TORYN SNATCHED THE PHONE out of Samir's hand causing him to suck his teeth. He reached out for it but Toryn slapped his hand to the side and twisted her body so he couldn't get to it as she read the text.

Samir ran a hand down his face then looked at her, calmly reaching his hand back out for the phone. "Toryn give me my phone man. You be doing too fucking much."

"No 'cause you over here laughing mad hard. I wanna know what's funny." She spat back, her eyes scanning the messages on his screen.

Samir: Imma see you tomorrow right? Or is it the next day? 3:14PM

Tiffany: It's tomorrow. Opal and Dupree coming right? 3:16PM

Samir: Oh. Yeah. I guess.😒 3:16PM

Tiffany: Stawpppp! I'm hollering right now. 😂😂😭😭You sooo shady cuzzo. Anyway imma see ya'll tomorrow. Love you. 3:17PM

Straddling Samir's lap, Toryn sat with her arms folded across her breasts, staring down at him. They were in his room where they usually always were. Both his parents were at work and his siblings were somewhere in the house or in their rooms as well. The fan was on and Toryn was only in her shirt and panties. She felt comfortable like that because Samir's door was locked so she wasn't worried about anyone busting in.

"Really?" Toryn said showing him the texts, as if he didn't just see it himself. "Tiffany? I love you? Who is this bitch? And you were laughing so hard just now but I still don't see no jokes anywhere."

Samir didn't even say anything, he just looked off to the side not even feeling like entertaining her. That was until she gave him a firm smack on the cheek. It wasn't hard, but solid enough to irritate him. Samir looked at her with fire in his eyes. "Yo' stop fucking playing, and gimme my phone." He said snatching the device out of her hand. He placed it near his head next to him and glared at her.

Over the years their relationship had started suffering all because of her disorder. At first Samir accepted it because he was curious and he thought it would be easy to be with her with a mental problem or not; but as she got older it got worse and now he wasn't sure if he could deal with it much longer. Toryn constantly wanted to argue and fight, she caused scenes in public and was very difficult to take care of.

"Nobody is scared of you so I don't know why your grilling me. Are you cheating on me Samir?" Toryn remarked.

"Oh my...yo'," Samir said to himself, rolling his eyes around. It was the same argument they had only a month ago. Toryn didn't remember, but this wasn't the first time she had seen Tiffany's name in his phone. Tiffany had ended one of her texts with I love you before and Toryn had flipped. It really was his cousin and he proved it to her...but she couldn't remember. "Can you stop?"

"No can you stop? Who the hell is Tiffany?"

"Bro, she's my cousin. We talked about this before." He stated calmly. He didn't want to yell because when he did she did and having a screaming match was unfair to his siblings. He had to respect his parents house especially when she wasn't even suppose to be there as much as she was. "It even said cuzzo in the text, like are you serious?"

"Oh so that's the code word nowadays? Cousin?"

Samir looked up at Toryn, she was so sexy but that was what made her so dangerous. Her hair was in a slightly normal than longer bob, stopping up to the corners of her mouth with a thick bang up to her eyebrows. Her clear coated french tip nails shun from the light above and her shimmery lip gloss made her small lips look extra suckable. She had no makeup on and still looked pretty. Her glasses weren't on right now because she didn't feel like wearing them. Plus he was close to her face so she could see him clearly.

"Toryn what code word? She's my real blood cousin. Look," Samir picked up his phone and reentered the text messages between he and Tiffany and showed it to her. "She even mentioned my brother and sister. If I'm cheating why would she be asking for them? Those are her cousins."

Toryn tilted her head to the side. "I'm not stupid! So what! They could just know that's your other girlfriend. You act like they would tell me. Their your family not mine." She spat, climbing off his lap. Her mood was officially sour and she wanted to go back home now. "Don't know why everyone wanna try me. I'm at the store and everybody in my fucking face...people wanna be whispering shit when I'm walking by...you sitting here tryna pass your side bitch off as your cousin..." she mumbled to herself.

Samir just sat up on his bed and watched her. Her B cup breasts were just the right size and sat up so right, anybody would be amazed that she didn't have a bra on. Toryn had changed a lot over the years mentally and physically. She had filled out more and had gotten ever prettier. Her skin had darkened too and no longer was she a light brown, but a tan brown. Her eyelashes were thick and she was now slim and not skinny.

