AUGUST.
"I swea' I ain' take it," Na'imah repeated for the fourth time as her aunt tore up the living room looking for her wedding ring her husband have her. Her aunt was convinced she had done something with it.
"Then whea' my shit at, Na'imah?!" she hollered, making her jump.
"I-I'on know Auntie, maybe you left in the yo car—" she barely could finish her sentence before she slammed her hand down on the table, making her jump.
"You'n think I looked in my fuckin' car, li' girl?" she sneered. Instinctively, Na'imah started to back up from her. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of her anger right now, she had class in an hour.
Tensions in her house were extremely high, as it was about a month away from the anniversary of her parents death, as well as her uncle's birthday, so Kat was extremely on edge and more sensitive than usual, resulting in more arguments, quick hits and lots of smart remarks.
"I-I gotta go ta' class Auntie, Ima be late if I'on leave," she said softly, still backing away from her.
"Get the fuck out my face, Na'imah," she replied. Na'imah didn't give it a second thought before turning on her heel and speeding towards the front door, snatching her school bag from the front and walking out.
She took a heavy breath and tried to rid herself of the emotions she was feeling but it was hard. It never easy, didn't matter how long her parents had been gone, she missed them every day, and even more so on September 1st. She was young when it happened but she'd never forget.
They were on their way to her uncle's birthday dinner. Her booster seat sat in the middle seat of their Toyota and she sang along to whatever song was on the radio happily.
"My baby has a beautiful voice huh?" Safiyyah spoke, glancing back at her 6 year old daughter.
"She get it from ha' daddy," Nasir smirked, making his wife laugh giddily, knowing he couldn't sing a lick. "I'on know why you laughin' Fi," he chuckled.
"Baby, can daddy sing?" she looked back at Na'imah again. Her eyes opened to look her mother in her eye and instantly smiled.
"Sometimes mama, when he in the showa' he sound real good," she nodded. "But you sing real good all the time mama," she pointed out, making Nasir smack his teeth while Safiyyah laughed.
"Princess, you was supposed ta' say yes,"
"Sorry daddy," she giggled.
"It's aight pretty girl," he chuckled. "But daddy cook real good right?" he smirked over at his wife and it was her turn to smack her lips.
"Yes! You make the best food, daddy," she nodded.
"Thank you li' mama," he smiled fondly at his daughter through the rearview, in awe that he and his wife made something so precious and beautiful. He grew more enamored by her everyday.
Safiyyah shared his sentiments, always finding herself getting lost in her daughter's brown eyes, thankful for her. She looked just like her daddy, at least to her, and she was gorgeous. Her spirit shined brighter than her beauty, and for that she was ever grateful. She knew no matter where life took Na'imah she would shine.
So, as the car sped through the intersection and into Safiyyah's side dead on, that's all she could seem to remember. Her last thoughts were of Na'imah while the car spun out of control. Nasir's arm flew back to hold his daughter steady while her screams of terror filled his ears and he looked over to see his wife barely hanging on, his heart began to break.
He knew. When they hit that tree he knew Na'imah would be alone, and his last thought was a prayer that she would be alright without him.
It seemed like it happened in slow motion. Thinking back, Na'imah didn't even remember where that car came from and why it was moving so fast. It seemingly came from nowhere, and before Na'imah knew it, their small Toyota crunched into a large and wide tree, smoke emitting from the hood.
She called for them so many times and until someone came and pulled them from that car she screamed, but they never answered.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, you have your assignment for this week and I shall see you all soon," her professor spoke. The cameras were handed out and she was excited to get started. Last week they were focusing on people, and this week was more so of a nature themed shoot, and she knew the perfect place to go to get some good shots.
After she collected her things and said goodbye to her professor, she was off to that park.
She hummed to herself as she walked, whatever song came to mind like she always did, completely lost in her own world with her bag hanging on her shoulders and the camera swinging around her neck.
This is all she really wanted to do, take pictures and eat. She could stay outside all day and all night with her camera and today—especially today, she would do just that. Sometimes she didn't care about the repercussions, she needed her peace as September came. She needed to protect all she had left as that day drew closer so she wouldn't spend it in her room crying. She wanted to celebrate them instead of mourning for once.
