😗sorry for any mistakes

Houston, Tx

March 5th

Monday

"Nobody's sayin' you have to visit—

"I don't care. They aren't goin' ta' see either of us" Caydence rolled her eyes, cutting Quincy off from talking. She sat in her granny's living room on a collect call with Quincy.

For the first time out of all the calls with her dad, she couldn't wait for this one to end from how annoyed she was.

"Bubbles" Quincy sighed.

"No. They didn't care when I told them what she was doin' to us, now they want to see us? No. I don't care" Caydence scoffed and looked over at her granny who was shaking her head.

"Why do y'all both think I'm wrong?" She scrunched up her face in confusion. While her granny was at the supermarket today, she ran into Caydence and Kory's other grandma from their mom's side of the family. Her grandma was complaining to Mary about how she hadn't seen Kory since she was 3 and how it was unfair for Caydence to keep her away from family.

She was also expressing how she wanted to take Caydence to court for rights over Kory.

Mary furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused "No. If they wanted to see Kory, they would have told their daughter to get on her shit and not miss that court hearing last year. That's what I told her weird smelling like cigarettes ass" Mary scoffed, standing up from her spot on the couch.

Caydence truly loved her granny. She was so blunt and real.

"Thank you! They literally called me a liar when I had proof she was beating on us and kicked us out. Why should I care that they're mad they don't get to see Kory? They didn't care about her or they would have understood what their daughter did" Caydence spoke, very agitated now.

"I have custody of Kory. They did nothin' for her when she was born either. So they can kiss my black ass foreal" She scoffed.

"Watch yo' mouth now, Syncere" Quincy warned, making her roll her eyes again. "All I'm sayin' is not all of them didn't believe you. The people that were on your side don't deserve not to know who Kory is or see her Bubbles" He stressed.

"Well, I have custody over her right now. So she ain't going. You can take her over there when you get out then," She said before hanging up the phone. Her whole body was shaking at the moment, she wanted to cry so bad but she couldn't.

She didn't have time to cry.

"You're goin' to regret that Cay," Mary came back into the living room with two plates of food.

"I know," Caydence mumbled, already feeling guilty for hanging up on him. She just felt like she wasn't listening to her and understanding where she was coming from.

She didn't care what people on her mom's side of the family said or felt. They didn't even come to see Kory when she was first born, they never sent anything, not even diapers for her. She felt as if they believed her then they would have come to family court when Caydence got full custody of Kory to support them.

"Thank you" She mumbled when handing her the plate of food. Consisting of honey garlic salmon with white rice and green beans.

"You look like shit Cay" Mary spoke bluntly after they said a prayer over the food.

Caydence turned her head to straight face her "Thanks granny. I love the support" She said sarcastically before focusing on her back on her food.

"I'm jus' being an honest baby. You looked stressed and tired. Lemme take Kory for the rest of the week while you get yourself together. Hang out with those new friends Pri told me about." She nudged her with her elbow and smiled.

Caydence shook her head "We're barely friends granny. Don't get too excited na' " She chuckled, taking a bite of her food.

Her granny and dad were both so happy when Pri let it spill that she was talking more to other people. They really wanted more for Caydence besides her only taking care of Kory and going to work. She didn't have a social life as she used to before her father went to prison.

"Oh, girl hush. Those yo' friends, don't lie. " She nodded, eating her food and looking ahead at the TV as Family Feud played. "Especially Kacey," She mumbled with a smirk on her face.

Caydence sucked her teeth "Girlllaa. I'm sure he will want to stop bein' my friend once he figures out how boring I really am" She lowly sighed.

"Baby, please. You aren't boring, just because you take on the responsibility of Kory doesn't mean you shouldn't have a social life, Cay. You are 21 years old Cay, enjoy yourself. I kno' your teen years were snatched away from you which wasn't fair and you can't get those back but enjoy yourself now" Mary lectured before standing up once she heard the doorbell ring.

Caydence did grow up really fast. At the age of 14, she had to mature herself to be a mother to a child that wasn't hers. She doesn't regret taking care of Kory because she deserved someone to. She didn't ask to be in this world.

But she did wish she had someone take care of her.

She did wish she wasn't so hell-bent on taking on everything alone and she was scared to ask for help.

Caydence snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar laugh "I ate a granola bar, Ms.Mary. I'm straight" She heard before Kacey and her granny walked into the living room.

She at the time thought how it was crazy how their friends and even grandmothers were close but they never got sight of each other.

"Boy—Ima fix you a plate and you gon' eat it too" Mary shook her head, walking out of the living room. Caydence blankly looked at Kacey before she looked back at her food. She heard him suck his teeth while walking over to sit next to her.

She continued to eat her food, then she felt soft taps on her shoulder. She looked over at Kacey and raised her eyebrow, wondering what he wanted. "You're not gonna say hey? You take that not speakin' unless spoken to, too seriously Mami" He frowned, calling her the nickname he's been calling her for the past month now.

It was cute to her.

She shrugged her shoulders "I've always been like this" She said and frowned he was messing with his right ear.

She reached up to touch him but he flinched like he always did. She wondered why he always did that, every time he sat close to her. When she made a small sudden move, he was flinching or jumping.

