Breathe.

27

It's Toni Birthday, lemme stop playing and double Update. Happy Birthday Queen! ❤️

Nafessa Williams

"You're different." Toni mumbled to me as we walked into my condo.

"We're different." I replied.

She nodded. "That's true. We're very different but that's not what I meant."

"So what did you mean?"

"I mean that it seems the roles are reversed. Like now I'm the one chasing and you're the one running."

"Running? Tuh. I'm not running."

"You're so running. Everytime we talk, it's me basically hunting you down. The roles have reversed. Is this the Hell I gave you as a high schooler?"

I took a moment before nodding. "Yes."

She giggled. "Well I know this won't fix much from them but shit, I'm sorry."

Changing topics, I motioned to my kitchen. "Mhm. I bet you are. You want something to drink?"

"Ouu do you have water and lemon?"

"I do. I do. Why didn't you take your water to go at the restaurant?"

"It had ice in it."

"Oh yeah. You hate cold drinks unless it's juice. You like your water and Gatorade's room temperature."

"You remember that?"

I glanced up and nodded as I opened her pantry door and pulled a bottle of water out before grabbing a lemon. "Yeah. Of course I remember."

"You still like all your food with cayenne pepper or hot sauce in it?" She asked me softly.

"Yep. My food still has to be hot or I'm not eating it." I grabbed a knife to cut the lemon.

"Oh no. I got it." She immediately stepped in as she went to take the knife from my hands.

"I can cut the lemon, T."

"You always would nip your hand somehow when trying to cook something. I'll cut it."

"I got a little bit better at not nipping my hand."

Raising her eyebrow, she shot me a glance. "A little?"

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Okay. Fine. I'm still on the struggle bus. Ry and Kel usually makes me cut things that I can do with kitchen scissors instead of knives."

Putting the rest of the lemon back in the bag I had it in, she tied it and placed it in the fridge. "How'd that happen? If you don't mind me asking." When she turned around, she must've saw that I wasn't too clear on what she was asking me from my facial expression. She expanded. "How'd you all become so close with Kelly?"

"Ohhh. Long story short, we got cool like five months after you left. Janet began her music career and she got really busy which would leave Kelly alone because Shawnette would be doing her own thing. So we just started talking one day and before I knew it, she had become like a sister to me. She still had to work to grow on Ryan and Zendaya refused to give her the time of the day."

She nodded and I watched as she squeezed the lemons into her water. "Her and Janet still together? I saw a ring on her finger."

"Oh no. Kelly's married to her husband Tim. They have a son together named Titan."

"Aw okay. That's good. And what happened to Daya?"

I rolled my eyes. "Some bullshit. Zendaya and Ryan kind of fell out because of some dude that Z called herself dating our freshman year of college. He wasn't good for her. Everyone knew it and eventually Zendaya stopped hanging with us completely because the dude told her not to anymore. She cut us off and Ryan cut her right back off so that the feeling was mutual. Soon, Zendaya broke up with the boy and tried to come be our friends again. Ryan immediately turned her away. I was in class when this happened and when I got back to our dorm, Ry told me that she told Daya we didn't want to be her friends anymore. I tried to reach out to Zen but she never replied. By time we got to senior year, we'd pass each other up as if we'd never met before. She found some replacements for us and I know in her head we replaced her with Kelly but that wasn't the case."

"Dang. Well I'm sorry to hear that. You three were really close,"

"Us three? No. You too. You know it was Ry and I, then you and Daya."

She nodded. "Mhm, but I left. So it was then you three." She sat on a bar stool in her kitchen and I leaned on the counter across from her. "So about the talk with my mom. I guess you could call it a talk."

"What'd she say?"

"She admitted to doing it but then said it was my fathers fault. Which is something she does a lot. Everything is daddy's fault but I just wasn't going for it. I snapped on her about everything. Told her she didn't have to worry about me anymore, which she doesn't. Not like Kennedy and I need her. So I read her to filth and left."

I made a face. "Now from one stubborn adult to the other, you know you're going to need her. I just finished ignoring my mom for months and looking back on it, I regret it and I won't let it happen again."

"Mama J!" Toni called out with a smile on her face. "Geez, I loved that woman. Your mother was literally the most understanding mother in Maryland. The sweetest and purest soul that you'd ever meet. How is she?"

"She's good. Works at a hospital out here now. She's the Head Orthopedic Surgeon out here so she's just fine. Doing what she loves."

"And you? You're doing what you love right?"

"Yeah." I replied quickly because I meant it. "I love acting. It's just me and sure my roles are small now, but I have a feeling that when I make it... I'm gonna make it T. Like bright lights and red carpets. I'll get to make my own speech one day. Have my own little works room where I put up every movie or show I've played in. I have a few auditions coming up soon. Ones for this movie called The Man in 3B. I already auditioned for something called Brotherly Love. Hopefully I get it. I'm sorry, I'm rambling."

Toni waved me off. "No. No. It's okay. Go ahead. This is something you're really passionate about. I want to know more. Ramble on."

Sending her a look, I shook my head. "No thanks. What about you? Hows it going?"

"I just finished my last song for the album. When I moved from Maryland, I actually found a song book that Kenny had left for me so I'm mostly trying to make sure I do right by him in this album. A lot of the songs are slow but it's me. It fits my mood and my range just fine. My hearts in it so weather it hits big or not, I'm still going to love it. Until then, I'll keep doing stocks."

"And that's really all that matters. Your hearts in it, but stocks? I'm not surprised. You loved numbers in high school."

"Yeah. My mother made me major in something that would have a financial effect on my life after four years and in her opinion singing was just not that thing. So I majored in finance and went with what I knew."

"That's good T." I smiled.

"Good? No, yours is good." Toni turned and picked up a picture frame that was sitting on my bar. Her eyes widened. "Now Nafessa, girl this pictureee."

I narrowed my eyes at the frame holding one of my graduation pictures. My dumb ass started dancing during the shoot and the photographer took the photo. "I was cute. Don't try to play me."

"Nu uh. Girllll, see this is the girl I knew. The girl I was dating back then. Matter fact..."

Toni pulled out her phone and I yelled. "Stop!" She chuckled and took off running and I followed as she took pictures of my embarrassing ass photo. "Toni I swear to God!"

I chased her through my condo before I grabbed the back of her shirt and she pulled me forward causing us to fall on my couch with me on top. We wrestled for a while, saying she'd gained some strength over the years and I got the picture out of her hand finally. "You play too much!"

She laughed. "No. You don't play enough apparently." I didn't realize how close we were until I paused. Toni cleared her throat as I got up. "It's getting late. I should get going."

"Y-yeah." I replied back meekly.

I watched as she gathered her things and walked to my door. She paused before looking back at me. "Talk soon?"

The hope glimmered in her eyes, and I knew mines more than likely matched. "Of course. Text me when you make it home."

"I will." She smiled softly as she opened my door to leave but two bodies blocked her exit.

My eyes widened and I walked over to stand next to her. Our faces of shocked matched the duo's in front of us. Toni and I both asked the same question. "Mom?"