ATL Hoe

Chapter 22: Family Ties

The week after we got back from Miami seemed boring after all we had done. The only thing I was grateful for was that I could sleep in my own bed. Well, Derek's. I hadn't told my parents yet but I was strongly considering moving in with him next year instead of living on campus. I kinda wanted my own place though so I wasn't sure. I had talked to my mom about D but she hadn't met him yet and I knew that was important. My dad really wanted to meet him, too. Probably to try and scare him but Derek wasn't scared of anything or anyone so who knew how that introduction would go.

"We're almost done with our first year of college," Jaiya said happily as we sipped on our smoothies. We went to this juice place we liked near campus, just the two of us.

"I know. Our seventh grade selves definitely didn't expect all this," I laughed thinking of the craziness this year had brought. And it wasn't over. AND, we had three more years. My brain hurt trying to think of what could happen that far in the future. I used to have so much planned out but I realized there was no way to plan everything. Things were going to happen how they wanted, not how I wanted them to.

"You surprised me more than I expected, though," she shook her head in disbelief of all I'd done. The first being fighting someone for the first time and the last probably being with a drug dealer.

"I don't know why," I laughed looking innocently.

"Pulease!" she said dramatically. "Amora Banks. The one and only. Perfect family, straight A student, cheer captain and all and look at you now. Getting dicked down by a hood nigga. A real one too not one of them fake gang members from back home,"

"Jaiya, shut the hell up. I was not a straight A student," I joined in laughing with her. "And, my family is not perfect, you know that," I rolled my eyes.

"Damn near. Your parents have been together forever, you have a fine ass older brother, fat ass house. Moms is a lawyer and pops a doctor. You lived the fucking life," she reminded me of what my life was like back home. Jaiya and I came from very different backgrounds. In seventh grade I transferred from a private majority white school to a public one that barely had any white students at all. My dad was proud of all he and my mom had accomplished but he wanted me to experience a real childhood, not a pampered one like a lot of kids I knew were having. Jaiya's family was middle class, they lived in a more "ghetto" area but they were a nice family, too. Her parents weren't married even though they had been together for ages and had four kids. They moved how they wanted, not how anyone else wanted them to and that was exactly how Jaiya was. From middle school on our childhood was spent at her house one week then mine the next. We were inseparable and our two families became one big one.

"Has your mom ever talked to Derek on the phone, seen him on facetime, anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, they talked on facetime a few times. My dad hasn't though. Or Adonis," I informed her. Adonis was my older brother who went to UCLA. He was a senior there and the most protective big brother ever. We didn't talk as much as I'd like but I knew I could count on him for anything. I had a feeling he'd try to do the "I'm big bro" talk but that wouldn't scare Derek either.

"I wanna hear what happens when yo pops and Don talk to him," she laughed, reading my mind.

"Donnie's gonna be a dumb ass and Ima have to make sure Derek doesn't put him in check. If he does Don will hold that over him and me for the rest of my life," I rolled my eyes thinking of how annoying my brother could get.

"Are we swinging by Derek's?" she asked, changing the subject. I knew she just wanted Gelo to be over there so she could flirt with him. I nodded and grabbed my purse so we could leave.