her mother wasn't lying, but deep down, a part of her felt a stirring of happiness that she wasn't. pherhaps a fresh environment, surrounded by new faces, could bring about the change she desperately needed.
though she kept in touch with her dad over phone calls, it had been years since they had last seen each other. she knew he was now engaged and had a two-year-old son, yet her mother's negative feelings about him had always kept her from meeting them. today, however, was different—today would be a monumental first.
as she stood outside the airport, her heart raced, anticipation buzzing in her veins. she had already been waiting for five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. the moment was finally drawing near.
kay'lea winced as the unmistakable sound of Tee Grizzley thumped through the air from a nearby car speaker. she facepalmed, knowing all too well that her dad had a flair for the ghetto, but seriously, it was way too early for this kind of wake-up call.
❝𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐏 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐒❞ her dad shouted, using the silly nickname he'd given her during her childhood. a wave of embarrassment washed over her as she scratched her neck, trying to shake off the awkwardness. gritting her teeth, she made the slow walk of shame toward her dad's shiny 2025 BMW X3, tossing her stuff into the backseat with reluctant sighs.
"hey, dad," kay'lea mumbled, only to find both her younger brother and her dad's fiancée staring at her. It was like being under a spotlight, and she could feel her nerves fraying.
"kay'lea, meet simone , my fiancée," her dad introduced, his voice filled with pride. "And this is your brother, cortez, but we call him monster because he's bad." kay'lea nodded, trying to mask her embarrassment.
"hi, kay'lea! you're so pretty!" simone exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile.
"thank you! you're gorgeous too, and cortez is so cute! he looks just like you!" kay'lea replied, hoping to bring a bit of warmth back into the moment as the car's atmosphere shifted from awkward to a little more welcoming.
"yea, but he act just like ya dad!" simone playfully rolled her eyes.
kay'lea's father smiled, "that's a good thing, isn't it?" carter scratched his head, uncertainty flickering across his face as he tried to process the claim.
