So the photo shoot was over; Mannie and Emery did great. Mannie has the perfect smile. "Jai," I turned to look at my dad. "Where do you wanna eat at?"
"Uh, Red Bowl?" He nodded. "Can Mannie come with us?"
"Why?"
"I know him."
"Since when?"
"Since I moved to... LA. He was working in the Gymnastics class."
"I guess."
"Jai! Don't forget we gotta get our nails done!" Emery yelled from across the room.
"I know little one." Dad headed down to his car and I was waiting on Emery and Mannie. I stood in front of the camera just to see what a model feels like. Mannie came behind me and grabbed my waist. He gestured the photographer to take pictures.
We took cute ones, fierce ones, funny ones, crazy one, lovey dovey ones, and even a kissing one. Em walked over to us and all three of us took pictures. Aww. We looked like a family.
In the car, I thought about how I was going to tell my dad that Mannie was my boyfriend. I put my finger on my bottom lip and pushed it my mouth. Mannie touched my thigh and I jumped.
He laughed. "What's wrong."
"Thinking. Thinking about how I'm gonna tell my dad about us." I looked in my rear view mirror at Emery and she was playing Candy Crush on my phone.
"Jai! I passed it!"
"What?!" I turned around to look at her when we got to a stop light. "I've been on that level forever and my 5 year old sister passes it for me." I laughed.
[Red Bowl]
Our food just came out and Mannie took his phone. "What are you doing." I asked.
"Taking a IG-vid." I laughed. My dad excused his self and went to the restroom. Mannie put the camera on him and made this funny faces, then put it on his food, then put it on me and Em; I closed my eyes, stuck out my tongue, and put up a peace sign; Em poked out her lips and put up peace signs too.
We were almost done with our food; I took out my phone and I text Mannie under the table.
'I'm about to tell him.'
'Go ahead, it'll be fine. He seems to like me.'
"Dad, um. I need to tell you something." He looked at me. "Mannie is more than a friend. He's my boyfriend."
"When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago."
"You just got out of a relationship and you're in to the the next one?!"
"That was a month ago! Plus, Mannie makes me happy!" He shook his head at me.
"I don't approve you're being a hoe!" I jumped at his words.
"Maybe I wouldn't be this way if you payed attention to me! Come on Emery." I picked her up and Mannie followed me to my car. We got in the car and I put the keys in the ignition. I sped off and took Em to get her nails done and took her home with my stepmom. I packed ALL of my stuff and put it in my car. I drove to an abandoned parking lot.
I gripped the stirring wheel and put my forehead to it. "I have no where to go and I'm damn sure not going back there." I began to cry. "He never pays attention! He just don't give a damn!" I said as I sat up and hit the stirring wheel. Mannie grabbed my hand.
"I have a place were you can go..."