"Can I touch it?" She asked.

He stared at her for a second then nodded his head. She reached up again to touch his ear and gently rubbed his right ear. She tried to be as gentle as possible because she had long nails and she didn't want to stab him.

"When does your new hearing aid come in?" She signed while still rubbing his ear.

He looked at her in shock "Y-you kno' how to sign? How?" He questioned, moving her plate out of her lap before placing his head in her lap.

"Just because you don't eat doesn't mean I'on want my food sirr" She huffed, looking at her plate that now sat in front of them on the coffee table.

"Jus' like you'n go to sleep" He resorted.

She grabbed his face, not caring for his jumping "Touché but watch yo' tone" She stated and he nodded understanding.

"But when I used to tutor people back in high school, one of them taught me since they were deaf" She explained, going back to rubbing his ear.

She stared down at the tattoos on his neck, she rubbed her finger over the name that was in black ink in cursive "Who is Bianca?" She wondered, watching him tense up and move her finger away from him.

"I-I gotta get it covered up" He mumbled, looking uncomfortable now. She stared down at him more, wanting to ask more but she figured it wasn't her place. "You should get a rose then." She spoke.

She wondered where her granny went as they sat there. It didn't take that long to fix a plate.

"I think that's what Ima get when I get my whole neck done. I'm still lookin' at some sketches" He said then looked at her hair "Who does your hair?"

"Me" She shrugged.

"Really? You have a lot and you do it by yourself?" He asked in shock.

She chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I don't like anyone in my head besides myself." She said. She's been growing her locs out since her dad put them in when she was 8. He used to do her retwist and locs until he got locked up and she had to learn herself.

"Do mine please" He smiled, making her scrunch up her face. "No" She plainly said, watching his smile drop from his face.

"Mami pleaseee" He begged, wrapping his long arms around her waist. She instantly tensed up like she usually did when someone did this especially when she was at work.

She usually would snap but she could see he didn't mean any harm.

Caydence also over the past almost 2 months of them getting to know each other could see he genuinely wanted to know her and not just get in her panties.

Which was new for her.

"Kacey. No," She chuckled watching him start to throw a mini fit like a child. He was so clingy and always wanted to be babied. What killed her was, that it seemed to only be with her. She never saw him act that way with Pri or Mya.

"Kacey. Your bein' a brat, stop" She said sternly and caused him to frown and stop shaking her.

"Pleasee. The girl that used ta' do my hair moved"

"You have Mya. She is a hairstylist" She shook her head. He sucked his teeth "She is a fake hairstylist. She learned off youtube" He frowned deeper, making her bust out laughing at how upset he sounded.

"She only knows how to do wigs and that other stuff. She doesn't kno' how to do retwist and styling locs. So please, we'll pay you" He rubbed the exposed skin on her back with his thumb.

Before she could get lost in how good the rubbing felt, she mugged him "We? You said you, not nobody else!" She squinted her eyes at him and he started laughing.

"Me and Ro had the same stylist. I said we'll pay you" He chuckled then looked away where they made eye contact.

She shook her head. She couldn't lie, she loved having that advantage over men where they can't look at her in the eyes.

"How much y'all gon' pay me?" She turned his head to look back at her. He intentionally licked his lips slowly "How much do you want?" He asked.

She twisted her lips to the side thinking "2 bands" She joked and started laughing but he didn't laugh with her. "That's it?" He raised his eyebrow causing her to laugh to stop.

"Kacey I don't want 2 bands foreal just go do yall hair" She chuckled and shook her head. She forgets at times just like Dee, money wasn't a problem for any of the boys. But she would never ask for that much money from them, she didn't want them to feel taken advantage of.

"2 bands ain' nothin'. But foreal, how much you want?" He asked. She shrugged, running her fingers through his hair since he had it down today. His hair wasn't as long as hers but doing two heads was a lot. Especially if they moved a lot.

"$320 each for wash, style, and retwist," She said, looking in between his pairs. "Bet" He mumbled, pulling his phone out.

Her fingers somehow started to massage his scalp then she heard the noise of facetime.

_________________

"It's cute. What's in the box?" Caydence smiled slightly over facetime with Mya. She showed her the blue wooden box with pictures of Mya and Ro over it.

"His favorite candy, some graphic tees, and customized shorts this girl on Instagram does. His favorite chips...oh and a handmade card I poured my li' heart into asking him to be my boyfriend" Mya blushed, pointing at everything in the box.

Caydence thought it was cute that Mya was about to ask Ro to be her boyfriend. It wasn't something you saw much of and she loved it because it was different.

"Y'all look young ass hell in the picture at the end," Caydence said.

Mya looked at the picture and laughed "Girl that was on my 16th birthday. I think he was 18 about to turn 19" She shook her head.

Caydence frowned her eyebrows "Y'all been messing around since you were 16?" She questioned.

"Girl no. My mom died like 2 months after my birthday so I had to move in wit' my dad in Miami. Then my dad was on bullshit and took my phone so I lost connection wit' all the whole group" She shook her head, getting up off the floor.

"Why?"

