Open Arms

|11| Future

Aaliyah POV

Lunch was done and me and my pumpkin was stuffed. I got a whole bunch of weird look from everyone but I ain't really mind. I had to eat for two now and lord knows my baby's a foodie just like me.

We took and tour down to the university of Pennsylvania. Steppin' onto the campus, I felt it right away—like life was  about to start real soon.  I could already see it: four years of chemistry classes, labs, research... maybe even workin' on something that could make a difference.

This could really be me, I thought, lookin' at all the buildings and students movin' around. Late nights in the lab, mixin' chemicals, figure out how stuff works, maybe even change the game. Coming home to my baby and cooking a new recipe I found online for my husband.

I can't wait for my new life. I'm tired of being the token ugly girl with Ari and Asia, I'm tired of having horrible brothers, I'm tired of mean people who can't keep their hurtful words to themselves, I'm tired of brothers who bully me for being darker and ugly, I'm tired of having a mama who only see me as a burden and not her baby, I'm tired of a useless Dad who comes home to drink beer and shout at me for food. I'm tired of it all.

Imma start a new and better family wit Trell, imma make sure my baby knows that Mama will always love em and care for em no matter what. Imma make sure my baby can tell me anything and everything. Imma make sure my husband comes home to a home cooked meal, fresh clothes and a good looking wife.

I gotta change , not just for me but for my family as well. Imma make sure that I get my education so my baby got something to be proud of. I want them to be like ' my mama a chemist, a beautiful one too' or sum shi like that. Imma work hard just for her.

I want my husband and his family to be proud of me, of us. Imma make sure of all that.

I mean, I've known for a while that chemistry was my thing. Back in high school, watchin' them experiments? It was like magic, how two things could come together and make somethin' new. Most people didn't even catch the details, but I did. That's what I wanna do—be in the middle of all that, discover somethin' big one day.

But, I gotta be real—I wasn't focused the whole time. I was tryin' to listen to the tour guide Miss Adams got, she a 2nd year chemist, but my mind? It kept driftin' back to Trell. Like I couldn't go a minute without him poppin' into my head.

Trell, man... he's just different. Ever since that party, it's like I think about him more and more everyday. I haven't been able to shake it. The way he laughed, the way he carried himself—it just stuck with me. We ain't talked that much, but the few times we did? I kept replayin' 'em. Even tho, he ain't been the nicest to me, I don't mind. We'll make us work.

I know he got Dior and prolly a bunch of others on his radar but still... I'm having his baby. So that mean I win right? Right?

I couldn't help wonderin'. I really hope he accepts me, maybe if he sees me in a place like this, maybe he'd see me differently, see me focused, on my way to bein' a scientist. Maybe then he'd look at me twice. Maybe he'd get used and even welcome the idea of him being my husband and only mine.

As the tour wrapped up, I felt like this could really be the start of somethin'. My future, my chemistry dreams,Trell and most importantly, my lil baby. It all seemed right there, close enough to grab, if I just kept movin'.

But for now? I'ma take it slow. One step at a time.

After the tour ended, everyone kinda disappeared, Trell included. Ion blame him tho, I wouldn't wanna spend more time with this either. I sat down on a bench near the science building, my body feelin' a little heavier than usual. The campus was so alive—people everywhere, rushin' to class or just chillin'. It felt like I was about to step into this whole new world. But I couldn't shake the weight sittin' on me, and it wasn't just nerves.

I really gotta get used to this, I thought, resting my hand on my belly. Nobody knew yet. Not telling Trell been weighing on my mind but I really gotta wait till after graduation, ion wanna mess up his studies nor do I wanna ruin his graduation. How do you even tell someone somethin' like this? I wasn't ready for the conversation, but time wasn't slowin' down for me.

The hunger hit me again. I'd been feelin' it way more lately—like no matter how much I ate, it just wasn't enough. I guess that's the baby doin' that, I thought with a sigh, standing up to head toward the cafeteria. Gotta keep us fed.

But even with all the changes, I couldn't help thinkin' about what it meant for me. I was tryna start a whole new chapter of my life, focusin' on chemistry and my future, but now... everything felt different. Bigger. The future wasn't just about me anymore. It was me, this baby and Trell

I gotta figure this out, I told myself. Still gonna do chemistry, still gonna get through this school thing... I just gotta make it work.

As I walked, my phone buzzed in my pocket. For a second, I thought maybe it was my mama, prolly asking about where stuff in the kitchen is, but it was just a reminder about my next appointment. I gotta tell him soon, I reminded myself, feelin' that same anxiety creep up. We weren't even together like that, and now? This was a whole new level of complicated.

I dont know how he was gonna react. Would he be there for me? Or would I be on my own? I didn't wanna think about it too much, not right now, but it stayed in the back of my mind. His Dad and my Dad are still close and I know they both share the same values so they'll prolly make us get married. Which is fine, even perfect but ion know how we gon work out. Cause marriage is for two not just me but now technically it's for three.

The hunger was gettin' real though. I couldn't ignore it. I headed into the cafeteria, grabbin' whatever looked good. My stomach wasn't playin' around today—it was like the baby was demandin' I eat every hour on the hour.

Alright, lil' one, I thought, rubbing my belly after grabbin' two sandwichs , a tuna melt, some crisps, a coke and just to be healthy some fruit. We eatin' good today.

As I sat down with my food, my mind drifted back to everything that was about to change. Going to a new city, new people, new responsibilities. I might have to look for a college down in Boston just to finish my senior year while Trell studies at NW. The chemistry stuff was still important, but now, I had something way bigger on my plate. I just had to figure out how to balance it all.

Hey y'all so sorry for the late update and the short cup. I've been working on the more emotional chapters which took a lot out of me cause I gotta me in the right mood to write em authentically but yh a few done.

See y'all next chp. Gonna rev up the story for that one.