Previously On Triplets Apart:
Jada uses a secret application that her dad gave her to find the identity of the owner for the signature on her adoption papers. Her parents continue to lie about Paige not knowing that she already knows. She is still puzzled as to why there was no ties or evidence on her adoption papers. Nothing to link her to her real parents, an agency or an agent. She visits Paige at the hospital in which Paige reveals to her her personal reason for not telling her about her kidney but that wasn't her parents reason. Jada gets emotional of the love she has for Paige.
***
Hopping in my white, 2018 Mercedez Benz CA-Class, I drive to the location that Tariq sent me. Arriving at a huge basketball stadium, I navigate myself inside in search of a parking space, I slowly cruise through carefully to find a good spot, conducive to the size of this thing.
Speaking of spot, I spot Emma leaning up against her Audi A3, tapping away at her phone, if phones could cry, it'd be shedding real tears.. it seems like she's the first one to get here. I drive up to her and parallel park my car beside hers.
I grab an apple juice from my cup holder, unbuckle my seat belt, turn the engine off and hop out my car, closing the door and clicking it lock. I place a hand in my pocket then proceed to walk over to her. She seems annoyed by something.. well, isn't she she always annoyed by something?
That poor phone.
"Aye." I say, leaning up on her car beside her.
"Hey." She finally notices me from her current war with her phone.
"Where's the rest of the guys?" I loosen the lid on my juice and take a sip.
"Uhm.. Tory is rolling with Mario, they're almost here. Lexa isn't coming, she's studying for an exam.. that she has on Friday! Such a buzzkill. Amra is on her way and I'm not getting through to Tariq, but Shane and Cody will be with him." She rolls her eyes, waving a hand at the mention of Tariq's name.
My phone rings from inside my chest bag.
"Yeah?" I answer.
"Are you there yet?" Tariq's voice asks.
"Yeah, just now. Uhh, waiting for you guys."
"Be there in 5."
Without a response, I end the call. I really need to end that bad habit of mine.
"Who was that now?" Emma asks.
"Tariq." I say, feeling a bit awkward but not sure why.
Her face turns into a slight frown that she quickly masks with a forced smile, obviously hoping I didn't catch on. I know she feels weird that she could not get through to Tariq and now he calls me without returning her calls first. It's obvious that he intentionally ignored her. But why?
A smirk creeps up at my face.. "So how long has it been going on?" The words roll right off my lips carelessly as I cross my arms over my stomach, not regretting saying it.
"What?" Her brows couldn't knit any closer, she glances at me.
"You and Tariq. What's the deal with you two?"
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, Emma. We're not really fully adults but we are grown you know." I say with a bored tone. "I mean we're all young and dumb but we ain't that stupid."
She looks away then taking another good look at me, takes a breath and looks away again.
"Well.." she starts but then a car drives in, immediately dragging our attention towards it.
A red 2019 Bentley Continental GT pulls up.
The door opens which reveals no other than Mariyah. She wears a blue crop top cargo skirt set, nude thigh high heeled boots and a fanny pack slants around her waist and the other end drops against her hip. Her curly hair flows down her back, bouncing from hip to hip as she walks confidently over to us.
"Well I'll be God damned!" I beam and she grins, covering her mouth.
"What's popping?" She asks playfully as she rushes up and hugs me tightly.
'What's popping'?
"What's poppin'? Your fricking whip is what's poppin'! That's how you coming through now?" I hype her up, clearly boosting her ego.
"Daddy's girl?" She smiles and shrugs, in reference that her dad bought her the car.
"I can't believe this is you. You look... fire." Emma adds eyeing Mariyah's full exterior in clear approval.
"And who the hell are you wearing? This outfit is the shit." I squeal.
"I'm wearing Dior all over. You picked these out when we went shopping Friday, remember?" Mariyah asks.
"I can't believe this is you." I awe.
Mariyah looks so damn hot. Its so amazing seeing her like this and in these colors. She looks so happy and comfortable.
I snap out of my trance when Mario and Tariq pulls up simultaneously with the others in their cars. Amra drives up right after them. As they all park their luxury cars and walk over to us, everyone is so amazed by Mariyah's new look.
"Sup gang?!" Cody shouts with his hands apart, his usual fun and playful spirit.
"Damn. They said you were the president's daughter, but you're just beginning to look the part." Amra says and Mariyah chuckles.
"And that's her ride." I point at her Bentley and they all snap their heads in that direction, gawking in excitement about Mariyah's car.
"Holy shit girl, that's how you coming through?" Cody asks.
"Almost my exact words!" I add.
"Come on guys, we all have rich parents.. it's no big deal. Let's go inside, the game must've started already." Mariyah waves us off with a smile.
"Word." I mumble.
We head inside the stadium where we're greeted by a room drowning with excitement and cheering. We find a few good seats at the front that we paid for, across from a few celebrities.
I decided to start living a little at the right time in my life. If I was stuck at home right now, I'd probably be miserable with no friends to be around because of what's happening with me right now. I snap out of my trance at the small pinch of reality.
"I'll be in my car." I say to Mariyah and she nods.
