more life / b.simmons (2)

35

arguing.

it's all that goes on in the simmons household. amari and ben cannot hold a conversation that doesn't end in yelling. kyra and adrian are in the middle, but adrian hears less becsuse coincidentally, he leaves right before they start going at each other—leaving kyra to hear the beginning, middle, and end of the argument.

the arguments usually end with slammed doors and ben leaving (not before kissing kyra goodbye) and her mom pacing back and forth. kyra then has to calm her mom down, reminding her that stress is not good for the baby. it usually helps. like right now.

"mom, mom sit down, please. it's not good for the baby," amari sees the look of distress on kyras face and takes a seat with a sigh. she doesn't even remember what they were arguing about. what she does remember is bringing up something from his past out of pettiness and him getting mad and then leaving.

at that, amari slumps her shoulders and rubs her forehead. kyra gets up and grabs her mom a water. she takes a couple deep breaths before returning to amari. why kyra was always there to witness their fights seems unfair, but it's how life seems to pan out.

"thank you, kyra," amari says as kyra hands her the water. she only nods and retakes her spot on the couch. after a long sip of water, amari says, "i'm sorry you had to witness us fighting again. i really am." she says, and she means it. amari and ben tried to keep their arguments between each other—they'd argue in the privacy of their room or anywhere that the kids were not.

"it's okay," kyra says because she doesn't know what else to say, and she doesn't want her mom to feel bad.

"no, it's not. you shouldn't see that, and we shouldn't argue like that," amari sighs, rubbing her belly. "and it's not good for the baby." she mumbles. kyra feels helpless. she wants to stay downstairs with her mom, but she also wants to be alone.

kyra pulls her feet up onto the couch and stares at the pictures of her family on the wall. her favorite one is of the four of them on her parents wedding day. amari was in her reception dress and ben was no longer in his three piece suit. it's a candid picture of them by the cake, all smiles. she doesn't remember anything that happened in that picture, but it's her favorite.

amari notices her staring at the photo and says, "you smashed your hand in the cake in that picture," kyra looks at her over her shoulder, a bewildered look on her face. "i was nervous all day, and nobody tells you how awkward it is to cut a cake in front of hundreds of people. but you smashing your hand in the cake made everything less scary." amari adds, a small smile on her face.

"that sounds like me," kyra says.

"you were a hell raiser."

they sit in silence for a moment before kyra stands up. "i'm gonna go upstairs... unless you need anything," she says.

amari shakes her head. "no, it's okay, baby. i need to call your father anyway," she says with a sigh. kyra nods and kisses her mom on the cheek before retreating upstairs.

ben drops his bag on a bench in the locker room and drops down onto a chair. he groans like an old man as he stretches out his body and runs a hand over his face. his leg feels better—it was a minor tear—but he hasn't been cleared to play, but he's been practicing with his team.

he changes into a pair of shorts and a tank top, as well as his sneakers. he tosses his bag and the rest of his belongings into his issued locker and exits the locker room to the weight room.

"hey, ben," eric, the trainer says.

"what's up, E? can you spot me?" he asks, getting on the bench press. eric nods and walks over to ben and adds more weight to the bar. ben starts lifting while eric stands by, just in case he needs extra help.