BeyNika- A Collection Of One Shots

The Cookout

Precursor, this ain't got SHIT to do with the 4th of July. Fuck the 4th. Juneteenth only ✊🏽

"Tanya? Tanya child!"

The door to her bedroom swung open shortly after.

"Now I know you've heard me calling your name all the way downstairs. Come on out now, the guest are showing up."

Onika sighed before groaning. Every summer right before school started up, Carol threw a cookout attended by family, friends, and the whole neighborhood it seemed. It was a great time for the adults to get together, reconnect, and catch up on their lives. But for someone like Onika, not quite an adult but no longer a teen, it was forced social interaction amongst people she didn't care to be around on a daily basis.

She cursed herself at times like now for not choosing a university farther away from home, or all the way across the country to be specific. Not coming home for summer break wasn't an option, she practically lived up the street already.

Onika missed Southern's campus the longer she was away, she enjoyed getting to see her mother after what seemed like an exceedingly long spring semester but her presence became suffocating quickly. Having to readjust to a household full of "rules" again wasn't something Onika was particularly fond of; at all. It wasn't like she was off in the streets doing hood rat shit, but there was no reason for Carol to demand she be in by midnight, even if it was an hour beyond her high school curfew. Christ, her twenty-first birthday was right around the corner, she was a grown women in her books. Or at least far too grown to be getting told when to be home and where to go.

There was one upside to this cookout, it was signaling the end of summer. She'd be packing up to head back to campus in six days where she'd get to spend the last two weeks of her summer completely to herself; Doing whatever the hell she wanted.

Trotting down the steps Onika could hear the muffled music blaring from the backyard. It faded into Maze's "Before I Let Go". Onika grinned to herself as she heard all the grown folks ohhh!-ing and, this-my-jam!-ing

It certainly sounded like the cookout was already in full swing.

Sliding open the back patios door she was met with a couple dozen people singing, chatting, eating, and clowning. Though this wasn't even half of the guests that typically showed and the day was young so she knew more would be coming.

The barbecue smoke filled her lungs and her stomach immediately growled, she hadn't eaten all day.

"Onika child, come over here!" Carol called somehow loud enough to hear over everything else.

She made it a mental note to grab a plate as soon as she finished with whatever she needed of her.

She made her way over to the foldable table Carol sat at with an older light-skinned woman that dawned hazel, almost green eyes; Must've been a friend of Carol's

"Sit down for a while, this is Ms. Tina. I want you to meet her daughter. Tina here is telling me she's in education and that's your major, so I'm sure you could get some great information from her."

Onika forced a smile taking a seat. "Yeah that would be great, it's very nice to meet you Ms. Tina." She offered her hand for a shake before her butt could contact the seat.

"It's very nice to meet you too sweetie. My daughter should be here soon, she said she had to drop her niece off some diapers some time ago so it shouldn't be long now."

Onika gave another cheeky smile while nodding before internally rolling her eyes.

Carol already got her out of her room, now all she wanted was a plate of hot food as her stomach demanded yet here she was held up by whoever this girl was. Not to mention this was only going to be a waste of her time, she was sure.