Saving Gracie// Nba Youngboy Story

.34

June 18, 1995

1:32pm

"Awe, this one looks sad" I frowned as I looked at the lobsters in the tank. I was at Walmart with Sophie, helping her pick up her WIC.

"Do you think I should get grapes or apples?" Sophie asked

"Grapes, they'll last a little longer"

"Okay cause I know everybo- Gracie. If you don't leave them damn lobsters alone and stop ignoring me"

I rolled my eyes and looked at her, realizing that her shirt was backwards

"Sophie.. you do know you need to turn your shirt around, right?"

She looked down then groaned "you know what, I don't even care. I don't have nobody to impress. I'm just here to get this food so I can head back home to my baby"

"Look at you. Around this time last year you didn't have a responsible bone in your body"

"I know" she laughed "a lot has changed for the both of us in the past year"

Honestly it really has

I watched Sophie carefully as she pushed the shopping cart down the isle. Her shirt being on backwards seemed like the least of her worries. Sophie had little bags under her eyes, nothing major, and her long thick hair was in a tangled bun that sat on top of her hair. She looked very tired, stressed and irritated. I understand that she was a new mom, but I'm pretty sure it's more than just Bailey doing this

"Sophie.. you okay?"

She stopped the cart and looked picked up two cans of baby formula "other than the fact that I'm ready to get back to Bailey, yeah I'm good"

"No Sophie... are you OKAY?" I asked in a very meaningful voice. She placed the cans into the cart before looking at me, resting one hand on the handle of the cart while the other held onto her WIC papers

"I guess I'm just tired. I gotta get used to waking up in the middle of the night still cause this is all still new to me-"

"Other than bailey, Sophie. What's going on?"

"Nothing Gracie.. I promise" she smiled before pushing the cart again. I sighed and followed behind her. I don't know what's going on with my cousin anymore but I really need to talk to her because it's like the more I get out of my dark place, the more she goes into hers

********________********

"I'm really worried for my cousin. I don't know what I'm gonna do" I vented to Kentrell as we chilled at his house. Well I was chilling, he was trying to finish studying for his final exam. While he sat back against the pillows on his bed, trying to read a question off of his worksheet, I had my head on his lap

"Kentrell"

"Hmmm" he responded, still paying attention to his worksheet

"Are you listening to me?"

"No."

I smacked my lips and sat up, getting off the bed. I went over to his mirror and fixed my hair. I had the front cornrowed back with colorful rubber bands in the cornrows, and the back of my hair was left hanging

"I think I should wear my hair like this more often"

"No you don't. You look like yo ass should be on soul train" Kentrell muttered, causing me to make a face as I looked back at him. He chuckled while he wrote on the worksheet

"I'll be the best looking one on soul train though"

"Nah, actually I saw this one fine ass butch up there earlier an-"

"Shut up and finish your homework!" I cut him off, frowning. "What you ,outta all people, doing watching soul train"

"Yo momma had me and baby joe watching that shit before she left for work while you and Sophie was at the store"

"Oh. I'm surprised she left you and baby joe alone with Bailey"

I could hear him slap the worksheet down on the nightstand and get off of the bed "I ain't lyin. Neither of us knew what we were doing. Then she wait till yo momma leave to wanna take a shit"

"Eww" I laughed, turning to face him as he walked over to me "who changed her?"

"You know I ain change shit. Baby joe ass was in there crying cause he ain't wanted to change her"

"That's crazy. Bet cha next time he'll use a condom cause apparently pulling out don't work with the girls in my family. How you think I got here" I shrugged. My mom and I have an open relationship so she tells me everything.. even though sometimes I believe she says a little too much

"Well ain't shit happen yet with us"

I nodded while trying to pull pieces of my hair out of earring hoop "I know. That's cause we use condoms"

"Tuhh" Kentrell muttered, causing me to freeze and look at him

"What you mean tUh? Last time I checked we been using them"

"The last time you checked must've been back in February"

"KENTRELL!" I fussed, pushing him and he burst out laughing, grabbing my hands

"Chill out. You ain't got pregnant yet"

"And I'm tryina keep it that way. From now on you better use a condom" I fussed, pointing my finger at him being serious as hell but he just found it funny

"Ight man"

"Forreal Kentrell!"

"Okay, Damn. Now get out yo feelings" Kentrell responded, pulling me into him. He tried to kiss me but I turned my head, hearing the tv in his living room blasting the theme song to Living Single

"Ouuu my show on" I smiled and walked away from him. Kentrell smacked his lips as I left out of the room and went straight into the living room, sitting on the chair. Just as the theme song went off and the show was about to start, the tv cut off. I looked over at kentrell and saw him sitting the tv remote down.

"Why would you do that?"

He laughed and the phone started ringing

"Go answer your phone and leave me alone" I growled at him and he muttered something under his breath while walking off. Once he was gone I grabbed the remote and turned the tv on again. My pager went off so I unclipped it from the waistband of my pants to see who it was.

What made Arianna page me?

That's what I thought to myself. We had each other's numbers and stuff but we never really used them because the only time she pops up is when Kd brings her around. Like Bree said when we first met her, she's cool as hell, but she's just the type to stay to herself

"Trell" I yelled his name "let me know when you done with the phone so I can use it"

"Go head" he replied, heading out of the room with his keys in his hand "I'll be right back"

Immediately my heart started beating out of my chest because last time he did that, it didn't end good

"Where you going?"

"To pick up KD dumbass"

That's why Arianna paged me

"Oh okay.. where he at"

Kentrell stopped walking and looked back at me "Jail"

"What!?" I damn near yelled while he headed out the door. What in the hell did Kd do now?