Try Me

Chapter fifteen

"Merry Christmas! Let's go be ho ho hoes."

Khalan and Arian scrunched their faces up at the whack joke. Marbell shrugged her shoulders and laughed it off. She knows she's the funny one in the group; the two men just don't have humor, in her opinion. "It was funny to me, fuck y'all opinions." She huffed, sitting down on Khalan's bed.

"What y'all get me for Christmas?" Arian innocently asked his two best friends, to which they both shrugged, dismissing the question.

Today is Christmas, and the day just started. It's only 6 AM, but Marbell and Arian decided to stop by Khalan's house to at least exchange presents before they all had to go their separate ways. Marbell is spending Christmas with her younger brother and mom. Arian is spending it with his parents and sister. Khalan—well, he'll just drop off presents to Taija, CJ, KK, and Kamari later. He doesn't have much planned.

His dad is taking the kids to his wife's side of the family gathering, so Khalan won't have much time to spend with them. Taija is going to be with Chris and CJ—he can't go there. And Tyra is going to a Christmas party. No time soon, but the girl isn't even home right now.

He'll spend majority of it alone, and he's fine with that.

"How ya'll want to give the gifts?" Marbell asked, placing the gifts she had wrapped in her lap. Khalan shrugged his shoulders and picked up his vape. It's too early for him. "Let's do one person at a time. Marbell gets hers first." Arian suggested.

Marbell is such a straightforward person. Someone who isn't afraid to ask for what she wants, and so when they wrote lists of things they wanted for Christmas, she went all out. She got perfumes, hoodies, jewelry, and makeup from her two male best friends. She was surprised that they actually did well this year. She was always grateful, but sometimes the two men who knew her best were idiots. Arian did well with the makeup this time. He got her correct shade and all.

Next was Arian. He's a laid-back person who doesn't really ask for much straightforward, but he always hints at small things, so both Marbell and Khalan chipped in and got him Jordan's he really wanted. Along with that, he got sweatsuits that matched.

Then it was Khalan. A laid-back person who never asks for anything. Someone who doesn't like to receive anything and is strictly a giver—unless it's sex. He was the only one to not write a list for his friends. Instead, he said all he wanted was weed, but neither Marbell nor Arian were going to let that slide. For Khalan, they ended up getting him his weed along with sweatpants—the only thing he wears. The final present was something Khalan hadn't been expecting at all. It was a—

"A cat? Y'all niggas goofy as hell." Khalan finally smiled at the kitten that Marbell had just placed on his lap. Just a minute earlier, Khalan had his permanent mug on his face. They had left the cat downstairs when they let themselves into the house because their lazy friend refused to do so.

"You finally smiling." Arian commented, relieved. It was Marbell's idea to get Khalan a cat. Something that Khalan briefly mentioned once sometime last year and never spoke on it again. Arian didn't believe that they should, but Marbell insisted, and in the end, she was right.

Marbell and Arian both grew up in loving homes. Not perfect—but they were loving, and so they don't know the half of what Khalan is going through or what he went through. They just try their best to do what Khalan will allow them to.

"It's a girl, a calico. She's about 4 months."

Khalan nodded his head, not taking his eyes off of the kitten that was purring and walking around her new home. This is hands-down the best gift that he's ever gotten.

"I appreciate y'all."
———

"Lanny! We got you something this year too! Our mommy let us do it this time." Kamari yelled happily, seeing her older brother sit down with his gifts for them. Kameron jumped happily, beside his older sister, more excited for Khalan to open his gift than for them to open theirs.