"KJ leave me alone," Xavion chuckled. "Ant get ha' ass out the ring," he said.
"Xavion! What if I gotta beat a bitch ass one day?" she replied, folding her arms over her chest. "You just gon let me get my ass whooped?"
"Javen, you can fight, you been fighting since—"
"Nigga that's not the point," she cut him off with a chuckle. "What if one of these niggas get buck wit' me?!" she threw her hands up.
"Then you call me, dummy," he said in a duh tone and she sucked her teeth hopping out the ring so he could continue practicing. His best friends, Javen and Tyler came to the gym to visit him today and we're going to hang out after, probably get some drinks because according to them all Xavi did was work and sleep.
He'd known Javen since they were kids. Her name is pronounced Heaven, and he used to call her Jay-ven just to get on her nerves every day in elementary school, and for some reason she didn't hate his guts, so they stayed friends.
He met Tyler in his senior year of high school, they bonded together over sports. They both participated in unconventional sports, as Xavion was a boxer, and Tyler used to swim competitively. This was his entire circle, albeit small, he preferred it that way.
He didn't really have the energy to deal with lots of friends, he barely had energy for the two he had now, so his two were enough.
After practice, since it was Saturday, Xavion was off and they headed to his apartment so he could shower and change. They knew his routine and didn't rush him, he was already tired.
"Y'all comin' to my baby birthday party?" he asked them as they sat in a restaurant, looking over the menus. Skylar's 3rd birthday and her party was this Saturday, February 20th. He was excited to give Sky her present, he'd been saving for it and knew she would like it.
"Of course!" Javen said, replying to a text on her phone. "I think Rae wants me to help setup so I'll be over there,"
"Yeah, Ima pull up for babygirl. Me and Erica goin' to get her a gift tomorrow," Tyler nodded. Xavion was glad his friends were close with his family, they basically were family at this point, his mom loved them and so did his sisters.
As the evening progressed, the friends filled one another in on their lives at the moment. They talked during the week but they saved any news for in person meetups like these.
"So I went on a date," Javen cheesed.
"With who?" Ty and Xavi both asked.
"This guy, I met him at the shop," Javen was a tattoo artist, a great one at that. "I was a lil apprehensive or whatever because my customers usually be creepy and shit, but he was really sweet. It was decent as hell, too, he took me to see a drive in movie and shit, we got some food and he sparked!" she explained.
"As long as he ain't a weirdo," Xavi shrugged. He watched over Javen like she was his sister, because they grew up together. Lots of people assumed that they were together, especially in high school, but they were both very quick about shutting rumors down—so it wouldn't effect their teenage love lives.
"I would have pepper sprayed his black ass if he was," she curled her lip up. "I don't got time for these childish ass weirdo niggas. We 20 something," she rolled her eyes. Javen was also single because she was very strict and serious about who she shared her energy with, she hated wasting her time on anyone.
"We know, crazy ass," Tyler chuckled. He, on the other hand was in a...situationship with a girl named Erica. Javen and Xavion didn't ask him any questions, they treated her kindly when she came around but when he brought somebody else around, or they saw Erica with somebody else, they simply minded their business.
Xavion believed it was because he never really got over his ex, but if he said that to Ty, he was liable to get yelled at, then he would have to fight him.
As kind and gentle as Xavion was, he had a bad temper problem as a kid. He was picked at for being quiet often, he was picked at for being darker skinned, and as he got older people would tease his sister for the same thing as well as her weight or the way she talked as a hard of hearing person. He found himself defending his sisters as well as himself physically.
Instead of just allowing him to continue to get angry and fight, Selena called her old friend Anthony—who she knew ran a gym near them and put him in the junior boxing classes. Anthony instilled lots of discipline into Xavi and taught him that hurting people who hurt him was not a good solution to his problems.
Naturally, it took two or three more fights for him to understand that.
But he was much better now and rarely ever had issues with his temper, unless he was yelled at. He despised being yelled at, and he hated when his sisters were messed with. Either of those things were liable to set him off, but luckily they never happened.
"Dymond why didn't you ask daddy to take you?" Desireé signed to Dymond as they both sat in the DMV with her. She needed to take her driver's test today, and while they didn't mind going, their dad was at home, and both siblings lived out of the way.
