L.I.F.E.

Chapter 5

*Same day*

"Who is it?" I heard Sherod say.

"Open the door." I said. He opened the door and smiled.

"Thought you wasn't coming?" He said as he let me in.

"I wasn't but our day was cut short." I said as I sat on the couch.

"Oh, yeah?" He sat next to me and placed me on his lap. "What happened?" He asked.

"Long story. I'll tell you later."

"Rod?" I heard a soft, high pitched voice say. We both looked back.

"Hey, what you doin up?" She shrugged. I was assuming that was his sister. She was adorable.

"Come here. I want you to meet somebody." She walked around the couch and stood by us.

"Brianna, this is Avianne. Avianne, this is Brianna."

"Hi." I said to her

"Hey." She waved at me and climbed on the couch. "I like her. She's pretty." She tried to whisper to Sherod. I giggled.

"I agree 100% on that." He smiled at me, making me blush. She giggled as well.

"Can you do hair?" She asked me.

"A little bit. Wassup?"

"Cause Rod only do my hair like this. I don't like it." She pointed to her loose pony tail.

"I thought you said you liked it." Sherod said.

"Nope." She shrugged. Sherod put his hand over his heart and gasped. I laughed at her.

"And you laughin, bae? I thought you was on my side." He asked.

"Nope." I laughed getting off of his lap. He straight faced me making it even more funny.

"You want me to do your hair?" I asked Brianna. She nodded her head and walked to her room.

"I still love you, baby." I called to him as I walked out.

"Yeah, yeah." He said turning on the TV.

***

"What do you do when they fight?" I asked Brianna as I braid her hair.

"I get in Rod's bed and try to go back to sleep but they're too loud." She spoke softly.

I was about to cry. She told me that her parents fight a lot. You could tell it bothered her. She was only six and shouldn't be going through this. It saddened me deeply.

"Have you ever seen them hit each other." She nodded slowly.

"I try to stop them but-,"

"Have they ever put their hands on you?" I asked stopping. She shook her head. I let out a breath of relief.

"Rod always takes me out of the house when they fight."

"Well, where do you go?"

"Ms. Dorothy, across the street." She said.

"Him too?"

"No. He picks me up in the morning time." I just nodded and finished her hair in silence.

"I'm done, Bri. You can look." She got up and looked in the mirror. She gasped.

"Oh my gosh. It's so pretty." She said touching it. I laughed. She was too cute.

"Come on. Let's go show Sherod."

"Rod, Rod. Look at my hair." She yelled as she ran out of the room. I smiled, shaking my head and walked out.

"It's nice. But mines is better, right?" He asked her.