𝐒 𝐓 𝐀 𝐑 𝐙 • 𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐊 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍

DIAMOND

[𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞; 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞]
—

People are like many things. So many metaphors for a human to be compared to, so many for one to understand.

But I'm a ticking bomb. Each moment. Each inconvenience only warms up the wanting end of my suffering, one that makes a person suffer like no other.

And that person just happens to be my sister.

People lie when they say they "see red," in a moment of heat. I saw spots. Spots as I lunged for my sister, grabbing her shoulders first as my cheek stings in pain.

I grabbed her and I didn't let go. I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to stop punching her; making her feel the pain that I felt. I didn't want her to feel free; she doesn't deserve it.

She got to walk away for 5 years.

She didn't have to plan a funeral for two people who she loved dearly.

She got off easy.

But not this time.

This time I took the hits that she blew, throwing mine harder as if the pain hadn't pinched my hand moments ago. I made her feel what I felt. The words I couldn't tell Kiana; the feelings that just wouldn't come out.

I'm tired.

My face hurts.

My body hurts.

My heart hurts.

I'm hurt.

"You left me." Blood trickles my face. "Why did you leave me?"

My sister doesn't answer me. She looks at me, bloody and bruised, her chest heaving hard.

"Chanel," Words fall faint to me. I drop her wrist and walk into my apartment, stepping over the broken glass like a puddle as I lay on my couch. Weakness subsides me hard. I feel weak for letting Kiana know what I'm feeling. I feel weak for cry in front of everyone. I feel weak for not controlling my emotions.

I'm weak.

I'm weak and hurt but I just stare at my white ceilings, wishing it would collapse. Wishing it would end. Wishing it would all just stop.

"Please open it." Diamond stands in front of me. She holds an envelope, a stained one, and drops it in front of me while Kiana cleans her face.

"What is it?" My voice sounds foreign to
my blocked ears.

"The settlement for GA. Our new female-run business."

Life is a bad fucking joke.

I rip the barrier of the letter and read it. I get GA. The one thing I worked my ass off for and I get it. Excitement pushes past the suffering at first until I get to the middle.

"We own GA?" I damn near shout.

I've run shit for 5 years alone and now I have to share. I want to lunge for Diamond again, but I just stare at the letter, ignoring the pain that knocks the walls in my head.

"I want to give it all to you. You deserve it-"

"Damn right I do." I cut my sister forcefully.

"It all. You deserve it all."

"You didn't come all the way over to Chicago to give me a letter. You want something, and you're probably not going to get it."

"I just want to be a part of the company. You can run it, hell; I'll even sign my name off, but I still want to work here. I lost the chance to prove to-"

"You threw away." I stop Diamond's sentence again.

"I threw away the chance to prove myself to this family, and now I would like to make up for it."

I read the letter again, eyes resting on the signatures at the bottom. My mom's "A," curve as the rest of her name makes a shadow in the outstanding letter and my father's "H," so small, it's like a small town of isolation for it.

My parents wanted us to work together.

I'm doing this for my parents.

I'm doing this for my parents.

I'm doing this... for my parents.

"You're not signing off. And pass me my phone. I have people to call."

—
[M.J]