the afternoon, Jionni." Kiara said in a serious tone. "ANYTHING could've happened to me."
Jionni placed his tongue on the side of his mouth, looking down.
"I left cause I got a text from Lissa sayin' dat she felt uncomfortable at Trav party last night so I felt da' need to rush and go to her aid. When I got to da' party, it turn out she was fuckin' around and left befo' I got there." Jionni explained. "She did it because she felt like you was a threat to our 'relationship'."
"So pathetic." Kiara scoffed, keeping her eyes on her book. "We haven't even been talking for more than a few days..."
"I know, but you ain't gotta worry 'bout shit like dat happenin' no mo." Jionni said in a serious tone. "She cut off."
"That still doesn't make bailing out on me okay, especially while we're in the middle of eating." Kiara said in a serious tone. "Just saying."
Jionni sighed, cracking a small smile.
"How 'bout I make it up dis weekend? You pick where we hang." Jionni asked. "And if you wanna bail out on me, dats coo. Hah."
The bell rang as Kiara picked up her purse, book, phone, and walked out of the lunchroom.
"Is that a yes o' a no?" Jionni asked as she stepped out.
And while this was happening, Melissa was getting in Sway's ass.
"SWAY!" Melissa barked as she stormed out of the lunchroom with her heels, jeans, and short sleeved shirt on along with her hair in a ponytail. "SWAY!!"
"What?" He said as he turned around from walking with his friends.
Melissa snatched him up by his arm and shoved him against the locker, giving him a furious look.
"What the hell did you tell Jionni last night!?" Melissa snapped.
"What? What is you talkin' bou-"
"You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! Jionni told me that you were the last person I talked to before I wound up in the hospital on Saturday!" Melissa shouted, catching the attention of a few students in the hall. "Now what the hell did you tell hi-"
"Look, ion' eem remember what I did at that party last night." Sway shrugged. "I ain't take my meds befo' I went so I was probably there wildin'."
Melissa tried her hardest to think about what happened last night, but with the drugs and her being half faded, she couldn't remember anything after using the bathroom. She backed away from Sway, shaking his head at him.
"Well until you get better Sway, we can't be friends." Melissa said, giving him a disgusted look.
Sway gave her a hurt, yet surprised look.
"W-what?" Sway stuttered. "Why!?"
"Because you're ruining my relationship with my friends, more importantly Jionni!" Melissa scowled. "You keep doing things that keep fucking everything u-"
"You KNOW that I ain't dat person when I take my meds!" Sway whispered.
"Well you need more meds. More like therapy!" Melissa answered. "It's not safe being around you when you're like........that other person!"
"I thought you was gone help me?"
"Well unfortunately my help isn't all that you need."
Sway shook his head, scrunching his lips up.
"Beside Trina, u da ONLY one who know 'bout my condition!" Sway murmured to her in a shaky tone. "Don't nobody else kno' bout dat shit. You thank that I'd have friends?"
Sway could tell in Melissa's face that she wasn't trying to hear it. He slowly nodded his head and started walking off after the warning bell rang.
"Fine." Sway scoffed as he placed his hands up. "It is what it is."
Almost immediately, Melissa felt bad. In fact, she felt terrible. She liked Sway as a friend and wanted to help him, but if he was possibly drugging her and jeopardizing the friendships she had, she had no choice but to break it off with him.
When Jionni got home from school, he expected it to be peaceful inside of his home. Before he walked through the door, he placed in his headphones and walked through with his book, preparing to spend the entire afternoon reading his third Shakespeare book. When he walked up the stairs and opened the door to his room, he saw his mother standing there with a man. Jionni paused and gave them a confused look, placing his things down on the bed.
"Uh......why is y'all in my room?" Jionni asked.
"Well, that's no way ta' talk to yo' mother is it?" The man chuckled.
"And you are...?" Jionni scoffed at him.
Diana took a deep breath, clutching onto the mans hand.
"This is your father, Jionni." Diana said. "He's out on bond."
Jionni paused. He gave his father a shocked look, wondering how, why, and when he got out of jail. But most importantly, he was wondering what he was doing in their house. Why was he in his room? Why was he just now trying to be an "authority" figure to Jionni? Still, Jionni wasn't taking no shit from him.
But had his father been around, he probably wouldn't be this "hood nigga" that he is today.