Hell On Earth

Fourteen:

Egypt Hoskins
April 19
12:45 pm

"Aunt Terri can I get a popsicle?" Andre asked as he ran into the room me, her, my mom and Tremaine were in, setting up the stuff for the baby

"Go ahead. And give Vaeh and Sean one too"

He ran out the room while I tried to connect two poles together for the swing, a gift from Mrs Gee. Apparently I did something wrong because they wouldn't fit and I almost hit myself in the stomach

"Aye! Chill out" Tremaine fussed, quickly snatching the poles from me

"I had it Tremaine"

"Obviously not. You just go over there and fold up some clothes or some"

I took my time getting up off of the floor and went over to the bed where the baskets of baby clothes were, sitting down on the bed beside them and grabbed the first onesie off of the top

"Tremaine, when do y'all start up basketball practice again for your senior year"

"I was supposed to start conditioning over summer but I don't start till August cause I gotta go to Florida for a week or two in July to train with the college boys"

"That's good. Is that where you wanna go to school?"

I looked over at him seeing him shrug

"Honestly I'm not sure yet"

His eyes traveled over to me as his phone started ringing so he looked down at it and got up

"This my momma. I'll be right back"

We all watched him walk out of the room and my aunt shook her head

"Now THAT is a good boy right there"

"Not good. GREAT. And I love how he loves my baby" my momma told Aunt Terri and the both looked at me. I felt them watch me as they waited for me to respond but instead of doing just that, I kept myself tuned into folding the clothes

"Between him and Akira. Carson is spoiled already and it's honestly cute how involved his is and wants to be but I told him don't even think about putting his life on hold for this baby... you too egypt. That's why I need you filling out as many scholarships as possible"

"Am I still gonna be able to go to college momma?"

"Hell yeah you still going. I already told you this baby ain't stopping you. Keep them grades up.."

"Speaking of.. how are your grades now?" Aunt Terri asked and I shrugged

"The same. It's just more stressful being that I gotta work and stuff"

"Well that's apart of growing up. But I must say I'm proud of you"

"Thank you"

3:29 pm

"I can't believe how expensive baby stuff is. I'm glad I got a job and started saving when I did" I told Tremaine as we got out of his car and he fiddled with his keys, walking up to the door of his house. Mrs Gee was gone and my momma had to work so my brothers and sister stayed with Aunt Terri

As he unlocked the door music boomed from a car that was coming down the street and eventually a car stopped in front of the house making the both of us look back. The window rolled down and Junior, one of the boys on the basketball team that Christian often hung around, poked his head out

"Aye Tremaine!"

He sighed before cursing himself and opened the door

"Ima be right back"

I watched him as he walked off the the car and I went inside the house closing the door. While I walked down the hall I stopped at that same baby picture of Tremaine when he was little and laughed, actually looking at it for the first time. His clean dark skin contrasted with the white rec basketball uniform he wore, posing with the ball tucked under his arm and a smile on his face.

Beside that picture was a smaller photo of Tremaine and his mom. He had to be two or three, sitting on her lap as she seemed to be talking, drinking a hug juice with a birthday boy ribbon on his shirt

"And he tried to come for my baby pictures" I joked as I heard the door open. Tremaine walked in pushing something in his pockets

"You stay lookin at them damn baby pictures"

"Cause you always wanna look at mine when you at my house"

"Cause yours cute. Now bring yo ass"

I followed him down the hall to his room and he closed the door behind him while I got comfortable on his bed, sliding my sandals off. He went into his closet and took whatever was in his pocket, stuffing it in a box in his closet and instead of asking about it, I just kept quiet and minded my business

"When you gone stop working?" Tremaine asked as he walked out of the closet with a pair of grey Nike shorts in his hand. I shrugged as I watched him change into them

"Until I have the baby I guess"

"What?"

"Ima be out of work for weeks. I need as much money saved up as possible. Especially if there's no tellin if ima have a job when I do get ready to go back cause you know school gone be out a couple of weeks and all the college kids coming back home"

"Well whatever happens happens, we gone make sure you and Carson straight"

He sat on the bed beside where I was started kissing me

"That's cute and all" I told him in between kisses "but what about when you go off to college?"

"I ain decided where I wanted to go yet. I still gotta while nother school year to decide that"

"Yeah but still. Eventually you gotta decide."

"We'll work it out when we get to it"

I sighed and looked down at his shorts

"When did you get these?"

"What? I been had these"

"I don't remember ever seeing them"

Tremaine chuckled "Because yo ass too busy lookin at everything but the shorts"

"Well yeah ima look"

"Don't worry.. when that baby drop ima dick you down real good"

I started laughing "and it's funny cause my momma said Ill get on birth control after I have him"

"Even better to me"

He laid back on my lap and I scratched in his hair

"A couple more weeks until he gets here, then right after that I take my senior pictures, then my birthday and then senior year starts"

"Then graduation and then life gone hit all our asses right in the face"

"Not you Mr NBA star"

"That's IF I make it"

"Why wouldn't you. Stop doubting yourself"

"Cause even though it seem like it's easy, this shit aint. That's why I keep busting my ass every chance I can but I still be thinking I'm not good enough"

"Well I'm telling you. You're a great basketball player and if I hear you say something like that again we gone fight"

He smiled "I love yo lil ugly ass"

I could feel myself smiling from ear to ear "I love you too"