"I did!" she signed back. She hated talking in public, so her brother and sister accommodated her. Sometimes she removed her cochlear so she wouldn't be bombarded with noise. "He said he had a meeting later," she shrugged. "Plus he makes me nervous I can't drive right with him,"
Their father was an attorney, always had been. They were used to him not really being present at home unless it was an important event in their lives. He wasn't a bad father, he provided, but he was always a tad overbearing and pushy.
"You'll be fine," Xavion signed, giving her a thumbs up. "We'll get ice cream after,"
"What if I fail?" she pouted
"We'll get ice cream to make you feel better," Desireé replied and Xavion nodded in agreement.
"Mycah! You ready?" Emari called up the steps. Today, all five Fletcher kids were attempting to go ice skating. "Ima leave you right here!"
"I'm coming, Moo!" Mycah whined and she heard her running towards the steps. "You know I can't leave home wit' my hair wet, I will freeze and die," she said dramatically.
"Whatever, Munchie, let's go. You look pretty," she chuckled. Her younger sister was so beautiful, her skin just glowed always.
She never neglected to tell her sister she was gorgeous. She and her siblings all varied in skin tone since their parents were two different shades. Emari and Jaida were the darkest, inheriting their father's deep brown skin.
"Thank you Blaire bear," she grinned, reaching to grab her hand. Emari shook her head at how affectionate her little sister was, she wasn't sure where Mycah got it from, their older brothers were aggressive and wrestled with her as kids and their big sister's idea of affection was sharing a blanket while watching a movie.
On their way to Millennium Park, where their parents took them every winter, Mycah filled Emari in on all her high school drama. Emari loved to hear it, it seemed like the stories only got juicer as she became farther removed from high school. Teenagers had a lot going on.
"And I told her, the nigga is a dub. She don't listen to me! But you know, that's fine. But then, shorty call herself getting mad at me when said dub slid in my dm's on IG and twitter!" she explained.
"Ew, thirsty fa' what? He know his shorty your friend?" she curled her lip up.
"He do! I showed ha' and she catch a lil attitude. I said aht! I told you, don't be nasty wit' me, and she like to get real buck over niggas I told her lil ass she better not try it wit' me,"
"Oh yeah, hell no. Me and Jai gon pop up at that lil school she keep on," Emari said.
"Not even worth it," she rolled her eyes. "That's why you can't be friends wit' everybody! The people in my school on some other stuff," she waved her hand dismissively.
"I been telling you that since you was 10," Emari laughed as they found a space.
The girls got out and walked together to find the spot they usually met at, hearing Zion's loud mouth a few feet away.
"And I told mama yesterday when I went over—oh wassup y'all?" he spoke when he noticed them walking up.
"Hi Buddha," Mycah waved. "Y'all got our skates already?" she wondered, sitting down next to Tariq and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Hi Riq," she grinned up at him.
"Hey babygirl," he chuckled. Clearly, nobody else knew where she adopted this affectionate nature either. "You good, Moo?" he asked Mari and she only nodded.
As the oldest, Tariq definitely took the role of second father. At 33, he wasn't at all old, but many people saw him with his siblings and thought he was their father, which was confusing because his sister Jaida was only three years younger than him at 30, he thought his beard aged him, but he wouldn't cut it.
Jaida, the second oldest, was about her business in every way. If there was a strict one of the five, Jai was it. She was valedictorian of her high school class, and graduated Summa Cum Laude—a year early from college. She was responsible with everything, money, her time, her sleep schedule. Her siblings always used to call her granny because she went to sleep at 9:30 on weekdays. As an adult, it had only moved back 30 more minutes.
Zion, the third in line was what could only be described as the wild child. He was reckless and always found himself doing things he had no business doing. He was the ever so popular captain of the basketball team, and could blink in a girl's direction and have her falling in love. He hadn't really changed much, still quite reckless, but now he had responsibilities—and bills.
"I missed y'all!" Mycah said as her brother made sure her skates were secured.
"You saw us like three days ago, Munch," Jaida chuckled, sipping from her spiked hot chocolate.
"And? I can't miss you, Jaida Devyn?" she perched her hand on her hip, and Tariq only laughed at his little sister's silliness.
"Yes you can miss me, Mycah Aiyanna," she sassed back, sounding exactly like her daughter.
Emari stood around as they all talked, just happy to be with them. She was never one to talk in big groups, she developed a more quiet disposition as a child, she felt like whether it be at home or at home, her voice seemed to get lost in the noise.
