Lost In The Game

XXIII

Demyya's POV

"Lil girls! If y'all don't take them damn shoes off at my door, I'ma get my paddle out," Aunt Pina yelled as soon as we let ourselves in. I chuckled before taking off my slides and putting them on the rug.

"Let the nagging begin," Jurnee said walking passed me. Monique gave me a half smile before following Jurnee.

I know Monique and I will never be as close as we were but I'm willing to work on us. She was a cool ass friend and I messed that up by fooling around with her brother and not being honest with her.

When I made it to the kitchen everyone was standing around talking. Jurnee was tasting Aunt Pina's famous fried chicken. Kenny sat on top of the deep freezer eating a freeze pop while Monique played with the little poodle that ran around.

"That's Demyya right there Auntie," Jurnee introduces me as I sat in a chair at the table.

"Nice to finally meet you," I stood up walking over to her wrapping my arms around her small, fragile body. "I've heard so much about you," I admitted sitting back in my original seat.

"It probably wasn't good. My niece and nephew don't even like me that much. I just love them and have some important news that I need to share with them," she shook her head before wiping her hands on her apron. Aunt Pina sat next to me and asked everyone to sit at the table. Kenny looked over at me but I quickly broke eye contact with him.

"Okay I finally got Jurnee and Kenneth in the same room," Aunt Pina said causing me to look up at her. She was on the phone with somebody important because you could hear the seriousness in her voice.

"I have two extra people I wanna share it with too," she paused before looking over at Monique and I. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't have any other family that's worthy enough. Demyya Thomas and Mo—" I whispered Monique's whole name. "Monique Merrisol." Aunt Pina smiled at us as we all sat around looking confused. "I'm telling them now. Thank you, Mitchell."

"Tete what's that about?" Kenny asked wasting no time to ask the question we were all wondering.

"Okay. The reason I've been tryna get you chil'ren over here is cuz I'm in stage four."

"Tete don't say what I think you're gonna say," Jurnee said walking closer to Aunt Pina. I held Aunt Pina's hand under the table as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"How long?" Monique asked choking on her tears. She's been through this last year, losing her granny to Ovarian cancer. I knew it was like dejá vu to her. We all gathered closer to each other and hugged one another like it was our last days.

"Another thing is," Aunt Pina said breaking up our group hug. "I'm leaving you four and April my inheritance. You all will get your own lump sum. I was gonna wait til yall girls were eighteen, but yall growing need money now. Since Jurnee is pregnant, half of her money will go to a separate account for her child."

"Wait? Pregnant?" Kenny asked stepping back. "Jurnee what the hell she saying?"

"Watch your mouth in my house!" Aunt Pina yelled.

"So you just wasn't gon' tell me? How far along are you?" Kenny asked clenching his jaws.

"I'm two months. Kenny, I was gonna tell you when the time came." Jurnee looked at Aunt Pina and stormed towards the back of the house. I stood up to go after her but Aunt Pina stopped me.

"No, let that chile breathe," she said checking on the chicken she had in the oven. "How 'bout you and Monique run to the grocery to down the street for me? I'll talk to Jurnee." Kenny stormed off towards the living room.

I looked around for my car keys and spotted them on the other side of the table. "What all are we getting?" I asked fixing my clothes. This ride was going to be awkward seeing as though Monique and I still barely talked.

"Here's the list and the money. Try to get the specific things I wrote down. If yall can't find them, get the next to best."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The drive to the store was indeed awkward. Monique just stared out the window, watching the houses go by. "I'm sorry again Moe," I said breaking the silence. "I was really gonna tell you. I just didn't know how. I wasn't in love with Morgan and he wasn't supposed to catch feelings. It's just," I stopped and thought of better words to explain the situation at hand. "his sex was good. It was amazing actually."

"Aht aht, ion wanna hea that. I get it. I'm just overprotective of my brother. But that's y'all business and I'll leave that for y'all to discuss." I get that we already made up but the tension when we're alone is hard to cut.

"Well, we did talk yesterday. He apologized for, yea, that. He told me he loved me and that all he wanted was to see me happy. But Moe, I don't love him back. I told him this and he left me standing there."

"Leave me out y'all mix?" Monique yelled as I pulled into the parking lot. "I don't wanna be stuck in the middle on whatever y'all decide to do." We got off the car and I read over the list.

The store was busy on the Friday afternoon. "Let's get the eggs first," Monique suggested while grabbing a cart.

My life was finally turning around for me. I was going to meet with my father tomorrow for lunch, along with his family. I have to learn to love myself. I let myself go in hopes of finding attention and love from all these different boys. But instead, I broke hearts and contracted chlamydia. That's not how I predicted my life at 16 years old.

"Aye," some man called out behind us. Monique kept walking ahead of me and grabbed the eggs.

"I'm going to get the milk, bread, and butter. You get the pie crust, filling and soda and I'll meet you back at the front," Monique said walking in the opposite direction.

"Um, excuse me," I turned around looking at an older man who had to be at least thirty. He was a handsome man, with golds in his mouth and had on a Jordan fit. Even though he had on a wedding ring, he looked good enough to bend me over these cookies and fuck me into tomorrow.

"Can I help you?" I asked squeezing my legs shut. I felt myself dripping as he licked his lips and smiled. I noticed a woman and a baby boy standing on the opposite end on the aisle staring at us.

"I saw you from across the room. And I gotta admit that you got my attention," I started to laugh in his face as he recited Chris Brown's lyrics. The woman looked to be upset and crying and I wasn't about to be in any more drama. I quickly thought of a song to recite back.

"I don't need yo problems naw fuck dat. You probably got a bitch, come with a kid, come with a ring, come with a crib. And I ain't got no time to chill with no pussy," I rapped as I continued walking.

"That yo song? You just freestyled that?" he asked still following me around the grocery store. I looked around for the right pie crust before spotting it on the top shelf.

"Can you get that Keebler's brand down for me?" I asked getting frustrated. The more he followed me, the angrier his wife got as she followed us.

"Yea here you go," he said handing me the pie crust. I squatted down to get the strawberry filling.

"Thank you," I said about to walk off. "Is that your wife, following us around? I don't appreciate the glares. I didn't even let you taste this pussy and I'm probably bouta get beat up," I said shaking my head.

"You said I could taste it? How bout I taste you and you taste me, then we can fuck all night long?"

"I'm only 16, sir. Thank you for getting the pie crust down for me." He wife was close enough to hear me. I smiled towards her before I walked away from him.

"Lord I'm tryna change. Why would you put that fine ass man in my vision? I probably would've taken that ass whooping from his wife lord." I was talking to myself as I grabbed the soda and headed to the cash register. 

I thanked God seeing Monique was already in line because these lines were so long. "I was just about to call you. What took you so long?" she asked as I stood next to her.

"Girl lemme tell you," I laughed telling her what happened and what almost happened. I was glad that we were finally really talking, laughing and joking again. I don't want to ever mess up our friendship again.