guardian ➸ trevante rhodes

six

maybe I'm not who you think I am..

"So, Toya, we've been thinking," my mom said as she sat down beside me on the diner table. The party had now died down and no one was here except for Trevante and I. He had crashed out on the couch cuddled in a blanket.

"What?"

"You can stay back in our house," she said calmly. I was shocked honestly. I didn't expect her to say something like that, but it was as if she knew something happened.

"I'm fine with Tre, Mom."

"You barely know him, Toya. He can be a drug dealer or serial killer, it's not safe." Little does she know, I thought. "Your dad and I already discussed it. He said it's fine as long as you start working and help pay the bills around here."

"No, Mom, I'm not staying here." I said and rose from the couch. I walked towards Trevante and shoved him to wake up. His eyes bulged open quickly and he grabbed my hand. I jumped back at his reflex and then sighed. "Let's go."

"Sorry," he gave me a sheepish smile. He got up anyway and rubbed his eyes. He frowned at the sudden tension in the room. "Everything good?"

"Yes-"

"No," my mom said. Tre furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her. "I don't trust you being around my daughter." She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to her. Tre nodded slowly and frowned again.

"I understand, but I don't have any intention of hurting her. I'd never lay a finger on her," he said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared back at me. He was confused.

"Do you work anywhere?" She continued.

Trevante hesitated, "No, but I already have three interviews tomorrow. I have enough to provide for her and I, though."

"Good, she needs to start working now, too, since she's going to start living with us again."

Trevante tilted his head at her comment and then looked back at me. His eyes showed a bit of betrayal. "You're moving back in with your parents?"

Before I could speak, Mom was already on it, "Yes."

I sighed and released my arm from her grasp, "As much as I'd like to move back in here to be with Jalynn, I'm not. I'm so close to finding a job and providing for myself. I'll have my own place in a while, Mom. I can do this by myself. I'm grown to leave the house, I'm an adult."

She stayed quiet and eyed a confused Trevante before going back into her kitchen. I looked back at him and he looked defeated. What was wrong with him?

I walked over to him and grabbed his arm. I led him outside and that's where he roughly got out of my grasp.

"So you're just staying with me for nothing, right?" He gritted. "You just need a place and that's why you're crashing out at my place, right? You're just gonna leave when you can afford to. What the hell, Toya? I thought we actually had something going on. I love you, can't you tell? I risked getting shot for you. I risked losing my job for you because I love you, T. But you're just using me. Just stay here if you want somewhere to live because I was a fool to realize that you were just using me."

He walked off to his car while shaking his head. I was in awe of what he said. Everything I said I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to tell my mom that I was independent and could make grown-up decisions.

I quickly chased after him and grabbed onto his shoulder. He spun around facing me, he was hurt. "Tre, I didn't mean it like that."

"How did you mean it then?" His voice cracked. He literally was about to cry.