When The Sun Rises | ✔

09 | Time To Say Goodbye

Chapter 09 | Time To Say Goodbye

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        I was strolling peacefully, sandals dangling from the tips of my fingers, along a secluded beach. The waves rushing to the shore crashed at my feet, splashed against my legs, and left tickling trails of water cascading down my calves. I stood still in the calm that slicked over me as the water retreated and gentle mounds of sand slid across the tops of my feet. A serene smile on my face, I turned my head to the cloudless sky and watched as a flock of seagulls flew directly above me. Each flap of their wings more majestic than the last.

        I sighed, savoring the perfection of the moment: the gentle lull of the ocean, warm sand meshed between my toes, soft breeze caressing my skin, seagulls soaring against a cotton candy backdrop.

        That was until the call of the seagulls started to sound a little warped. Their chirps were garbled and distorted, and I struggled to make sense of the noise. They didn't sound like birds anymore.

        Squinting against the faint sunlight, I gazed up at the circling flock. Their usual chirps had morphed into actual words. The lower they descended, the clearer I could hear them, the echoes of their cries now surrounding me.

        Hoe, hoe. Wake up, hoe. Hoe, wake the hell up. Keila, wake up or I'll lick your fucking face.

    
        Quickly realizing that my mental paradise has been invaded, I peel my eyes open and see Xo. Hovering inches away from my face. Stomach dropping out of my feet, I jump back and end up banging my head against the headboard.

        I groan and rub the back of my head. "Damn, Xo. What the hell? What you doing in my room? How you even get in here?"

        Disoriented and with floaters in my vision, I ease myself into an upright position.

        "Ain't no damn Xo," she mocks. "I been tryna wake yo ass up for the past five minutes. If anybody should be asking questions it's me. You the one was smiling and moaning like you was hot and bothered."

        I sluggishly lift my head when the throbbing subsides. "I'm not even gonna dignify that shit with a response. So again, I'm asking you how the hell you got in my room."

        "Your foster brother let me in. Had to call and ask Karisha first, but she was more than happy to hear that the hermit had a visitor."

        She plops on my bed and makes herself comfortable.

        "That answers the how, but not the what. And who the hell is Karisha?"

        She grabs the remote from beside me and scrolls through the TV guide. Glancing over her shoulder at me, her eyebrows dip. "Um, yo foster momma? You should really know these people names by now, Keila. Do better."

        She turns back to the TV and resumes her search.

        "Her name is Corrine, dumbass. And I don't remember saying you could hop up in my bed. I don't know where you been so if you could just," I grunt and nudge her with my foot.

        She obliges my request, but the victory is short-lived because as soon as she's on her feet, she yanks the comforter off of me. My skin immediately prickles with goosebumps and I swallow a scream. It's too damn early for her to be getting on my nerves like this and my big ass is about ready to throw a tantrum.