However, her mental state would make any sane man do a double check with themselves before they got with her. She was chilled and very sweet when she was normal. That hadn't changed about her, but when she started to have an episode or was not on her medication she literally became crazy. She always thought people were out to get her, she openly talked to herself sometimes and she was always in drama.

"When's the last time you took your pills?"

Toryn immediately began crying as she started searching for her pants. She hated when people brought that up because it made her feel crazy. Just like how Renown had fired her out of nowhere. She gave up three years of her life working there. She was one of the best employees and they just fired her like she was nothing.

"You know what fuck you! This has nothing to do with pills! But I'm gonna go, because..." she trailed off, grabbing her jeans off the ground as she roughly tried to stick one of her legs inside.

"Toryn,"

"No because I don't need this shit. I—"

"Toryn!"

She dropped the jeans put her hands to her face as she wept. She felt so lost and alone sometimes. Samir sighed and got up from the bed, pulling her into his chest for a hug. The funny thing was at first she had been the one who was apprehensive of getting with him. She was the one who felt he was too good for her and that he wanted something else from her. But it turned out she was the problem in the relationship. Her schizophrenia was the thing tearing them apart. She was the one bringing him downhill.

"Toryn I need you to chill, it's really not like that. I wouldn't take advantage of you like that man. Tiffany is just family, I promise you."

"I can't remember, I don't remember talking about this..." Toryn cried in a muffled tone. "I can't even remember half the time when I write something down in my book anymore. Sometimes even if I reread something I can't even remember writing it! It's getting worse! My memory is going and I'm getting more crazy! We're not gonna last, I know we're not."

Samir gripped the back of her head. "Yo' chill out, don't say that man. We are gonna last." He said. Samir had been really supportive and a great boyfriend. He had even stopped talking to Tink over her, but even Toryn knew there was so much he could take. She knew one of these days he would walk away from her. She was just trying to figure out what day it would be.

He walked her over to the bed and sat down as he pulled her down on his lap. "Come on, stop being a brat man."

Toryn sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"Look," Samir said pushing her hands away to wipe the wetness from her eyes himself. He smirked. "Nobody gonna walk away from you, aight?"

Toryn slowly nodded her head. Her heart swelled and a pool formed between her legs. The way Samir cared for her and took her the way that she was is what attracted her to him so much. She felt so grateful to have him. Toryn leaned in pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pushed them back on the bed, taking his hands to place on her ass. She moaned into his mouth and started dry humping him.

No longer was she that shy. She had gotten much bolder—but not that Samir minded. He pulled away though, knowing when to stop. He had always respected her and would never take advantage of her. "Okay chill out girl." He chuckled, sitting up.

Toryn began kissing on his neck when he picked up his phone again. "I wanted to show you something. I was gonna wait and tell you until after graduation but whatever. I gotta tell you now because you forcing my hand with them tears."

Toryn sucked on his neck like she was trying to take the color away.

"Toryn, look," Samir said pulling away to show her his phone screen.

Toryn narrowed her eyes and looked at a picture of an apartment building. She looked at him and shrugged.

"I'm moving out of my parents house right around the time of your prom. I was gonna ask you to move in with me. The place is out in New Jersey though."

Toryn was shocked and honestly didn't know what to think. Samir was moving? And he wanted her to come with him? New Jersey wasn't far, but it was still a big step. Samir noticed she seemed surprised, so to ease her mind a little he squeezed her hand.

"You don't have to answer right now, but I just really wanted you with me."

"B-but what about Laura and Takashi?"

"What about them? You could come out and visit all the time. Jersey is not that far from New York. It's like an hour and a half. Plus you and him not going to the same college anyway. You're eighteen Toryn, you can make your own decisions now. Look at me, I'm leaving my real family behind. Of course I'm gonna miss them but I have to grow up, right?"

Toryn's heart was wrenching inside of her chest. She loved Samir and she did want to go with him, but her heart also ached at the thought of leaving Takashi and Laura behind. Even if they were only an hour and a half away. She had so many memories here...even all not good and others she couldn't even remember. She didn't know how to feel. Who came first?

"I do have to have an answer from you the day after prom though. Because that's when I'm—"

"Yes! Yes, I'll go with you." Toryn said, ecstatic.

