Behind the Smile

Chapter 23

Raya POV

I woke up and I took in my surroundings. I don't even remember going home. I moved Promise arms off of me.

I walked in the hallway and when I walked in the living room August and Chris and hoodie were sleep on the couch.

I walked out to the car and grabbed our bags and I jumped in the shower. I got out and got myself together and I won't back in the living room in the guys were still sleep.

I walked into Chris's kitchen and grabbed somethings to cook. I got all my ingredients together and started prepping and cooking.

I cooked the pancakes first and threw on the grits at the same time. I put the bacon in the oven so it can cook evenly.

It was surprising he had food. His mom must have came over.

"Hey Molly the maid." I laughed at the sound of Promise voice.

"Good morning." I looked at her and realized that she had gotten the shower. "You look beautiful."

"Same too you." She smiled. "What do you need help with?" She walked in the kitchen and washed her hands.

"Peel the potatoes and cut them up in little squares. I did boiling them a little bit so make sure they are not too hot." She nodded and got to work.

"Let's play spond." I laughed remembering that game.

Spond is when you start singing a random lyrics and then the other one has to guess the song. Then we sing the whole song together and anybody that mess up on lyrics has to throw out another lyric. It was something we made up when we were younger it was surprising that she remembered it.

"You go first."

"You know they gone hate on you..." I instantly caught on.

"I been around the world by august alsina and Chris Brown." She nodded laughed and we started singing.

"That was east but I been thinking about that song for like two days."

"Okay I'm gone give you an easy one. Ain't nothing like them country boys, dirty slang."

"Take you home, teach you some things. Pretty boy, that ain't my type. I want a downtown boy like you..." she hit the note and I laughed. "Dirty slang by rink ft Ricky diamond."

"Rockie but yes."

"Ou I got one. I used to wanna be your everything but now I don't wanna be nothing."

"Cause boy you ain't shit." I stomped and she laughed. We song the song. "You ain't shit by Sonta. I could love somebody else right, how would you feel? Pretend like I love somebody else right now but it wouldn't be real." She started started singing from her soul.

"My positions been the same for a long time." She song.

Before we knew it everything was done I just had to cook the eggs. If you cook the eggs first you're a sick bitch.

"Good morning." I looked up and Hoodie sat down.

I looked at promise and she was already looking at me.

As much as I wanted to say good morning bitch ass nigga I decided to just start today better than yesterday.

"Good morning." I shot him a smiled and Promise laughed.

"Good morning Hood."

"What y'all cooking?" I could tell that he was trying to keep the conversation going so it doesn't get weird.

" your every day Philly breakfast. Home fries, pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs and grits with cheese in them." I responded not looking up.

"Raya I wanna apologize. You are a really nice girl and all that shit I was saying was unnecessary. I let my ego and my pride getting away because I was hurt that you turn me down. As a grown man I should never did that and I apologize."

"Thank you." I looked at him and he smiled. "You hungry?"

"You trying to feed a nigga but you don't want me to fall in love." I laughed softly and shook my head. "Yes." He answered.

"Dale don dale!" Promise yelled and I laughed.

"Me dicen, mami, que esta noche tú estás algarete. Te andan cazando el Boster y los mozalbetes. Hay una fila de charlatanes pa' darte fuete. Entonces tírate bien suelta, como gabete." I song. "Dale don dale by Don Omar."

"We still don't know what that shit means." We laughed. "I wanna watch illegal tender."

"We can. If they don't play- hoodie stop staring. It is very creepy." I looked at him and he quickly looked away. "Thank you. If they don't play the game all day then we can."

"Good morning." Chris walked in with some chill relax clothes on.

"Good morning." I shot him a smile.

"Good morning baby." I heard them kiss.

Baby? What a simp ass bitch.

"Good morning baby." I smiled at the sound of August's voice.

"Good morning august." I hugged him and he pecked my lip.

"You smell good." I kissed him again.

"Thank you."

We finshed and everyone got ther plate and we sat at the table and we pray and eat.

"So you don't wanna record a song?" Chris asked Promise.

"I mean I would but I am focused on other things right now." She shrugged. " Plus I'm not a writer and I would want to put out authentic music."

" of course I mean you can get with a female writer. Maybe seven or tey or Natasha, HER."

" you say all these people as if I know them. You know them they are your friends but they don't really know me. They aren't going to lend an extra hand to help me." She pointed out.

"Tey would help you fassure." August added. "Sevyn... she don't fuck with your man but it's still fifty fifty. She is really a girls girl. She loves helping other girls especially other black females she's been like that since we were first met."

" maybe later on in my life I will do that but right now hair is just something that makes me happy it always has. Making women feel beautiful has always made me complete in a sense." She shrugged and they nodded.

"Hood what's up?" Chris asked. "You see something you like. Because you either staring at me or you staring at her and she got an nigga so it got to be me right?" We laughed.

" shit my bad I ain't even notice
I was zoning out. My mind has been somewhere else." He lied. " i'm not staring at her it's just she's directly in front of me. So when I zone out I don't really know that I'm staring at her." He explained.

"Yeah." Promise hopped in.