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Arnell was only a few minutes away from clocking out for the day. She already texted Damitri to make sure he was on his way. He had been picking her up for the past couple of weeks since she turned in her rental.

Arnell was just about to turn off her number light when a customer came rolling in her line."Oh, shit. I didn't know yo mean ass worked here." Arnell looked up. It was Jaiden, the nurse from the hospital. "You was talking all that shit and now you bagging my groceries." Jaiden began putting his items on the conveyor belt.

She rolled her eyes. "Boy, all I said was it was a little fruity of you to be a nurse." She scoffed. "And it's a temporary job."

"I'm just fucking with you." He smirked. Arnell blushed a little. He was fine as hell. He was wearing a Nike shirt, which his muscles were bulging out of, and basketball shorts. He was dripping in sweat like he just came from the gym, which could have been a possibility because a Planet Fitness was right next door.

"How's your baby doing?" He asked, snapping her out of her trance.

"Huh?" She began scanning his items.

"Your... baby?" He repeated while laughing a little.

"Oh. Um, it's fine." She said holding her stomach. "Arm still fucked up though."

He nodded. "You should be good in another three to five weeks." He assured her.

"Thank God." She said while still scanning his items. "Your total is going to be sixty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents." He pulled out his card and swiped it before putting in his pin. "Your card was declined." She said purposely raising her voice to cause a scene.

"What?!" Jaiden asked.

Arnell couldn't help but laugh. "Nah, I'm just playing." She chuckled.

"That ain't funny." He said seriously.

"Yes it is." Arnell shot back, tearing up.

Jaiden shook his head before laughing. "You a clown." He joked.

As Arnell waited for his receipt to finish printing, Jaiden began putting his bags back into the shopping cart.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Damitri walking into the store. He never waited outside for her in the car which kind of annoyed her.

"Bye, nurse-boy." She teased while sticking out her tongue.

"Catch you later, bighead." He winked before laughing. Damitri must have heard him because he scrunched up his face. When Jaiden turned around he accidentally bumped into Damitri.

"My fault." Jaiden apologized. Damitri didn't respond, he simply kept walking towards Arnell. It didn't bother Jaiden, who kept rolling his basket out of the store.

"Don't trip." Arnell said as she saw Damitri turn around and stare Jaiden up and down.

"I ain't." He scoffed. Arnell could tell he was lying."That's a first." She said as she cut off her light.

"Who dat?" Damitri asked.

"The nurse from the hospital." Arnell simply replied. She began tidying up her area a bit.

"What he calling you bighead and being all flirtatious for?"

"I thought you said you wasn't tripping."

"I'm not." He shrugged. "You ready?" He asked grabbing her stuff from her hand.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Let me go clock out real quick." He nodded and headed outside.

It didn't take her long, she clocked out, said goodbye to a couple of her coworkers, and was out the door.

As she got in the car and buckled her seatbelt, her phone began to ring. It was August. She sighed before stuffing her phone down in her purse.

"You shouldn't keep ignoring yo brother like that." Damitri said as he took the car out of park.

"Since when do you care?" Arnell asked while buckling up her seatbelt.

"About your brother? I don't." He shrugged. "I couldn't give two fucks. But I know that you care and I can see it's fucking wit yo head."

He was right. She just didn't want him to think any less of her. "If he sees me like this he's gonna flip." Arnell said referring to her protruding belly.

"Maybe. But you know he's gonna have your back either way. He's not like Anthony or April."

"I'll think about it." She said while staring out the window.

Damitri pulled up right in front of Arnell's apartment. He put the car in park before cutting it off. "Can I come up?"

"I've been working all day, Meech. I'm really tired." She explained.

"Real quick." He said while running his hand through her hair.

She rolled her eyes before agreeing. "Quick." She repeated. They got out of the car and Damitri followed Arnell to her apartment. Arnell unlocked the door and walked inside.

They didn't even get into the room before Damitri started feeling all on her. He pulled her in closer to him and began kissing on her neck. She let out a small moan. Damitri pushed her against the wall before picking her up. He slowly began walking to Arnell's room. As he was walking, he stumbled over a pair of shoes that she had just lying around. Arnell quickly gripped her arms tighter around his neck, afraid of falling.

