"I'LL SEE YOU MONDAY, MOMMA," The brown-skinned girl said while grabbing her designer duffle bag to put over her shoulder.
"Okay, baby. Text me when you make it." Her mother walked with her to the door. "I will. Love you." Corinne smiles as her mom gives her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Love you more, princess."
When Corinne finally gets into her car and puts her father's address into her GPS. It had been a while and even though she knew how to get there, she needed the best route.
The city changed as she went from the Gold Coast to West Side. It went from the luxury department stores and five-star restaurants to the shops on Madison and Springfield and Baba's Famous Steak and Lemonade.
When she finally made it to her father's block, somebody was pulling out of the park directly in front of his reworked two-flat.
There were five boys on the corner who had been staring; just waiting to see who got out of the black Benz. Eventually, one of the boys pretended to walk past the car. Just to see who was driving but he was too obvious.
"Ion know who shorty is!" He yelled,before taking off running back to the corner.
Once Corinne got over her nerves, she got out of her car. It was the first time she had been to her father's house in a year due to her grandmother getting sick and moving in with her and her mother.
She didn't know what she was walking into.
Corinne grabbed her purse, and walked to the trunk to get the duffle bag, before locking the car door. She walked up the stairs to the front door.
"Damn! Wait a minute," She hears her father groan, after a her knocking turns into poundin due to the doorbell not working. When he finally makes it to the door, he opens it to let her in.
"You should've texted me to open the door, " He says, hugging her before she could even walk in.
"I did." She tells him as they enter the family room. "Awe. Well, you can go put your stuff in the room. Kelsi and Kelis should be here soon." He informs her.
It took everything in her not to roll her eyes at the mention of his girlfriend and her daughter. They weren't terrible but Kelsi tried too hard to be a mother to a child that was hers and Kelis was too fast for her liking.
Corinne's father Kairi who was better known as Priest had been with Kelsi since Corinne was thirteen meaning they were reaching the three year mark in their relationship. It would be cool if Priest wasn't going on twenty-seven years of marriage to Corinne's mother.
It was ghetto as hell, to be honest.
"Ok," Corinne says. She walks to her room to see two twin beds with one side decorated up with K's everywhere. Priest was trying to force Kelis on Corinne but Corinne just wasn't with it.
She didn't want another sibling. Six was enough, and even if she did want another; Kelis wasn't her number one draft pick.
Two years younger than Corinne, Kelis was fourteen and although Corinne was up in age, Kelis was up in life experiences. The fourteen-year-old was going into her freshman year with three bodies. Corinne was all for sexual liberation, she felt like fourteen was way too young for sex.
Corinne knew she wasn't perfect. Far from a saint herself, she had no room to judge but being human, she did. Corinne also felt how she felt and it wasn't any changing her mind.
Kelis was just too young to have been with three people.
Unintentionally her nose turns up in disgust at the pink room. Although pink was her favorite color, she hated the room decor. It was something straight of Justice. Corinne sits her duffle bag on the plain side of the room, before going back to the living room.
She sits on the couch texting her mother everything. After about fifteen minutes, the door opens. "Hi, Cece!" Kelsi says smiling.
"I actually prefer Corinne but hi." She corrects before giving her a forced smile.
"How have you been?" Kelsi asks.
"Good, and you?"
"I've been good. Kelis! Come in here and speak," Kelsi yells in the direction of the front door.
"I'm talking to Paris," Kelis projects her voice. "Come speak to Corinne and if you want to keep talking to Paris. Introduce her too."
"Fine. Cece, come on." Kelis gestures for Corinne to come outside in the warm summer heat.
"I'm okay," Corinne shakes her head. "Go, princess." Her father encourages her, making Corinne roll her eyes, putting the Louis Vuitton crossbody on her shoulder before going outside.
"Paris, this Cece," Kelis says.
"Call me Corinne." She informs both of them.
"Wassup," Paris nods in her direction. "Ouu, there go Meech and Five," Kelis exclaims, before taking off toward the corner.
"Come on, Corinne," Paris says as they start walking.
Corinne reluctantly follows behind them to where the now smaller group of boys stood. "So you saw me pull up and ain't speak?" Kelis questions the boy who was being nosey earlier.
