sorry for any mistakes.

Jace Sekani Knight.
Kani.. | later that night..
-

"I'm ready to go home pops." I mugged.

"Ya mama bitch ass don't even want you." He bitterly chuckled, as he used the card to line the white powder stuff.

"I don't care if she don't want me," I shrugged, "I'd rather be with her."

I stared at him, not understanding what it was he was doing. I knew he was telling a story about my mama not wanting me, because she'd be so upset whenever she sent me here. He'd make stuff up like this all the time, especially when he would do that stuff.

"Go get ready, we leaving soon." He looked at me with a smile, with powder all on his nose, and he laid his head back.

"You taking me home?" I jumped up.

"Go do what the fuck I said man." He waved me off.

"I hate you." I mugged, going upstairs.

I never understand why my dad acted so different from my brothers and sister dad. I never really seen King dad much, but he still was way nicer than my dad.

The twins always seen their dad tho. He was always buying them stuff, he bought King and I stuff too sometimes, but I wish my dad would do that stuff for me.

Instead he would take me for a week, and just look stupid. He'd always sniff the powder and look stupid. He was mean to me, and would always say how my mama didn't love me fa' real.

"Jace hurry the hell up." He yelled.

I wish he would stop calling me that.

I mugged, putting my shoes on and grabbed my backpack. I walked back downstairs, pulling my sagging jogging pants up.

"Can you take me home?" I sighed.

"No damn, it's only Thursday," He stood up, "you know you ain't going home 'til Sunday."

"That's too long, you didn't even feed me." I smacked my lips.

"Boa' fuck did I just say? Stop talking back to me." He backhanded me in my mouth, before I could even move.

Holding my tears back, I just bit down on my now throbbing lip. I shook my head, and followed him outside.

"Wipe ya lip, and come on." He spat, as we walked down the street.

I pulled the sleeve of my hoodie, and wiped my mouth, noticing the blood that had now stained my sleeve. I shook my head, and walked beside him as I played with the blue wristband on my arm.

My best friend Trinity had gave it to me for my birthday, I thought it was nice of her. We had only been best friends for 2 months, but she still gave me a birthday present.

My pops grabbed my arm, and we walked inside of this abandoned warehouse that was ducked off. I looked at him, and he had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Ace fuck you doing here?" A big, fat man, held a smug smile on his face.

"I need some mo'." My dad told him, as we stopped in front of him.

"You know boss ain't gon' go fa' dat." He shook his head.

"Hugo I need it tho." My pops groaned, looking at me, "Go sit down ova' there Jace."

I turned around and seen a couch, with another man sitting down. He was smoking, and I seen a girl sitting on his lap. I looked back at my dad and shook my head.

"Jace what the fuck I tell you?" My dad smacked his lips.

"Chill man," The fat man held his hand in front of my dad, and looked down at me, "you'a be a'ight youngan', let me talk to ya' pops."

I sighed, snatching away from my dad. I walked over towards the couch, and sat on the far end opposite of the man.

I sat there, and played with the wristband on my arm. I hated coming here with my dad, it never goes well. I miss being at my mama house, she always treated me well.

She'd let me go outside whenever I wanted to. I'd always try to hang with King, but he would always say I'm too little to play basketball with him and his friends. They were much bigger than me; he would tell me they get too aggressive, he didn't wanna have to fight somebody for fouling me wrong.

So sometimes I would just be with Von, he was always doing his own thing if he wasn't inside playing his game that his pops bought him.

Brea was always with her friends and I didn't like playing with her anyways; she'd always make me her son and think she was the boss of me. She wasn't that mean, but I didn't like listening to her. She wasn't that much older than me.

"You Lacey son?" The man who was smoking, looked over at me.

I looked back over at him and nodded my head.

"Yo lip bleeding lil dawg, get that together." He shook his head, "You wann' hit this?"

I wiped my lip, looking at him, and he was holding whatever he was smoking on. I shook my head, I'm only ten, I'm not doing that stuff.

"You'on talk a'sum?" The girl on his lap asked me.

"When I feel like it." I shrugged.

"It's a'ight lil man." The man chuckled, blowing smoke in my face.

I mugged him, rolling my eyes, and looked back over at my dad. He looked so mad, and I hated when he get that way. It didn't make him do nothing, but be more upset with me.

"Ace what the fuck you doing here?" I seen another big dude, with a bald head walk in the warehouse.

"Why won't you give me no mo' shit man?" My dad asked.

"Cause you was s'posed to be selling my shit, not using it for a quick fix." He spat.

"I'a pay fa' it man." My dad called out.

"With what money? Last time you came roun' here, you ain't have no mo' money." He chuckled.

"I can make it back, I swear to you Duffy." My dad told him.

"And how the hell you gone do that?" He chuckled.

"My son—"

"You clearly don't even care about ya' son Lacey, what is that gonna do bout my money?" Duffy looked at him.

"You can't do lil man like that." The man sitting on the couch wit' me said.

I scrunched my face up, looking at him to see if he was serious. Why would he even think of considering me?

I hated my dad so much.

"Lemme talk to you Duffy, I'a make a deal witchu'." My dad said.

I watched my dad; he stared at me before he followed Duffy back into his office. I looked over at the man sitting on the couch.