Brix was disturbed from his sleep, waking up to loud whines and whimpers and the occasional bark. His eyes cracked open and he was greeted with his dog, throwing a fit right in front of his eyes.
"Man, Gutta," he groaned, sitting up straight. "The hell you want man," he chuckled, patting his head and checking his phone. "Fuck, I gotta take yo ass out," he scrambled to his feet looking for Gutta's leash and harness.
It was weird adjusting to taking care of someone other than himself. He got absolutely no sleep last night and had to take a pill and a half just to doze off around 11 that morning, and it was now 2 in the afternoon, which is when he and Gutta usually went on a walk.
He felt like he had a child.
"My bad boy," he sighed, petting his belly after getting his harness on. "You know I ain' get no sleep," he said while Gutta stared up at him curiously.
He clipped on his leash and slipped into some shoes, grabbing his gun off the table in front of his television and sticking it into his grey nike shorts. He made sure to lock his house up before he and Gutta started their normal route.
Brix let Gutta walk where he wanted to take care of his business, while he read some texts from his men and from Slim. Sev texted him as well, just to say hi.
"Li' aggravatin' ass girl," he chuckled, seeing the tiktok she sent, claiming it was him. The texts from Slim were a little more serious. They finally got eyes on the man that stole from Brix, and he was ready to have him come up off his life, but it wasn't that easy anymore.
He immediately thought of Coco when he saw the text. The sole reason she sat in prison today was due to the man in this text. Her ex boyfriend, Demarcus.
He was one of them, two years ago. They called him Hitta, and for good reason. He fought like a pro, he used his hands to solve any and all problems, he didn't need a gun. He and Kilo were close friends at first, they always flirted and played around but he was the first to make a move.
She loved him and everyone thought he loved her too. Until they got set up.
They were running a regular drop, and Hitta was there like usual. This was well before Brix had the power and connections be had now. He had felt off the entire day and he still wished he'd acted on it.
As they were getting ready to leave the drop, they heard sirens. Which wasn't abnormal, sirens in New Orleans were common, but they didn't move past. They stopped at their exact location so they did the only thing they could think of and they ran like hell.
Nino and Slim were waiting for the four of them in the car, and they almost made it. The cops immediately started sending shots through the abandoned home, managing to miss everyone except Kilo. And they only got her because Demarcus pulled her down.
As they found out later, Demarcus was working for someone bigger out of Lafayette, and had been plotting on their downfall since they first met him. The plan for him was to sabotage the drop so they all charged with possession, and arrested. He had a clean getaway planned but the police were late showing up and then drop was done.
He knew he only had a chance to take out one person, and it was the girl who trusted him most. She stayed behind to make sure he caught up even when the bullets went flying. She reached her hand out to him, and he smiled sinisterly, grabbing her arm and pulled her to the ground.
Brix would never ever forget hearing her scream when that bullet ripped through her shoulder. How she was crying and alone, as she implored them to go, to leave her behind and how he nearly compromised himself, wanting so badly to go get her.
Her scream haunted him at night.
So the fact that he was back, made his blood boil, and he wanted him dead. But he promised Kilo he'd let her get her revenge. He swore on his grandmother's grave and now was when he was starting to regret it.
Brushing the negative thoughts from his mind, he and Gutta rounded a corner to the park they frequented so they could play fetch or something to get his energy all the way worn down.
Before he could find a stick, he saw a familiar face, laying in the grass with a camera. Even though she wasn't smiling, she looked happy for once. Over the weeks he had kept his word and kept an eye on Na'imah.
He could clearly tell something was going on with her, but she didn't trust him enough to tell him what. When he saw her, he saw innocence, and he saw that someone was tainting that innocence, and taking advantage of it. The thought of it made him angry and it made him want to help, so he tried.
"Na'imah!" he called out to her and she jumped, looking in his direction and then down at his dog, eyes going wide. He started walking toward her and she scrambled to her feet, backing up, confusing him, until it clicked that she was staring at Gutta.
