Part 2 of this story will be on that account ]

𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚇 .

❦

"Come on Cee. You takin' too long." I told Jaycee who was trynna put her shoes on.

"I twying da! Damn.." She mumbled the last part and I chuckled. Her attitude be on 100 for no reason. Just like her momma.

I'm dropping Cee off at Mari's house today while I go meet Mir and the twins at our pops house.

Mari told me on the phone that she hasn't talked to Samiron in three days and he hasn't been returning anyones calls or texts. But I have a strong feeling it has something to do with our dad asking us to meet him at the house.

I don't know what Samiron and Mari got goin' on but I know Samiron feels something for that girl. I could tell by the way he was watching her every move at the cookout. Or the way he didn't let any of our aunts talk down on her.

But Ion know if Mari can handle Samiron's mood swings and shit. If somethings going on he shuts everyone out and deals with it himself. He's not like Kairo and Kania. He doesn't come to people for help. And that irritates the fuck out of me, but that's just how he is and he been like that ever since our momma died.

He used to talk to our momma 'bout everything and she would always know the right things to say to him. After she died, he stopped coming to people for help.

I can tell Mari actually cares about him and she's a good person from what i've seen so far. But she's not used to him going ghost and shutting everyone out so I know shes gonna have a hard ass time dealing with him. If she were to give up on him I would be hurt for my brother, but I wouldn't be surprised. He's not an easy person to deal wit'.

I would've dropped Cee off at her momma's house but she's outta town. Thank fuck. I can't deal with her loud mouth ass right now.

I picked Jaycee up and strapped her into her carseat while I got in the front. I put Mari's address into my phone and started backing out of the driveway.

"Dada, phone?" Cee asked. "I'm using it for something, mama." I replied and glanced in the mirror to see her stick her bottom lip out and cross her arms.

"Stop allat pouting, you know that don't work with me." I chuckled, making her roll her eyes.

I pulled up to Mari's townhouse 20ish minutes later. I got out of the Hellcat and took Cee out of her carseat before putting her ugly ass Peppa Pig backpack on.

I walked up to the door holding Cee's hand while I texted Mari that I was outside. As soon as Mari opened the door Cee ran up to her.

"Tee Marrr." Cee dragged as Mari picked her up. "Hey pretty girl! Hey Zion." She smiled adjusting Jaycee on her waist.

"Waddam Mari." I gave her a side hug.

She put Cee down and she immediately hugged my legs, "Bye dada! Wuv you!" She grinned up at me.

I smiled and picked her up, kissing her cheek a few

times before putting her back down. She instantly ran to the living room.

"You heard from him?" Mari asked and I shook my head making her sigh.

"But my pops asked me and Mir to come over 'cause he said he needs to talk to all of us. I'ma see wassup with him there." I told her and she nodded.

"None of us heard from him in a few days. I thought something bad happened to him or he was in trouble." She shrugged, leaning on the door frame.

"Nah, when somethings goin' on in his head he don't talk to nobody about shit."

She sighed, "Ight, lemme know." I nodded. We said our goodbyes and I got back into my car heading to my pops house.

Samiron really pissing me off at this point. He got muthafuckas worried and shit. Meanwhile he's probably somewhere getting head and chugging some liquor.

I pulled into my pops house and didn't see Samiron's car in the driveway. All I know is he better show up cause i'm not trynna hear my dad's mouth.

I walked into the house and my dad was sitting in the living room along with the twins who were on their phones silently.

"Damn its a funeral in this mufucka or what?" I closed the door, getting their attention. Kania got up and gave me a hug, rocking us side to side.

"Yo ass finally here huh? You ask black people to be somewhere and they get there 3 hours later. Ghetto ass." My dad mumbled making Kairo laugh. I shook my head sitting on the couch with Kania.

"Where yo ugly ass brother at?" Pops asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know. He been MIA for the past few days from what I've heard." I shrugged and glanced at my dad who was just staring at the floor wearily.

This nigga did sum.

"Zy, can you Cashapp me $100? I wanna get my hair done." Nia smiled and I jerked my head back.

This is not the Oprah Winfrey show.

"Getcho lazy ass up and go get a job then." My dad joked and Kania rolled her eyes.

Kania be asking me specifically for money for her hair because she knows my dad's not paying for her to get her hair changed every single month. Especially when she be wanting expensive ass styles. Pops said, and I quote, "theres no reason for horse hair to be that expensive." So he doesn't pay for it all the time.

But whether he likes to admit it or not that lil' girl got him wrapped around her finger so with some pouting, he's gonna give her that money.

"Shut up daddy. Zy pleaseeee?" She dragged.

"No li' girl, I just sent you $50 last week. Betta go ask Mir." I scoffed and she groaned.

"Don't ask me shit." I heard Samiron's deep voice cut-in. I turned around to see him closing the front door behind him.

"Look who finally decided to come." Kairo said sarcastically while Samiron walked into the living room, flipping him off.

