Baton Rouge.

Chapter 29 - Dave and Busters.

The next day, Jionni woke up and prepared himself a large bowl of cereal. He took a big bowl out of the cabinet, loaded it with frosted flakes and milk, then brought it to the small table he had in his living room. When he glanced at his phone, he saw 5 text messages from people at his school and people in the neighborhood.

"Party for celebrating Kisses coming home for the New Year!" All of them read. "You coming, Jionni?"

But Jionni wasn't in the mood to party. It felt so good to relax after 17 years that he didn't enjoy doing it anymore. As he ate his cereal, he looked at the mail and saw something that caught his eye.

An application to the strip club.

Jionni's eyes widened as he snatched the paper up and looked to see his mothers name on the paper. Diana Ivy. When he looked at the date, he realized that she scribbled the entire bottom out in pen, almost as if she messed up on filling out the application. Since she'd been gone almost 24 hours out of the day, he knew exactly what she was doing. Jionni placed the paper down and snatched a blunt out of his pocket, placing it in his tucked lips and lighting it up. He nervously smoked and ate his cereal, shaking after realizing what his mother was doing.

Then, Jionni heard a car honking outside of his home.

Jionni rushed up to his window and pulled down his blinds, gazing at a beautiful Mercedes Benz. At first he didn't think that it was for him, but then he realized that it was parked in his driveway. He grabbed his keys and jogged out of the door, watching Melissa's grandmother pull down the window. She was wearing some black shades along with a black jogging suit.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping." The grandmother winked.

"Damn, dis' shit TOO clean!" Jionni said as he looked at her car. "Dis you?"

"Nah, this is Louis's car." She laughed. "So are you coming, or what?"

"Oh hell yeah, let me lock up!"

Jionni jogged back in the house and took a really long puff of his blunt, then blew it out quickly as he ran out of his home to lock his door.

Even though Jionni knew that Melissa's grandmother wasn't judgmental, the car ride was extremely awkward for him. He smelled like weed and had on nothing but a clean wife beader and some shorts since it's what he always wore around the house. His tattoos were showing and he really didn't want to be asked about his son or Mook at the moment.

"So what do you do for fun, Jionni?" Melissa's grandmother asked.

"Uh.......if I told you you'll kick me out." Jionni chuckled.

"Boy, do I look like Rodrigo to you?"

"AHAAAHHH!" Jionni laughed as Melissa joined him. "Nah..."

"So go 'head, little cutie!"

Jionni rested his head back, closing his eyes and smiled.

"I love to party, smoke weed, and hang out wit' my niggas..." Jionni grinned. "And my baby girl Lissa."

"See? Nothing wrong with that! You're a teenager!" Her grandmother smiled. "It's not like you have a criminal record or anything!"

Jionni's face flushed after she said that. "Damn..." He thought. He thought that she'd take him for him all the way, but that was something she had no choice but to hide from her.

"Well, do you like arcades?" Melissa said, turning to Jionni and looking in the backseat.

"I don't go to 'em."

"Well, we're going to Dave and Busters. They have an arcade, restaurant, and prizes there." Melissa smiled. "Mind going back to childhood?"

"Hell yeah." Jionni smiled. "I'm down."