𝙇 𝙄 𝘽 𝙀 𝙍 𝘼𝙏 𝙀 𝘿

10 L I B E R A T E D 10

10 V 10

"Vonna. I came in here and asked you to wake up fifteen minutes ago. You're gonna be late for school," my mother shook me awake.

"Tell Janela that. She was the one talking to goo goo ga ga on FaceTime and her bae all night. I told her she was being too loud," I groaned.

"This is her first time away from the baby, Vonna. I was like that too when I first had you then I had to go back to work soon after," my mother nudged me. "Now get that ass up before I make you bust ya head on the frame this morning," she attempted a joke.

"Ha. Ha," I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get smart with me. Ya daddy told me about your behavior yesterday evening. I'm not for it, Von."

"Can't I just sleep in? I'm exhausted," I pleaded.

"We all are. We all helped move your uncle and cousin in yesterday. But we all have obligations that we have to attend to for the day, whether we're feeling up for it or not," my mother told me sternly.

"Janela doesn't," I grumbled, getting out of bed and doing a long stretch. "Janela's going down to the local Work Source today to look for a job to support her family alongside her girlfriend," my mother stated. "She didn't think about that before she had a baby? And how did she adopt or get a donor without a job?" I frowned, glancing at my cousin's sleeping figure.

"Mind the business that pays you, Vonna," my mother snapped. "Your father has to watch children all day, I have a business to run and an event to plan. Your uncle has to start his new job and check in on the renovations at his new house. And you...you have school. Get dressed."

"Yes ma'am," I replied flatly.

My mother left the room.

I glared at Janela's sleeping figure before heading over to my clothes. I decided I was going to make today a good day, even if it didn't start off that way. I'm gonna talk to even more people than yesterday, I'm going to try to make friends, and I'm going to forget all about the phone sex my older cousin had.

After I was all clean and showered, I put on a simple outfit and looked around for one of my favorite chains. "I probably dropped it behind the dresser," I grunted lowly, looking in the dark length of space between my room furniture.

I sighed, and decided on another necklace, although I really liked that other one. By then, Janela was awake, and looked even more tired than I had been before a cold shower woke me up. But that was impossible, because my cousin had went to sleep before me.

She couldn't possibly be more tired than me.

I think some part of my mind had been plagued by nightmares of Janela saying "Wet for you" over and over again to her cell phone until I finally succumbed to a dark and empty sleep last night.

"Good morning, cousin," she yawned.

If she felt any sense of regret for keeping me up last night, she didn't show it.

Maybe I could go over to their unfinished house and help lay down some brick with the workers to make things move along a bit quicker. I mean, what, was Janela and her family too good to sleep in an unfinished house with no plumbing, air conditioning, or any other necessities.

Sadly so.

I feigned a sigh.

"Good morning, Janela," I said stiffly. "If you see a necklace laying around, can you lay it on my bed. Or on my dresser?"

"Sure," she said, standing up and stretching.

I looked away quickly. "Jesus. You're sleeping in the room with someone else. Do you have to sleep completely naked?" I complained.

"It feels better after the pregnancy. Plus, that's always how I've slept," she admitted sheepishly, immediately covering up.

"Sorry. I didn't know," I shrugged, still looking away.

"You heading off to school?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be late. I hope your...job searching thingy goes well," I said, attempting to be polite.

"Thanks. I hope your day goes well too."

I left my room, a sinking feeling in me that school was soon going to become my escape.