Samiron dapped me and Kai up before giving Kania a hug and sitting across from my pops. The tension around them was weird. He seems like he isn't coo with my pops right now and this is the last thing I need.

Out of all four of us, Samiron gets into it with our dad the most. It's been like that since we were kids. They still fuck with each other heavy, but Samiron never listens to my dad. He's always been hard headed and that don't slide with my pop's personality.

"Ight soo what we here for?" I clapped my hands together impatiently.

"You goin' back ta jail?" Kai asked my dad and I bussed out laughing.

"Stupid ass li' nigga, i'm not going back to jail." Pops said, running his hands over his face.

"Okay soo what is it?" Nia asked, finally putting her phone down. Mir sat in the chair with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, like he was just waiting for my dad to say something and he was gonna go the fuck off.

"Theres someone I want yall to me-" My dad said before Samiron immediately stood up like he was walking out.

"Nigga— Can you let him finish first?" I asked Samiron irritably. I'm not with all this extra shit.

"Theres no point. I should've known this is what yo ass was up to when you came to me a few days ago running yo mouth, trynna preach about 'moving on'." Samiron snapped at my dad who was just looking up at him.

"I'm so confused." Kai sighed, looking between the two of them.

"If this lil' nigga would just let me speak." My dad glared at Mir.

"Ight just let his ass speak son." I sighed looking at Samiron who was visibly irritated. He still didn't sit back down.

"What I was trynna say is that there's someone I want y'all to meet and get to know." He clapped his hands together, leaning forward.

"Who exactly?" Nia squinted her eyes. I already know where this is gonna go and Ion like it.

"My fiance." He said. All of our eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

"Fiance??"

"Your WHAT?" Me and Kai exclaimed. Samiron stood shaking his head with his jaw clenched.

"Listen I know all not gon' like this, but eventually I had to move on." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay I get you had to 'move on' but you didn't even tell us you were seeing someone, let alone getting married. Fuck wrong witchu?" I snapped, talking with my hands.

"Ion wanna hear none of this shit. Fuck allat 'moving on' bullshit. Our momma is dead and all four of us still suffering from it and you out here starting a new life like she didn't mean anything to you!" Samiron raised his voice.

I let out a breath and looked at Kairo who had his head down and Kania who looked like she had tears in her eyes.

The twins were only 10 when our momma died. Now this man is gonna have a new bitch in here trynna play momma to some kids that ain even over the fact their real momma is dead.

"I know y'all mad. But that's gonna be y'all step momma so I feel like y'all should at least try to show some respect man." My dad said with an attitude.

"Step momma." Mir repeated and laughed. Samiron is one of those people who laughs when they're mad. Nigga is psychotic.

"I only have one momma and she's dead, no matter how much you try to replace her with yo new bitch." Samiron spat at my dad who was glaring at him

"Ain' no one trynna replace yo momma! What typa bullshit you on dawg?" My dad snapped at Samiron.

"Let's not even mention the fact that momma was too busy bailing yo sorry ass outta jail over and over again to even get any lab tests done. Then when you got out of jail, she was too busy trynna keep you off the streets to pay attention to her own health. By the time she found out she even had cancer it was too late." Samiron shrugged and I cringed mentally at the fact that he even brought that up.

"She was taking care of four kids by herself while you were in and out of jail!" He added.

My dad sighed, "Yo momma held it down for me all those years I was in jail. And I love her for that, and i'm gonna always love her for that. But you can't expect me to not move on?"

"And that's why i'm tellin y'all that y'all might as well accept the fact that I have a fiance now, 'cause I really don't want none of this arguing and shit when she starts coming around." I sat there staring at him

in disbelief. How can someone be so nonchalant bout something that changes our life so drastically?

Samiron looked over at the twins seeing their facial expressions. I could tell by his heavy breath intake that he only got madder.

"Man ian doing this shit." He gritted through his teeth, snatching his keys off the coffee table. Without saying another word he walked out of the front door and slammed it behind him.

I can't blame Samiron for being angry wit our pops. I know it's been some years since our momma died, and he got the right to 'move on' or whatever. But I just know if it was the other way around, my momma wouldn't be able to fall in love with someone again, let alone marry them and let them be a substitute parent to her own kids.

And that's the most fucked up part 'bout it all. This man is trying to force a step momma that we don't want on us. I'm with Mir on that; I only have one momma and she's dead.

"You knew what you were doing." Nia squinted at our dad, breaking the silence in the living room.

"You went to go preach to Samiron about 'moving on' because you know hes a hot head and he wasn't gonna like this shit. If you were gonna talk to him first you should've mentioned the fact that you're getting MARRIED to someone!" Kania yelled, wiping her tears.

"I-"

"So what, you don't love our momma anymore or sum?" Kai asked through his tears, his voice cracking.

"Kairo thats not what i'm sayin', I do love her and I always will." My dad said irritably. "But I want y'all to understand that I can move on!"

"And I want y'all need to respect her, just like y'all respected y'all momma." I chuckled, shaking my head.

