Born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, I've always been a small-town girl with "big dreams" the saying 'skies the limit' is really what I live by.
I just graduated from the University of Akron with my degrees in Business Administration. And, I double majored in psychology. Here I am now, heading to MIA with big dreams and determination. I'm going to open my own business, I've saved up since I was 13 for a storefront, working odd jobs, babysitting. This was my dream and I knew what I wanted.
My parents are what you'd consider "Hippies" I don't like that word because the connotation that comes with it can be negative, but I Alina Burrows. Am determined to change how people view "Hippies" which is why I'm going to name my business "Bodacious Hippies"
I've been flying back and forth between Miami, and Ohio for the past year and a half now. Luckily my professors were very open to me traveling. Since I was a business major opening my own business a lot of my "homework" was to check in with them.
I've saved a mass amount of money and lost out on a lot of things some teens, and people my age would consider your golden experiences. But I know what I want. I graduated from high school and a year early. So I finished college at 20. I'm a homeowner in Miami, and my business is going to open very soon. And I can't wait to see what this city holds for me.
"Hey, Tia... What's up?" I ask answering my phone groggily.
"I just wanted to check on my sister, I won't see you every day anymore. You're moving so far."
"Tia...it's only a 17-hour drive"
"Don't try and be funny Alina, I'm serious. I'm going to miss you."
Tia is my little sister...well not so little anymore, she's in her junior year of high school, she and I have always been thick as thieves, her and I against our parents.
"T, you know you can come visit any time. You have a room at my house. I miss and love you, but I have to pay attention to the road, I'm almost to my house. I'll call later"
I end the call with Tia and soon arrive at my not so new house. My grandma used to live in my now new home I'm moving into before she passed. We'd always spend summers with her, while my parents were back in Ohio, she left the house to us, and my parents wanted me to have it, I was honored and I'm so happy to have something so sacred.
"This is home now."
Whenever I would come to Miami I'd set and decorate small things around here and there in the house, I thrifted most of my furniture excluding my bed, everything was pretty much set for me, commuting between Ohio and here was a lifesaver, everything was homey before it was officially home.
I'd been driving all day and I'm so exhausted, so I just going to sleep, tomorrow I have to meet with the contractor for my business.
"WINNING POINT BOY!! LET'S GOOO" My teammate Kendrick Nunn says to me while smashing his hand into mine
"Yeah, I didn't know if it was gonna go in...but you know I got that splahhh."
I say faking a dribble and circling around the back of him. He pushes my back in return causing us to both laugh.
"Nah but for real, that was good. I'm proud of you bro. We celebratin' this weekend, and I'm not taking no for an answer."
"I'm only 20, I can't get into no club."
"Who said anything about clubbing? my girl will chew me up and spit my black ass out, we just chillin with the boys."
"Oh coo, I'm down then."
I head to the showers, then get dressed in sweats to head home. Sore, tired, but grateful. My first NBA game and I score the winning point. A Milwaukee boy. Nothing beats that. I finally get back to my Penthouse. I take my ass right to sleep, as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.
"Uhh you can put those over there, and please be careful, every single one of those is expensive as hell," I say directing the movers
"Hey Alina, girl! have you been to sleep?" Melody asks with concern.
Melody is my close childhood friend, she was who Tia and I would play with when we spent summers in MIA, she's basically my sister at this point. my family is her family, and vice versa. We call each other cousin.
"I'm fine, who has time for sleep when you've got a business to start up?" I say with a smile.
"Every time I see you you're doing some kind of work, school work...yard work...store work now. I'm surprised you not workin a dic-"
"Don't even finish that sentence Mel." I say with an interjection
She rolls her eyes
"Anywayssss Congrats by the way, if anyone deserves this it's you. I'm so proud of you."
"Aww thanks, Mel, I love you. but I'm going to be here for the rest of the night. Then I need to go grocery shopping. Speaking of, are there any farmers markets, any locally grown produce markets?"
"Girl here you go with that vegan shit, but yeah we have a few of those hoes. You need to just take ya ass to Walmart like the rest of us."
"Why would I give my hard-earned dollars to a billion-dollar corporation that hates their employees?" I say shrugging.
"Girl...
"Yeah here I go...but only until I get a house big enough to grow my own food, then I'll be fully sustainable."
"Yeah, whatever. Anyways the real reason I came by is to take you out tomorrow. And before you protest, you haven't been out officially as a single girl, and there is no scene like the MIA club scene, especially on a Saturday night."
I observe Melody skeptically, I mean I haven't ever really been out, but I wasn't too sure. Clubbing? at my big age?...of 20?
"I'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow, be ready to bitch. And don't be doing none of that "the vibes are just too unbalanced for me" bs, and put on a hot dress too."
"Okay get out now, you're reading into me too much for my liking," I say with a smile.
Mel was always the joker out of all of us, but she never really fully understood my mindset. don't get me wrong she's not one to judge, but she also didn't attempt to understand. I was hoping my business to help people, improve their way of life, keep them centered on the universe, the way I try to be all the time. She and I are the complete opposite.
"Okay, but just be ready, I love you."
It's been about 6 hours since Melody has left the shop. And it's time for me to do the same, especially if I want to stock my fridge before the market closes.
I leave the shop and enter the muggy Miami heat, it's about 7:30 pm and I forgot how hot it remains at night. I check my phone for the address that Melody sent me to the farmers market.
"She loves to play with me..."
I get into my car. And type the address into my GPS, even back in Ohio I need my GPS to get everywhere, I'm determined to learn my way around Florida.
I arrive at the farmers market which is extremely close to my house and I get all the groceries I need. They even had oat milk. I get back home and put all my stuff up. After I take a shower and settle into bed I call Tia.
"Hey sis, how was today?"
"Good actually. I made a lot of progress, and I should be able to open by the end of this month."
"A, that's great! I'm happy, and I can't wait to see the shop."
Tia and I talk for about 2 hours before I dose off to sleep. She and I used to always sleep in the bed together on the weekends. So not having anyone to fall asleep with was different.
A/N Okay yall so I've started a new story, this has been in my drafts for about a month now lol. But I had to formulate my ideas, This story is really modeled after myself, the main character strongly resembles me but she and I are different as well, lmao. She gone irritate y'all, she already irritating me, but also the Male MC is one of my crushes Tyler Herro, I'd like to think this is one way for manifesting lol, a girl can dream right? let me have this!! *hides face*,
Anyways its just a fanfic, but I hope yall enjoy it, I'm revising the first few chapters and then the rest will be out, I have to make sure they flow. When I first wrote this was when I first discovered him, I really liked his face and wanted to write him into a world lmao, anyways I hope yall enjoy it.