MELODY

THIRTY-THREE/ STUCK TO YOU

K I A R A

Today was the day. The day Kiara waited so impatiently for. The day she could finally say she did it! She did something with herself! To think she was just a independent, free-lance photographer just months ago and now she was a business owner, a happy committed young women. She had a career coming along pretty well and she was finally happy. Financially and emotionally. As Kiara looked herself over in her and Khari's full sized body mirror, she wiped the small tear that was beginning to fall down her cheek away. She was going through a rollercoaster of emotions. Happiness, anxiety and just sadness. She was upset that she didn't have the one person who helped her tremendously through her life to sit in those seats at her ceremony. But she knew since her granny wasn't there physically she was definitely there spiritually and mentally. Her golden dress sat beautifully on her soft Melanated body. Her hair was curly and full as always and her butterfly necklace sat pretty on her chest.

"Baby, you ready to go?" Khari asked as he unbuttoned some of the buttons on his shirt, he looked up seeing Kiara applying lipgloss to her lips and a smiled stretched across his face. "Fuck the ceremony, you can get your degree mailed." Khari said wrapping his hands around her waist pulling her body closer to his causing Kiara to get a whiff of his cologne, she loved his scent and it honestly turned her on.

"No they can't. Let's go." She laughed next grabbing her cap and gown and the two began to head out.

"You nervous? You don't have to be. All they gonna do is call your name like this." Khari demonstrated causing Kiara to laugh. "And then you gon walk up like the baddie you are and you gon do the little dance we rehearsed." Khari told her.

"I'm not doing the dance." Kiara laughed.

"Why not? You know that shit fire." He stated, Kiara just shook her head and went along with the ride. As the approached the school. Khari gave her a kiss to congratulate her and they went their separate ways. Khari found everyone and said hello, he sat with Troys family and Shivani came in next sitting right beside him

"Hey Khari." Noah said as the two shared dap.

"What's up lil man." Khari replied.

"Hi, I'm Shivani." Shivani said with her hand out for Khari to shake.

"Hi. Nice to finally meet you." Khari said shaking her hand.

"Oh my gosh, did you see her dress? Isn't it cute." Karla asked Khari.

"Yeah, I did, she looked beautiful. Oh don't tell Troy when we go out my friend who works for the Atlanta Hawks is gonna meet us back at y'all place, if that's fine. He said he could use a intern, he'll pay him and living is covered." Khari told Ms. Gonzalez and Karla.

"Atlanta? Like Georgia?" Ms. Gonzalez asked causing Khari to laugh, she was the same as Courtney when it came to Khari moving down south as well, she didn't want her baby to leave and Khari respected it.

"Yes, he'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Troy is like my brother. I'll be sure he's good."

Everyone continued it converse until the ceremony began and truthfully it was dreading, Khari hasn't been to a graduation ceremony since Nevaeh graduated from 5th grade and even then he was annoyed because why they hell was a 5th grade graduation 2 hours.

As Kiara sat in her seat waiting for her name to be called she listened as the valedictorian of her class spoke she looked ahead and saw Troy with his head down which told her that he was falling asleep and she honestly couldn't blame him she was holding onto a thin thread to not fall asleep.

She finally woke when someone tapped her signaling it was time.

"Kiki, we're almost up." One of the girls she knew since freshman year tapped her.