𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 ➵ 𝔧𝔞𝔥𝔰𝔢𝔥 𝔬𝔫𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔶

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔰𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫 // 𝔪𝔢𝔢𝔱 𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔴𝔞𝔶

a bit over a month had gone by and it was now jahseh's 19th birthday. it was stokeley's third time going back to visit jahseh.

"i can't wait for you to get out and start dropping tracks." stokeley smiled.

"i mean, i guess i gotta get writing." jahseh smirked, "how's everything with you and your girl?"

"it's been good. i didn't think we'd last six months. when we started dating, it was more like we were gonna do it and see how it goes and i guess that's what we're still doing because we're still together."

"sounds serious." jahseh slouched in his chair.

"what about Renee?" stokeley asked.

jahseh furrowed his brows, "what about her?"

"c'mon," stokeley chuckled, "i know you like her."

"i don't know if i like her." jahseh admitted.

"what does that even mean?" stokeley questioned.

"i don't know..." jahseh shrugged, "she's really sweet and beautiful but i don't know if i want her to be involved with my lifestyle. that's why i haven't said anything to her."

"well I guess that's a good thing because she doesn't love." stokeley responded under his breath.

. . .

"renee, what time do you work?" emily asked.

renee recently got a job at a bar and steakhouse after taking her smart serve at school.

"4-10." renee answered, "ski said he'll drop me off when he gets back."

"when was this plan made?" nicole inquired.

"five minutes ago." renee responded.

"stop making plans with my man." nicole chuckled.

renee cracked up, "relax, i don't want your man. i don't need a man."

"or you can't get one." emily muttered.

"excuse me?" renee scoffed, "where's your man?"

"okay, you two. calm down." nicole pulled renee back.

stokeley opened the door, "let's go, renee."

renee grabbed her backpack and walked out the door, after stokeley. she got in the passenger seat of his car and buckled herself in.

"so how was the visit?" she asked.

"it was alright." stokeley replied, "nothing exciting really happened."

"did he say anything about when he'll be out?" renee questioned.

stokeley stayed focus on the road, "yeah it's some time in late march."

"man..." renee sighed, "that's in a while."

"why? you can't wait to see him without handcuffs?" stokeley looked over at renee and gave her a smirk before looking back to the road.

"no, he just deserves more than what he's getting." renee responded.

. . .

"open this when... it's your birthday".

"oh my goodness! you're freaking old now.

i'm so glad i can say that i know you. you've done so much stupid shit in the past year, and god knows i have too, but you've also changed my life for the better.

we've become so close and i hope that today you have an absolutely amazing day, whether we can see each other or not.

eat lots of cupcakes (i promise, you'll get some) and just be thankful you survived another year. i'm so glad you have, and you should be too.

happy birthday!

-renee"

"god..." jahseh thought, "she's so good to me."

jahseh took a bite out of a cupcake that stokeley dropped off earlier and chuckled to himself.

. . .

since renee was no longer around, jahseh would talk to tamara and learn more about her.

"i have a question." he announced.

tamara gave all her attention to him, "what is it?"

"why doesn't renee love?" he asked.

"she was raised by animals," she stated, "she doesn't know how to love."

"who raised her?" he questioned.

"her three uncles." she answered, "but they didn't want her. so she spent most of her time hanging out with nicole and emily after school, unless she was with me. if she was out late with us, we sometimes wouldn't see her at school the next day or she'd have a black eye or busted lip."

jahseh was angered by the thought of renee being hurt. he hadn't noticed that he had clenched his fists.

"i told her to get help but she said she was alright." she continued, "but besides the bruises, i don't know what really happened after those doors shut. but it disgusts me to think that she had to go through that for five years. but she always was trying to make sure i was okay."

"was she..." jahseh was inquiring a question.

tamara shook her head, "i don't know."

"so is that why she can't love? because they did things to her?" he asked.

"it's part of it but she's never had a real boyfriend before and her last," she threw up quotations, "'boyfriend' isn't what she'd call a relationship so she doesn't know what a real relationship is like."

"i mean i guess that's something we have in common." he inhaled from his cigarette.

"you've never had a girlfriend?" tamara's mouth was gaped open.

he chuckled, "no, i've had girlfriends. but none of them stayed. it's like they were looking for a reason to leave and once i gave them one, they were gone."

"i'm so sorry." she swallowed.

"it's whatever." he shrugged.

"tamara, it's time to go in." cheryl called.

tamara got up and followed behind cheryl before stopping.

she turned around, "hey, happy birthday!"

"thanks." he smiled sincerely.

jahseh stayed outside to finish his cigarette and then headed inside when he saw dark clouds coming in.

"happy birthday to me..." he sighed.

---

i start school soon :/ so i don't know how often there will be updates but just bare with me. also i really love reading your comments and knowing your thoughts on what's happening! so thank you for all the votes and comments.

goal: 16 votes; 14 comments