A Girl Like You // D. Swing [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 14

Journey Hayes

The sound of three knocks on the door echoed throughout the bathroom and my attention shifted from the mirror over to the door. "Come in." Not even a second later, Wesley stood at the doorway in his underwear with a bowl of cereal in hand. "Wesley, you're always eating." I shifted my attention back to the mirror and resumed doing my hair. Today Denise and I would be going dress shopping since Prom was in a week. It was kind of last minute but since Denise landed a job over at a restaurant called Floyd's and I've been picking up more overtime so the both of us have been super busy.

"You know that arcade over by the Zone got robbed?" Wesley scooped a spoonful of fruity pebbles in his mouth and he chewed while staring at me, waiting for my response. "What? When?" I asked with my eyebrows furrowed in pure confusion. "1:12 this morning and they found the same graffiti that they found at Mcspanky's. Remember? The big one-twelve with the circle and line through it?" He asked and I nodded and he did the same with a smirk on his face while he ate his cereal.

That was the fourth robbery in three weeks and it seems like whoever is doing only targets the well-known restaurants and places around the city. "Wow, that's crazy," I said, shaking my head while brushing my hair into a bun. "Where are you about to go?" Wesley asks, with his mouth full of cereal. "Prom dress shopping with Denise. What does Dad have planned for you guys today?" I asked, glancing over at him while styling my baby hairs.

"He's taking me to that new pizza parlor across town then we're gonna go to the batting cage." He says and I nod my head approval. "That sounds fun. Where is Dad anyway?" Seconds later, he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom partially dressed. "Here I am."

"Oh. I was just wondering where you were. Denise should be here in a second to pick me up." I informed while putting my things away and doing a once over in the mirror. "Alright, well, I'm about to finish getting ready so Wesley and I can head out. Be safe and page me if you need anything."

"I will." Moments later, Denise's horn blared from outside and I grabbed my backpack and made sure it had all of my necessities inside before heading out. Before I could exit, my dad stopped me.

"What's up?" I ask and he reaches into his pocket and grabs his wallet. "Here. I know you have your own money but I don't want you breaking your pockets trying to prepare for this one-night event so here you go." He pulls out approximately two fifty-dollar bills and three one-hundred-dollar bills."

"Four hundred dollars?!" He nods with a smile and I smile, engulfing him in a tight hug. "Thanks, Pops. You're the best." I said and he chuckles, hugging me back. "You're welcome, sweetheart." I pull away and kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Pops. I'll be back later. Love you." I say before heading out. Once I got into Denise's car, she greeted me with a bright smile and I returned the favor. "It feels like it's been forever since we hung out outside of school!" She exclaims and I agreed with a nod of my head. "I know! Work is a pain in the ass, though." I said and she agreed.

"Right! But, how's everything? How're you and Hakeem?" She asked and I sighed while rolling my eyes. "He's so irritating but that's my boo. Aside from the bickering, we're actually pretty cool." I say, wrapping my curls around my finger. "How are you and Joel?" I asked her and she shrugged. "We haven't really hung out since my schedule has been super hectic but we talk pretty often so everything is all good I suppose." She says with a smile and I return it. "That's good. So, how is it over at Floyd's?" I asked and she scoffed and let out a long exasperating sigh.

"Girl! Don't even get me started!"

She's about to get started...

"First of all, my supervisor is a pain in the ass! She's always complaining about everything! Like, I came into work last week with hoop earrings in and she had the nerve to tell me that they were 'distracting' and 'unprofessional'. Like, bitch, I'm busting tables and cleaning up after unruly ass kids all day. Who the hell is going to be paying attention to my earrings?" She rants and I shake my head and chuckle lightly. "She's lucky I actually need this job. I'm trying to be as stable as possible before college starts." She says and I agree with her.