"He not gon hurt you, love, he jus' a li' baby," he chuckled, picking Gutta up off the ground so she'd calm down. "You wanna say hi?"
"I-I'm scared of big dogs," she piped up in her soft voice, and he chuckled with a nod.
"He a real softy, Na'imah. He don't bite, he just wanna say hi, just pet his head a li' bit," he coaxed her, and she looked between him and Gutta a few times. Gutta panted, tongue out, staring at Na'imah.
She carefully took a step towards them and when Gutta wriggled around in the excitement of meeting a new person she jumped back again. He was starting to gain size at 13 weeks but he wasn't really that big yet.
"It's aight, I'm not gon' let him do nun' ta' you, love," he said to her again, and she nodded slightly, stepping towards them again, reaching out her hand to Gutta's head. "Yup, thea' you go. He not scary, right?" he asked, looking down at her while Gutta sniffed and eventually licked her hand.
"N-no he not," she smiled slightly, petting him now.
"I tol' you, li' scary ass," he teased, making her smile genuinely, which he had yet to see from her. "Whatchu doin' out hea' by yo'self?" he wondered, setting Gutta back down.
"I'm um—I'm doin my photography assignment fa' school," she held her camera up.
"You in school too? You do every damn thing," he chuckled.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Could I—may I take pictures of yo' puppy?" she asked, watching him chew on his leash.
"Das fine," he nodded. "You gon let me see?"
"Sure," she nodded.
After she got back set up, she told him to just play with Gutta, which he was planning to do anyway. She snapped photos of them while they played fetch—well Gutta was still learning—and the atmosphere around them, kids running around, the snowball stand in the park, she was capturing the nature and what was native to her city.
"These look hella good," Brix stared at the small screen on the cameraas Na'imah flipped through them.
"Thank you," she said proudly. "Once I edit them, I can get them to you, if you want," she said.
"I'd like dat," he nodded. "You finna go home afta' dis?" he wondered.
"Mhm, I got stuff ta' do," she nodded. "Thanks fa' lettin' me take em though," she said, standing. Gutta's eyes followed her, as he lay on the grass exhausted.
"Lemme walk you," he stood with her.
"N-no it's okay really—I'a be fine, my auntie don't like me round boys and stuff," she informed him, making him furrow his eyebrows. She looked grown enough to him.
"I'a just walk you to ya' street, love. I'on wantchu out hea' alone in the dark and shit," he offered again. "We could get snowballs," he smirked and she smiled a bit.
"Okay. But just to my street," she stressed and he nodded. He managed to get Gutta up and they ventured to the snowball stand, and got two—a tiger's blood and nectar cream. And with that they began walking.
Just like when they were usually together, little to no words were exchanged and they observed each other. Na'imah watched as people greeted Brix on the street and suddenly she remembered who he was. He wasn't as scary as she thought he'd be.
Once they reached her block, he didn't want to leave her, but he knew to respect her wishes. "Thank you fa' walkin' me. I appreciate it," she tugged the sleeves at her jean jacket again, showing him she was nervous.
"You good, love. I'on want nothin' bad happenin' to ya. I'a see you around aight?" he spoke.
"Yeah," she nodded. "See you. Be safe Bri-"
"You could call me Yasir," he spoke. Something in him just wanted to hear his real name leave her lips. Her calling him Brix felt wrong.
"O-okay. Be safe, Yasir," she said, and it sounded better than he thought.
"I will," he nodded. "Goodnight, Na'imah,"
"Goodnight," she waved, turning to walk to her house and he watched her give him one last glance before making it inside.
hi im back :)
i hope we all enjoyed this chapter!
we finally got some backstory! so let's get into itttt.
how do we feel about na'imah's parents? yall think y'all have an idea of why her aunt is the way she is?
how about why kilo went to jail and her ex resurfacing? yall think yasir can keep his promise to her?
also they ran into each other agaiiinnn lol. lemme know how we felt about that and how yasir is feeling toward na'imah.
of course any other thoughts are always welcome 😌
till next time 💜