Babineaux Bléu

6

Autumn Leaves

Siani learned quite a few things about her former bully in the short month they'd been reacquainted. She discovered that Lyle was held back twice in the third grade, but made up for it in junior high, then skipped his original grade, graduating a year early.

She also learned that he wasn't a bad kid, just very misunderstood. Due to the absence of his biological father, leaving him and his mother when he was just five years old, he suffered from a plethora of daddy issues and it resulted in him acting out and causing problems at home.

Lyle told her that Lewis was the one to help him get his act together and played a big part in making an honest man out of him. He cleared up the internal presumptions Siani had about the mixed family and who belonged to whom.

He also confessed that he hadn't taken an immediate liking to Lewis, nor the idea that he would be his step-father when he entered his life nearly thirteen years ago; Lewis made it clear that he wasn't trying to take the place of his father, but he would be someone that he could count on.

With time, investment, and tons of patience, he learned to appreciate Lewis and their bond. Lyle never called him Dad, but he was the closest thing to a real father.

All in all, Siani was proud of him. His reformation was an empowering testimony and was definitely one for the books.

"You know Lyle is feeling you, right?" Rachel said with her remote in hand, sitting on the floor, surfing through the TV channels.

Siani raised her eyebrows, resting on her friend's couch in her studio apartment, not at all fazed by her randomness. Among other things, Rachel was the renowned queen of arbitrary.

"Yeah, I peeped that." She muttered, keeping her eyes trained on her cell phone screen, chopping it up with Anel through text. Fortunately, they were in a good place.

They'd been video chatting all last night until three in the morning and everything appeared to be forgiven. Although anything was expected when it came to the two, Siani was content with this place of solidarity they were in at the moment.

"Soooo...?" Rachel proceeded to say, twisting her body to look at Siani.

"Soooo, What?" She rested her phone on her chest, catching her eye, a slight smirk curling her lips.

"So, what are you going to do about that?"

Her brows furrowed as an expression of confusion took over her face and her smile tightened.

"Uh, nothing. Why would you even asks that? What am I gonna do about that?" She disdainfully repeated to herself and chuckled while picking up her chiming phone. "You're silly."

"Don't play with me. Lyle is a good looking white boy and he charming as shit."

"He is," She agreed, chuckling. "But you're telling me this because?"

"Because you have a boyfriend and have been spending all of this quality time with Lyle recently."

"Aw, man, here you go stirring the pot." Siani rolled her eyes. "This is not high school, Ray. We're grown. Lyle knows I'm in a relationship and respects that."

"Mm-hmm." Rachel quickly objected, pressing her lips together.

"We're friends. Just like you and me—fuh-rendz-uh!" She stressed. "You're over there mm-hmm-ing and you're the one who introduced us."

"More like reintroduced, you knew him before me." She countered.

Siani slit her eyes. "You know what I mean, don't be a smart-alec. If you didn't like him, you wouldn't have found him fitting for a 'reintroduction'. He's cool to hang with and we have a lot in common, but I'm not interested in him and I haven't given him any reason or motive to think otherwise, so chill."