Still In

XI

Tanya

I was bored after leaving Grandma's house and Dave told me he took the boys to Sean's house so I decided to go bother Kianna. I pulled up to her house and parked behind her car. I went up to the door and knocked. Just to be annoying, I didn't stop until door was opened. When it did open, Shad was there and he started cussing me out.

"Fuck is wrong with you? You just pop up to people house knocking like a damn maniac. I'm getting tired of yo aggravating ass."

"Well damn, Rashad." I said in shock. "I'm sorry."

"Mhm." He said, moving so I could walk in.

"You want a hug, friend?"

He chuckled and smacked my outstretched arms down. "Fuck outta here."

"Bitch, don't mind him. He was sleeping." Kianna said, coming downstairs.

I hugged her before sitting on the couch. "I can tell, ole grumpy ass."

"Where you coming from?"

"Grandma house. She wanted me, Tariq, and Tyrell to talk."

"How'd that go?" Shad said, sitting next to me.

"Oh, we're friends now?" He sucked his teeth. "Alright, alright. It went well. Tariq and I said our piece and Ty apologized."

"What about Dave?" Kianna asked.

"Tyrell said he'll set up a meeting to apologize to him."

Shad and Kianna nodded. We sat in silence for a second before Shad smacked my arm.

"Bit-"

"I forgot to tell y'all." He said, cutting me off. "Since y'all both here, Sean want y'all to hang out with his new girlfriend to get used to the friend group."

"Mm." I mumbled, looking at Kianna who was looking back at me with the same expression.

"I don't know about all that, baby."

"This is Sean we're talking about. He not just gone bring anybody around y'all or any of us for that matter. Clearly, y'all still feel some type of way about the fallout between y'all and Carrie."

I stayed silent because I low-key forgot about the situation. Not like I wanted to remember it or anything. I haven't seen her, spoken to her, or even acknowledged the fact that she existed since Dave's dinner.

"I don't feel a way about shit." Kianna, getting defensive. "I just feel like it isn't the best idea to start meeting new people and bringing them into the circle."

"Yeah, because y'all let Carrie in the same day y'all met her."

He had a point. We barely knew Carrie and we automatically trusted her. Clearly that wasn't our smartest idea.

"Tell Sean we can set something up." I said.

"Really?" They asked in unison.

"Yeah, there's no point in dismissing the girl completely just because of that bullshit. Plus, all he asked us to do was hang out with her. It's just a couple hours or even minutes depending on where we go."

"I guess."

"I'll text him." Shad said, going upstairs.

I hope I was making the right decision. It felt like I was.

Carrie

I sat at the edge of the bed and stared into space. Ever since Randy left, I wasn't the same. It seemed dumb to say but shit didn't feel normal without him here. I looked back and just stared at the guy that was knocked out in my bed. I had met him at the bar last night and I couldn't remember his name. It wasn't important anyway. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look the same. I had cut my hair out of drug-influenced anger and I hated it. It took years for my hair to get down to the middle of my back and now it wasn't even shoulder length.