I never seen a purple sprite, it looked sweet.

"Aye whats ya name?" He looked at me again.

"Everybody call me Kani." I told him.

"Ya pops did that to ya' lip?" The girl asked.

Hesitant to answer, not sure if they'd snitch to my dad that I said something, I just shook my head 'no'.

I didn't wanna keep upsetting my dad, he can go overboard sometimes.

"No," I shook my head, "I- I fell running on my way here."

"Mm," He chuckled, "I'm Yuda, this my bitch Tina."

"Jace come here!" I heard my dad yell.

I sighed, standing up, hesitantly walking towards Duffy's office.

"You gone stay here for a few days." He told me, holding a brown paper bag.

"I don't wan—"

"I'an ask you what the fuck you wanted Jace." He snapped.

"I wanna go back to my mama's ho—"

"What the fuck I tell yo ass?" He looked at me.

I sighed, and looked at him then at Duffy.

"Take him to a room Omar." Duffy looked at the guard.

"I'a be back before ya' mama get to asking bout you." My dad looked at me.

"Dad please—"

"Jace I'm not finna say it again." He mugged me.

"Come on lil man, we ain't gone hurt you." Omar looked at me.

I hate my dad so much.

2:22
Friday, June 8

I shook my head, and sat up. I looked and seen that Chase was now laying on top of Trinity. He must've came in, when I dozed off.

I stared at them for a min, admiring how peaceful they looked sleeping. Something I rarely get much of.

I knew that I pro'ly wasn't going back to sleep no time soon, especially since the past few days I'd always wake up aroun' this time and couldn't go back to sleep.

Since King being shot, its been harder for me to sleep with all the stress; and it didn't make it any better that my dreams were starting to come back.

Usually I would leave and find myself going to make some money, but since Trin and Chase were here I decided to just stay here.

I glanced back at Trin, and she didn't look like she was gonna wake up. I know she was hurt like we all were, but she was hiding her emotions, for me and Boogie mostly.

I sighed, and grabbed my game controller turning on Call of Duty, since I had nothing else to do right now.

Not being able to help myself, all I kept thinking about was the traumatic events I experienced as a kid. My pops didn't give a hell about me, and I never understood why.

It wasn't always like that tho, my dad didn't really come around until I was about five. At first he was cool, but he would always pick and choose when he would wanna be there for me.

He fought for partial custody, because he so-called wanted to better for me. Then once he finally was able to get me some weekends, he was in my life more. Then once I turned seven, shit started changing.

In the beginning, I used to think it was something I did, so I used to try hard for his approval. No matter what I did tho, he never seemed to care. After awhile I started to grow a hate for him, but I would still find myself trying to make him happy.

As I got older tho, I found out he was really on drugs, and he lost himself. He'd do anything to get his next fix, he ain't care how low he had to stoop, he had always made sure he found a way.

I started hearing him say that shit so much, 'I'll find a way.'

He never lied either, he made sure he did.

I shook my head, tryna stop thinking so much about it, and regain my focus on the game. After a few hours, I realized that I pro'ly wasn't going back to sleep for the night, I glanced over at the gas station coffee cup sitting on my dresser.

I looked back at Trin, and I sighed knowing she wouldn't be happy with the fact I'd chose to cope with the Hi-Tech I'd been sipping on.

I grabbed my phone I checked the time which now read 6:06am.

I couldn't help myself but to sip a little, I'd just face the consequences later. I wasn't even heavily drinking like I used to, I'm able to actually control how much I intake now.

I looked back and seen Chase still sleeping. He was drooling all over Trin, and I chuckled. I was grateful that she accepted him even though he wasn't biologically my son. I had still grown attached to him for the little time I did have him when I first got out.

Although he wasn't mine, I felt he was still my responsibility. I wanted to be there for him, I'an want him growing up without a dad. Even though I had one, at times it felt like I still didn't actually have one.

I felt bad that he was experiencing so much street shit being around me. I didn't like having him around this shit cause I'an want him to be like me. Especially with the PTSD, that shit fuck people up forever. He done been shot, seen his uncle damn near on his death bed; it's just too much for him.

I sighed and stood up from the bed. Grabbing the cup from the dresser, I took a few sips, maybe gulps, and sat the cup down.

I walked back over to the bed, and grabbed my controller. Not really feeling like playing the game anymore, I just turned on Netflix.

"Da!" I heard Chase.

I turned towards him, and seen him sitting up. I chuckled, and reached out for him. He raised off Trin, and climbed over into my lap.

"You need to be going back to sleep lil bro, it's still early." I sighed.

"I stay up witchu." He laid on me.

"A'ight we ca' watch a movie 'til you fall back asleep." I nodded.

He nodded, and sat there playing with the silicone wristbands I had on my arm while I looked for a movie for us to watch.

"Chase stop popping me." I smacked my lips, turning on Godzilla vs Kong.

He chuckled, "Da I get one?"

I shook my head, cause this lil nigga loved fucking wit' me. I took off one of my wristbands and gave him one. I laid down more, and held him on top of me, while we watched the movie.

—
thoughts?
ideas?

- how y'all feeling about the story so far?

what y'all think of Kani's dad?