"Be careful." She laughed.

"Oh, shit." Damitri said while looking down so he could kick her shoes out of the way. "Pick up yo shit, quit leaving shit everywhere."

"Quit bitching." She shot back. When Damitri reached her room, he kicked her door closed.

After they were done, Arnell got up and wobbled over to the bathroom to take a shower. She was beyond tired so she was just going to be in and out.

When she got out, she walked back into her room to see Damitri in the same spot he was in when she got in the shower. He was falling asleep. "Uhh, nigga, what you getting all comfortable for?" Arnell said while walking over to him. "Ain't you leaving?" She noticed he brung his backpack up from the car, probably while she was showering.

"Girl, what you mean?" He said confused. "You kicking me out?"

Arnell laughed out loud. He looked so offended. "You know damn well I can never get any sleep when you stay over."

"Cause I be wearing that ass out, huh?" He joked.

"Nigga, no." She quickly shook her head. "It's because you snore."

"What?"

"Like super fucking loud." She laughed. Damitri pulled her unto the bed before snatching her towel from her. "Stop, Meech." She was too tired for another round.

Damitri opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a knock on the door. She had no idea who it was and thought it was so tacky when people showed up unannounced. She was still naked and scrambled to put on her nightclothes.

"I'll get it." Damitri offered. Arnell nodded as she continued to put on her clothes.

She was about to walk out of the room when Damitri came walking back in. He looked pissed as hell.

"Who was it?" She asked him. He smacked his lips before waving her off. "Hello?!" She waved her hand in his face. He sat down on the bed, while still ignoring her. She smacked her lips before leaving the room. Damitri left the front door cracked. She opened it and was surprised by who she saw. "Anthony?" She said. "What are you doing here?"

"Yo brother kicked me out." He said while letting himself in. Arnell hadn't even invited him in yet.

"Why, what happened?" Arnell asked while closing the door.

"Man he be overreacting. I was like twenty minutes late for curfew and he went off." Anthony shook his head. "I didn't even get to the house yet. He called me and told me to not even come home."

"Why don't you stay with Jay." Arnell suggested.

"I was going to." He told her. "But he went out of town with Maggie. She didn't tell you?" Arnell shook her head. "You just cut everyone off, huh? Anyways, that's how I got your addy."

She jumped a little when she heard something crash and fall in her room. "I'll be back." Arnell said before jogging down the hall to her room. "You okay?" She asked Damitri as she threw on a oversized hoodie on. She was honestly surprised that Anthony hadn't noticed her stomach. He was probably too mad.

"You wasn't going to tell me yo brother was coming over?" Damitri asked. "Is that why you were trying to kick me out earlier?"

"I didn't even know he was coming." Arnell shot back. "And since when do I have to run everything I do by you?"

"You don't. I was just asking, Damn." He said while putting on his shoes.

"I'm sorry." She said while rubbing her temples. It was all just too much for her.

"It's coo." He said shaking his head. "I'm out." He got up and left out of the room. A few moments later she heard the front door slam. She sighed and got up to lock it.

"The fuck is his problem?" Anthony asked.

"He don't like you." Arnell replied simply.

"I don't like his bitch ass either." Anthony scoffed. "You gon let me stay or not?" He asked sounding angry. He was getting a little too fly with her.

"Who you talking to like that? You need a favor from me, so change your attitude, please and thank you." She told him.

"I don't need shit from you." He said grabbing his phone off the counter.

Arnell couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Okay, bye!" She waved. "I ain't gon' lose no sleep." She stated while crossing her arms. "You can go stay at your other sister's house." She knew damn well April wasn't going to let him move back in.

"Bye, Arnell." He rolled his eyes.

"You ain't got no where to go, nigga!" She yelled at him. "Stop being so damn stubborn." She added before walking over to the door and locking it. "I didn't say you couldn't stay here, just don't be taking your anger out on me because yo dumb ass got kicked out."

Anthony sighed. "You right, I'm sorry." He said while making eye contact.

Arnell raised her eyebrows. Anthony wasn't exactly the apologetic type. "How long you need to stay?"

"Just for tonight." He explained. "I was gonna wait until the morning for things to cool off to go get my shit from yo brother house. I don't have no money on me right now, but I got some at home so I'll just get a hotel or something until Jay gets back." He told her. "Is that cool?"

