A Soft Devil (COMPLETED)

Chapter 12

I woke up to the sound of giggling and the smell of pancakes. I groaned as that sound has been my new alarm clock. Whenever she laughs like that, she's talking to Chris, she revealed his name after the second day. She can't hide a secret from me. When I first heard it was him, I freaked the fuck out on the inside, but on the outside I was smiling for her. I still didn't know if it was him, but I knew it was him. It's been causing me more stress than ever, wondering and jumping to conclusions. This is my new writer's block. I still thought about Grayson occasionally, but it was a normal amount than it was a few weeks ago.

I had no problems with Chris. In fact, he was one of the better ones out of the gang, but that's the part I didn't like. He's in a gang, and I don't want Kayla to have to go through what I had to go through. I'm absolutely terrified of what he could do to her, or the things that might accidentally happen to her. I don't think I could live with myself knowing my best friend, my sister, died due to something I could've prevented. Now, I know Kayla can handle herself from going to school and living in Harlem while we were at the group home. Hell, she even trained herself how to beat someone's ass, but it didn't change my fear of what she could face and beyond. It's like holding and operating a gun. You know what to do with it, and how to protect yourself with it, but someone's behind you with the trigger to your head. You never know what could happen.

I walked into the kitchen to see Kayla on the phone smiling and flipping a pancake. She was all dressed up looking like she was ready to go somewhere. She was wearing high waisted jeans she found at a thrift store, a black tank top with a jacket over it, and black vans. She had on light makeup, but heavy on the mascara. When she saw me, she smiled and put my pancake on a plate.

She began to giggle, "Ok, ok, I'll see you in a minute, bighead." She finally ended the phone call sitting at the table with me.

"New nickname?" I asked shoving a cut pancake in my mouth.

She rolled her eyes. "That's one of the few I have for him, but guess what!" She said excitingly hitting the table.

"What?"

"You have to guess, Cindy."

"You gave Chris top?"

She laughed then blushed. "Oh my gosh, no! We've only been together for a month, but it does involve Chris."

"You wanna tell me?"

She widely smiled more than I've ever seen her smile. "He's taking me out for breakfast in a minute." She looked at the clock seeing it 8:55. "Five minutes really." She got up from the table going in the living room probably to check her makeup one more time. "It'll be our fifth official date."

"Where y'all meetin?" I asked following her in there.

"At the corner."

"Alright be careful."

"Don't worry we're not fucking." She winked at me before walking out the doors.

I shook my head at her crazy ass and walked over to the couch turning on the radio. Since I had to work at nine P.M. to three A.M. tonight at the strip, I was just going to chill until Kayla got back. When I turned on the radio, it was all trash, so I popped in a 2Pac album in, his first album to be more specific. I laid back and listened to his words. I nodded my head to the beat eating my pancake. This was one of the only CD's I could save from my dad's CD collection before the fire took away my apartment and parents. I sat up turning the music down, and walked over to my room. I crouched down under my bed to get the books. The only picture book that survived in the house. I brought it back in the living room to look through the memories my family and I shared.

I flipped through the first few pictures to see it was all baby pictures of Matt and I. We were so small in these it was laughable. I looked at all our pictures on the boat ride to the Staute of Liberty when I was five and he was eight, and my parents had to be no older than 25 in these. I remember a few months after we moved to Brooklyn my dad wanted to take us all on a boat ride to Lady Liberty to make us feel like we were really in New York. My mom was holding me in her arms, and my dad had his arm around my mom and Matt. She was dressed in all demin with her hair in box braids, and I had a I love NYC shirt on with blue jeans and a cap. My dad had on a black cap covering his curly hair in a ponytail, and his black jeans, green flannel shirt with his gold chain on. What Matt had on made me die laughing. He was wearing blue jeans with a black t-shirt with Pac on it, and his hair in cornrows. My dad had a lot of nerve dressing him in that.

It was a hard move for him because he was a true West Coaster, born and raised in Oakland, Califnoria. My mom would make him mad by wearing Biggie Small shirts saying, 'Express your East Coast, Dre.' I closed the book before I could let a tear drop. They wouldn't want me to cry, but I missed my parents and brother. Sometimes my heart aches of their absence and other times I'm thankful of all the things they felt behind for me that they don't even realize. Nothing lasts forever no matter how much it hurts.

After going through three 2Pac CD's and a series of old cartoons, Kayla finally returned home with a big ass smile on her face and multiple bags in her hand. I sat up when I saw those bags. She laughed at me running over to the couch to sit with me.

"Did you have fun?" I asked looking at the bags.

She began to squeal, "He took me shopping."

"I see that. What he get you?"

"Well, first off let me tell you how this all happened. So we were eating breakfast and talking, and then he was like, I like your outfit, and I was like, thanks I got it from the thrift. He was like, you look good, but you're too special to be shoppin at thrift stores. We're goin shoppin after this, and you can get whatever you want. I asked, whatevea? because I was thinking shit I don't wanna blow all his money, but if he's offering I'm running with it. But he was like, I got money, and I need to spend it on somebody other than myself. We went to the mall, and I got a pair of Puma's, new makeup, a few cute tops, jackets, and jeans which I modeled for him."

"Man I might have to steal these clothes from you," I told her after she showed me the outfits.

They were fresh as hell. Damn Chris really hooked my girl up. My smile dropped when I remembered it was Chris who did all this for her. These thoughts are crushing and clouding my judgements about her relationship, and it's time I confront her about it. I looked up at her who was looking down at the clothes. She needs to know.

"Hey does Chris have a-"

"Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you," she cut me off looking up. "You're coming on a date with me and him."

I sighed, "Imma be third wheelin."

"Please I want him to meet you. I'll even tell him to bring a friend."

I began to think how even more terrible it would be if he brought one of the twins with him. "Nah I'll just suck it up."

She gave me a side hug."This why you're my best friend. Thank you girl."

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Thank me later. Where we going?" I asked.

"I don't know maybe a restaurant or something in Queens."

I groaned, "so I gotta dress nice?"

"Yes. He's picking us up and paying, so dress like you've been somewhere. Wear a dress or something, show those legs," she told me before collecting her stuff and going in her room.

I sank into the couch. This is about to be awkward as fuck.