A/N: super unedited. Filler chapter. Sorry i took so long to get this out :(

Athena Kelly

"Ugh!" I groaned in frustration as my phone buzzed for the millionth time under my pillow. I finally pulled it out and answered. "Hello?"

"Come outside" I heard Cato's voice. I squinted and looked at the screen. It was literally 7am, on a saturday if I may add.

"What the heck? Why are you outside?" I frowned.

"Come outside" he repeated.

"No. Go home" I said and hung up. A few moments passed before he was calling again. "What do you want?!" I whisper yelled.

"I told you already. Put some clothes on and come on" he said as if he werre irritated.

"I cant just leave."

"Get'cho ass up and come outside or i'ma come drag you out'cho house myself" he said. I went to speak but realized he had hung up on me. Who did he think he was? I sighed in annoyance and unwrapped my hair before throwing on some tights, a shirt, and a pair of flip flips. I quietly grabbed my keys and started out the door.

"Where you headed?" I heard my mom's voice and jumped. She scared the heck out of me. I turned around to see her leaving the direction of her room.

"I'm uhhh..." I couldnt think of anything.

"You heading off with that boy aint you?" she raised her eyebrow. I gave an awkward smile. She chuckled and smirked before heading towards the kitchen. "You're eighteen and I trust you. Just be careful" she mumbled and waved bye to me. I let out a sigh of relief and headed out the door. I dont know how my mom seemed to always know everything.

When I got down to the parking lot, Cato was leaned against his car on his phone. When he saw me, he smiled at me and reached out for a hug. I maneuvered around his outstretched arms and walked to the passenger side of the car.

He unlocked the doors and we got in. I stayed quiet as he stared over at me. "Why are you staring at me?" I asked him. It was getting annoying.

"Why you mad at me boo?" he smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your boo and please explain why you made me come out here at seven in the morning."

"We got something to do" he licked his lips and started the car. My head fell back and I sighed. What could he possibly have to do that involved me?

"Whatever. I just need to be home by two" I mumbled, looking out the window as he drove.

"Fuh' what?" he asked.

"Noneya."

He laughed and kept driving. We ended up at his house. "I thought we had stuff to do?" I said smartly.

"We do" he uttered. He unlocked the door and I walked in, taking a seat on his couch. I honestly didnt want to be here. Especially now that I knew Jamina was his girlfriend. I liked to avoid confrontation as much as possible.

He came and sat next to me. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the tv. I looked over at him. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Chillin'" 

I pinched his arm as hard as I could. "You dragged me out of my freaking bed early in the morning to 'chill'?!" I said to him angrily. I need my sleep on the weekends. Its the only way I survive during the week.

"I was already out and I knew I wasnt 'bout to come home and sleep so I came and got'chu" he explained.

"What were you doing up that early?" I asked him.

"Had to take my lil' sis to my aunty house."

"Lily?" I questioned. He nodded. "Do you guys have both the same parents?"  I asked him as he surfed through channels.

He shook his head no. "Same mama. Different daddies."

"Where's your mom?" He paused and glanced at me before back at the tv.

"Rehab" he chuckled.

"Oh" I let it go because it didnt seem like something he wanted to walk about. He stopped on BET where the Jamie Foxx Show was on. "I dont think I wanna be here" I said truthfully out loud.

"Why not?" he looked offended by me saying that.

"Your girlfriend is most definitely going to start something."

"What girlfriend?"

I squinted at him suspiciously. "You know exactly what girlfriend."

"That dont exist no mo'. Its over wit'."

I felt myself grow relieved and a tad bit happy but at the same time, I knew Jamina would still want to fight me when we got back to school. "This the most you ever said to me" he laughed.

"Lies."

"Nah forreal. You'on ever be sayin' shit."

"I don't say anything if theres no need to."

"Why you so afraid to use yo voice?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really afraid. I just never know what to say."

"You think too much to not know what to say doe" he argued.

"I don't know. I guess I feel like when I talk, people hate me even more than when I stay quiet. So I just dont say anything, hoping they'll like me more."

"Thats the dumbest shit I ever heard. Fuck who don't like you. Do you."

I laughed a bit. "Its easy to say but hard to do."

"Nah. You used to talk yo life away on the bus when we was small" he joked.

"That was only because I liked you" I admitted but when I realized I did, I slapped myself on the forehead. I looked over at Cato who had a proud smile on his face.

"You thought the kid was cute huh?" he teased. I blushed and covered my face.

"Oh my gosh nooo, shut up."

He scooted closer to me and pulled my hands off my face. I started laughing.

"Admit it. Thats why yo ass gave me bananas huh?" he asked.

I tried to stale face him but couldnt because I was trying not to laugh. "No. I was being nice because you liked them"

"You a bad ass liar" he laughed. I ignored him and looked at what was happening on tv. We sat through a few episodes of different shows that came on, commenting or laughing every once in a while. My stomach growled and I realized I hadnt eaten anything.

"I'm really starving" I mumbled.

"Its shit in there if you want something" he said nodding towards the kitchen. I nodded and got up to go see what he had.

He had a fully stocked fridge. It was so full that I grew confused on what I actually wanted to eat. "You mind if I cook?!" I yelled out to Cato.

"You good" he said as he entered the kitchen and sat down at the island. I grew uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Do you have to sit there?" I asked while taking eggs and a pack of biscuits out of the fridge.

