HARDAWAY | trilogy

Chapter Thirty Four.

KYLAN BURGESS

                Cloudy and chilly January night. My vehicle into an open parking space of Dave & Busters. My black Timberlands boots touched the pavement as I stepped out into the light snowflakes falling from the sky dressed down in a gray hooded longline puffer jacket and ripped knee black jeans. Rocky got out the passenger seat in lime green puffer jacket fully zipped up and denim cuffed jeans with Ugg boots. A beanie covered her two dutch braids.

Getting out the backseat was my niece Jerrica, my brother Carvel's daughter, who turned sixteen in August. A few months after my brother passed, she moved to Missouri with her mother where her family was originally from when she was only four. We see her on holiday breaks and occasional weekends. It was the last few days of Winter break and Jerrica spent the holiday here and for Rocky's twelfth birthday.

My niece had on a camel colored belted trench coat and plaid cuffed pants with ankle booties. Her hair in long triangle-parted box braids.

"Listen, I should be in the front seat, I'm older." Jerrica commented, shutting the backdoor.

"Call it first," Rocky shrugged. "Daddy, who we meeting here?"

"I told you, my girlfriend," my arm wrapped around her shoulder as we approached the entrance.

Jerrica snickered as she looked at Rocky, I assumed, she made a face.

"What she do?"

"Rolled her eyes," she replied.

"We being nice today, Raquel."

Opening the door for them, they walked in and I followed. My body warmed from the heat blowing from the vents. A hostess greeted us, while I looked around for Monica. She sat not to far away in a booth, staring at her phone. I let her know we found our table and footed towards the booth with my niece and daughter. Monica looked up from her phone and noticed us approaching. A smile attached to her face as she stood from the booth dressed down in a embroidered collar long-sleeve top, High-Rise dark wash Refuge jeans and pointed Block heel booties.

"Hey, baby," I greeted, "This my daughter and niece, Raquel and Jerrica. Y'all, this my girlfriend Monica."

"Hey," Jerrica waved, "I really fuck wit-" I nudged her arm, "I mean, like your hair."

"Oh, thank you," Monica grinned, running her hand through her gold-clipped lemonade braids. "My sister done them for me."

"Foreal? How much she charge? Cause my hair need to be redone before I even touch down back in Missouri."

Monica chuckled, "I'll give you that info once we leave. Hey, Raquel."

I looked down at Rocky, who remained silent and not looking at her. I nudged her and she mumbled, "Hi," under her breath. I shook my head, knowing she finna act like a brat this morning. We all sat down in the booth. We removed our jackets; I sat down beside Monica on the outside while Rocky sat across from me and Jerrica sat across from Monica. A waitress with olive skin and brown hair walked up. .