the a team

keaton v.1

By the time I had woken up, I instantly recognized who's house I was in. I recognized the blue walls and black sofa with dog drool marks all over it- Jaxson's apartment. I fluttered my eyes and took in the smell of cigarette ash and whiskey in the air.

I pushed myself up and looked around at Jaxson's room, his phone and headphones were on his bed along with a sleeping Bailey, curled up on top of Jaxson's pillow. I looked to the right to see Athena and Juliette quietly giggling, drawing on paper with some cartoon playing on Jaxson's IPad.

I heard the door slowly open, and Jaxson walked in, but he saw I was awake and laughed.
"Look who's up from his coma," Jaxson laughed, I could hear rustling before Athena and Juliette ran over and jumped on top of me and hugged me.

"Kitten!" Athena exclaimed in her high pitched voice.
"Guys do me a favor and give us the room?" Jaxson smiled.

The girls laughed and took off, chasing each other. Bailey woke up and ignored me and ran after the girls, chasing them like a game. Jaxson let them all out before shutting the door behind them and walking over to me. I moved up and let him sit next to me.

"What happened?" I asked.
"You tell me." He responded. "You leave third period then randomly come back before lunch trashed then pass out at Avi's. What did you do?"
"Fuck, man... I don't know, Jullian asked if I would go to Rusty's and he ended up bringing, like... Nishan, Adam and all them... We drank too much," I answered.
"You're already in debt with them from the weed and drinks. They're just trying to get you more hammered and more into debt so they'll make more off you," Jaxson responded.
I sighed. "What time is it?"
"Six thirty," Jaxson answered.
I threw myself off the couch and began tying my shoes. "Fuck, I have to go."
"You're dad expecting you?"
"Uh... Yeah."

I waved off to Jaxson and bolted out of his apartment and started running. He only lived a few buildings down so I'd get there in no time. Within a few minutes, I ran inside and unlocked the front door and began bolting up the stairs. By the time I got to the third floor, my keys were already in my hand. I unlocked the door and ran inside and slammed the door after me, and locked all three locks on the door. I hurried inside of her bedroom, where a note from the babysitter hung on the door reading "left at 6:15!"

I pushed open the door to see her asleep all tucked inside her bed. I took a sigh of relief as I watched her chesr raise up and down, showing she was healthy and happy. I walked over to her and knelt down besides her and kissed her forehead, before leaving the room and shutting the door as quietly as I could. I shot Kiera a text thanking her for staying a few hours late and that I owed her big time and that I would pay her back when I saw her.

I took a deep sigh and tossed myself on the small couch and just began to think. I know I needed to do better in everything for my girl but is it even worth it at this point?

I got myself out of my thoughts and went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face. My daughter deserved the world and I couldn't give it to her. I sighed then pushed myself up and stared at myself in the mirror for a second, before touching what looked like marker all over my face.

"Why are there dicks on my forehead?"

———————

Next morning, I woke up in the apartment in dead silence. My bed creaked as I pushed myself to the other side and tried to go back asleep, but a few minutes after, I heard my door swing open, and I felt pressure sink in on my bed as something crawled close and closer towards me.

I kept my eyes shut, though, I needed to relax. She crawled and crawled towards me but didn't say anything, before crawling to my stomach and laying down there. I couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, I grabbed her tightly and pulled her on top of me as she giggled and laughed.

"What are you doing in my room, Missy?" I asked.
"I'm hungry!" She whined, I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Okay. Okay. Let's go eat," I said.

She laughed and tossed herself off me before throwing herself off and running towards the kitchen. I slipped sweatpants over my boxers and followed her, but she was already in the kitchen waiting for my by the busted stove. I told her to let me get the mail and I walked outside the apartment, then went outside the door to open whatever mail was in there. Some bills and advertisments and such, but a certain white envolope labled 'Keaton Romero' in cursive in a pink pen. Underneath that was signed 'Marissa Thompson,' and I smiled, already knowing what was inside.

I went back inside and tossed the mail on the kitchen counter, besides the one from Melissa. I opened that one and pulled out three checks, one for rent, one for food, and one for toys or clothes for my girl. I went over to her and we began cooking pancakes, the recepie I had memorized sense seveth grade. While I flipped pancakes, my girl disapeared from me but by the time I looked behind me, she was looking at the checks at the table.

"Baby put those down," I sad while going back to my pancakes.
"But it's for me!" She pleaded.
"It's for the month. Not for today," I responded.
"Who's it from?" She asked.

I didn't say anything for a second. "You want blueberries in your pancakes?"
"Yes please!" She exclaimed.

I finished cooking within a few minutes and I took my girl into the living room where we watched her favorite cartoon, but I didn't really know what was going on. By the time we were done, I took her plate into the kitchen sink and started doing dishes while she watched me from the table.

"Daddy," she said.
"Mm?"
"Who's the mail from? Why do they have my last name?" She asked.
I sighed and paused for a second. "They're checks from your grand mother."