Lost.

17.

BRYSON.

Duke tough ass was up and tryna' move around now. Doc kept tellin' him to rest for at least a full day and he can't een do dat. I shook my head.

He was tryna' walk from da bed to the window, but he was strugglin' and I could see the annoyance all over dis nigga's face. I got up to try to help him, when he almost fell.

"Tighten up, real talk. Yo body tryna' heal and you won't let it, dat shit dangerous." I finally spoke up.

Duke weakly pushed the table over in frustration. "Why da fuck dis nigga God ain't just snatch me." He said, scoffing in the process.

Kimberly and Von walked back in the room and looked around.

"Yea, dis nigga finally goin nuts." I said, shaking my head.

"Duke, I'm almost positive you not supposed to be up walking around like it ain't shit." Kim told Duke hardheaded ass.

"Fuck you, nigga. I been hit before and I know what my body need. It damn sho' ain't no rest." Duke said.

"Relax." I dismissively told him.

"Didn't I just say fuck you?" Duke asked me.

I looked over at him, not sayin' shit. I know how dis lil nigga get when he in pain, so i'm coolin. If he wasn't hurtin, I would've been got on his ass, cause he been goin nuts lately and da shit is irritating.

"You being rude to my goonie ain't gone help shit. We all just tryna make sure you straight. Gone head wit dat weak shit doe." I finally said.

Kimberly sat down on the hospital couch and watched everybody talk for a few minutes. I looked at her just as she was lookin up, which caused us to make eye contact. I walked over to her.

——
KIMBERLY.

I looked down at my phone, re-reading Meq's text message. It's crazy how after all this time, he's still trying to get us onto a peaceful ground. It's like, you done constantly cheated on me and I took you back. You done beat my ass over and over again, and I took you back.

The worst is him going out and having a whole ass child on me. There's no coming back from that. I'm done! I don't want shit to do with him or a relationship right now.

Bryson walked over to me and sat down. I just stared at him until he finally spoke.

"Come holla at me," Bryson said. I got up and started getting myself together.

"We fina' step out." He called out.

"Aight. Let me know if you comin' back round these ways. I probably slump here for the night." Von said, briefly looking down at me as he slapped hands with Bryson.

I think Von suspects Bryson and I have something going on and he's trying his hardest to respect it. But we literally have nothing going on, at all. We're good friends, I guess you can say.

The reason everybody else isn't too worried about Bryson and I spending so much time together, is because they all think he brings out the best in me. They say I seem genuinely happy whenever i'm with or around Bryson.

Every since Meq and I broke up, Von is worried about my happiness. So, maybe, he feels the same way. I don't know. But like I said, i'm not in the business of starting anything new with anybody. It's that simple.

Sometimes a bitch just be needing to step back and live life. It comes a time in your life where anything that doesn't mean you happiness, becomes irrelevant. I've officially reached that point.