I Got You. |A Norminah fic|

Chapter 16

~DINAH JANE~
I have a job. An actual job where I make my own money. I don't have to beg anymore. Well at least I won't have to down the line it's only my third day but I couldn't be happier. Yara had taught me all about being a barista and a waiter if we were short staffed. I was genuinely enjoying my job, Yara and I were becoming closer and closer as the days went by and Ally too when she wasn't in the back. I mainly worked the register but there were a few occasions so far when I made a few drinks that I had learned.

I have a date with Normani tomorrow, and even though she's been super busy she calls me every chance she gets. She still hasn't told me where we're going, only the time.

It's was just going on 12 and Ally would be closing up shop soon. For the past few days I've been working every shift that I could to scrounge up as much money as I could. I would be getting my first "paycheck" next week and I wanted it to be enough for me to at least get some new clothes and maybe be enough so I wouldn't have to beg anymore, at least for a while.

I was packing my apron and cap into my backpack when Yara and Ally approached me from behind.

'Hey Dj?' Yara spoke first.

'Yeah what's up?'

'We have a proposition.' Ally said.

'Yeah?' I replied waiting for one of them to get the point.

'You're getting ready to go right?'

'Well yeah my shift is over and we're closing up. Are you staying open longer cause I can stay?' Yara shuffled back and forth on her feet.

'No, no it's nothing like that but Dinah where are you going?' Ally asked softly.

Caught off guard by the question I began to stutter 'I-I uh... I'm going to you know-Umm sleep. I-it's late.' I attempted to dodge the question.

'Dinah you know what we mean' Yara replied.

I cleared my throat 'Umm not to far from here like a block o-or two.'

'You can stay with me!' Yara blurted out.

'W-What?' I stuttered.

'You can stay with me Dinah, in my apartment it's not much but it's-'

'Yara I can't- I can't accept that, that's too much Yara I can't.' I immediately denied before she could even finish her request.

'Dinah please I don't feel comfortable keeping you on the streets especially with the rising crime in this area. We've talked about it and you can stay with Yara, you can come to work with her and if you have anywhere you wanna go you can call me or-' Ally bargained.

'Ally I can't. I promised I would never be a freeloader. Ever. No matter the circumstances I can't stay with you Yara.'

'Dinah you're not freeloading, well at least you won't be for long you can give me half on rent or whatever when you get back on your feet, but Dinah if you stay on the streets I'm afraid that something will happen and I don't- I don't want that on my conscious Dj.' Yara replied calmly.

'I've been out here long enough I know- I know how to stay safe Yara. You hardly know me, you and Ally, you guys don't know me. I can't Yara.' I replied firmly.

'Okay, okay but Dinah the offer still stands. Think about it please, please just think about it.' Ally said softly.

I grabbed my backpack and made my way out the front door, without uttering another word to the two.
How could they just ask a complete stranger to come live with them. I wanted to. I couldn't lie I wanted to know what it was like to sleep on something other than a flattened cardboard box and a couple of itchy blankets. I didn't wanna sleep behind dumpsters anymore. I wanted to feel the warmth of a shower again but I couldn't. At least not now.