Kailani looked at her in disbelief while Keria shook her head. "So, you mean to tell us, it's been a week since you've replied?"

It had been a couple days since Brielle bumped into Cameron at the pop-up shop. Yes, you guessed it. That was who she bumped into on her way out of the bathroom.

Somehow, he had managed to get a conversation out her. Which was not only shocking to her, but to her sisters as well. He asked for her ten but instead of giving her personal number, she gave him her business line. Brielle told him to only contact her during her business hours. Which was no use, they talked from sunup to sundown.

She learned that he is twenty-three years of age, attends the same school as her and that he is the star wide receiver majoring in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in Real Estate.

As their conversing progressed, Cameron asked her on a date. That was a week ago and she has yet to reply. She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want anything to do with her.

Little did Bri know, her sisters were hot on her tail. "Bri bitch, you not making sense to me. You are always hollering you want somebody but do not give anybody a chance. You and this sour ass attitude got to go."

Bri looked at her sister Kailani with a jaded expression on her face.

"You do know everybody is not Tylan right?" Keria looked at Bri with a soft expression. Keria knew what the issue at hand was. She knew her sister like the back of her hand. Bri chuckled slowly.

"I know that." Bri shook her head on the verge of tears. If only her sisters knew.

"So why won't you give Cameron or anybody a chance." Bri shook her head and her tears eventually rolled.

"Because I'm fucking traumatized and scared okay! Tylan didn't just cheat."

Bri chuckled and licked her now salty lips from her tears. "He raped me. Ok?! He raped me. He fucking raped me!"

Kailani and Za'Keria watched their sister scream out terror.

"I know every nigga is not the same, but I can't process the thought. I am traumatized to the point where niggas make me uncomfortable. I do not like being around niggas longer than I must. Tylan took a piece of me the night he took my innocence away from me." Bri wiped her face but the tears just kept rolling.

"Every guy that I have encounter, I pushed them away because I'm scared. I have built this guard up around me and I do not know how to let it down. I want to but I am scared you guys. I am scared. So, excuse me for my sour ass attitude." She looked up at her sisters with a clouded vision.

Kailani stormed out of the room and Za'Keria slowly climbed in the bed and took her big sister into her embrace. Keria wiped Bri face. "That's why you're so mean to every guy you come across. I am so sorry you had to go through that mamas. I'm so sorry."

Keria rocked her back and forth. All you heard throughout the room was Bri's sob and Keria's sniffling. Bri's crying eventually stopped and she was slowly on her way to sleep. Keria wiped Bri's face and positioned her body to the point that head was in her chest.

Kailani finally walked back in the room all red in the face with puffy eyes. "Bri."

"Shh. She's sleep." Kailani climbed in the bed and laid her head against Bri's thigh.

"I just put a price on Tylan's head."

Keria's eyes went wide. "You did what?!" She whispered-yelled so she wouldn't wake Bri.

"I called the guy I've been seeing and told him wassup. I would've called daddy, but I don't think he know."

The two sisters snuggled under their big sister trying to process the latest information that they had received. Their thoughts eventually become too much so they decided to get some sleep.

Brielle woke up the next day in confusion do to the fact that both of her sisters was under her. She moved Keria from her chest and pushed Kai to the side. She climbed out of the bed and stretched her limbs. Making her way to the bathroom, she looked in the mirror at her swollen face and sighed.

That was the first time she had ever cried or told anybody what happened since it happened. She turned the shower on and stripped from her clothes. She wrapped her hair up and placed a shower cap on her head. Brielle grabbed a small towel and hopped in the shower.

Before washing her body, Bri stood under the shower head letting the water cascade down her body. The hot water felt so good against her skin, she stood under the head for about five minutes.

Brielle grabbed her African black soap to cleanse her body. She rinsed and picked up the dove body wash, poured some into her towel and began washing her body. She rinsed off and cut the shower off. She stepped out and picked up a towel from the rack. She wrapped it around her body and walked to the sink. She brushed her teeth and walked out of the bathroom to her closet.

She noticed that her bed was empty, meaning that her sisters are up. She dried her body off and grabbed some undergarments. Bri dropped her towel and stepped into her ethika briefs and pulled them over her plump round behind. She pulled the matching bra over her head and grabbed some socks. She sprayed some dove deodorant under her arms and rubbed her body down with cocoa butter.

Brielle took her shower cap off and walked out of her closet to the front of her condo. Her walking ceased to a halt. She was met with a spread of her favorite breakfast foods. "Kai!"

She walked towards the bar grabbing a sausage and biscuit. "Keria!"

Where the fuck are these bitches. She munched on her biscuit and walked towards the other side of the condo. She opened Kai's door and noticed her stuff was still in the room. She did the same to Keria's room and was utterly confused.

She walked back to the front towards her room. She looked for her phone and found it on her nightstand. A piece paper falling caught her attention. Brielle picked the paper up and noticed it was a note from her sisters. She smiled as she began reading it. Brielle put the note back on the nightstand and grabbed her MacBook.

Walking back into the kitchen to eat, Bri fixed her a plate and sat at the bar. She pulled her Macbook open and started going through her email, responding to potential buyers. She came across an email from her real estate agent and nodded in satisfaction at the confirmation of an meet. She's ready to open a store front, so she's been on the hunt.

Amid her going through her emails, Brielle's business phone began vibrating rapidly against her marble countertop. She grabbed it and noticed it was Cameron texting her.

: so, you are

just going to ignore me.

: not even a yes or no

to answer the question?

: lmao wow and you said communication is what you do.

why even give me the time of day if you are just going to ignore me? I am grown as fuck. I do not play games, hit my line when you are done being childish.

Brielle read each message with a pout on her face. She locked her phone and sat it back on the counter. She did not mean to ignore him and seem childish; she just didn't know how to take the next step forward to letting her guard down. Every time she tries, it's like she regrets it and brings it back up. She was deep in thought.

She blew out a breath and grabbed her phone. I need to stop being scary she thought, just be cautious instead. She did a couple deep breaths to slow her breathing down. Her anxiety was trying to get the best of her. She opened the thread and started typing.

Bri's finger hovered over the arrow for minute. She knew this was the only way they could possibly move forward. She eventually pressed it and locked her phone.

hey, I was wondering could

we meet somewhere and talk?

😭

—