Will You Stay? (Urban)

30

The normal school day didn't feel the same for Domonique. It had been a long time since she roamed the hallways by herself, since she had no one to text during the day, or since she didn't look for one of her two friends in the hallway.

Senior year was supposed to be the best one yet, but it seemed as if nothing was going right for her.

Partly, she blamed herself. Once she was close to Jaylen or Sydney she couldn't help but latch onto them. If you don't have anyone in your life and someone finally comes around, you never want to let them go.

Her feelings confused her. Though she hadn't received any confirmation, she felt like the two of them had something going on. It hurt that they tried to keep whatever it was a secret. If they liked each other that much, why not just come out and say it?

So were they together, or were they not? Why was he ignoring her? Did he actually like her like he said he did? Too many unanswered questions raced through Domonique's head.

Somehow, she managed to get through the day despite her strong urge to leave. On instinct, she headed to the parking lot and searched for Jaylen's car. Realizing she would not be leaving with him, she called her brother to come and get her.

Raheem was in Louisiana with his fiancee. Despite how New York Dawn was, she was actually from a big southern family. She was pregnant and engaged to the man of her dreams and she wanted her family to be apart of their journey together.

He rolled out of bed and searched his suitcase for some shoes to wear.  The couple had stayed up all night talking about their past and their futures, and slept all morning. It was deep into the afternoon when they woke up, yet they still decided to stay in bed.

"Where you goin'?" Dawn asked behind him. He knew that this wasn't serious enough to make him lie, but Dawn wouldn't like it one bit.

"To get my sister," he replied.

She smacked and crossed her arms over her round stomach. Raheem thought that his soon to be wife was just as beautiful when she was pregnant. Her natural hair was in a slick ponytail and hung to her shoulders. Her cheeks had added volume and she had a certain pregnancy glow.

He didn't want to upset her or hurt the junior growing inside of her, so he controlled his temper. Also, they were staying in her family home. As big as it was, they would still hear the couple's argument. Dawn's family was very nosy, and he did not like people being too deep into his business. So he kept his voice down and tried his hardest to quell the argument he felt coming.

In a calm, low voice, he spoke. "What's the issue, ma?" Sensing the annoyance on her face, he sat back down.

"You and your sister. I don't like the way she came at Jordan and Mama," she said, referring to his mother. She loved both of them like they were her own mother and brother, and hearing about the way Domonique disrespected them made her angry.

"I told you if I wasn't pregnant she would have caught her rounds," Dawn added.

"One, you are carrying my son so please chill out with all that shit. Two, Domonique has been through a lot. That shit was not easy for neither of us and she was young. Her anger was respectable. She whooped Mama ass and that was the end of the story."

Raheem felt as if his sister won that fight fair and square. Part of him knew that his mother deserved what she got, but he would never admit that aloud. "But if you know all that havoc she caused then why haven't you cut ties? With the business doing well, I think that would be the best thing to do."

Raheem clenched his jaw and thought long and hard about what Dawn was insinuating. "Look ma. I'm always going to have enemies. People will always be ready to come for what's mine and the people I love. So the same exact logic could be applied to you. You think I'mma just break shit off with you and my child just because shit is dangerous? Things have been dangerous my whole entire life."