I missed my family so much and after two weeks with them, I contemplated staying home with them.

I could transfer to the University of Missouri St Louis, UMSL as they called it. I would have to drive to campus every day but then I could focus on my schoolwork more. I would be with my baby brother and my new sister on the way. I could work part-time at Angel's store, and even help my father's business out.

I would not be lost in the crowd there either. It was a smaller school. Though they had a residence hall on the campus, I would stay home and do the nearly thirty-minute drive every day. Or maybe, go to a more competitive school like Washington University or St. Louis University. Both of those were prestigious schools.

Closer to where my parents lived was Maryville University, which was maybe a ten to fifteen-minute drive. It was not my type of college, but it was an option.

"What? Are you crazy?" my sister Symone said when I told her I was thinking of staying at home. We were hanging out in my room watching TV, while she spent the rest of her winter break there.

"Why do you say that?"

"You have it made! Away from dumb parents trying to tell you what to do and how to live your life. I can't wait to turn eighteen, move out and do whatever the hell I want!"

My sister and I were opposite in so many ways. We have different mothers, maybe that was why. I looked more like my father, brown-skinned, his dimples, his eyes, his long eyelashes. None of his height, I was only five feet four inches. My mother's kinky, tightly coiled hair, not that I know what my father's hair looked like, he wore it clean-shaven all my life.

Symone was a lot different. At only fifteen, she was already taller than me at five feet six inches, and we all predicted she would be at least five ten in no time. She was light-skinned, thanks to her mother being an extremely fair bi-racial woman. She had thick, light brown, curly hair before she shaved off most of it. Her eyes were lighter brown, had no dimples, and overall looked nothing like my father. She looked like her mother.

Though we were different, and three years and some change apart in age, we were close. Even when we argued as kids, I always looked forward to seeing my only sister every other weekend. Symone had other siblings with her mother and stepfather. For the longest time, Symone was all I had.

And I did not get to grow up with her and see her every day. I remember first meeting her when I was almost five and my father was released from prison. My granny had a party at her house for him and Kendra, Symone's mother, brought her to the party. I thought she was the prettiest baby doll ever and I wanted to take her home with me.

I was confused about the situation and cried about it for days. It was one thing not having my father live with me because he was in prison, but now my new sister did not either. When I asked my dad why my sister did not live with me and my mother, he had to explain we had different mothers.

I still did not truly understand that till my teens. Was it wrong to crave a somewhat normal family?

"MoMo, I love it here. Daddy is the best and Angel is like my best friend."

"What?" Symone scoffed at that. "She's just another adult trying to tell me what to do. Like I'm dumb or something. I know right from wrong and I don't do anything wrong but they are always on my case."

True about my father, but Angel was not like that. She would sit and talk with me and we would work through any issue. Symone never gave Angel a chance to be her friend. Once upon a time, she adored Angel.

"They just care about us."

"Whatevs. When I leave, I am never coming back."

I did not want my sister to feel like our family was so messed up that she did not want to be a part of it. Her mother was a lot better than my mother, and she actually got along with Angel versus how my mother treated her.

"So you are going to college?"

Symone shrugged. "Not sure. Why four more years of school when I can start working and make money instead of spending money."

I was not going to tell her about the trust fund Angel had waiting for her when she turned eighteen.

"You can just go to school for hair, you love doing that."

"True." She rubbed her hand through her bright pink hair. "I did get all the skills in the hair department while you...what is up with yo' head, sis?"

"What?" I stepped out of my bed and walked over to my mirror to look it over. It was pulled back in a ponytail. My edges could stand being laid down, but other than that it looked fine to me.

"Let me hook you up sis, so you can go back to school looking right."

I drove us to the beauty supply store and we bought braiding hair so my sister could do my hair. She had done my braids before and I knew she was good. We spent the rest of the day in my room, talking and laughing while she did my braids.

"Please tell me there are hot boys in college." My sister sat on the edge of my bed while I sat on the floor as she parted and braided rows of box braids in my hair.

"Uh..."

"So there are some! What's his name?"

"There's two."

"Oh, well, it's like that? I still have not been invited there, but your friends were invited and...."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Mo, I promise you can come to visit next semester."

"Tell me about the two guys."

"Well, one is technically my ex. We dated for a little bit. And then the other, my friend, but he wants us to be more than friends. He is the reason my ex broke up with me."

"Drama. Girllll, what are their names?"

"Diallo is my ex. So hot!" I pulled out my phone and showed her pictures I had yet to delete. "I thought he was my everything."

"Ooo, all that hair, you should braid it up for him." Symone handed me back my phone.

"But he dumped me. Because I was hanging out with King, my friend." I scrolled through my phone to find a picture of King then handed the phone back to my sister.

"Mm-hmm, nice! Good taste, sis. " Symone handed the phone back to me. "I don't know if guys and girls can be friends with each other, especially if one likes the other."

I bit my lip, pondering that. Diallo said something similar, but I thought it was a jealousy thing. Maybe he was in the right, but he should have trusted me when I said nothing was going on.

But was there nothing? Now that King told me he was still interested, I realized I did have feelings for him.

"Well, Diallo wants me back now and King wants something more. They both said so right before I left."

"So you're in some soap opera kind of drama. Like when granny makes us watch Young and the Restless type stuff."

We both laughed at that and then Angel opened the door and came into my room.

"Hey," I said to her.

"Ugh! Can't you knock on the door? We can't have any privacy in here," Symone stated with her trademark attitude.

"I was going to say dinner was ready but if you have an attitude like that-"

"She's sorry Angel." I stood up from the floor. "We need a break anyway. Like my hair, Angel?"

"Oh, that's nice. Symone, you're getting better and better."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Symone asked.

"Be nice, Mo," I grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's take a break."

"Is Dad home?"

"Your father made dinner, so yes, he's home."

"Great, my daddy cooked, not you," Symone said as she walked past her.

I hated that Symone treated Angel that way and Angel just took it. I know deep down Angel wanted to go off on her, but she always held it in.

Three-quarters of my hair was braided and we only had a small portion left. We washed up in the bathroom and then made it downstairs for dinner.

"You two been upstairs all day," my father said.

"Dang, can't we have a life without you always in our business?"

"Mo, if you talk out the side of your mouth again, the only business you will have is grounded in your room." My father had no problems putting Symone in her place.

I grabbed AJ up in a hug and kissed all over his face.

My daddy made his famous mostaccioli, baked lemon pepper wings, and garlic cheese bread. I was about to gain ten pounds because I wanted three servings of it. Even Symone had nothing to say about how good the food was. We talked about normal family things and this was why I wished I could stay home for college.

But Symone was right, I needed to be away.

I needed to go back to Mizzou and make the hard decision. Diallo or King.

A/N: I needed a Rayvn and Symone bonding session. Again, this book is not a romance or anything it's a coming of age, and it's showing repercussions of what parents have on their kids as adults. I'm no psychologist, but as much as Hook was a "good guy" in Hook an Angel, his earlier transgressions still impact his children.

And sometimes we never end this cycle.