[Bad As Ever || Book 2]

13°

» "why can't you just move past it..."

Miami, Fl;

"Uh, tomorrow? I was thinking maybe the day after tomorrow..." Paris spoke into her phone with her boss, the principal of the middle school she worked at.

"That'll be completely fine, Paris. We are looking forward to having you back." The principal replied.

"I'm looking forward to going back. See you then, Mrs. Darwin." Paris said politely.

"Alright, tell Mr. Tiller I said hello. See you then." She replied before they both hung up the phone.

She walked over to the closet and tried to see if she had anything that she could wear to work. As long as it wasn't jeans she was fine, however, there were some things she'd prefer not to wear.

"Man.." She sucked her teeth lowly, walking to the box full of clothes they had received.

"What's wrong?" Bryson asked. He laid back on the bed, staring at the tv in front of him. He glanced over at her as she stood in front of their clothing.

"Uh, nothing.." She shook her head and ranked her hair back with her hand. He sucked his teeth and sluggishly got out of bed, walking over to her, "Clothes? I can get you some more clothes."

"Nah, I'm going to wear this." She said pulling a random blouse out. He took it from her and put it back in the box.

"Seriously." He stated.

"Seriously, Bryson." She said kissing his cheek, "I don't need anything, I'm fine."

He sat down letting out a sigh, "You don't think I can buy you something nice..."

"Nobody said you couldn't, I just don't need you to." Paris explained, not wanting to go to this conversation that was long worn out.

"But I want to, so here." He grabbed his wallet and handed her several bills. She refused, pushing it away from her.

"We still have to eat, Bryson. And pay for this hotel room." Paris rolled her eyes.

"But we didn't have to eat and pay for the room when you were out buying me an expensive ass computer? I'm started to think you want me to feel like less of a man."

"I've never tried to make you feel like less of a man." She huffed deeply, "I'm honestly done with this dumbass conversation."

"I'm so fuckin' tired of this." He spat, closing his eyes.

"Tired of what? Of me?" Paris asked pointing to herself. When Bryson didn't reply, she scoffed and stormed out of the room.

>>>>>

Paris didn't know where she was going but she had to get out of that hotel room with him. It was slowly, but surely, driving her insane.

She didn't like how he was making her feel about him. His attitude and harsh, snappy ways were making her more and more turned off by him. Of course, she still loved him more than anything but things were definitely changing.

She decided maybe she would go to the post office and get their mail. Maybe a miracle would be somewhere.

All she had was junk mail and a big box that she had to get help taking to her car. Once she was settled in the driver's seat, she used her key to open the box. Because it was from John, she figured it might be somethings she'd left back home.

"Oh my..." She gasped, putting her hand over her mouth once opening the box and seeing her mother's things.

Her eyes began to water as she looked at all the things in the box. There were many pictures that brought back memories. Memories she hadn't thought about in a while.

She missed her mom, that was a fact. The smile she always wore and the good advice she always gave. There was no one in the world like her to Paris.

And where there was her mom, there was Brylee. Paris closed her eyes and thought of the small child.

"I'm so sorry..." She cried, laying her head on the steering wheel. For some reason she felt like it was all her fault, like perhaps she complained too much or should've been the type to want her baby beside her at all times.

Whatever would've helped, it was more than irrelevant now. Her baby was gone and all she had now was a husband who wasn't the man she fell in love with and a box of her mother's things that made her think of her daughter.

She placed the things she had taken out back in the box and pulled a post it note off the inside corner that had money taped to it.

Call me whenever you get this
- John

She closed the box and wiped her face, backing out of the parking lot and heading back to the hotel.