𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐔 ৎ୭

XXIV

Mercedes April Porter
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

"Where you going today?" I ask Antwon as I put on my makeup.

"Nowhere prolly." He lies.

"You the one getting all dressed up." He walks up behind me in the mirror.

"Yea I gotta go to my lil brother's graduation." I shrug.

"Call me when you finish, aight?" He sits on the counter.

"Yea, yea." I agree.

"What time is it?" I ask him.

"9:22 am." He reads off his phone.

"It start at 12, I gotta pick up a gift, it take like half an hour to get there. You think imma be there on time?" I make a worried expression.

"Are you ready?" He squints his eyes at me.

"Yup." I start cleaning up my makeup off the counter.

"You'a make it." He nods.

"Specially the way you be driving." He mumbles.

I roll my eyes and grab my purse, stuff my phone in it, and find my car keys.

"Bye Twon!" I yell running out.

I get blue and black and silver graduation balloons. For his gift I decide to just give him a stack.

When I get to the graduation thingy that's outside, I find his family and sit by D because it's the only seat available which is odd.

"Heyy." I greet the whole family.

"Ay Mercedes." Carter greets me.

"Hi Mercedes." Jabriah smiles.

Everyone else waves or nods except his mom and Dereyna. I guess Menah found out I almost pressed charges against her daughter.

"She should be happy her ass free." I mumble.

D completely ignores my presence. I'm here for DeAngelo anyways.

"Did you drop the charges?" He asks without looking at me.

"Yes, didn't she tell you that?" I scrunch my face up.

"I seen you turn the papers in." He waves me off.

"Okay." I sigh with a shrug.

Maybe I should try harder but I can't force nobody to believe me.

...

After the graduation we head to a restaurant cuz D's paying for everybody.

DeAngelo choose sum nice, steakhouse, and that's where we went.

"It smell good as hell in hea." He nods.

"Congratulations Chunky." I side hug him.

"Thanks sis." He smiles.

Menah and Dereyna shoot him a look, signaling him to stop interacting with me.

He rolls his eyes and drapes his arm over my shoulder.

I hate when people try to drag kids into beef, I knew this boy for so long. They're mad cuz he don't fucking hate me like them.

"You graduated a year early and the first one in the family to graduate." Carter daps him up.

"Preciate it, preciate it." He laughs.

"What college you thinking bout?" D asks him as we sit down.

I sit on the other side of Dereyna accidently making me get up and swap seats with D so he's on my left and D's aunt DeCarrie is on my right.