"Want to ride out with me, lil mama?" I spoke charmingly to Izzy as I sat in the driver's seat of my car, leaning out of the window.

I'd pulled up to Izzy's aunt's house where she was staying for the weekend. I needed to see her.

She smiled big as she looked down at me from the porch.

"What are you doing here so early?" She asked, pushing her hair up into a bun.

"Came to come and get you then see if I could take you to get some breakfast." I explained.

"Okay." She smiled widely.

"Give me a second, bebé." She spoke, going back into the house and I rolled my window up.

Today was going to be a chill day, just for Izzy and I. I really just wanted to grab some food and catch up with her. I'd missed her for so long.

I waited for a few moments, scrolling my phone before she came out of the house dressed to impress.

"I'm ready." She chuckled, making her way down the steps with her high heels on.

"Damn, ma. We're only going to breakfast." I joked, getting out of the car and helped her down the stairs.

"Well I always have to look great. I mean, look at you..." She trailed off as I shook my head.

"You look great, I have to hold up my end of the bargain." She went onto say as I opened the passenger side door for her and she got in.

Walking back over to my side, I got in and smiled at her. Her makeup was perfect, her hair was perfect, she was just perfect.

"Ready?" I asked, admiring her.

"Whenever you are." She smiled and I nodded, pulling off.

It didn't take us long to get to the spot I wanted to take her to. Once we got there, we went inside and was seated immediately.

"This place is nice." She complimented and I nodded.

"Yeah.."

"Are you alright?" She asked and I nodded, just taking in her presence. It was weird to be back around her. It didn't feel real.

"I'm just thinking about you leaving on Monday." I admitted and she pouted.

"I know.."

"Have you ever thought about moving to Cali?" She asked and I raised my eyebrows.

"Honestly, no." I shook my head. I was too busy following Montana around.

"You should. It's so beautiful plus you'd get to see me everyday..." She trailed off, throwing the last part in.

We both chuckled as I shook my head, looking into her eyes.

"I mean that don't sound too bad, ma. I really wouldn't mind that." I shrugged, my mind drifted off to being surrounded by the beach and good vibes.

"Well think about it." She shrugged and I nodded.

"I will, ma."

*

"Monty, you can't just mop around the house all day." Teesh spoke as I walked into the kitchen.

"I can do what I want with my time." I rolled my eyes, looking through the cabinets.

"But it's not good for you." She expressed and I shot her a look.

"You know what else is not good for me. Josiah's stupid ass."

"I gave everything to him. My entire life. I gave him my time. My loyalty. My virginity." My voice cracked.

"And this is how he repays me." I expressed vividly.

Joey had the nerve to be riding around with another girl, I'd never even seen before. Word didn't take long to get out, they were all around the hood and she was in his passenger seat like she was his girlfriend or something. She didn't know him from a can of paint.

"How can he just move on like it's nothing while I'm still in love with him?"

"Um..just like you did, Mon." She spoke referring to Melakhi and I scoffed.

"I don't want to be with him. I want Joey." I rolled my eyes, I just wanted him to fight for me. Was that so bad?

"What do you want him to do, Mon? He tried and you told him you never wanted to see him again."

"Because I was upset and I had every right to be." I explained, trying to get her to understand.

"Well he did what you asked and now you want him to come back?"

"I just want him to fight. Fight for our love, Teesh. I want to know that he still cares."

"What do you want? You want him to kill Melakhi? You want him to put a gun to your head again?"

"You want him to do all the things you wanted him to go to therapy for in the first place?"

Crying, I said nothing because I knew that she was right. That was exactly what I was expecting from him. I just wanted him to still want me as much as I still wanted him.

"I think you just need to talk to him and tell him how you really feel and see what he has to say. Joey loved you and I'm sure he still does. You're just assuming that he doesn't, which isn't good."

"Put your pride aside and talk to him like a grown woman. If he says he doesn't love you and he no longer cares then you can mop and wallow but until then you need to get it together." She shrugged.

"Like I don't expect you to pretend nine years didn't matter to you but there's nothing to even be upset about, except that fact that he's trying to replace you with whoever this chick is."

"Just talk to him, Mon, because I don't care what anyone is saying or what girl that man is talking to. He loves him some Montana." She piped my head up, making me laugh.

"I guess you're right." I nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

I'd just talk to him and see where he was at with all of this instead of crying about it.

*

"Are you sure you want to do it like this, Mon?" Teesh asked as we made our way to Messiah's corner, where all of the guys were.

It was 10' o clock at night and I was on a mission to talk to Joey. I needed to know if he still loved me.

"Yes. What else am I going to do?" I asked her as we picked up our pace.

"Alright." She shrugged as my phone buzzed.

I looked down at it and it was only Melakhi texting me, telling me to come over.

"Melakhi's texting me." I told Teesh and she raised her eyebrows.

"What did he say?"

"That he wants me to come over."

"Are you going to go?"

"Maybe after this but only to end what's going on between us."

"Hm." She tucked her lips and I simply rolled my eyes.

Making our way onto the block, as usual there were a bunch of Messiah's guys standing on the corner but to my surprise there was no Joey.

Must still be out with that girl. I thought, rolling my eyes.

"He's not here." Teesh spoke up and I noddd.

"I just know I better not ever see Kace over here ever again." She went on, making me laugh.

Her and Kace were currently going through it. She thought he was drug dealing and he kept telling her he wasn't. It's a mess.

Walking passed the crowd, we went into the corner store to make it not look so obvious that we were here for Joey. I bought some chips and a juice before we walked out and I lit up seeing Joey's car coming around the corner.

"There he is right there." Teesh said and I nodded as his car stopped in front of all of us.

Rolling the window down, Joey leaned over the girl in his passenger seat to talk to Messiah. My heart shattered seeing another girl sitting where I was supposed to be.

Joey hadn't seen me until I pushed through the crowd and his eyes fell directly upon me.

"Hi." I spoke to him, making everybody look at me.

He said nothing as he raised his eyebrows. When he didn't respond, I was completely embarrassed, standing there like an idiot.

"What's up, Montana?" He ended up saying once he saw the look on my face.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked as the girl in his passenger seat looked at him and all of the guys on the corner looked between her and I.

"Uh, ye-"

"I want to go home, Joey." The girl interrupted and he looked at her.

"You want to go home?" He asked her.

"Yeah, bebé." She nodded, pulling out her phone and scrolling.

My heart broke watching them interact with each other as if they were together.

Are they together? I thought.

"We can talk when I come back. I have to drop Izzy off." He said and I furrowed my eyebrows.

Izzy? We're giving out nicknames now? And who the hell cares about where she needs to go. I thought.

Scolding him, I said nothing as I turned on my heels to leave. I was a heated mess and I just wanted to go home now.

"Come on, Teesh."

"Fuck him." I brushed passed everybody and walked away.

I hate him.

*