"I miss you, daddy." Young Kiyana tells her protector, bestfriend, and heart.
"I miss you too, Bunny. I have to make money this weekend though." Levi explains and rushes to get out, so to not disappoint his only daughter, and the girl that always looks up to him and motivates him. "I promise to get you next weekend though."
Kiyana, already having a routine of disappointment, responds with words that breaks his heart more than not seeing her for a month. "Alright, daddy, I understand." The pain she wanted to avoid giving him by complaining, he felt more, but both of them were determined to protect eachother. But she didn't lie to him, even at the tender, impressionable age of 7, she realized that daddy had it hard.
When he was a soldier, poor Kiyana, scared for her father's safety, cried and begged him to leave. So, when his term was up, he left the military, wanting to provide for his family, while still being able to enjoy the moments. However, life doesn't have too many options for a man who joins the military at 18, without a college degree. So he worked hard jobs, continuously, and raise after raise didn't make his check any better with child support taking more and more.
After taking up her dad's lunch break, she goes outside, the only thing in her hand, a basketball, the only thing in her heart, pain and guilt, and the only thing on her mind is money and her dad. Using the basketball hoop and the street, she plays until she's out of breath. Dreams weren't really her thing, she just wanted to do whatever would get her the most money. Even as a child, these thoughts stayed on her mind.
When she's out of breath, she sits on the curb, staring into the dark sky. She was supposed to be in before the street lights came on, instead, she lost herself in practicing. Her mom watched her walk to the hoop in front of the house, but after that, her boyfriend got her full attention. The stars, although so irrelevant to everybody else, always calmed her down. No matter what happened on Earth, they shone so brightly. The revelation touched her to the core, so when she saw a shooting star, a rarity in the neighborhood riddled with drug dealers and drug addicts, thieves, and killers, she took her opportunity. She wished on that star, her eyes following it while it was in her sight, and even when it left, her eyes still followed the trail.
Her friend, Jadyn, pulls her close to him, rushing her to the house, before realizing the door's locked. Finally he opens his mouth after running her to the garage, or as they know it, the closest thing to paradise.
"This why you can't be out here this late, focus. You know we don't live in no fairytale world. Whatever we want we have to work for it, and you can't work for it if you dead." Jadyn's words always knocked her back to earth, always showed her her reality, as harsh as it seems.
"I'm sorry Jadyn, but I saw a shooting star finally." Kiyana tells him excitedly
"Ki, there's a reason they don't come around here, we don't get wishes." He says giving her a tight hug.
Jadyn knows his friend's naivety could hurt her, but that hope is what brings her the attention she gets. Everybody else gave up, but she didn't. Kids her age don't get it, but older kids like Jadyn, and the adults understand completely. It's easier to give up hope when your situation is hopeless, but keeping any bit of hope alive is important. Nobody really gets that, none of the kids Kiyana's age or younger get why everybody pushes for her so hard, they think nobody likes her. That twisted thought makes them wish bad on her, makes them do evil things to her, hoping they can get credit enough to get hood rich.
Hood rich, a topic that doesn't really get talked about. Especially around Kiyana, they don't want her dreams to ever reach a ceiling, and so they try their hardest to protect her. Kiyana, doesn't understand her importance, but she does understand the care and love the people who push her show.
"Now, remember the motto?" Jadyn asks, the one motto that keeps them alive.
"Watch it all, tell none." Kiyana answers, her hopes still going high.
Jadyn sighs before hugging her tight as they hear more gun shots going off.
"I have to go get my big brother, he'll let us in." Jadyn says, and Kiyana nods, not trying to distract him more than he already was.
Jadyn runs out, and she waits for him to come back. She stays in the garage, until the shooting is all over, as she goes out to see what's going on, she sees Jadyn crying by Jacob, his big brother. Jadyn's eyes hold tears that won't shed, being a man already imprinted on his heart.
"Kiyana, I'm all alone now." Jadyn says, breaking Kiyana's heart into bits.
"You're not alone." She says, the most simple line that means the most to him. Jadyn runs and hugs her, his mind on how to make money, not able to depend on his brother anymore, or his crackhead mom.
"You can stay with us." Kiyana tells him, but Jadyn's heart holds hatred for Miracle, Kiyana's mom.
"I'll just stay in our crib." He says, the venom eating away at his heart. Nobody liked Miracle and the complete dismissal she portrayed to Kiyana already, but her lack of concern for her, caused his brother to run out in the street, to protect the two friends.
I'm Kiyana, and Kiyana is me. Her tears are the same tears I shed. Her losses are my losses. Her friends are my friends. But most importantly, her wishes are my wishes. And this is my story.