"Yeah, that's cool." She agreed. She figured she could deal with him just for the night.

Arnell gave him sheets to put on the bed in the guest room before going back to her room to get some sleep.

Arnell was lying in her bed watching Netflix, just about to doze off when her phone began ringing. It was Damitri.

"Hello." She softly answered.

"Aye, I lefted my bag in your room. Bring it to me." Damitri ordered.

"Um, you can drive over here and get it." Arnell told him, not liking the tone of his voice. She was also still upset about how he left.

"I'm not trynna leave the house again, I got company." He explained.

"Well, you could ask nicely." Arnell told him.

She got up and looked on the left side of her bed where she found his Louis Vuitton backpack sitting on the floor. She opened it and began rummaging through it. She wanted to know what was so damn important that he needed the bag immediately. She didn't find anything too outstanding. Just some clothes amongst other things.

"I said what I said, just bring me my damn bag and quit playing." He shot back demandingly.

Arnell took the phone from her ear and looked at it confused. "Tuh." She laughed before hanging up. He had lost his damn mind.

A few seconds later, like she expected, he called back.

"What I tell you hanging up on me?!" Damitri yelled.

"What I tell you about talking to me crazy?" She shot back. "And what you expect me to do? Take a Lyft over there for a stupid backpack?"

"I apologize. Now can you just bring my bag please?" He said. "Yo brother got a whip, don't he?" Arnell nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Give me like fifteen minutes." She finally said.

"Aight, thanks." She hung up the phone.

Arnell walked into the guest room. "Let me borrow your car." Arnell said holding out her hand.

"What happened to yours?"

"It was a rental, you gonna let me borrow it or not?" She asked.

"What you about to do?"

"Just go and take Damitri his damn backpack."

"Ima ride along so I can go by your bitch ass brother's to get my stuff. If you there, he won't try and start some shit." He said. "I could get my money to get a hotel tonight."

"Don't call him a bitch." Arnell warned. "And don't go over there starting no shit."

Arnell gave Anthony the directions to Damitri's new house. Arnell got out of the car and walked up to the door.

Arnell didn't feel right just opening the door, so she knocked. No answer. She knocked again, but this time more forcefully. Still no answer. She was about to pull out her key when the door opened.

"Girl, why you banging on the door like that?" Some girl asked.

Arnell rolled her eyes. "Where's Damitri?"

"In the shower, Who you?" She asked snaking her neck.

"Girl if you don't move around somewhere." The girls Damitri hung out with were always rude as hell.

"Meech, some little girl at the door looking for you!" The woman yelled before smirking.

"Little girl?" Arnell repeated. "Bitch, move." Arnell said while pushing the door all the way open.

"Unh-uh. Who you think you are forcing yo ass in here like that, calling me outta my name and shit."

"Forcing? Bitch, I got a key to the door, I ain't gotta force shit." Arnell looked over and saw some of Damitri's boys and neighborhood thots chilling in the living room.

"Calm down Nells, where my bag?" Damitri asked. He had only a towel wrapped around his bottom half, still dripping in water.

"Right here." She said before slapping it into his chest.

"What the hell you got an attitude for?" He asked trying to grab for her but she quickly pulled away.

"Bye." She simply replied.

"Hollup, I'm talking to you." He said grabbing her arm successfully this time.

"Well, I'm done talking to you."

"Nells, I'm really tired of you disrespecting me. You need to cut all that attitude shit the fuck out, for real." Damitri was causing a scene and everyone's eyes were now on the arguing 'couple'.

"Like I said, bye." Arnell said.

He smacked his lips before letting her go. "Man, whatever."

"She so damn disrespectful." The woman shook her head.

"Shut up, Rae." Tbone said. "Get yo ass back over here."

"Why I got to shut up? I ain't lying." Rae shrugged.

Arnell rolled her eyes and walked to the door. She slammed it like he did back at her place. Arnell got in the car and folded her arms.

"Everything alright?" Anthony asked. "Slamming my door and shit."

"My bad." She told him. "I'm good, let's just go."

Anthony shrugged before pulling off. It wasn't too long before they were pulling up into August's driveway. They both got out and headed to the porch.

