Breaking the Barrier

Chapter Forty-Four

I wish I could be a singer or a rapper. sigh...

WE ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE VIOLENCE TAG 🥳🧡

Vote, comment, share.

____________________________

Amerie

"How about we do it this way, you ask me a question and I'll answer it truthfully." Mercedes says.

"Why haven't I heard from you in years?"

"Straight to the point I see." She says then sighs. "I just been going through a lot these past few years since mom died, I just sorta needed to get away and find myself."

"So what does that have to do with you checking in with me? Like not even a text or a call,nothing..."

"I was mad at you. You just left Detroit and started a whole new life without me."

"Mercedes... I begged you to come with me and you chose to stay, how is that my fault? You were old enough to make your own decisions." I explain. I didn't understand her point. When I made the decision to leave Detroit I told her about it and asked her to come with me almost every day up until the day I left and every time she told me she wanted to stay in Michigan.

"I just feel like if I stayed you should've stayed too. It was hard being stuck there by myself."

"You sound selfish as fuck. What exactly was so hard? I dropped out of school to work to even pay for moms medicine, hospital bills and then funeral expenses. I paid for your entire first semester and then paid off mamas house before I left so that you would have somewhere to live... What exactly was so hard for you?"

"I was alone. I didn't have my mother and I didn't have you."

"I didn't have her either but that didn't make me cut you off. Just because I didn't live in the same state as you didn't mean you lost me. I was always a phone call away. Even all those times I tried to reach out to you through call or text you never responded. So you chose not to have me. Don't put that shit back on me." I cant lie she was starting to really piss me off.

"Look, everything just kinda went to shit when you left. I got around the wrong people and started doing the wrong shit. Getting involved with shit that I shouldn't have." she started to sniffle and my attitude towards her starts to change. "I got into a really abusive relationship and I just felt stuck. I wasn't happy, and then I got pregnant and a little bit of happiness came to me, until my then boyfriend almost beat the life out of me and I lost my child." she quickly wipes the tears from her face and I pull her into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea things were that hard for you... i-i'm glad you were able to get out of it. Just know that no matter what i'm gon always be there for you. Regardless of what happened in these past three years... we are all we got. You're my only blood relative and i'm yours. Nothing and nobody can come between us."

"Amerie... I just wanna start over, with everything." She sighs.

"Then let's start over. But first, why were you buying drugs?"

"It was for someone, I needed some extra money for this month so I decided to get my hands a little dirty but this life...it's not for me. I need something legit. But let's not skip the real question... why were you with him while he was selling drugs?"

"I- well..." I say scratching my head. "You want a pretzel?"

"Unt unt. Don't go changing the subject."

"I'll tell you but the smell of cinnamon sugar is making me hungry."

"You haven't changed at all. Come on." She walks out the store and we walk side by side through the mall to the closest Auntie Anne's.