"Man, if you get the fuck on." He says making Corinne make a face and Kelis' falter. "Come here." The other boy lowly speaks, before pulling Paris into his side. He starts whispering in her ear while Kelis continues talking to the other boy.
"Who this is?" The boy hugged up on Paris asked. "This my step-sister Cece," Kelis says and Corinne couldn't help but correct her.
"Our parents are together at the moment and my name is Corinne."
Corinne still had faith that her parents would end up getting back together after all they hadn't gotten a divorce yet because Priest wouldn't sign the papers.
"Oh damn, so it's like that?" The boy asks, making the two girls shrug their shoulders. The differences in their personalities also added to the riff in their relationship.
"Cece, this Five and that's Meech," Kelis tells her.
"Wassup?" Meech nods in her direction letting her know where Paris had picked up the habit. Corinne found it cute how securely he was holding Paris securely while talking. "So you Priest daughter?" He asks.
Corinne answers by nodding making him continue his questionnaire.
"What school you go to?" Meech asks. "I used to go to Jones but I start at Adams when school starts back." She says. "Merch it. I go there."
"I go there too nigga." Five adds.
"Why you transferring from Jones?" Kelis asks. This was the first time she had heard of the news. She wasn't fond of Corinne going to the same school as her. Just as Corinne had her opinions about Kelis; Kelis had her opinions about Corinne.
Kelis felt like Corinne was a lame and would most definitely snitch about the stuff she planned on doing. "Just a better medical program."
"You wanna be a doctor or some shit?" Five asks, making Paris shake her head and Kelis frown at him entertaining Corinne.
"A neonatal nurse by backup plan. i " When she sees the confused expressions she further explains.
"Where y'all other friend?" Kelis asks, to get the attention of Corinne. Her aura was rich and refreshing to them and it was drawing them in.
"Why?" Meech questions her. "Because Lollie ain't gone come over unless he out here." Kelis was a rising freshman kicking it with all rising seniors. Corinne had the theory that she was just trying to follow what her friends were doing but still have a mind of your own.
"He not coming over here today." Five says, rolling his eyes. They continue to stand outside and talk until a blacked-out S550 Benz pulls up and Kelis gets on the phone.
"Shorty, they lied. He out here now!" Kelis says. No one was sure how the other girl said she wasn't in the area anymore but they knew she said it because Kelis was now upset with Five.
"My nigga!" Five goes to dap the boy up, brushing Kelis off. Corinne attempts to slyly stare at the boy to take on his features. He had to be about 6'2", but he could've easily been 6 foot even. Corinne was 4'11" and 3/4ths, just barely under 5 feet.
Everybody was tall to her.
He had smooth brown skin and the Sun's hot rays had given his complexion a darker shade. His almond eyes were honey brown and low; automatically letting her know he did some type of drug that she assumed to be cannabis. His lips were full, plump, and pink. His ears were pierced and everything about screamed, "I ain't shit."
"Who that?" He asks, looking at Corinne after making eye contact with her. "Priest daughter," Meech says, dapping him up while he continues to look at Corinne.
"Why y'all lie?" Kelis questions, assuming everyone was all cool.
"'Cause you was gone tell your friend and she irritating." Paris answers honestly. The only reason she tolerated Lollie was for Kelis and there were times where she could barely tolerate Kelis.
"That's yo friend too!" Kelis exclaims. "No, the fuck it's not," Meech speaks for Paris making Corinne laugh at his face and tone.
"She not irritating though," Kelis says. "Yes, she is and when you get around her you are too." Five says.
Kelis looked at Corinne who was looking at her.
"What?" Corinne asks.
"You not gone defend me, Cece?" Kelis asks, making Corinne shrug unsure of what to say to her defense. She didn't know the girl they were speaking on and she didn't know Kelis in depth.
"Why are you staring at me?" She asks, finally looking up to see the 6'2" boy still looking at her. His intense gaze had distracted her from thinking of an escape plan.
"Ion know you like that. Gotta watch new niggas." He says continuing to look at her, subconsciously admiring her.
She was gorgeous. The straight black twenty-six-inch Peruvian hair seamlessly flowed down her back. Her eyelashes made her almond-shaped eyes more prominent and the shimmering lip plumping gloss make her already full lips appear even fuller.
To only be sixteen, Corinne was blessed with a shape girls and women would pay for.