I make my way outside, taking a seat in the backseat of my car with the door open, resting my head back on the seat.
"You straight?" A familiar voice breaks the silence a few moments later.
I tilt my head out, looking up to find Tariq's figure hovering over me, staring down on me with both hands in his pockets. I rest my head back again.
"Following me again.." I mumble.
He walks around and enters the car, settling himself on the opposite end of the back seat with one foot outside.
"You had this look on your face right before you left the stadium. Everything ok?" He asks.
I had a look on my face? Why was he looking at my face?
"Yeah, I just.." I shrug, "needed some air."
"Seems like something is on your mind?"
I chuckle softly. "Nah."
He produces a joint and lighter from his pocket and blazes up. Taking a pull, he hisses the smoke through his teeth for penetration and exhales it as I study him in silence.
"You smoke?" He looks over at me. Could he tell that I've had a sudden change in mood?
"I do now." I breathe.
He passes it to me and watches me silently as I take a pull at it. The results isn't as anticipated as I find myself coughing accompanied by a slight burn to my chest. Tariq chuckles, clearly finding my embarrassment as a joke. He probably knew that I'd fail at the first attempt, but allowed me to humiliate myself anyway.
"What the fuck, yo?" He grins.
"I did what you did." I muter dryly.
"You did what you thought you saw me did." He corrects, "its not food. It goes to the brain, not the stomach, okay?" He tells me and I raise my brows for him to proceed. "You take a pull, release some of the smoke 'cause you don't want to take it all in, this shit can fuck your chest up. Now the remaining smoke, you take that all in." He hisses through his teeth as an example, "you then release when you feel like its all sucked in, otherwise it can make you cough if you release too soon. Its not a inhale exhale thing, you can't feel the effect that way." He takes the blunt from my fingers to demonstrate and the practical is much simpler than the theory.
"Now you try." He says handing the blunt to me and I do just so. I take a pull, release some of the smoke, take the remaining smoke all in with a hiss and when it feels like its all sucked in, I breathe out. Very little smoke comes back out and it looks a lot less thick, as if its been filtered. I smile realizing that I didn't cough.
"Nice." He nods with a half smile that gradually turns into a small chuckle.
"You're a smoker?" I ask.
"Nah, only when I need to. It helps me relax, you know?" He tells me and I nod.
"Word."
"I have two more in my car." He takes a glance over at me again as if waiting for my confirmation.
I pause for a second. "Go get 'em."
He pushes off the seat to go and get the joints from his car as I lower my head back, resting it on the eat. I allow the unusual soothing and relaxing feeling to take its course.
I rest my feet up on the back of the driver's seat until he returns. He places the neatly made weed between my lips and lights it up for me with one hand, cupping his other hand around it for the flame to stay still. We smoke those off then sit there for a while, allowing the weed to do what earth made it to do.
"You know, Curly.. we all have a few issues here and there. It's so crazy at times being a teenager and shit. We go through all these bullshit phases, it's.. overwhelming at times. But no matter what, we gotta keep moving, you know. This time in our lives, we learn the most lessons there is. But we just have to embrace them and accept change." He says in a lazy tone which I find even more sexier than him speaking normally.
What?
Slowly, I glance at him as his words try to process in my brain. He looks at me too with his lazy, dark brown eyes, our heads rested back on the seat, both in deep thought.
"Embrace them and accept change." I repeat.
"Yeah. You gotta be strong." He turns his head again, now facing outside, offering me the best sideview of his perfectly long, curled eyelashes.
I stay silent, silently thankful for his company, the marijuana and kind words which lifted my spirit a bit.
"You're stronger than you think, Jada."
"How do you know that?"
"You're brave, courageous, you speak anything that comes to that smart mouth without apology, you're not scared to be alone.. and under all of that, you still manage to make someone else happy." He smiles revealing his braces some more, the cutest smile ever, being somehow complimented by his braces. "Mariyah, have you seen her lately? Ever since you sided with her she's been a new person. It takes real strength to do that for someone else."
A warm feeling seeps through my inner being. I've never really thought of it that way. I can do all of this for someone but no one to do that for me. Now that I know that the closest people to me, all they do is lie and betray me, I have no one else to go to now and I don't trust anyone.
No one to trust.
I know that my sister doesn't know about the adoption and I won't burden her with that, being that she has her transplant to deal with.
"I do all this for everyone.. but who'd do it for me? I have no one." I say with a smile, a hurtful smile.
Why did I just say that out loud?
"Why do you think you have no one?" He asks.
"Never mind."
"That's the thing, Curly. You refuse to be helped. You refuse to let anyone be there because you think you have the world under control. But really, you don't. No matter how strong we are, we just need a helping hand sometimes. Sometimes we just need someone to talk to."
"You wanna do something.. crazy?" I ask, changing the subject and for some reason I feel terrible for doing that.
He looks at me and raises one eyebrow. "Like?"
"I want to get a tattoo." I reply with a grin as I suck in my lower lip with my teeth.
"What?" He chuckles.
"Right now!" I beam.
***
Yes, I really like Tariq and Jada is crazy. Lol.
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