He's really comparing some random bitch to my momma. The same momma that held him down all those years he was in and out of jail. The same momma that took care of four kids by herself with no help. The same momma that fought for him and defended him in front of her family when they were begging and yelling at her to leave his ass because he caused nothing but trouble.

I threw my arm around Kania and she laid her head on my shoulder, wiping her tears. I love my pops and all, but I could easily beat his ass for making the twins cry.

All four of us got our momma taken from us too soon. But at least me and Samiron had a few extra years with her. The twins only had 10 years with her before she died. Now our dad is trynna force a new momma into their life? Fuck no.

"On some real shit, i'm not boutta do this shit either." I said, getting up and grabbing my keys off the coffee table.

"You ain' boutta do what?" My dad asked with an attitude.

"Ian boutta go through this witchu! Talking 'bout 'step momma.' I don't have no fucking step momma. The hell?" I furrowed my eyebrows and he sighed in defeat.

"Zion you're the oldest. I wouldve expected you to understand. Or at least set an example for the others." He shook his head.

"Nah, you fucked up. You gon' call these kids in here and tell 'em they're gonna get a new momma? Just like that? You'on think I know about Nia crying herself to sleep cause she didn't get the chance to make enough memories with our momma before she died?" I questioned him and he looked down at the floor sighing.

"And the worst part about it, you just brought us all in here and told us this shit like it was nothing. And then you finna get mad cause we don't see the shit the same way you do? You got me all the way fucked up, on my daughter." I raised my voice and my dad just sat there.

"Man fuck allis, im finna go pick my child up." I shook my head, pulling up my pants.

"Kai, Nia, If yall wanna come hurry up." I walked towards the front door.

"Nah, im boutta go to Quay and 'nem house." Kai said lowly, rubbings his eyes and I nodded. I dapped him up before he walked up the stairs.

"Can I come with you Zy?" Nia wiped her tear-stained cheeks. I nodded and we headed out the house, leaving my pops in the living room.

We walked out to my Hellcat and got in. I started the car and glanced over at Nia who was leaning on the window. I backed out of the driveway heading towards Mari's crib. We drove in silence for a bit and I just kept replaying the whole convo in my head.

"What did Mir mean when he said 'by the time she found out she even had cancer it was too late'?" She asked lowly and I sighed. Samiron shouldn't have brought it up in front of the twins, he knows that. But theres no controlling his mouth or mind when he's mad.

"It was already stage 3." I replied and she shook her head, looking out the window again.

I don't even know what to say to Kai and Nia. Talking 'bout our momma to them is already a hard topic cause they were really young when she died. And I feel bad 'cause I got to spend my entire child hood with a beautiful, caring ass momma and they didn't get that privilege. That's why I take care of 'em like they're my own kids.

When the twins were like six or seven, my dad had already been out of prison. But a bunch of old charges were being brought back up cause they were trynna lock him up again. He ended up getting locked up again for almost 3 years. My momma was trying so hard to bail him out 'cause she was raising four kids on her own and she was struggling bad.

That's when me and Samiron got roped into the streets and started making fast money. I stopped selling and shit before I was in too deep. Luckily I ended up having Cee not long after and that gave me somebody to set an example for, along with the twins. Samiron didn't leave the streets when I did— when he had the chance to. That's why he is the way he is right now.

After what Samiron said, my pops is fucked up for trynna go give him a speech bout "moving on" the other day. He was basically trynna brace him for the bullshit he was telling us today 'cause he knows Samiron is a hot head and he got anger issues. Out of all four of us, Samiron is definitely the one with undiagnosed IED. And it only got worse after our momma died.

I get my dad can move on, but rubbing all that step momma bullshit in our face? Nah. He keeps saying it like it's the most natural thing ever, as if we aren't still grieving our momma. I don't care how long it's been. The loss of a parent isn't something you can heal from—ever. And then he gon' start getting aggravated when we tell him that we only have one momma.

He got me fucked up, on my daughter.

Before yall call Mari dumb for this next

part lemme explain a few things:

1) There has been a major time jump from when Mari first met Samiron, to now.

(almost 8 months to be exact)

2) Samiron developed a soft spot for Mari and they act like a couple, but they aren't together. Which is why Mari sometimes acts the way she does cause she feels like Samiron is leading her on.

3) Samiron goes about situations in a way that Mari doesn't like (ghosting people, drinking his problems away, popping percs, etc.)

4) But regardless of how she feels, Mari stays by his side because she knows better than anyone what it feels like to go through shit alone w/o having a shoulder to cry on.

5) And Samiron is not the only one with personal issues. Mari has major trust issues, she has a fear of losing people, she misses her brother like shit, and she cares way too much about people and not enough about herself or her needs.

6) Samiron has shown her different in the past few months, and Mari has shown him different as well. But they have a number of internal issues and fears that are keeping them from being in an actual relationship.

I'm aware that everyone can have their own opinions of all the characters, but I just wanted to clear a few things up so yall can understand Mari before yall start goin in on her for being embarrassing or dumb or w/e

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𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲 | 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶

𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚇 .