𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 | A New Edition Story.

Chapter I: Who Can I Run To?

WOODBRIDGE HOUSING COMPLEX.
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Woodbridge, Massachusetts / 6:35 PM.

TWO DAYS LATER.

     I pondered a lot about Mike's confession to liking me in a way that wasn't what I was used to. I thought about it from when my father picked me up and over the two days that passed since.   He proceeded to tell me he didn't know why he was feeling the feeling but he just was— asking me if I ever felt the same way.

      Truthfully. . .I haven't. I always saw Mike as my younger brother and I still do. I couldn't imagine the both of us in a relationship. I couldn't imagine myself in a relationship at all since I could flat out say I've never been in one.

Matter fact, I doubt I could be in one at all.

Once I turned thirteen and hit my first year of an official teenager, I didn't know which guys to be attracted to ever since I had a talk with my father about boys.

He stated that I should only go for the guys who knew what they were gonna be in life. Guys who treated women with respect, hella dough, book-smart, and most importantly; Black.

Either way, he would want to meet whoever I dated and inspect them for himself. If the didn't meet his expectations, I knew he'd end us before I could.

     I wanted to leave the dating department alone until I was actually ready to look for a relationship. Which was no time soon. I sorta want to see where this modeling gig'll lead me.

I sat at the dining table, reading JET magazine's issue of Lola Falana, nineteen seventy-six. It was my favorite issue and she was my favorite person. Her and Donna Summer. I aspired to be something somewhat quite like them whenever I hit the scene.

My father bought a lot of magazines with mainly them on the cover for me yet my mother swore they were for himself. It caused many arguments in the house whenever she saw me reading one.

To her, those women were selling the sexy image and that's not what she wanted her daughter to be known for. My father on the other hand rebuttals. He thought whatever sold the most money is what was needed.

   But me, I just thought they were women who were very beautiful and people so happened to love them a lot for it.

"What did I tell you about reading that filth, Karyn?" My mother came into the kitchen with her salmon pink shaded silk robe.

I looked over her disgusted expression and shook my head, "It's not filth, ma...

These are the most important women in show business, Dad said. If I wanna draw attention to myself and have fame like them or even bigger, I should read about them." I told her as I flipped the pages and read interviews.

I looked up to see my mother's hand reaching out. "Ma, I'm reading it." I held an expression hoping she'd let up. She kept her hand out until I placed the magazine in it.

"You don't need to draw attention to yourself in any way, Karyn. Attention is fine here and there but too much attention is a distraction. You hear me?" Ma pointed her natural coffin nail shaped nail in my face as I nodded. "Yes ma'am."