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I finally made it back to the house after a long-ass trip to Target, lugging this big-ass basket full of random shit for Azariyah. My arms felt like noodles, but I made sure her gift was stacked. It's crazy, though—my baby sister turning 15? Shit don't even feel real.
And yeah, I decided she's ready for her first shot. It's a Bennett tradition. Call us bad influences if you want, but at least we're keeping it in-house. Ain't no way she's doing this shit out there with randoms. Of course, I picked up a bottle, but let's not lie to ourselves—that bottle's mostly for me and Amirah. I like to party, not get grounded.
I was halfway up the stairs, arms full, when the doorbell rang. Of course, niggas gotta be late. I sighed, turned around, and headed for the door.
When I opened it, there was Kaliyah and Kayson, strolling in like they had no concept of time. "Y'all niggas ever heard of bein' on time?" I said, eyeing them both as I clutched the basket and bottle.
"Damn, Mari, you ain't even say hi first," Kayson said, smirking as he slid past me.
Kaliyah kicked off her shoes like she paid rent here. "What the fuck you got a bottle for?" she asked, already judging.
"It's tradition," I said, smirking. "We all took our first shot at 15—me, Amirah, even my mom. It's Zari's turn now."
Kaliyah snatched the bottle out of my hands, shaking her head. "Just some bad-ass influences," she muttered under her breath.
"Who you callin' bad? You drink more than all of us combined," I shot back, snatching it back.
"Right, don't be actin' brand new," Amirah chimed in from upstairs.
"Nah, y'all wild," Kayson said, shaking his head like he wasn't just as bad.
"Nigga, shut up. Ain't nobody ask for your opinion," I said, rolling my eyes.
We all headed to Zari's room, where my mom and Amirah were already posted up. I handed Zari the basket while Kaliyah turned into a fake-ass bottle girl, swaying the bottle from side to side like we were in the club.
"Y'all are crazy," my mom said, shaking her head but smiling.
