Welcome to the Neighborhood

EIGHT

ONIKA POV

Beyoncé Knowles: Hey. Did Aaliyah tell you I was coming to pick her up?

I was folding laundry when I got this text for Beyoncé. Aaliyah didn't ask me anything about going out and I've been home all day.

: No? Where are you guys going?

She texts like such an old person so now I have to. This feels like I'm texting a college professor.

Beyoncé Knowles: The halloween store to get costumes for them. You're welcome to join.

I'd rather not. I've decided it would be best not to be alone with her.

: No thank you.

She left me on read after that. Rude.

I left my room and knocked on Aaliyah's door. I could hear her playing music on one of the speakers she had.

"One second!"

I waited for her to open the door. She had only half her hair done but she looked dressed to go somewhere.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She scratched the back of her neck and looked off to the side. "Uhh.. out with Blue and Miss Bey?"

"You asked?"

"Ohh! That's what I forgot to do! Can I go out with Blue and Miss Bey to get halloween costumes?"

"What if I say no? Then what?"

"Uh, I don't know. Can I go?" She looked outside the window, "They're here."

"Fine, next time ask beforehand or I'm not letting you go. Finish your hair, I'll leave money on the table."

I left her room and went back into my room and get money. I pulled out a 50 and left it on a table in our hallway.

"Bye! I'm leaving!" I heard her yell and run down the stairs a couple minutes later.

While she was gone, I got some stuff done around the house. I've been working a lot so I haven't had time to do stuff like laundry and just cleaning in general.

I was in the middle of cooking dinner when they got back. I didn't know they were coming back here but I didn't really mind.

I walked out of the kitchen to meet them in the living room. "What did you guys buy?"

Blue and Aaliyah were on the floor digging through one of the bags already.

"Like four different costumes and a bunch of baking stuff. They wanted to make cookies or rice krispy treats, I don't know. I brought them here because I didn't want them messing up my kitchen and I don't know anything about baking."

"Okay, that's fine." I'm cooking but they can do whatever when I'm done.

"They got costumes for us too." She held a bag up.

"Us and in me and you?"

"You and I, but yes. They bullied me into getting it. You're Flo from Progressive and I'm Jake from State Farm."

"I'm not wearing a Flo from anywhere costume. How do you let a couple of teenagers bully you into anything?"

"They annoyed me into doing it."

"That's how we get Miss Bey to do everything. She hates it when we bother her."

"Doesn't everybody?"

"Yeah, but my mama hates everything. She wasn't even going to take us to the grocery store but we wouldn't stop singing in the car and she took us."