𝐀 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 - 𝐏𝐨𝐩 𝐒𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲

Bronx Leadership — Bronx 📍
3:00pm 

We sat in my car waiting for Cameron to get out of school. We watch as all the kids come out at once.

"Friday at Claro at five. That's all I keep thinking about.." I break the silence in the car from us being on our phones scrolling through social media, "I wanna meet her. I mean I gotta meet her!" I look at Pop.

"I'm telling you.." He trails off before Cameron gets in the backseat, "Wassup Woo how was school?" He asks.

"Everybody's talking bout Ci going off on the office lady," He laughs, "Everybody hate her forreal."

"What we're they saying?" I adjust my mirror looking at him.

"Some people thought you hit her. Some thought yah fought. And it was the 1% of people that got the story right. You know how high school be. Hear a rumor and people add to it," He shakes his head sitting back.

A couple minutes of silence fill the air before Cameron speaks up.

"What'a wrong with Ci?" He looks to Pop, "Yo what's the matter Ci?" He looks at me.

I look at Pop as he looks at me.

"I got a call today from mom."

"Luce? Okay what did she say?" He laughs sitting back.

"No papi, mom. She called me earlier when I was with Pop," I turn around to say.

"What did she say?" He looks up from his phone, "A-Are you okay?"

"Told me she'll be here on friday and to meet her somewhere to talk about everything that's happened but I was debating on whether or not if I should tell you because you don't remember her. You were only a baby baby when we went into foster care."

"I don't know her. And that's that. She's a whole stranger to me. But if you decide to meet her I wanna be there with you fasho," He explains, "She gave birth to me and all but that's not my mom."

"Damn dawg," Pop takes a big sigh, "This real life shit right here."

"I mean that's truth though," He shrugs.

"I'm just gonna go," I turn back around and start to drive out the parking lot, "Just to hear whatever explanation she comes up with for doing what she did. But you cannot tell Luce or dad. They're not gonna want us to go."

"So when is everything happening?" He asks.

"After we get out of school friday we'll go straight there. She'll be at a restaurant near Pop's house. So.." I trail off.

"Y-Yeah i'll go. For you though."

After we picked Cameron up from school we went to grab chick-fil-a. My mind was heavy. So heavy that I wasnt even worried about food. I wasn't worried about being hungry.

"Hi good afternoon my name is Mike what can I get for you."

"Can I just get a spicy chicken sandwhich, a spicy deluxe chicken sandwich, two orders of the waffle fries and one coke and one sprite," I order.

"You ain't getting nothing?" Pop asks, "You gotta eat mama."

"I'm good babe I lost my appetite," I turn to say to him before turning back to the speaker.

"Okay, and does this complete your order?"

"Yes sir," I answer.

"You can pull up for your total."

"Thank you," I say before driving up behind a car.

"Ci, Pop's right you gotta eat," Cameron sits up from his seat and holds the back of mine, "I know you're hungry."

"Papi, i'm not. I don't have the appetite to eat right now," I say before my phone starts to ring, "Hey T."

"Wassup what's wrong?" He asks, "Wassup Cam—Pop with you?" He asks before I turn the camera.

"Woo back wassup bro," Pop says.

I move up to the next window.

"Twenty four even," The boy says at the first window.

"I got it," Pop takes out a stack, "Huh," He hands me two twenty's because he only carried twenty bills and up.

I take the money from him before handing it to the cashier. After he gives me the change back I hand it right to Pop.

I pull up to the last window and their food was waiting already.

"So what yah doing today? Where yah at?" Tjay asks.

"Here bab'," I hand the phone to Pop before he looks at me in confusion, "I don't wanna talk right now."

"Baby.." He sucks his teeth and sighs, "Yo bro ima hit you back later alright."

"Everything aight?" Tjay asks.

"Yeah yeah, ima hit you though bro."

"Aight bro. Stay safe. Stay dangerous," Tjay says.

"Stay safe. Stay dangerous bro, I love you."

"I love you too bro. Tell Cam and Ci I said the same."

"I will," Pop nods, "Woo," He says.

"Woo," Tjay says back before they hang up.

I take the food from the worker and pass it to Pop and Cameron before pulling off.

"I'm not liking this bro," Cameron says.

"Me neither Woo," Pop shakes his head.

"I'm good. I'm just not hungry," I chuckle.

6:30pm
Saks Fifth Avenue — E 49st Ny, NY

"How this look mama?" Pop comes out the fitting room in a black tux.

My mind was still very heavy. But I wanted to genuinely be there with Cam and Pop. it's not like my situation made me want to stay home in my room and cry. It was just a lot of thinking I had to do before going through with this.

What if she's dangerous? Or just now contacting me because i'm with Pop? It was deeper than just meeting your birth mom after fourteen years without your parents knowing.

We were in the media. People knew me and Pop's situation online and offline. They knew us publicly as the next "boogie and Ella" out of New York. There's no way she seen me without seeing Pop's name attached to me.

"You look handsome. Real fly," I half smile before his goes away.

"Say the word and we up outta here. I could get you something to eat and i'll bring you home or you could come to my crib and we can do whatever," He explains.

"It's good," I chuckle, "I'm just deep thinking right now. I wanna be here and wanna help you find a tux for the wedding on wednesday."

"You sure?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Yes Poppa," I nod, "Now you gonna wear just the tux or a tie or a bow tie?" I smile a little making him smile.

"Fuck no I ain't wearing no clown ass bow tie," He laughs making me laugh a little, "There we go. Was missing yah laugh for a minute. I'll wear a tie though," He laughs going back into the dressing room, "I want you to pick it out for me though."

"Ci, it'a Luce and dad.." Cam comes up to me pointing the phone down so that I could see my dad on facetime.

"What happened at school I got a call from them saying you threatened the lady in the office?" He asks.

"The one that's always picking on me. She kept telling me to put my phone away and I told her like mad other kids do the same and she only comes at me."

"So what did you say?" Luce asks.

"That I was gonna beat her ass—sorry daddy but those the words that came out my mouth!" I say as they crack up.

——————
sorry for the late updates , i just started my senior year (on zoom) sad asf 😂😭 lmao but it's kicking my ass already