Bryson's Room

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Age ain't nothin but a number. If we don't add up, we can subtract. ~Yazz The Greatest

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"I didn't sign up to be anyone's baby sitter!" I shout irritated, hopping down from the bar stool. She always does this type of stuff!

"Nia you better fix that tone of yours when you're talking to me" I'm pretty sure if you have a black parent you hear that line all the time.

"Ma you just can't volunteer me for stuff. I have a life of my own"

"It's not volunteering if you're getting paid. Now fix ya face and head over there" She never takes my thoughts into consideration before getting me into stuff. I have a life of my own and I shouldn't have to stop my plans by babysitting a child that I don't even know. "You can save up and by ya self a car. It's time for you to start being independent" My mom begins to lecture, I just roll my eyes grabbing my bag off the counter then leaving out the house. I put my ear buds in my ear and walk down the street letting Drake's voice play loudly in my ear. I walk up the single step and ring the doorbell stuffing my hands into my jacket rocking my back and forth on my heels. The door opens and he begins to talk but I couldn't hear a single word, I pull my earphone out my ear.

"Whatchu say?" I ask raising an eyebrow. He frowns, "I said your late" Nigga, be thankful I even showed up. I walk inside and he closes the door behind me "She upstairs in her room sleeping." He pulls on a Nike Windbreaker and a black nike cap to match. I just watched him as he moved across the room fixing it up a little, he was actually pretty cute.

"Here's my number" He says as he writes the number down on a sticky note before handing it to me. I smile but then I realize it's just so I can call him about his child. He grabs his books off the coffee table and heads to the front door.

"Wait what's your name, Mr....what?" I ask as I type the number in my phone

"Tiller, Bryson Tiller" He leaves out the house and I watch from the window as he gets inside the car and pulls off. Now what am I supposed to do for...shit I don't even know how long I'm gonna be here. I sit down on the couch and grab my bag to start my homework. I was halfway done when I heard crying happening from upstairs. I went upstairs following the sound of the crying. Everything was going so well, I was just getting paid while she was sleep, now I actually gotta do something.

I open the bedroom door and the little girl was sitting up in her little bed crying.

"What's wrong?" I ask in a baby tone picking her up from the bed. She stared at me while she cried with this "Bitch who are you and where's my daddy" look on her face. I look around the room for anything with her name on it, I didn't know who this little girl was. "Harley want some juice?" I ask when I see her name on the wall. She nods her head yes and wipes the tears from her eyes then I walk out the room. I go downstairs to the kitchen and sit her down in the booster chair. I look in the refrigerator for juice but all he had was cranberry juice. What child would want to drink cranberry juice? Oh well. I grab a sippy cup out the cabinet and pour a little juice in the cup before handing it to her. I sit down on at the chair besides her watching her. After that I took her back upstairs to put her to sleep.

I walked through the hallway to see pictures of Bryson and Harley but I didn't see a picture of the baby's mother. I wonder why she isn't in the picture? I mean it's not my place to ask, I don't even know him. But apparently my mom does, I have to ask her about how she knows this sexy ass man and didn't tell me about it. I went back downstairs and turned on the television in the living room, watching it as I finished up my homework. The next thing I know I felt someone shaking my shoulder, my eyes quickly opened and I realized I fell asleep. I rub my eyes

"Do you want me to take you home?" I hear him ask "Its kind of late"

"No I'm fine, I live down the street" I start gathering all my books and papers stuffing them inside my bag. I put my bag over my shoulder and grab my phone off the coffee table.

"How much do I owe you?" He asks me pulling out his wallet. I had forgot that I was getting paid, I'm used to babysitting my little cousins for free. But since I want to see more of more Bryson I wasn't going to charge much. "20" But instead he hands me forty dollars instead.

"Nia right?" He questions raising his eyebrow, I nod my head yes. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks as he walks me to the front door. I nod my head "5 o clock on the dot" I reply opening the door and walking down the street. I unlocked the front door and walked inside locking it behind me.

"Mom I'm home!" I yell out loud tossing my bag on the couch walking upstairs to my room. I took my shower then went straight to bed.

Beep...beep...beep. My alarm on my phone went off and I hit the snooze button. I rolled out of bed and drug myself to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I changed into a pair of leggings and a oversize sweater then pulled my hair into a top knot bun. I went to the kitchen where my was sitting down at the table drinking coffee on her laptop.

"How did baby sitting go?" She asks as I sit to demolish this bowl of Frosted Flakes.

"Good I guess, speaking of baby sitting how do you know him?" I ask her just trying to seem as normal as possible so she wouldn't assume anything.

"His mom and I went to school together. I seen him at the grocery store with his little girl and he told me he was having a hard time managing school and her" My mom states drinking some more coffee. So does that make him like family? I mean he isn't blood but my mom and his mom go way back like four flats on a Cadillac. Does that mean he's off limits? It doesn't matter I have a boyfriend anyways.

"What happened to the his baby's mom?" I interrogate. I was really just trying to get all the information out of my mom before later today when I'd see him again.

"I guess after she gave birth she didn't want her so she just left her with Bryson" Damn, how can a mom just abandon their own child like that. Especially that adorable little girl. It's different when the mother leaves the child than when the father leaves. Don't get me wrong both parents are supposed to stick around, but when the mother steps out of the child's life something has to be significantly wrong that makes them unable to care for their child. But Bryson stepped up to the plate and chose to be there for his daughter which just makes him 100% more attractive then he was before.

"It's just amaze me how he can devote his life to that lil girl at just 20" Wait...20. Shit. Why does all the fine dudes have to be older than me? What would he want with a 16 year old still in high school.