Paths

WHERE I WANNA BE

"You ready?" Kaier asked coming out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later with a grey nike tech suit on.

"Yep." Nairobi responded instantly folding back the page she was on and closing her book. She looked up taking in his attire and his locs that were now pulled into a ponytail. "Ooo you look good," She grinned standing up from the bed and walking toward his tall figure.

While a lot of things had changed about Kaier over the years, one thing no one could ever deny was his good looks. Standing at 6'1 compared to Nairobi's 5'5, he was dark skin and had locs that he had been growing since freshman year that were now shoulder length. Playing basketball since he was a kid gave him a buff build but he was still pretty slim. The right side of his mouth held a gold tooth that he got his senior year, and the braces he had in middle school made his teeth perfectly straight.

Growing up, almost every girl he came across was willing to throw their selves at him at any cost. Especially now that everyone in the hood knew he was getting money.

Kaier was never one to cheat. Although everyone just expected it from him, because of his looks and the money he was starting to bring in. It just wasn't him, he always knew that Nairobi was the one he wanted even after all these years. He knew they were still young because everyone they knew never failed to remind him. But he didn't care.

Nairobi had always been a breath of fresh air for him, when he was with her he never felt the need to be anybody but himself. She was one of the only people who really wanted to see him be something.  So while he didn't know many things about his future and what he wanted. He knew that the one thing he wouldn't do was lose Nairobi.

He leaned down placing a peck on her lips, "Thank you my baby. You wanna go to Juicy Seafood?"

"Ooo Yes please!" Nairobi replied getting excited since that was her favorite place to eat.

"Aight hold on." He spoke before going into his closet and pulling out two stacks of money from his shoe box.

Nairobi watched sliently wondering just how much money he had. And though they never really had many conversations about what he did, she obviously knew he was doing nothing near legal to get the money. Sometimes she'd wish that he didn't think that money was so important, but she also understood that was just how he was raised.

Instead of questioning him as she wanted, she followed behind him sliding on her crocs and heading out the door.

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"Don't stare at me while i'm eating." Nairobi joked feeling herself under his stare.
"Imma miss you man." Kaier shook his head as he admired a quiet Nairobi who sat across from him focused on cracking open her crab leg.

Unlike her Kaier couldn't stand seafood and hated the smell but he always willing to do whatever to see her happy.

"Imma miss you too," She pouted. " I wish you could come with me."

"I know but I'm going to come to see you hella. It's only two hours."

Nairobi nodded, "I already know. What you gonna be doing while I'm gone?" She questioned.

Kaier shrugged, "Same shit. My dad and my brother want me to start helping them more. My dad already told me I can't be down there every weekend cause they gonna need me."

Nairobi rolled her eyes, she never understood why his family felt like he had to be involved with the streets just because they were. " Need you for what Kaier?"

Kaier silently regretted even bringing the conversation up, he did his best to not talk to Nairobi about the things he did because he knew she didn't agree and he never wanted her to look at him differently. "Just moving weight and shit. We down a few people right now," He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

She shook her head, "I thought you were going to try and apply at the warehouse I told you about where my cousin works."

"I was Nai, but my Dad said I wouldn't have enough time to do both."

"But why do you have to do both?" She questioned him with squinted eyes. "Your dad has other people why can't they do it for him?"

Kaier sighed, sometimes he felt like Nairobi didn't understand that he didn't have the luxuries of having parents that wanted him to go to college and get out of the hood. It was hard to stay out of the streets when everyone around you was trying to pull you in. "I'm not really tryna talk about this shit right now. We can't enjoy our food?" He spoke wanting to change the subject before an argument ensued.

"I'm enjoying my food," Nairobi shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out if you gonna let your dad and your brother control you your whole life? Your dad doesn't need you to help him he wants you to help." She spoke not hesitating to be honest with him. Although she also didn't want the conversation to take a turn, she couldn't help but say what had been on her mind.

A look of annoyance appeared on Kaier's face. "I mean I'm making a lot of money doing this shit, more money than I would be at that warehouse."

"But all money isn't good money, you are only eighteen you don't have to make thousands of dollars a week right now." She spoke trying to get him to understand.

"But why wouldn't I take the opportunity to make that amount of money while I can? You don't want to travel and experience shit? I wanna take you on trips Nai I wanna buy you everything you want. This shit not just for me." He expressed.

"Don't act like you doing it for me. You already know how I feel about that shit." Nairobi shook her head, "I don't give a fuck about that Kai, I want you, that other shit can come later. I don't want to leave next month wondering if something is going to happen to you. I couldn't live with that. We still got our whole lives together." She said feeling herself get emotional.

He reached out to grab her face, making sure they held eye contact. "Baby, nothing gonna happen to me. Go to school and don't worry about me ima be good down here I promise."

"But you can't promise that." She replied. They both knew that there was never a guarantee that he wouldn't get killed or arrested with the way he was starting to live. But she knew that he thought it just sounded better to promise, even if it was a promise he couldn't keep.

"I know, but I can promise you imma stay out of trouble aight? Now come on finish your food we was supposed to have a good day today Nairobi." Kaier spoke ending the conversation.

Although she wasn't necessarily satisfied with his answer, she simply nodded her head and continued to eat. Nairobi was just trying her best to spend their last weeks together without arguing, but she also knew she could never forgive herself if she didn't do her best to change his mind and something happened to him.