𝐈'𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞

𝒕 𝒉 𝒊 𝒓 𝒕 𝒚 𝒆 𝒊 𝒈 𝒉 𝒕

chapter thirty eight

Cassandra's pov

"Are you done ignoring our son because he misses his mommy?"

Hailey couldn't even say anything. She was just there and stuck. And when I'm saying stuck, I'm talking stuck. It was like she couldn't even believe the girl was here and in front of her. Nobody saying anything and that's really throwing me off because I'm not good with suspense and silence and stuff. I'm a lil too nosey for this shit. But come on now Hailey is only sixteen... what the hell she out here doing with a son, and why the fuck she havent been around him? Imma feel stupid as hell if I'm affliating myself with a deadbeat.

And it's just so crazy to me to even think of Hailey as something like a deadbeat. Especially how she expressed how much she hated people who don't take care of their kids.

Eric opens his mouth to say something but the backdoor opens as Duke walks in with a few grocery bags. "What's going on in here? Quieter than usual, yes?" He asks as he sits the bags on the countertop. He looks up and notices Bridget leaned against the door. "Oh, Bridget.. has something gone wrong back in Kihei?"

"No, everything's fine. I've just stopped by to say hello." She tells him.

"Well, let me start on dinner and we can all catch up." Duke suggests and Hailey shakes her head pushing past the girl who seemed to be causing her hella distress.

"That's not even necessary. Like deadass she was just leaving." Hailey says quickly and Bridget walks past her.

"No, I think I'll stay for a while. I'll even help you cook the dinner, if that's alright with you, Mr. Aiko." Bridget offers.

Duke pulls out some vegetables from the bags and nods. "We'll get started then."

Bridget smiles to herself and goes over to help. Hailey groans loudly before going over to the couch and collapsing on it dramatically so she can begin her lil silent sulking thing she do when she in some type of mood. And I'm not talking bout the good one either. Bridget and Duke start up a conversation as they start chopping vegetables, and everyone else just goes back to doing whatever they were doing before this bomb just dropped.

Ok, maybe it's not a bomb to them but it is to me.

I'm still very much confused, but imma just get on facebook and text Julia until the food ready.

Me and Julia text about how we're doing, and how much we miss each other. The conversation switches to All American because I love that show.

My favorite character Simone. I really feel like she finna get ready and cheat on Jordan with that baseball player but that aint gonna change nothing. I felt like they got married too soon anyway.

A few hours pass and Duke sets the table and tells us to come and eat dinner. Maybe I was raised too deep in the ghetto or something because my black family, and none of my lil black cousins or friends ever referred to the food our mama usually cooked at the end of the day as 'dinner'. That's something I only heard in tv shows or when I went over to Julia house.

Duke, with Bridget's help, ended up making some type of vegan spaghetti with lentil meatballs, homemade Hawaiian bread, and pineapple iced tea.

This vegan food something vicious but imma still eat it.

We all wash our hands and sit down. Duke, Eric, Hailey, and Andre don't believe in God so we don't pray. We just start eating.

It's quiet and uncomfortable.

I wish somebody would say something...

"Four years and you still can't bake bread." Hailey mumbles, picking at her food.