MAKEOUTHILL

24%

January 2014

I'm in the middle of licking my blunt shut when there's a knock on the door.

I know it's not Momma, she went back to work the day after Christmas. And it can't be my father for obvious reasons.

Which leaves me with only one other suspect. Zaelyn.

He can wait.

Removing the blunt from my mouth, I take a lighter and tickle the flame all over; drying it.

The knocks get louder.

"What?" I yell, not making an effort to move from my spot.

"I know you hear this door!" He yells.

"Give me a second," I yell back. I throw the unwrapped weed on my rolling tray and stumble towards the door.

I open it and see Zae standing there with a smile on his face.

"Don't you have a key?" I say, remembering I gave him my spare. He comes over at random times, and I figured he's trustworthy enough to have it.

"He has her key?!"

I crease my eyebrows.

"Shit." He sighs under his breath.

I try to look over his shoulder but he stands in front of me. "Who'd you bring?" I smile. "You're being rude, introduce me."

"Nah, no need to. You know them pretty well."

"Your "girlfriend"?" I say with air quotes. I concluded that he doesn't have a girlfriend, he just says it to make himself look better.

"No—"

I roll my eyes in frustration. I push past him and see Reign and Skyla standing next to each other.

Without a word, I turn around and shut my door.

"Charismaaa," Zaelyn drags out while he knocks. "You can't avoid your problems forever."

"Fuck you and them," I yell back.

My head falls in my hands, as I hear him unlock the door and let himself in.

"Ugh!" I groan walking to my room.

"You said fuck me, I'm here to fuck."

"Zae, you said she wanted to apologize to us?" Skyla says.

My head whips around, "I wanted to apologize to you two?" I repeat. A smile grows on my face, "we been established your brother's a liar."

She snorts, "right."

"See!" He says. "You guys are bonding already! Just be cool! I don't like hanging out with you in secret."

"Oh, so this is where you've been going?"

"In secret?" I interrupt. "You embarrassed to be chilling with me?"

"That's not the point. Y'all miss each other. Talk."

I look at them looking at me. I fold my arms.

"Well, since I know neither of you will break the silence," Skyla starts. "I will."

She walks up to me and holds my hands. I slowly pull them away; hating physical contact with others. She chuckles at the gesture. "Charisma, we just wanted to say we're sorry. We haven't been the best of friends and we want to do better. This friendship has lasted for years, why let it go to waste over one argument?"

I digest the words she's saying. She's right, one argument shouldn't ruin everything. "Low-key," I start. "I miss both of you, so so much. We have our differences to work on, but let's swear to each other that we'll talk things out until the problem is resolved and understood between everyone, okay?"

"Deal," Skyla replies.

We look at Reign who's been standing in one spot the entire time she's been in the house. She hasn't said a word or even attempted to apologize.

She's staring directly at me when she says, "I apologize and we're cool."

Skyla squeals and throws her arm over my shoulders, hugging me. I lightly pay her back, but I'm still confused about why Reign's entire mood is just... Off?

𓆩♡𓆪

I spent the next few hours catching up with Skyla and Reign on everything that's happened in the next few hours.

Well, mostly Skyla. Reign has barely said a word to me. She just stares at me with this look I can't describe.

Zae's still here, helping me wash and sort laundry. "Aye, Zae?" I call out.

"What up?"

"You notice something off about Rei earlier?" I feel his eyes on me as I toss a shirt into the washer. "I mean, I could be tripping, but she seemed hella quiet?"

"Shit, Ion know nothing about how y'all females act and feel, so don't ask me."

"But tell me you saw it."

He grabs the laundry detergent from the top shelf and pours just enough into the washer. "Skyla's genuinely missed you, but I started to notice Rei get quiet whenever she mention you. That or she gets hella defensive."

I'm listening as I dump a few scented beads into the washer. "I haven't done anything to her though. I mean, I may have said a few words but she returned the energy at least ten times worse than I put out."

He shrugs and presses start. "I'd say give it time, but then again. Ion know shit."

"I'll put it aside for now, but if I end up dead or some shit because of this girl, I know who to blame."

"You twisted as hell bruh, she ain't gon kill you." He laughs.

We walk to my room and I sit on the bed. He sits at my desk chair. "I'm for real, you never know these days."

"I do know that if you keep holding yourself locked in this damn house all day, you'll start to lose your mind. That's probably what got you so paranoid." He takes one of my pens and starts twisting it between his fingers. "Let's get you a job."

"A job?"

"Yeah, make bank or some shit instead of sitting at home living off your momma's money. Could get yo ass a car so you won't be having me drive you everywhere."

He gets on his phone and looks up places that are hiring full-time. "Hm," he hums. "I wonder who would take high school dropouts."

"Shut up."