"Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can ever see and feel." ~ 2Pac © JULY 2023 | WRITTENBYKAYY © All rights reserved

Even though I don't look up right away, I feel him. His presence shifts the air, makes it heavier, like the sky right before a storm. A shiver runs down my spine, but I shake it off. I can sense he's here to handle our unfinished business, and I know he won't hold his tongue this time, not without our audience from earlier to keep him in check. "Why yuh really come back Jodie?" He's blunt, as always, and I can tell he's revving up for a fight. Him lucky. "I love Ms. Iva and I respect her for what she does, but dem neva send yuh gah school fi sell yam dung a market...Why'd you leave Kingston?" "I told you already, I'm using my PTO Knox" I dispose of the water into the grass, setting the wash basin up against the tank. He scoffs. "Liad, yuh done tell dah one deh already, betta yuh come up wid a next one." His eyes are daring, challenging me to come clean, but I can't. "Why you cyaa juss believe me? What's so suspicious about me needing time away from work?" I push past him, not yet ready to dive so deep into the unknown. He grabs my wrist, pulling me into his chest and trapping me there. The warmth of him seeps into me, setting off a fire under my skin. He doesn't ease up, but the pressure does something to me that I can't shake. I tell myself to take a step back, create some space, but I don't. I won't. "Because me know yuh, Jodie. Better than I know myself. I know you..." He presses his index fingers to his heart, his breath shallow as it cascades across my collarbone. "I thought we were better than this, I thought we could tell each other anything" I shake my head, my eyes closing as I inhale his scent, it's uniquely him. It's dangerous how familiar it is, how it makes my chest ache. I hate him for making me feel like this, I hate myself for wanting to be even closer than we are now.

Doing what 20 year old Nasiem deemed as right, put him in a tough situation. Quickly teaching him a little something about life.

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬"

𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝖠𝗎𝗋𝗈𝗋𝖺 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗈𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗃𝗈𝖻 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗎𝖻𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖿𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗈𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾. 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗓𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗎𝖽𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖽𝗈 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖶𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗓𝖾𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝖽𝗂𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍?

21 year old Amil is a college student learning that when life detours, sometimes it's for your greater good. These detours bring people and situations into her life that seem to piece everything together.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯"

There was a woman Born from a lotus Her heart was golden Deep as the ocean Until this one man He came and broke it Til it was open Just like a lotus Oh yes, There were explosions She found her focus The beast awoken.. - Jhené Aiko

At 17 years old Amina faced a tragedy that changed the outlook of her life forever, or maybe so what she thought was forever. 8 years later the outlook is challenged by a walking paradox.

"Got my heart jumping like Jordan's, play me like spalding." Married life comes with many adversities, Will Allure be able to stay down? This is a sequel! Read "Girls like me" first for a better understanding ꨄ︎