The Black Woman #Wattys2016

The middle.

Dayja in the MM ❤️
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Sometimes I want to walk in your shoes
Do the type of things that I never ever do
So I take one look in the mirror and I say to myself,
"Baby girl, you can't survive like this."
                                                     ~~
Alani
         Jason nodded towards Declan and shrugged. "Nice to meet you I guess." Declan smirked. "I'm sure," Then, he turned to me and kissed me on the forehead. "We can leave if you want, Lani. I don't want you to be uncomfortable or anything around him. He seems to be making you clam up-" Blake cut his brother off. "I wonder why! He's a fuckin-" Katherine cut him off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Donavan Blake Kelly." Donavan? Oh shit, she must have been serious for her to use his whole government.

Declan laughed lightly and I stared at Blake. "We've been friends this whole time and you never once thought you should tell me your real name?! What if something happened to you while you were with me and I told the police or something the wrong name. You wrong for that, boo." Blake scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry? I just don't really like my first name that much. It's my father's name." Katherine continued to eat her food but would glare up at her two sons every so often whenever they basically dogged out their father.

Jackie looked away awkwardly and turned her attention to Dayja.  "So, Day Day, how's the new job and man you've got yourself?" Dayja looked up from her food with a cheeky grin. "The job is amazing. So is Addis." Declan rolled his eyes and took a sip of champagne. "Of course he is. Addis is the best damned thing that's happened to Dayja if you asked me. He's way better than all of those other deadbeats she used to bring home for me and Blake to torture, that's for sure." Blake and Declan did a little handshake and Dayja brushed them off. "Well, I'm glad nobody asked you. I could say the same for Alani."

Blake chewed on his bottom lip. I was starting to like her more and more. Katherine's phone rang loudly in her purse and she stood up slowly and grabbed it, then quietly excused herself to talk. Jackie cleared her throat. "Wonder what that's about.." Katherine stood in the corner with a blank expression on her face and then started screaming out of nowhere. Blake and Declan ran to her side and Dayja just lowered her head, I guess she already knew what was wrong.

"Mom...what happened?" Declan asked, seriousness taking over his once sweet voice. "Y-your father....he was murdered."
                                                  -
"I can't believe someone would do this to him.." Blake sniffed and laid his head on my shoulder. He has been crying for hours now and didn't seem to be lighting up anytime soon. Declan was on the other side of me typing viciously into his phone. I wasn't even going to bother him because of how angry he seemed. Dayja sat in the middle of the floor with her arms crossed over her chest. She seemed to be in deep thought. Katherine, Jackie, and Thomas left as soon as they dropped us off to go identify the body. Im sure that had to be the hardest thing ever. The little boy, Toby, was left with us. He was fast asleep on the sofa.

"I hated him but I didn't want him to die!" Blake told Flynn, who rubbed his shoulders quietly without saying a word. Dayja and Declan shared a devious glance and moments later, Blake caught on to what his siblings were planning and shook his head quickly. "Nope. You're not doing that again!" He yelled at Declan and stood up. Then, he pointed to his sister. "And you're damned sure not getting into that again! Just let it go! That's how we ended up in this predicament to begin with! Somebody wanted revenge on dad and look what happened to him, they got him. What if they come after one of us next and succeeds? Yet again?" Declan stood up in front of his brother and ran his hands through his hair frustratingly.

"Fuck, you're such a baby sometimes, you know that? Dayja is the brains, I'm the bronze, and you're-" Blake cut him off with a slight smile. "The beauty?" He rolled his eyes. "I was going to say the sensitive little pussy but since you want to be technical about it." Dayja laughed loudly until tears brimmed the corners of her eyes. She covered her mouth quickly and continued to laugh. It was so contagious that Flynn and I both joined in as well.

"Anyways, back to what I was saying-" Blake cut him off again with shaking his head no. "We're not getting revenge and we're not going to go fishing for trouble in finding out who did it. Whoever did it clearly had one motif: to kill our father. He did just that so why don't we all just move on in life and get over it. It's not like anything has changed. He was never home anyways."

Dayja stood up then. "Exactly. Which is exactly why we are going to get revenge whether you like it or not. Declan and I could easily do this on our own like we did years ago and none of you would ever find out about it." Declan threw his hands in the air and glared at his baby sister. She must've said a little too much.

"I asked you to kindly not tell the rest of the family what we did two years ago and here you go just blurting shit out like people aren't after us already!" She shrugged. "Well, if they really wanted the three of us, they would've gotten us by now because we've been living our own lives for how long now? When was the last time we've had a family gathering like such?" The two boys thought about it and Dayja spoke up again. "Exactly. And now that dad is dead, it'll be more of us here because of the funeral. Don't you think they'll show up there just to show their "support of a good friend?" She did little air quotes on the last part. Declan looked down at his phone but nodded at everything she said. Blake tapped on his chin.

"Well, yes, but-"

"There are no buts, Blake. Our father was murdered and I bet my last dime that it was someone we've encountered before in our lives. Maybe a close friend of his or business partner, but I bet everything that we know who this man is."

Declan put his hand out and without hesitation, Dayja followed suit and placed hers on his. Blake sighed loudly and did the same, placing his on Dayja's hand. "Somebody knows who killed our father and I won't rest until I get my hands on him." Declan said. Dayja nodded and so did Blake. "I can't believe you two are getting me into this mess. I'm the good child, y'all are the bad seeds." Declan slapped his brother upside the head with a chuckle. "Whatever. So are we all in this or not?" He looked over his shoulder at Flynn and I too. Fuck.

"Well?" Dayja asked and looked over at us as well. "Since you two are basically dating my brothers you may as well strap up too and be ready. You'll be under full protection." Flynn got up and placed his hands on top of theirs with a smile. "Okay. Anything for Blake." I mentally awed and watched them as they watched me.

"Lani? You don't have to do this if you don't want to..I won't force you to do anything." Declan said, his eyes darkened and he chewed on his bottom lip nervously. I only smiled and stood up beside him. I put my hand on top of every body else's. "Anything for Declan."

Dayja pretended to gag. "I honestly don't see what you two see in my brothers buuuuuuut.....okay. Good, I guess." We all took our hands back and Blake threw his sister over his shoulder. "You wanna repeat that, egg head?!" She flailed her arms around and demanded that he put her down but he just continued to swing her around like she was a child. Declan watched them with a smile and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Lani?" I turned around in his arms to face him. "I don't know how any of this ends, okay? But for the most part..you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'll be damned if I lose you without a fight."

And fight was what he planned to do.