Keeping The Fire Alive

chapter 1

yara...

Hi , my name is Yara ,18 and still able to love school and keep friends . I live with my mother and father ,and we're your typical black family .  We live in Compton ,so you already know whats up. Today is my history final and honestly i couldn't be more prepared .Yup ,you heard right ,I Yara Tanika Banks am excited about a history test . Im the kinda girl that loves to keep to herself and keep the convos to a minimum .

The smell of burnt toast wakes me up from my little nap in the hot bath...well its cold now. Getting out , i grab my towel and wrap it around myself . Downstairs I can here my mom scolding my dad on how he shouldn't try coking ,because we couldn't afford to move after a fire. I smile at myself in the  mirror hearing them bicker back and forth . After getting dressed I run downstairs ,only to be greeted by a shove from my brother Trey. I swear he lives to see me cry.

"hey Titi", he say ruffling my hair up .Mind I tell you that its 4C hair ,that I managed to gel down . "OH MY GOODNESS TREY!" I scream pushing him out out of the way . Him and my dad start laughing. " really Greg " my mother warns, shes the only one that understands since she practically gave me her original Ghanaian hair.

"What! come on babe you've got to admit that it was kinda funny ,I mean look at her now " he say pinching my cheeks ,"My little lion" he says ,I'm not three anymore ,i want to say ,but from the corner of my eye i saw my mom chuckling . "Really mom ,I thought you were on my side " i exasperatingly say ,with my hands in the air .

"Of cause Iam my darling ,come on now lets go fix it " she says pulling me gently to her room ,but not before my brother winks at me .Jerk.

From as long as i could remember ,my mother has always been the one to turn to .She gave the best advice and was always there when i needed a shoulder to cry on . She was extremely beautiful .Her dark skin was been complimented by her white nurses outfit and her hair always seemed to never be out of place.She carries herself with pride and her head never hung low.She new exactly how to handle my hair and in no time she was done .

'Your brother is too much sometimes " she says ."Tell me about it ,he needs to understand that this hair is an hour on its own" i say laughing .I know my brother means no harm but ..ughh sometimes i wanna ...bam bam boom yanno .

She laughs then says "my baby will grow up one day, and he'll need his big MATURED sister to be there for him " something in her voice didn't sit well with me .I don't know what it was ,maybe it was the sudden gloss of her eyes or the frown that sat where it didn't belong .

"Baby listen up ,one day I-I wont be around to keep your brother in check so you have to look out for him . The odds aren't so great for young black men in our society ,he'll be tempted but I know my baby T ,he's too soft .Take care of him .Oh and your stubborn father " she coughs out a laugh .

"Mom are you okay ,what do you mean-" I'm interrupted by my brother ."Yara !!!!!hurry up your dropping me off."

"Go baby, i'll talk to you when you get home ."she says picking p my back and handing it to me ."But mom -" "no no ,come on now ,the worlds best neurosurgeon need to finish high school "she trys to joke but an unsettling feeling sit at the pit of my stomach .

While starting my car ,I catch a glimpse of my mother standing by her bedroom window watching us .She just stood there with a gaze that told me she wanted to savor the moment,when she saw that I'd seen her she smiled and waved .Something told me to stop pulling out , run upstairs and hug her ,but I drove away.

Stopping at my brothers school,I turn to face him. "Hey  do you think there's something wrong with mom"

"why ,did she say anything " i quickly regretted asking him . " No i think its nothing , get out of my car you worm" try to cover up my mistake . "At least I'm not the one who has rabbit teeth " he says ,then closes my door and runs into his ghetto ass middle school. He's in his last year here then its off to Prince High.

I've never been so unsettled ever in my life .I'm pretty sure I almost failed my history test .In my own thoughts , stubble into my best friend Jackson ."Girl where have you been ,there was a whole fight at first "

" I had a test remember ,nearly didn't make it "i says looking at my overly dressed friend ,this dude could rock gucci in this dump and still come out as humble as he is . Don't tell him i told you this, but he has a sugar daddy that keeps him looking lavish .It's not something he's proud about, but he'll do anything to keep the food on the table. His mother and sister depended on him. That's what I admire so much about him,he was willing to eat dirt knowing he's family was okay,but i knew deep down he was falling for him .

"bitch are you okay "he asks ,snapping he's manicured hand in my face " yah yah I'm fine " he shakes his head not buying it at all ."Really Yaya ,tell me now ,you know I'll start digging".

"Fine ,it's my mom ,something isn't right ,she got all 'if i leave' ,I don't know maybe I'm over-exaggerating"

"Girl i don't know what to tell you besides just talk to your mom , I'm sure it nothing ,now turn that frown upside down and lets go stalk Jumal's hot ass." he say linking his arm with mine and leads me down the hall.

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well guys that's chapter one i hope you like it .

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