She didn't mind being quiet, it allowed her to observe, and take in her surroundings completely.
"Emari," Tariq cut through her thoughts and her eyes shifted to him. "You gon skate wit' me?" he wondered and she nodded with a big smile. She'd never admit it to them out loud, but Tariq was her favorite...most days.
He was the first to notice Mari's depression as a teenager. He didn't really know how to help all the way from the university he was studying at, but he did his best to check up on her, and call her when he could. He abided by her wishes of not telling a soul, he kept it between them. Sometimes he wished he hadn't, but he knew she trusted him—and didn't want to betray that.
"How you been, Mar?" he asked as she held his arm while they skated around slowly, still getting their bearings.
"Good! Been working a lot, keeping myself busy," she nodded.
"You been sleeping?" he raised his eyebrows. Something all his siblings had in common was the dedication to their work. Whether that be baking for Emari, poetry and writing for Mycah—or his younger siblings careers, they forewent sleep to get things right.
They got it from their father.
"Yes," she giggled. "All I do is sleep on the weekends now. Even after work unless your son is harassing me," she joked.
"That boy is hell," he shook his head. "He give me and his mama headaches every day with his hyper ass,"
"Sounds like payback for the headaches y'all gave me and mama,"she shrugged and he just sucked his teeth, making her laugh.
Saturday rolled around, and even on the weekend, she was working.
Today, she had a birthday party to deliver a Moana themed cake, cake pops, cupcakes and cookies to. The mom she was contracted under wanted her to deliver everything about an hour before her daughter's party, so she was finishing up the icing on the cupcakes now.
"You headin' out?" her dad asked, popping his head into the kitchen.
"Yes sir," she nodded. "I made y'all cupcakes, they're in the fridge. There's 8 of them," she smiled his way as she snapped the lid on her carrier for the cupcakes, pops and snapped the one for the cookies on top. "Can you help me with the cake?" she cheesed, and Kenneth—her dad nodded with a chuckle.
She tied her hair up in a bun before grabbing the container, leading her dad outside, to her car. After she set the smaller container in the front, she helped him situate the cake in the back. Since it was tiered instead of a sheet cake, she knew she had to drive extra carefully.
Emari thanked her father, before hopping in her car and shuffling her playlist and plugging the address to the party venue in her GPS and heading off to her favorite part of the job—besides the baking of course.
The drive was no more than twenty minutes and she made good time despite her very safe driving. She grabbed the cookies first just to head to the door of the venue since they were the lightest to carry.
"Oh hey!" the mom—Desireé said upon opening the door. "Thank you so much for coming early,"
"No problem at all," Emari smiled warmly. "Where should I set these down? I have some more things to grab," she gestured toward her car.
"Oh of course! Actually lemme—excuse me. Hey! Come help the caterer with the cake!" she yelled, and Mari chuckled. "My brother's coming," she smiled.
"You always makin' me do something when I'm already doin' something, Desireé," she heard a familiar voice approach. She couldn't really place it, but it was someone she'd spoken to before. Maybe a patient's father.
Once he came in her line of sight though, she instantly was reminded. He had on different clothes now, of course, but the face was unmistakable.
"O-oh hi," she said, mad at herself for stuttering. She felt a hot blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.
"Wassup?" he smiled at her, and she found herself doing the same.
Desireé looked between them with her eyebrows raised, slightly confused.
"You can follow me," she said softly, and turned on her heel back to her car. He nodded his head and followed behind her quietly, not really knowing what to say to her. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what.
When he saw her for the first time he found her incredibly gorgeous, almost unbelievably so. He knew some pretty girls but for some reason she stuck out to him. He thought about her a few times throughout the rest of that week, slightly kicking himself for not getting her number.
His nerves tended to get the best of him. In the ring and outside of it, Xavion was truly two different people.
"Okay, I can grab that," Emari interrupted his thoughts, bending to get the other container. "If you can just—theres handles on the cake box, so you can lift it. Yup, like that, thank you," she smiled over at him.
"Yeah no problem," he nodded and they made their way back inside. "You need some help setting everything up?" he asked her when they got to the dessert table.
"Umm, I think I got it, thank you for your help—again," she chuckled and he smirked, nodding before going back to see if his sister needed anything.
