Away From Home

Chapter Eight

"SCOOT OVER! Dang it's hot in here. Move over Kiy dang you all under my arms." Chris yelled. It was hot as hell outside and everybody in the car was sweating buckets. It was my Mama, my Dad, my Granny B, my cousin Jessica and myself stuffed in our Honda SUV. We were on our way to Galveston so we could enjoy the beach. Chris' mother was out of town so he was staying with us for the week.

"Oh my goodness! I can't do this! I'm sweating my edges out!" Jessica yelled.

"Girl you better chill out. You lucky you got out the house. I should've left yo fast ass in the house. Or maybe you would've snuck out the house to go be with that nappy head ass boy Jason." Jessica rolled her eyes at Granny B's remark. Jessica had been living with her for the past four years because Jessica couldn't handle living with her mom.

The radio was blasting Must Be Nice by Lyfe Jennings while Chris, Jessica, and I were sitting in the front row and Granny B was sitting in the way back with the cooler and extra luggage. My mom and dad were sitting in the front talking as if it weren't about to be a world war 3 behind them.

I laid my head against Chris' arm watching The Fairly Odd Parents on my VideonNow. After a while I heard the car stop. After we unpacked at a hotel we headed towars the beach.

Everyone went their seperate ways except for Chris and I. Chris sat down in the sand watching me make gigantic piles.

"Do you ever wonder if life is real?" He asked. It took me a moment for my 9 year old mind to process before I replied.

"Like.. what do you mean? " I said before he preesed his lips.

"Nevermind" There was a short silence before I spoke up.

"Sometimes I think that life isn't real. Like I know this is only a dream. I don't...I don't know hoe to put it." I mumbled.

He looked at me from laying in the sand before he replied.

"I think I know whay you're trying to say. Sometimes I think about where we end up after following the rules and playing it safe through our lives. What's the point. Where arewe trying to get? Who are we trying to be? How do we know the diffrence between good and bad if nobody tells us. The list goes on!" Chris seemed so fulfilled by this subject. I still didn't understand what he was trying to get off his chest. I was lost in confusion so I decided to change the subject.

"Look you got boobs!" I giggled.

Chris was buried under sand with two lumps placed on his chest as breast. He began laughing trying to escape from under the soft sand. I sped off, running to the section where the cabanas were set up. As I approached our closed tent I could hear my mom giggling.

"Stop... baby stop." she giggled some more. "We need to get back to the kids. They're going to be mad at us."

"So! Hell I payed to have a good time. They having a good time so we should have a good time. Just relax baby. I gotchu'." My dad stated.

I peeked through the curtain to see my dad holding my mama's body from behind. He trailed kisses down her neck. I stopped before I saw something I didn't want to. I could hear Chris yelling my name so I took off running.

I turned down the radio pulling into the driveway. I couldn't handle Lyfe Jennings and looking at the neighborhood we grew up in at the same time. As soon as I stepped foot out of my car I began reminiscing. The good, the bad, and the beautiful moments. Although it was a while ago I felt Chris' murder was just fresh to me. I could feel the cold air hitting my back, the silent and cries, and the curiousity roaming in the air. The porch light flickering on pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Y'all she here! Kiya, my baby you're here! Oh I've missed you so much." I giggled at my mother. She pulled me into an infinite hug. Finally I pulled away from her staring into her face.

"Mama are you crying! It ain't even that serious. Come on now!" I stated with a smile plastered across my face. She began laughing, wiping her tears away.

"You know your mama always doing all that damn crying! Hell you'd expect her to cry a river when she watching a movie!" My stepfather mentioned. I giggled taking in his features. His rough brown skin, dark brown eyes, itchy stubble and long dreds stood out to me. Even though he wasn't my real father I was always close to him. He was very kind and understanding at times.

"Well are you just gon' stand there our are you gon' give me a hug?" I ran into his arms. He smelled like weed and cologne. It was weird but I loved it. I heard a song of "Kiya's!" coming toward the door. Pretty soon a lot of my family members were spilling out of the front door. Most were cousins that I hadn't seen since our last family reuinon and others were the dearest I could ever ask for.

After I settled into my room I went downstairs to check on everyone. I tiptoed my way through pallets of sleeping kids. I sat at the table with my parents eating my mothers famous lemon cookies and began telling them about my college life.

A/N: I apoligize for the long ass wait. My charger broke for my laptop so... yeah! PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COMMENT, VOTE AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. Love you guys to the moon and back!