Ameerah
"Good now tell us what's been going on witchu." Odell said.
oh shit...
"What you mean?" I asked playing dumb.
I know I slipped up and said something I shouldn't have when I yelled at them last week.
"When you yelled at us you said we don't even know half the shit you've been through since we've been gone." Odell said quoting me.
"That shit been eating at us since you said it. We wanna know wassup." He said.
It's now or never..
"Alright. Last week before y'all left for the fight I lied." I said.
"About?" He asked.
"The nigga that I was talking to in the yard was my ex.." I said.
"Who? That Tyrell nigga?" Odell asked.
"Yes him.." I said.
"Hell he doing down here?" Odell asked.
"Who the hell is Tyrell? He sound like a bitch." Duke said.
"He's my ex. I dated him in high school and we broke up before my senior year.." I said.
"Why y'all break up?" Lucas asked.
I gave him a look because I still had an attitude towards him.
"Can we talk about this somewhere private like I don't know your apartment?" I asked being sarcastic.
"Yeah. Let's go." Odell said.
———
We made it back to the apartment and they all surrounded me in the living room.
"So why'd y'all break up?" Duke asked.
I guess now is better than any other time to tell them the truth. The whole truth.
"Okay before I finish telling you what happened this weekend, I have something to tell you three." I said pointing to Luke, Ryan, and Duke.
"It's real personal and Odell already knows. I don't want y'all judging me because it's in the past." I said.
"We listening bae." Duke said.
I smirked at him a little bit.
"Aight some shit happened to me in high school that made me become depressed. I confided in my boyfriend at the time, Tyrell, and he pushed me to drugs. He was a drug dealer at the time so he had an unlimited supply of whatever." I said.
"He told me it would help with my emotions and I would feel better. At the time I thought he was right until I overdosed on accident one day..." I said.
"I was home alone when it happened but my mom conveniently just happened to get off work early that day. She took me to the hospital and that's when they told her I overdosed. I thought I was gonna die." I said.
"I overdosed right before the start of senior year and they recommended that I go into a rehab center. That's why I never talk about my senior year because I never had one. Odell knew he just promised not to tell anybody." I said.
"Aight so besides him being a pussy nigga what he gotta do with what's going on right now?" Lucas asked.
"That nigga bothering you again?" Odell asked.
"Again?" Ryan asked.
I shook my head yes.
"When was the first time he bothered you?" Duke asked standing up.
They were all engaged in the conversation now.
"After I got sent to rehab they kept telling me that he was coming up there trying to visit me and contact me but my mom wouldn't let him. Eventually he stopped." I said.
"And now what is he doing?" Ryan asked.
"When I walked home from the party two weeks ago is when I saw him again for the first time.." I said.
"At first I didn't know who he was but he seen me before I seen him. It was dark and he was calling me baby and shit." I said.
"Naw you my lil baby. Hell wrong wit this man?" Duke said.
I laughed a little bit but I was scared to tell them what happened next.
"And then he..." I stopped myself from speaking. It's like the words couldn't come out my mouth.
"And then he what?" Odell asked raising his eyebrow.
"He put his hands on me." I said in one breath.
"Holon.. Ion think I heard you right. Let me sit up so you can say that again." Odell said.
"Put his hands on you how?" Ryan asked.
"He... slapped me." I said squinting my eyes closed.
"Nah he ain't do no shit like that. You playing right." Duke said hitting my arm.
I didn't say anything.
"You deadass?" Duke asked.
I shook my head yes.
"Aight y'all ready to roll on this nigga?" Duke said standing up.
The rest of them stood up with him. They don't even know where this nigga at how they gone roll on his ass.
"Wait." I said.
"Nah we been waiting long enough. The fuck you wait so long to tell us for?" Lucas asked aggressive as hell.
"Let's not forget that none of you niggas was talking to me for a week. I was on my own. So kiss my ass." I said.
"That's our bad but you see why ion want you walking home by yoself? This bullshit happens and you wasn't even gonna tell us." Lucas said.
"You right. I wasn't." I said.
"Nigga why?" He asked me.
"Because I don't need y'all worrying about me and I don't need my momma tryna pull me out of school either. One wrong move and i'm gone. Did y'all forget?" I asked.
"This my last chance to prove to her I can do this shit on my own without relapsing." I said.
"Well you ain't relapsing.. we ain't letting that shit happen." Lucas said.
"And you ain't going back to that apartment. We don't know what the fuck they be doing over there when you gone." Odell said.
"So you might as well get ready to go get the rest of yo shit." Odell said.
"Where i'm sleeping at?" I asked.
"With me duh." Duke said.
"Shutup Duke." I said laughing.
"We can share a bed. That don't bother you right?" Odell asked.
"Nah i'm straight." I said.
"And when i'm not here you can sleep in mine." Ryan said.
"Awww you guys are so sweet. Come give me a hug." I said extending my arms out.
I stood on the couch while they gathered around to hug me. They made me feel so loved. I'm so lucky to have them in my life.
———
A few days later
I was sitting in the living room doing homework for my cultural diversity class. My professor doesn't teach anything. He just assign work without explanation. I'm paying for a bunch of bullshit.
Everyone was out the house except for me and Lucas. I haven't said much to him after the conversation we had about my ex and me being an ex addict.
"Wassup." He said.
I nodded my head acknowledging him.
"Whatchu working on?" He asked.
"Homework." I said.
"Oh ight." He said.
There was an awkward silence in the room for a couple of minutes.
"You still not fuckin wit a nigga huh?" He asked.
I closed my laptop because this was a conversation that needed to be had.
"I just feel like... as a big brother you shouldn't have treated me the way you did. I get why you was upset and you had a right to be because at the end of the day something happened to me. BUT that doesn't give you the right to ignore and neglect me for a week." I said.
"I felt left out and sad that no one invited me to Ryan's fight. I like watching MMA fighters and you know that." I said.
"I know and that's why I apologized the first time and I'll apologize again since you feeling some type of way." He said.
"I'm sorry I neglected you that wasn't my intent. I just wanted to get my point across without hurting your feelings. Sometimes I say shit I don't mean when I'm mad." He said.
"Aight. I guess I forgive you." I said.
"So we cool?" He asked.
"Yeah we cool." I said.
"Come give me a hug then." He said.
I moved my stuff to the side and gave him a hug.
"You wanna go get your nails done?" He asked while hugging me.
I pushed him back and said "Do I???"
He laughed and said "I'll take that as a yes."
"Can I get my hair done too?" I asked with puppy dog eyes.
"Aight hair too. Set up the appointments and shit and ima pay for it." He said.
I was too hype! I'm boutta look like a bad bitch fr.
———