We Meet Again

Chapter Twenty-Six

For a week and a half Brianna has been staying with me and frankly this house is too full. I never thought I would have a full house. Jordan eats like he ain't never ate before and Brianna just sit around crying and watching TV. On top of that my parents have been calling me nonstop wondering when she coming home. I keep trying to stall but they won't let up. I know they must be worried but this is a serious situation. Sometimes my parents aren't the best ones to tell things to and I have learned that from experience. Not to mention she has been skipping school which I know is wrong but I also know she is going through a lot and the last thing on her mind is school.

I had decided that today I wasn't going to work so that I could deal with Brianna. We needed to tell our parents so they could get off my back. "You not going to work," Brianna asked coming in and sitting on my bed. I was nicely tucked under my covers trying to stay as comfortable as I could. I wasn't ready to get up yet.

"No, why?"

"Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for the way I came at you. I never wanted for there to be a disconnect between us, I just got caught up."

"You mean you chose a guy over family?"

"Kind of."

"Why now Brianna?" she sighed.

"Because after what happened to me. I realize who my real family is and who really loves me. I don't want to lose the person that has stood beside me through everything. I'm sorry Samaria."

I finally sat up letting the covers fall down in front of me. "Can I ask you a question Brianna?"

"What?"

"Do really not want to go to college or was that him too?"

"I want to go to college. You know I've always wanted to be engineer. I just let him get in my head and convince me that I couldn't so I said why even try." I ran my hand through my hair trying to think of what to say. "Brianna you can't allow yourself to be manipulated by people who don't want to see you do good. I taught you to be stronger than that, not to be weak and fall prey to low lives like that."

"I know."

"Then why? Why in the hell did you allow that man to control your life like that?"

"I don't know."

"You let that man put his hands on you and you acted like it was nothing. At any point you could've came to me or Jordan and we would've protected you, but you chose to be with that man and let him manipulate you like the naive little girl I told you, you were."

"I know! I know okay?! I know." She was now standing up heaving in and out. I could tell she was upset and frustrated but so the hell was I. I couldn't understand how she had gotten that way. I had never taught her to be submissive and it was pissing me off that she had.

I threw the covers off of me and stood in front of her. I grabbed ahold of her by both of her shoulders. "Look I know you're still young and trying to figure this world out for yourself but at some point you are going to have to learn how to judge people the right way. Not everyone out there wants to see you do good but you have to have the strength to push them aside and keep going. Never let anyone stop you from doing or being what you want. Do you understand?"

"Yea I understand."

"I'm serious Brianna. You let this happen once but not again." She nodded. "Okay now that we have that out of the way we have to tell mom and dad."

"What! We can't tell them you know how they will react."

"Yea I know but they know something is up and we can't keep them in the dark any longer. I know you don't want them to know but they are still our parents."