Whatever It Takes

Chapter Two.

2.

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Chantelle's POV.

"Ma, I'm home!" I yelled as I entered through the front door, locking it behind me.

Walking towards the kitchen, I watched as she pushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Good! Now, help me set up the dinner table." She responded while wiping her hands on the cloth that hung on a hook.

I washed my hands at the sink, peeking at what it was my mother prepared for dinner. She has made nearly an entire Southern buffet — mashed potatoes, fried chicken, white rice, vegetable sauce, pound cake and pink lemonade. The aroma filled the air and it all felt like bliss. "This looks soooo good!" I complimented while licking my lips, still eyeing each dish.

"Thanks, honey-bun." We began to spread the food over the dining table before she asked, "Do you mind calling your brother and Dad for me?"

"Sure." I ran upstairs to the second floor and walked over to my brother's room. "Dante! Dinner's ready." The door was slightly opened and I saw that he was on his bed playing video games as per usual.

"Yeah, yeah!" He brushed off. Paused his game, he shuffled out of his bed and jogged past me to the staircase. I shook my head and turned around, heading to my next stop which was Dad's office.

"Daaaad," I sang in a chipper tone. "Dinner is ready."

"I'll be down there in a sec!" He shouted from behind the door. With my errand complete, I headed back downstairs to the dining room and sat down at the table. Mom and Dante were already seated in their seats. A few seconds later, Dad emerged and took his seat across from Mom.

With the way the table was set up, everyone was ready to throwdown. I know I was.

"Like I asked earlier, why did you cook all this food?" I questioned once again while chewing my food.

Dad lifted his index. "I," He began while sipping his lemonade. "Got a job promotion."

"Congratulations, Dad!" I happily exclaimed. I couldn't believe it. He had been working hard for years and finally he was being promoted. I was truly happy for him.

"Thank you, Dear. I don't have to work those long hours meaning more family time." He grinned, eyeing Mom for a long second. Can I say ew? Not at the dinner table.

"Cool! Now we can go to the sports arena together!" Dante added.

That was good news for me because I was always stuck as chaperone for him and his bad ass friends. "Thank the Lord. I don't have to take him anymore."

Dad shot a look at my statement before nodding his head. "Exactly. Now that we got that out, eat your food. I want anybody choking tonight because I am not driving to the emergency room tonight."

A few minutes passed in silence as everyone continued to chew away at their food. "How is Ray doing?" Mom spoke up.

"He's doing good. We got to hang out for a bit today." I poked at my vegetables,  once again reminded of the devil named Mya.

Dante took it upon himself to butt into the conversation. "Chantelle and Raquan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S —" He started up.

"Boy, if you don't shut up, I will slap you so hard, you'll forget the rest of the lyrics." I threatened. He stuck his tongue out at me and I rolled my eyes. Mother delivered another stern look my way, making that the second scold for the night.

Soon after, I was through with plate and I dismissed myself from the dinner table. Arriving at my room, I decided to check up what was going on online. I logged into Facebook and was welcomed to an array of notifications. Who was spamming me? I opened up the tab and saw that I was tagged in a picture.