Skin Deep

(4) What Would You Do

What Would You Do by City High. I don't own the song or video, but it goes along with this chapter. So, if you want to give it a listen you can. Vote and comment please and thank you! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! More to come. Happy reading! :) <3 <3

"Finally!" Shanice greets us at the door. Royal immediately lets go of my hand to run into Shanice's open arms. You've got to love life. "How's my girl doing?" She asks my girl.

I mean, I birthed Royal so...

I start to make my way up to the house, but Tyrus stops me. "My mom actually was hoping that we could get her to ourselves this weekend." What?

"That wasn't part of the deal." I seethe, trying to control myself. I don't like leaving Royal alone with anyone. The only people I've ever really left her alone with are people I trust completely like Clay and Dani and that's only because I work nights in a place I hope Royal never has to go to.

And now, the guy who didn't remember to get a car seat wants me to leave him alone with Royal?

"My mom and dad got her. It'll be okay." Tyrus assures me, reading my mind.

I pull out Royal's phone that she is only allowed access to whenever I leave her alone. Even if it's just a flip phone with zero access to the internet. Who knows what kind of things she could get into with a simple text.

Okay. I may be a tad bit smothering, but I'm just worried. Lay off.

I walk over to Royal and see Shanice -- I mean Mrs. Davis still smothering her in her death grip. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and instead take a deep breath. "Can I speak to Royal alone for a moment Mrs. Davis?" I ask, trying to bite back my attitude because that will get me absolutely nowhere when it comes to Mrs. Davis.

Mrs. Davis looks from Royal to me as if I just asked her to kill Royal. God for bid. All I did was ask to speak to my baby alone. Is that too much to ask for? Geesh!

After a while Mrs. Davis gives out a big and long sigh before finally putting down Royal. She looks to her son and gestures for him to go inside. He does and after a moment's hesitation, Mrs. Davis follows suit.

"Are you okay staying here by yourself for the weekend?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows. My eyes narrowed in concern.

Royal seems hesitant, almost like she doesn't want to say yes. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to." I assure her, leaning down to Royal's level and gripping her hands tightly in mine.

"I want to." She whispers, her eyes uncertain which makes me all the more antsy to leave her alone.

"Are you sure?" I ask one more time, making sure that she actually wants to stay here and isn't just saying that to please me. "Because you don't have to. You just say the word and I will stay here with you."

"I'm sure mom." She nods to herself, seeming like she made up her mind. "I'm cool to stay here alone." She says and I smirk.

"I know you're cool." I tickle her stomach a little bit and she giggles, gripping her stomach automatically and I stop.

I grin because she's grinning and that right there is the reason why I breathe. I see her smile and there is nothing more precious than that.

I hand her her flip phone and Royal takes it begrudgingly, rolling her eyes and all. "Don't give me the tude. It's for your own protection." I defend as I get up. I walk to Tyrus's blue mustang and get a bag with all the essentials in it and hand it to Royal.

"Be safe and call me the second you want to go home. You know I will be there in the blink of an eye. Okay, Royal?" I ask her and she nods.

"Yes, mom." She confirms and I nod to myself and then smile down at her.

I kneel down to her height again and give her a peck on the lips. "I love you." I whisper to her, as I smooth out the kinks in her hair.

"Love you too." She answers back.

"Pinkie promise?" I hold out my pinkie and she links her pinkie with mine.

"Pinkie promise." She gives my pinkie a firm squeeze before letting go.

"Alright. Now that that's settled. Go get your father so he can take me home."

***

"I'm just going to call her again." I say reaching for my phone in Teagan's console which he grabs before I do with his weird cat-like reflexes and shoves it in his pocket.

"Hey!" I exclaim. "That's my phone." I try and yank it out of his pocket, but he's got a tight grip on it and so, it doesn't work.

"Royal is fine." Teagan says. "As she told you the last three times you called her. I don't think that changed in the past five minutes." He says, eyeing the clock. "Just let her be a kid and have fun with her grandparents and dad. You got work to do." He parks the car in the back of Strip Tease. The strip club I bar-tend at.

"Maybe you can even get that raise you need." He raises his eyebrows and I sigh as I unbuckle my seat belt, wishing he was wrong and knowing he's right.

I need to stop worrying about Royal because she's fine and with her grandparents and I need to work hard because having a kid and renting a place while simultaneously trying to keep up my grades at school is hard work.

I have to have enough money to feed Royal, keep up electricity, water, buy clothes for her, toiletries and although her grandparents are okay with me using their health insurance for both our medical and dentistry needs, it is still a ton of work and right now, I'm barely keeping by as it is.

So yeah, Teagan is definitely right when he said to focus on getting that raise because he and I both know I desperately need it.

And that's my final thought as I get out of Teagan's grey jeep with my bag for my change of clothes and Teagan in tow. I can't afford to make a mistake tonight. I have to step up my game.

For Royal.