Emari had thought about him again too. She didn't know why, other than the fact that he was absolutely gorgeous. She knew nothing about him besides that. Did she want to? It was very possible.
As she was back and forth to her car, Xavion couldn't stop looking at her. Every time she came back in, his eyes were on her. Dymond and Desireé were extremely intrigued by it.
"Does he know her?" Dymond signed to her sister.
"I have no idea, but he's staring like he does," Desireé smirked and Dy laughed. "He should go talk to her! She's beautiful,"
"She is! But you know he gets nervous," Dymond pouted.
"Yeah but she seemed pretty into him. I know I'm being nosy but it was right in my face I couldn't help myself ," she chuckled.
They exchanged a glance and played a quick game of rock, paper, scissors that ended in Dymond going to talk to him.
"Xavi!" Dymond said, bumping her brother on purpose. "I seen you staring at her, you should go say hi!" she cheesed.
"Dymond—first of all no I wasn't. Secondly even if I was, she's working," he shrugged.
"Xavion," she straight faced him. "Go! Who knows if you'll ever see her again! What if she was like your soulmate or something?"
"You're very dramatic," he shook his head. "I-I'on know man, she's just really pretty, she not worried about—"
"Aht! No self doubt before I call KJ to yell at you," she pointed a very non threatening finger at him and he just laughed. "Take a chance, Xavi, you never know what could happen," she patted his back and left him standing where he was.
He watched her set up the last few things, and he knew she'd be leaving soon, and like Dymond said, he had no idea if he'd ever see her again. So, after thirty seconds of pumping himself up, he walked back over to her.
"Hey," he called her attention, seeing as he didn't know her name.
"Hey," she turned around smiling. "What's up?" her head tilted slightly.
"I um, I realized I never got your name," he scratched the back of his neck, trying to rid himself of the nerves.
"Oh! I'm Emari," she said. "What's yours?"
"Xavion," he nodded. "Nice to officially meet you, Emari," he said.
"Nice to meet you too, officially. Thank you again for the other day, too," she spoke, messing with the box in her hand.
"Oh yeah, no problem. You did all this by yourself?" he wondered, seeing all the intricate designs and the details on the cupcakes and the cake itself.
"Yeah! Desireé told me Skylar loves Moana, so I watched the movie ten times to you know—get the spirit of the princess in the cake," she joked and he chuckled and he grinned widely.
"That's decent as hell," he nodded. "You real talented,"
"Thank you," she smiled.
For a second, he wanted to end the conversation right there. He wanted to walk away and complain that he should have gotten her number later. But he could feel the regret eating at him already.
"So," they said at the same time. "Oh, what were you saying?" she spoke, adjusting the bun on top of her head.
"Oh, I wasn't sayin' much I just—I was wondering you know, if I could get your number, I think you you beautiful, you know and I'd like to get to know you—if that's okay with you of course," he rambled.
Emari's smile grew the longer he talked to her. She found his rambling very cute because she was just as nervous as he seemed to be.
"Yeah, yeah I'd like that, and thank you," she nodded, trying to straighten out her face. His face brightened up, like he didn't think she'd say yes. "I left my phone in the car, if you have yours I can—well here" she pulled a pen from her back pocket and snatched a napkin off of the table, scribbling her number on it.
She handed it to him and they shared another brief silence while he read it.
"Cool, Ima hit you later then?"
"Yeah! That's cool. Y'all enjoy the party, I hope she loves everything, and tell your sister thank you again for booking with me," she smiled warmly and waved at him, causing him to wave back.
As she walked to her car, she couldn't wipe the silly grin off of her face, not believing that a guy she thought was cute a month ago just asked her for her number. She immediately called her best friend, just to squeal and tell her she just had a movie moment in real life.
did i say slow? lol i meant whenever the inspiration hits me.
hello! welcome back. let's chat!
we met xavion's friendssss! how do y'all feel about Javen and Tyler?
we also learned a little more about xavi's dad 👀
emari's siblings were formally introduced lol who's y'all fav at the moment? mine is jaida 🙂.
also we learned that emari suffered from depression as a teen. any ideas what could have contributed?
MAIN EVENT! they saw each other again! and xav got the numberrrrr period! they're both so awkward i love these dorks omg 🥺
y'all think he gon text first 👀?
what was y'all favorite part of this chapter? lmk!
till next time 🥰