"Awe." She didn't think too much into the statement but Kelis did. "Un-uh. No. Don't even try it with her." Kelis stands in front of Corinne only a little taller than her at 5'3".
"Don't try what?" He asks, slyly licking his lips looking past Kelis at Corinne. The boy had no intention of getting to know her on the level Kelis thought.
He just felt like fucking with Kelis because he could. His jaw slightly twitched letting Corinne get a glimpse at the dimple he had only in his left cheek.
"You know you talk to my friend." The mention of the girl immediately makes him roll his eyes. "Stop speaking on shit you'on even know about." Five says, trying to spare her feelings because his homie wouldn't.
"No, cause she told me," Kelis continues, making all of them roll their eyes. Corinne didn't find her irritating because she was the same way when it came to her friends. She was always defending them when they weren't around.
"I'm for real, Demon-" Kelis starts as Corinne finally gets his name. It was a street name but it was better than nothing. "Leave me alone."
"No, you not finna do my friend like this!" Kelis presses. "I barely talked to Lollie for a week, g. She know this shit. Stop letting her send you off." He tells her.
"No, because you know you ain't just talk to her. Stop trying to front in front of my sister." Kelis says to get her point across. Regardless of where Demon and Lollie stood, she wasn't about to put him on with his next girl if they were done.
"Not your sister but go off." Corinne thinks before going back on her phone.
"Shorty, yo friend a eater. That's it. You can ask her what happened at the movies but she told you that though?" He finally snaps.
"It's none of my business. It's none of my business." Five sing while Corinne thinks it.
"Fuck y'all! I'm finna go back in the house." Kelis tells them as Corinne starts responding to a text involving something to do.
"Corinne, come on," She had noticed that Corinne had yet to begin walking with her. "I'm finna go too but I'm not going in the house." She tells her, grabbing her car keys out of her purse.
"Ight." Kelis shrugs before continuing her walk. "I'mma see y'all." Corinne tells them goodbye to be friendly, before walking towards her car.
"Aye, Corinne!" Paris calls after her, making her turn around. "Yes?" Corinne asks, smiling at the dark skinned girl . "What's yo snap?" Paris speaks opening her Snapchat app with her phone. "Lemme see." She tells her before taking the phone.
"We already friends." Paris says, taking the phone back to see the screen had loaded. "Ok, just snap me so I know it's you then."
$ $ $
Corinne lasted one night sharing a room with Kelis before deciding to ask her dad about getting her own. "I don't care. Do what you want." Priest dismisses his daughter without really listening to what she had to say.
"Give me your card then." She tells him, knowing she had the money in her own account but no one told him to go changing shit. "Here. Go, so I can smoke this blunt. That woman is stressing me out." He says, giving her the red Bank of America card before sending her into the other bedroom that had become a storage room.
Corinne moves stuff around using the measurement app on her phone to measure the walls and windows adding it to her notes. She goes back into the bedroom getting on her computer going on Value City Furniture's website finding a bed.
She adds the queen-sized, cement colored Kiera Upholstered storage bed to her cart before looking for more stuff. She made sure to get everything delivered by next week.
"Make his pockets hurt. Dun, dun, dun, dun." She sings as she goes and finds decorative and storage items for her room.
When Corinne finally figured everything out, she returned the card to her father. "I'mma be back later. I'm finna go see Riah." She says.
"Okay. Love you, baby girl." He tells her blowing out smoke. "I love you too, daddio." She tells him before walking towards the door with her purse. Corinne walks outside and sees Kelis on the porch with Paris and another girl.
"Where you finna go?" The fourteen-year-old asks immediately, knowing it would only be a matter of time until Priest left too. "To my sister's house," Corinne says, before smiling at Paris before returning to the blank face she had.
"Oh, okay. How long you gone be out?" Kelis asks. "Ion know." Corinne shrugs walking down the porch steps. "Text me when you on your way back." Corinne nods her head dismissively, walking towards her car. She didn't even have her number.
She didn't even bother to take the time to find music, content with the Summer Walker that was playing. It took about forty-five minutes to get to the house in Westchester only to discover she had been lied to when her older sister said that she was chilling.
Corinne uses her key to unlock the door, walking in to find three of her brothers, mother, and aunt sitting in the living room.
"Sister." Her older brother Kenneth was the first to acknowledge her. "Hi." She says softly walking over to give him a hug. Kenneth was her favorite brother standing at 5'9".