"Be cool." Arnell told her brother as she knocked.

"Shut up, I am cool." He shot back.

"Yeah, okay." Arnell said before knocking again.

"What?!" August angrily answered. He had nothing but basketball shorts and socks on. He looked stressed as hell.

"Well, damn." Arnell whispered to Anthony.

"You here to get your shit?!" He asked looking while Anthony up and down.

"Yeah, nigga." Anthony responded as he pushed passed his brother. August shook his head as he watched Anthony head to his room.

"What you doing here?" He asked finally acknowledging Arnell.

She shrugged. "Anthony staying with me for a bit."

"I been calling you for weeks." He said.

"Uh, yeah. I've been busy."

"You've been HELLA busy." August shook his head. "You coming in or not?" Arnell nodded before walking inside.

"August, baby. Everything okay?" A squeaky voice asked peaking around the corner.

"Yeah, bae. I'll be back in a minute." August yelled back. Arnell was left flabbergasted.

"Why would you let this dumbass move in after everything he did to you." He asked.

Arnell was caught off guard by the question. "He's still my brother. I'm not gonna let him be out on the streets unlike you."

"What?" He asked sounding offended. "All due respect Nell, you don't know what the fuck you talking about. You lived with him, you know how he be acting. I ain't letting him run shit in my own house. If that makes me a bad brother, so be it."

"Whatever, August." She said waving him off.

"Whatever my ass." He shot back. "You might as well let April move in too while you're at it." He said while shaking his head.

"Where the hell is my shoe box?" Anthony shouted while jogging down the stairs.

"What shoebox?" August shrugged.

"Don't fucking play dumb."

"Oh, you mean the shoebox filled with drugs and money you collected after I told you retarded ass to stop selling?"

"Yeah, that box."

"Don't worry about it."

"Fuck you mean don't worry about it? I had almost five grand in there." Anthony stated.

"I flush the drugs, and as for that money, I'm holding on to it."

"I already gave you money for the repairs! Fuck you mean you holding on to it?"

"Think of it as putting up with yo dumbass." August told his brother.

"August..." Arnell started up.

"Shut up, Arnell." He shot back.

Arnell shook her head. "I just don't think it's right for you to take his money."

"Man, give me my shit back ." Anthony warned.

"You ain't getting shit." August challenged. He pushed up against Anthony with his chest.

"Fuck off me." Anthony said, pushing him. August forcefully pushed Anthony back, making him fall on top of Arnell.

"Fuck!" Arnell cursed.

"Look what yo dumbass did." Anthony said while helping Arnell up. She was just grateful that he didn't land on her stomach.

"Arnell, I'm sorry." August apologized.

Arnell brushed herself off.

Anthony tossed Arnell the keys. "You drive." He grabbed his bags before leaving out of the house.

Arnell stared at August. "I'll give him his money back, Nell." August told her. "I'm just trying to teach him a lesson."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" She asked as she crossed her arms.

"That he needs to get a real job and stay off the streets. I'm not trying to see him in no jail cell. He won't be satisfied until the street life catch up to him."

August was absolutely right. She couldn't agree with him any more. "I'll call you later, I promise." Arnell said. "Love you."

"Love you, too." August shot back. "And tell Anthony ignorant ass that I love him too."

Arnell nodded before walking out of the door. She headed to the driver side of Anthony's car. He was sitting in the passenger seat, slouched down on his phone. Still hella pissed.

"Your brother said he loves you very much." Arnell smiled. She tried not to laugh.

"Man, fuck him." Anthony shot back.

"Don't be like that." She slid the key in his ignition.

"I love his ugly ass too." Anthony told her. "But yo brother took literally everything I had, I need to make that shit back."

"Here's an idea. How about you get a j-o-b?" She said spelling it out so maybe he would understand.

"How about no." He said. "You stupid?"

"No, but you are." Arnell shook her head.

Arnell began driving back home. They sat in silence. "What's on yo mind?" Anthony asked.

"How fucked up my life is right now." She responded truthfully.

"I guess you was doing pretty well till I came and fucked it up, huh? I'm sorry." Anthony said apologizing for the second time that day. Arnell wondered what had gotten into him. Had he genuinely changed? Or was he playing nice because he needed a place to