I'll Die For You, Homie

n i n e

April 10, 2000

Arique

"Happy birthday, Arique!" Everybody in my moms house yells as I blow out the candles. She had a select few people come to her house and throw me a small birthday...gathering. It's much too small to be considered a party.  It'a seven something at night, so it's still a little early.

It is a very small gathering of people. Only the ones that I fuck with on the daily, and for that I am grateful.

"Thank y'all!" I say cheesing. I feel loved and appreciated, being that it is a Monday and they still came to celebrate my birthday with me after working all day. "I appreciate all y'all. I know y'all got work in the morning, so I feel special." I say smiling.

"It's only six of us here, doofus." Psych has to be the one to fuck up my vibe. "You act like we at a club and got dank and bottles goin' around in this hoe."

"Bae, chill." My moms slaps his arm. "He just showing how grateful he is."

"You know I likes to fuck with him, girl. Relax," he says putting his face in her neck and kissing it making her giggle.

Eww!

I try hard not to gag at the sight. They still in they lil touchy feely honeymoon stage, so I decide to ignore it.

"I'm fuckin' witchu, lil Arique." He looks up to tell me with a smile.

"I know, Darrin." I roll my eyes as hard as I can. He gets on my nerves, but has become someone that I love. He is now family to me.

"Thank you for inviting me, Ms. Janie, but I'm finna go get ready to see a man about a horse." Peanut says going to hug my mom.

"No problem, sweety. You just make sure that, that horse got on the right equipment." My mom gives him a pointed look.

"Of course," he smiles at her before they hug like they're mother and son.

Since he's been staying with me, he's been coming around my people more—the ones I fuck with anyway. I don't bring him around my grandfather because he is homophobic, and definitely not around my mama's fake ass, evil twin.

He ain't too bad around everybody. I did notice how he becomes more observant and less vocal when we're around people he don't really know like that. Oh but when he comfortable...he is a handful.

"I'll see you later, Arique." He gives me a short hug.

"How you finna get to the house?" I ask with a quirked brow.

"I got a ride." He smirks at me, so I know it's a nigga that's picking him up.

"Mhm, be safe." I tell him seriously.

"I do my best." He blows me a kiss before walking out of the door.

I exhale thinking about my next stop of the evening. "I'm finna be heading out too mama. I still got other stops to make."

I can see both Josh and Psych making faces that say they don't believe what I'm saying.

"Aight now, son." Psych comes and drapes an arm over my shoulders. "Remember, make these dudes wrap it up. Just because you can't get pregnant, don't mean you let they kids swim in ya belly all willy nilly." Psych says in a fatherly tone.

"Psych, get out my face playin'." I mush his head back. Josh laughs at that.

"Listen to him!" Josh said. "Don't let these lil nigga's treat you like some two dolla hoe."

"Y'all leave that man alone." KiKi defends me. "Y'all act like he a kid." She rolls her eyes.

"Hell naw, sis. He act like he a kid, so we treat him as such." Psych says shaking his head.