Everybody in her family was short. He was on the heavier side but that didn't stop him from being the player the Solis men were known to be because women believed "The bigger the nigga, the bigger the bag."
"Wassup sis?" Lorenzo asks. Lorenzo was the second oldest and was the shortest of all her brothers standing at 5'7". "Hi." She smiles, giving him a hug.
"Where Mariah at?" Mariah was his daughter, only one year older than Corinne as opposed to the three year gap his son LJ had on his aunt. Their ages made them naturally closer.
"Somewhere with Montay." He says, referring to her best friend.
"You not gone give me no hug?" The oldest Solis sibling Sean asks, making her walk over to hug him. Sean was a carbon copy of their father. They had matching clean-shaven bald heads with thick beards that minimized how plump their pink lips were.
All of her brothers had Priest's wide-set eyes but all seven siblings had the same brown eyes that would appear to be pools of honey if it was sunny.
"Hey, auntie." Corinne says hugging her aunt before sitting down next to her mother. Now her aunt really wasn't her aunt. She had been Nicole's best friend since the third grade which made her Corinne's aunt by street law.
"Oh god. She got y'all watching this?" Corinne shakes her head noticing Superfly on the TV. It was her sister's favorite movie and while it was a good movie, Coriah was wearing it out.
"Don't talk about my movie, lil girl." Coriah says, coming out of the kitchen in the sundress that molded around her eight-month pregnant stomach.
Corinne and Coriah looked so much alike despite their thirteen-year age gap. It was constant that Nicole would have to correct people who mistook Corinne for her big sister.
"You watch this movie fifteen times a day." Corinne shakes her head as she gets more comfortable.
$ $ $
When Corinne finally made it back to Priest's house, it was 1 in the morning.
"Where you been at, shorty?" Five asks. She had been forced to park down the street because the majority of people who lived on the block had made it home already. "My sister's house." She says, stopping at the gate seeing Meech and Demon on the steps along with two other boys.
"Nah, yo ass was getting dick," The boy with the starter locs says, passing the blunt. Corinne rolls her eyes slightly regretting her decision to be friendly.
"Well, I'll see y'all." She mutters, getting the house key her father gave her out.
"Aye Cece," Demon says, making her turn around.
"That's not my name." She corrects him.
"Ion give a fuck but yo lil sister-" He starts making her cut him off saying, "And she's not my sister."
"Whatever, lemme know if the nigga she fucking got a fake Rolex with a red face." He tells her.
"What?" Corinne glances in the direction of the house. "We saw a nigga sneaking in the window and shorty love fucking with opps." Meech says, making Corinne wonder why they still were cool with her.
"Um...okay." She mutters before walking towards the two-flat. "Aye though, how old she is?" The dread-head boy asks. "Ion know. Ask Priest." Demon says. "Why I'm asking Priest how old shorty is?"
"Cause she his daughter," Meech tells him. "Merch it." He says making the other three boys nod. "What he don't know won't hurt him." His comment makes Demon roll his eyes. "You weird as hell," Meech tells him. "What? She bad." He says to them. "Get the fuck on." Demon tells him. "Awe, so you wanted shorty? Don't be stingy, gang. We can share."
"No, you'on even know her. This why you got crabs now." Demon tells him. He just didn't see the point in lying about the type of person you were.
Demon couldn't lie the boy's comment had him thinking. He couldn't act like she wasn't a pretty girl. She was beautiful but Corinne was too soft-spoken to him.
"Where you going?" Meech asks Corinne who was walking back to her car this time with the Louis Vuitton duffle bag on her arm.
"Home," She says, while unlocking her door with her proximity key. "You dramatic." Five tells her.
"No, I'm not. I hate it here." She explains making three of the four boys laugh. "I'm so serious. They wasn't even on her bed. I just can't." She pouts.
"Aye 'bout that nigga though." Demon starts making her nod her head.
"Appreciate it."
♥︎♥︎♥︎
a/n: lemme know how y'all like this story so far and i'm letting y'all know in advance i'm not changing her age or height so don't get in these comments talking about she too short cause i wrote her as my height because i wanted to represent myself and my relationships in MY BOOK.
i wrote this for fun and if i feel like somebody tryna ruin my fun, they ass getting muted. simple.