"He didn't want me bein' friends wit' them even tho they all had been watching out for me since I was damn 10. He didn't like that I was in a friend group full of boys and one girl who wasn't my age." She explained, rolling her eyes and Caydence twisted up her face.

That was so dumb to her.

"We got past it now but he was real controllin' when I lived wit' him. We didn't have a close bond before my mom died because I didn't live wit' him and barely saw him. After all, he lived in Miami. But we are straight now. I didn't move back to Houston until I was about to turn 20." She explained and Caydence nodded, listening while pulling the blanket over her body.

"That's when I got back into contact wit' them too since I didn't get a phone until I was 18. I didn't kno' their Instagrams or numbers anymore" She stated making Caydence eyes widen.

"18?"

Mya nodded "I think I bumped into Trey's slow ass first at the mall. You kno' his ass was doin' the most and called everyone once he saw me. They all pulled up on me in a kid, you not 10 minutes. Except for our friends that moved to New york. But girl... when I saw Ro? Bitch Kyro? I fell in love on sight!" She exclaimed, making Caydence bust out laughing.

"No on sighttt" Caydence laughed watching Mya dramatically fall out as she fainted.

"Girllll I mean I always thought he was cute but I was always too young. But oh baby I wasn't too young when I came back! I wasn't the same 16-year-old they remember. And he was just FINE! Fine as hell when I saw him. I had a boyfriend at the time too and I was ready to risk it ALL"

Caydence laughed at her. Mya was really cool and funny. At first, Caydence thought she wasn't going to like her or get along with her. She didn't have a good run-in with making female friends but it was refreshing to have another one beside Kapri.

They both talked for a little more before hanging up. Caydence sighed, looking around her room. She didn't have to go to work today or for the rest of two weeks because Trey was closed down for renovations.

She couldn't go mess with Pri because she was out on a date with Dee. She ended up letting her granny take Kory for the rest of the week so she was super bored.

She didn't have anything to clean since she did everything already. She didn't have anything to watch either, she felt like she watched everything on Netflix and Hulu.

She twisted her lips to the slide as she looked at Kacey's contact. She didn't want to call in case he was busy since she remembers him saying that earlier. She pressed the facetime button anyways, thinking the worst he could do was not answer.

Shocking her, he answered on the first ring. She waited for it to connect until she saw him in the car. She frowned wondering who car he was driving since it didn't seem like the normal car she had seen him in.

"Wassup mami?" He spoke, keeping his eyes ahead of him. She felt something unfamiliar and weird in her stomach but brushed it off.

"Where are you goin'?" She asked, setting her phone up against the pillow beside her.

"Home. I jus' came from handlin' sumthin' " He mumbled, glancing down at the phone. She chuckled, it was funny hearing him handling business. It was hard for her to believe it with how quiet and shy he was.

"You okay?" He asked, fully looking at the phone now with the color red flashing on him. "Yeah. I was jus' callin' cus I was bored" She chuckled a little.

He put the phone down when the light turned green "You want me to come over?" He asked. She looked around her room, thinking. She realized they have never been to each other's homes, they always see each other at other places.

She didn't trust anyone knowing her address either. Even when she had a job, she set her address as her p.o. box address. But he was helping her with her dad so they were going to have to spend more time together so might as well give it to him.

"You come over and what?" She looked at the phone suspiciously. She chuckled when she heard him suck his teeth "Why do you always think I'm tryna fuck you?" He laughed.

"Why you always lookin' at me like you wanna fuck me?" She resorted, playfully rolling her eyes and he laughed even harder.

"This is dique, not dick. Everyone can't have it" He said, making her fall out laughing. She started choking on the air, she wasn't expecting him to say that.

"Ain't no way. But I'll send you my location" She chuckled when both of their laughs calmed down.

"Aight. Ima go home and shower first. Can I bring Benji?" He questioned.

She rolled her eyes "Keep him in his place or y'all gotta leave" She said. She hated animals with a passion, they just weren't for her.

She only liked fish because they knew how to shut the fuck up, unlike other animals.

He chuckled, "Aight."

_________________

Houston, Tx

March 6th

Tuesday

"You haven't eaten all day? A granola bar ain' shit Kacey" Caydence fussed, looking at him crazily as they sat on the couch in her living room. Kacey sighed lowly, rubbing Benji's head who laid asleep in his lap.

He knew he should've lied when she asked about him eating.

He wasn't thinking.

"You not goin' to sleep ain' shit either" He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "You sure do have a smart ass mouth. Sassy ass" She shook her head, pushing his head off of her shoulder.

"Stop it" He grumbled, putting his head back on her shoulder and looking ahead at the tv as Step it up 2 played. "Why don't you eat Kacey?" She asked softly.

He wanted to reply back with why she doesn't sleep. He knew it was just going to be them being petty to each other back and forth. He just shrugged in response mainly because he himself didn't understand it.

"You have an eatin' disorder?" She questioned. He sighed and nodded. He didn't want to tell her about his past yet. He didn't want to for the simple fact, that he didn't want to be judged.

He didn't want her to label him as a weak man that lost his will to eat after an ex-girlfriend shot him twice.