Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The smell of breakfast hit me before I even opened my eyes warm, buttery, and comforting, with a hint of something sweet like cinnamon. For a second, I just laid there, letting the scent coax me out of sleep. My body still felt heavy from last night or maybe just from how good last night was.
I stretched, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and checked my phone. No new messages. Not that I was expecting one, but still just the memory of Trayvon's kiss on my cheek was enough to send a little rush of butterflies through me again.
I threw on some sweats and a hoodie and made my way downstairs, only to run into Genesis halfway down.
"Morning," she mumbled, yawning as she rubbed at her eyes.
"Morning," I said back, bumping shoulders with her lightly.
We rounded the corner into the kitchen and found most of the family already gathered Felix, Zarina, and our dad sitting at the table, plates half full and casual conversation floating in the air. Mom was by the stove, flipping the last of the pancakes, and the radio was playing some soft old school R&B in the background.
"There y'all are," Dad said, looking up. "We were starting to think you two were gonna sleep through breakfast."
"We almost did," Genesis chuckled, making her way to the fridge for some juice.
"Good morning," Mom said without turning around. "Grab a seat. Food's almost done."
Zarina looked up from her plate, a smile already on her face. "Y'all missed Dad trying to tell a joke. It was tragic."
Dad scoffed. "It was golden, and you know it."
"It had a three second delay before anyone laughed," she teased, sticking her tongue out.
I slid into a seat beside Genesis while Mom placed two fresh plates on the table. She ruffled my hair gently before sitting down next to Dad. "Alright, everyone eat."
Felix was sitting across from me, quiet as usual. His eyes met mine briefly, then shifted away. I didn't look too long, still not sure where we stood after the argument earlier this week. But I wasn't gonna let that mess up a perfectly good breakfast.
"So how's school treating everybody?" Dad asked, slicing into his pancakes.
"Busy," Zarina sighed. "I had three teachers yell at me this week. But I survived, so that's something."
"That's Jr life," Genesis muttered with a smirk. "I keep telling you to fake cry. They stop yelling real fast."
Mom laughed, pointing her fork at her. "That's not bad advice."
"What about you, Angel?" Dad asked, looking over at me. "You've been looking a little tired lately. They working you too hard already?"
I shrugged, trying not to seem too giddy. "It's not bad. I'm still getting used to it, but I kinda like it."
