Sane

chapter 13

Brookhaven, New York

Niya POV

"I finally made it home ,and rolled me up 3 fat ass woods. A lot of shit running through my head right now ?Why the fuck would my uncle give me his fuckin car , and why did he give me this much money ?"I thought as I sparked up a blunt. I took another long pull from the blunt, letting the smoke settle in my chest as I stared at the car keys and the stack of cash sitting on the table. My mind was racing, and no amount of weed was going to slow it down. The deal went smooth—too smooth—but that wasn't what had me tripping. It was everything else. Why now? Why after all this time? Why after my sister's death?

I leaned back on the couch, blowing out a cloud of smoke as the questions kept circling in my head. My uncle—who had been a ghost for most of my life—suddenly shows up, calling me out of nowhere, asking me to be his getaway driver for a deal I didn't even want to be part of. And now he's handing me his car and a fat stack of money like it's supposed to make sense. But it doesn't. None of this does.

I thought back to before my sister passed, to all the nights we sat in this same apartment, struggling to keep the lights on and food in the fridge. I worked myself to the bone trying to take care of us, trying to keep us afloat while we juggled school and I worked a side hustles that barely paid anything. We were drowning, and he knew it. He had to know it. So why didn't he step in then? Why wait until she was gone?

I sparked up another blunt, trying to push back the anger bubbling up inside me. It wasn't just about the money or the car—it was about him showing up now, acting like he cared when he'd been MIA for years. My father used to talk about him sometimes, how he was always into some shady shit, how he couldn't be trusted. But he never said much more than that, like he didn't want me knowing too much about him.

And now here I was, caught up in whatever mess he was running from. The deal went fine—no drama, no heat—but the way he shoved those keys into my hand afterward made me think.

"Why now?" I muttered under my breath, taking another hit and staring at the ceiling. He didn't say much when he called me earlier either—just told me where to meet him and what he needed me to do. No explanations, no small talk. Just business.

But why call *me*? Why drag *me* into this now? If he cared enough to show up after my sister died, where was that care when we were struggling? Where was that care when I needed help keeping us afloat? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I glanced over at the car keys again, their metallic shine catching the dim light of the room. It felt like a bribe—a way for him to ease his guilt without actually saying anything. But guilt for what? For not being there when we needed him? Or for pulling me into something I didn't ask for?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey babies how are we feeling about this chapter?Dont forget to comment vote ❤️🫵🏾