The smile that came across Samir's face caused Toryn to smile harder. Samir looked like a six year old boy who just won a full year supply of free sour Skittles. "Forreal?"

"Yeah." Toryn whispered. She laughed and hugged him, feeling the tears coming on, but she wasn't quiet sure it was from happiness. She sniffled and pulled away, wiping her eyes.

Samir practically tossed her to the side as he quickly got up. "Shit! Great, then I gotta call the landlord and tell him that your gonna be there! He said he'll give me half off and..."

His voice faded in the distance as Toryn grabbed her cellphone and quickly exited the room. She didn't even realize she was still in her panties and t-shirt but she wasn't worried about getting caught. She hardly ran into Samir's siblings.

Toryn found Takashi's number and pressed it. She stared at the picture she had for his caller ID on her cellphone screen. He had his tongue out, his pointy K-nine teeth on display and his middle finger up. He was so crazy sometimes. Toryn started to hear a little miniature voice coming from the phone so she put it to her ear. "Yeah, hello?" She asked.

"Whassup," Takashi said.

"What you doing?"

"Homework for Art History, why, whassup?"

"Sooo...I gotta tell you something," Toryn said. She was aware that more tears had accumulated in her eyes. Her throat felt like it had closed up to the point it was almost painful. But she had to tell him now. At least to get it over with. She couldn't hold it in until she got back home.

"Sooo," Takashi mocked back playfully, "tell me what it is."

One...two...three, Toryn coached herself, "After prom, I'm moving to New Jersey with Samir. We got an apartment. I'll come back for graduation but we're actually officially moved to New Jersey the next day after prom."

The line went quiet and Takashi screwed his face up like she offended him. There was some rustling in the background as he sat up on the bed, running his hand over his head. "Toryn...what?"

"Samir and I—"

"Are you crazy? Your not going any fucking where with him."

"Taka I'm an adult now and I wanna be with my boyfriend. I'll come visit you guys all the time."

"Okay? You saying all that for what? You still not going nowhere." Takashi said.

Toryn pulled the phone away from her ear to turn the volume down. Takashi was pissed because his voice was coming through very loud and clear. Toryn moved away from the bathroom door and spoke into the phone very calmly, "I'm grown Tee, I'm allowed to make my own decisions. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

Takashi sucked his teeth. "Toryn you can't even remember what you said four seconds ago half the time. You can't take care of yourself. Moving away from me and Laura is stupid. Look how your acting now. Getting fired from your job, having episodes way more frequently now and everything. And you think moving away with this guy is smart?"

"Yeah but all of that is my fault. Not Samir's." Toryn said wiping a tear that fell down her cheek.

"Exactly, so stay where you can be helped. You chasing behind some little boy that don't even remember his damn self if you took your medication for the day or not. What happens if he changes up on you out there and meets somebody else? What if he kicks you out? What if he takes your phone or something and you have no way of contacting me?"

Toryn smiled at how concerned he was, but she really could take care of herself. Schizophrenic or not, she was street smart and she knew her way around. Plus he was acting like she was moving half way across the world. "Be happy for me Taka...I have somebody that loves me."

Takashi's tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. "Man fuck that punk ass nigga you with. You have somebody here that loves you more. I love you, Tee. So what about me? Look, fuck it, if you want me to drop the college I'm at we can find one that majors in Psychology and Real Estate. Or we can both work and—"

"Tee!" Toryn yelled, the way he was trying to hard to cling onto her was breaking her heart and she couldn't keep listening to it. Now that she thought about it, moving with Samir was not just about being with her boyfriend. Samir had been right in a way. She was an adult and maybe for the first time she should try to be on her own. Without Laura and Takashi. "Please stop...I've made my decision. I'm going..."

"Toryn don't do this shit man..."

Toryn closed her eyes. "I'll see you at curfew when I get home...I love you...bye." She ended the call and sunk down to the bathroom floor, allowing her heart to bleed out.

Maybe Takashi didn't figure it out yet, but she was lifting the burden he had of taking care of her. No longer did he have to watch her every move or waste time in his day babysitting her. When she left, his days would fully consist of what he wanted to do with his time. He wouldn't have to alter his life to accommodate her. And the thing that broke Toryn's heart, is him realizing that once she was gone and liking it that way.