ATL Hoe

Chapter 30: Baby Chanel

My summer was spent going back and forth between Atlanta, LA, and Harlem. Derek flew me out constantly because it was hard for him to be away from me. Well, it was hard for me to be away from him too but I liked to let him believe I was straight and he was the one who needed me. My parents had grown to really like Derek and him and Adonis always hung out when he was in town. They worked out together, went to the club together, I joked all the time that Derek was Adonis' boyfriend now but neither of them liked when I said that. I was enjoying some time back in LA with Jaiya when Damon called me.

    "Hey, Dame, wassup?" I asked, not expecting him to call. Derek was in Atlanta with him right now and normally a call from Damon would worry me but I had just got off the phone with D.

    "I need your help with something," he said, adding to my confusion. "Remember that situation in ATL I told you about?" he asked and suddenly I understood where this was going.

    "Yes, I remember," I smiled. Picturing Damon as a dad was weird but sweet.

    "Well, it's coming. She's coming. The baby. It's a girl," he said in one breath.

    "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to see her!" I said, getting excited. Jaiya looked at me funny but I gave her that 'I'll tell you later' look.

    "Look, Derek still doesn't know and I think I'm gonna keep it from him until I get the results back. But, I need your help. The mom wants me there and I don't know what to do," he said and I could actually hear some fear in his voice.

    "You should be there for her. You said you're pretty sure it's yours right?"

    "Right,"

    "So, be there for her. Watching the birth of your daughter doesn't mean you have to be with her mom. It just means you're experiencing something special. This is your first kid, you don't get redos," I spoke, honestly. He was quiet on the other end for a few moments before speaking again.

    "Can you come with me? You don't have to be in the room and allat but," he trailed off. I could definitely tell he was scared now. It was crazy how guns and violence didn't faze them but the idea of having a kid was terrifying.

    "Yes, but only if you tell Derek. When is she due?"

    "Tomorrow," he said.

    "Tomorrow?" I repeated. Leave it to Damon to ask me last minute.

    "Yeah, but I heard not every baby comes on their due date," he said, worried.

    "Because some come early," I laughed but I could tell he didn't know what to do so I stopped. "I'll book a ticket for tonight and hopefully she keeps her baby in till I get there," I said, already searching for flights.   

    "Thank you, sis, you a real one," he said.

    "Yeah yeah, just tell Derek so he's not surprised when I get there!" I instructed before hanging up. Jaiya was still looking at me funny when I set my phone down. "Wanna go to ATL for a few days?" I asked and of course she got excited. She'd only been back once since summer started and she acted like she didn't miss Gelo but she did. They were still messing around even after all this time apart. With school starting back up in a few weeks I was sure they'd get together for real. Jaiya and I had been looking at apartments in Atlanta so hopefully we'd get to tour some while we were out there. I stopped working my job in LA because I was going back and forth so much but I still had plenty of money saved and I planned on getting my other job back when we got to ATL permanently. Plus, I had multiple scholarships that considered housing part of schooling so I could use some of that money. I was excited for sophomore year. And for Derek to be an uncle. Imagining him with a baby seemed so adorable.