"Who taught you to cook?" he ignored my question and asked.

"My mom" I answered as I cracked a few eggs. Cato didnt say anything for a bit, but I heard the chair he was in scrape acorss the floor. As I started putting the biscuits on the pan, I felt his hand touch my lower back. I jumped a bit as he reached over me into the cabinet above me. He was so close that I could barely move.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"What it look like? I'm gettin' cups" he smirked.

"You couldn't wait until I was done?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He finished getting the cups down before looking down at me. His face was super close and I would have pulled away but I didnt want him getting the satisfaction of making me uncomfortable. He knew what he was doing.

He looked up as if he were thinking about it, backed up and rubbed his chin. "Mmmm, nah" he chuckled and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the cups on the counter. I rolled my eyes and finished what I was doing.

-------

My eyes shot open and I looked around, taking in my surroundings. It was already getting dark and I was still at Cato's house. My phone buzzed from the coffee table. I picked it up seeing a few missed calls from Boyd. I slapped my forehead remembering we were supposed to go on a date today. So much for that.

I opened my texts to see a few from him.

Boyd: So I guess yo ass couldnt just let a nigga know u wasnt gone be home?

Boyd: Its aight doe. I'll holla atchu later.

I facepalmed myself and pressed the button to call him. He answered on the third ring. "Wassup?"

"Hey, i'm so so sorry. I came to hang out with a friend for a while and fell asleep" I explained.

"Its straight. I figured some shit would come up" he chuckled.

"What?"

"If you aint wanna go, thats all you hadda say."

I shook my head as if he could see me. "No! I most definitely wanted to go. Dont be like that" I pleaded with him. I guess I had hurt his feelings.

"Its whatever. I gotta go" he hung up. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. For some reason I felt like I wanted to cry. One boy actually finally takes interest in me and I ruined it before it began.

After holding back my tears before they started to fall, I realized Cato wasnt here. His shoes werent by the door and his keys werent on the table either. Why the on earth would he leave me in his house and disappear?

Cato Willis

My conscience never clears up. You would think after constantly murkin' niggas, I would grow immune to the shit.

Wrong.

The sight of 'em slumped over still bothers me. When they die with they eyes open, I cringe. Seein' the pools of blood still fuck me up. Knowin' that I coulda killed off somebody family member or some shit always makes me feel guilty. But it always boils down to the fact 'dat I gotta do what I gotta do.

So here I was again, feelin' guilty as fuck as I headed back to my car. In a few hours, niggas fam would prolly come back and find him laid out on the livin' room floor. As much as I ain't give a fuck, I gave a fuck. But the shit was irrelevant.

When I got in my car, I texted Sonnie to let him know the shit was done.

I was pretty much walkin' on eggshells when it came to this nigga now. I had broke up wit' Jamina yesterday and I wasnt trynna hear 'bout it from him. I knew her ass had prolly already told him.

I was lowkey already prepared to get fucked up. I aint care anymore at this point. She had really been addin' more stress than I already needed to my pile of problems. On top of that, she was a roadblock in the way of me trynna get at Athena.

I started drivin' in the direction of my house. It took me a good thirty minutes to get home. I already knew Athena was gone have some shit to say when I pulled up. I aint wanna leave her there, but I really had to get shit done. If I aint do it then, it woulda never happened and that woulda been an issue.

I unlocked the door and walked in, makin' sure to leave my shoes by the door. I hated dirt on my floor. Shit made me mad as hell.

"Where did you go?!" Athena asked before I could even get my ass halfway in the house.

"I had some shit to take care of" I said to her.

"Why did you let me sleep so long?" she frowned at me like I had killed her pet or some shit. I resisted the urge to laugh. She tried so hard to be mad all the damn time.

"Obviously yo ass was tired if you slept the whole day" I chuckled while walking past her to the couch.

"Yeah but I had stuff to do. Thanks to you I missed my date" she folded her arms over her chest. My ears perked up at the mention of a date. Who the hell she was datin'?

"You got a nigga?" I asked her. If she did, I aint care. I was still trynna wife anyway.

"No" she responded. "Just a guy that likes me but thanks to today, its probably over before it began."

I just laughed. It was never gone begin in the first place. She looked at me like she was mad. "You're an A-hole."

"Ass. Ass-hole. Say it wit' me. Ass-" I waited for her.

"No. I don't like cursing" she laughed.

I kissed my teeth. "Say one word."

"No."

"You so goodie goodie."

"So?" she said.

"Say asshole."

"Asshole."

She sounded funny as fuck. "Aight, change of plans. Don't cuss ever again."

She started laughing at what I said. "Question" she said to me.

"What?"

"Where did you meet Jamina?"

"Grew up with her. You?"

"She goes to my school."

"You deadass?" I asked. I aint pay no type of attention to Jamina so it made sense that I aint even know what school she went to.

Athena eyes got wide. "You seriously didnt know?"

I shook my head.

"Wow. You sure she was your girlfriend?" she teased.

"Nah. I was her boyfriend. She really dont mean shit to me if i'm bein' honest." 

"Thats mean."

I shrugged. I really aint care. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat" I suggested. I aint wanna sit around here all evenin'.

"Eat what?" Athena asked me.

"Shit. Ion care. Whatever you want" I said while grabbing my keys. She got up and slid on her shoes and we was out.