3 months later

"Did you hear about that new boy?" My bestfriend, actually only friend, said as we walked out of math class.

I shrugged."nah". We walked up to my locker. I put the code in and put all of my books inside. Next and last period was PE so I didn't need anything.

Courtney was a shorty. She stood about 5ft and had shoulder length hair. That she usually kept in braids like me. Her light brown skin glowed and she had braces.

"Well I heard he was fine, fine as hell! Chocolate, waves, strong jawline. Gawd!" She said acting as if she was going to faint.

I chuckled and shook my head."sound 'bout right huh? What's his name?". We approached the cafeteria. Walking over to the lunch line.

"Good question..I couldn't hear the name clear, It was some hood shit though. I don't think it was his real name" she said grabbing a tray. She watched as the lunch lady slapped a slice of pizza on the tray."Thank you"

I nodded my head as I got my food, we made it way to our signature table. We've been sitting there since freshman year. Now we're sophomores.

"If he's ugly, and not what your making him out to be? I'm on your head" I said as we shared a laugh and sat down.

"Well precisely, I haven't seen him physically. Just a description..and he sound sexy" she said taking a bite from her pizza.

I opened my milk and looked around the cafeteria. Same thing everyday.

There was the table with the known girls, who could dress and thought they could any boy they wanted. Then there was the nerds..Super smart, some nice some weird acting. Last but not least the athletes. Of course there was more people around but those three was the main tables.

"Did you hear me?" Courtney said. I looked at her."Nah, what you say boo?". She tilted her head in front of us."There he is right there"

I looked in the direction her head tilted in and seen him. "Oh, so that's the new boy?" I said not so interested. He was cute but how all the other girls was reacting made me not even bother sweating him.

He could have anyone he wanted from the looks of it.

I picked up my pizza and started to eat. Not even realizing I was staring we locked eye contact.

He had two other boys with him, they sat at their own little table.

I wasn't going to look away and make it seem like I was scared. Because I wasn't, and I wanted to challenge him.

His eyes reminded me of something though, they were dark. His facial express was "blah" like he didn't care of nothing.

I could admit though, he was indeed fine.

I guess Courtney caught on to our staring. She stared at me causing me to look at her. "Damn, I loss" I thought.

"If he's not what your making him out to be" she mocked. I smirked a little and shook my head."nothing like that, just a stranger staring contest"

"Mhm" She said smirking." I'm not gone lie Kells, y'all would be bomb as fuck together" she looked at him then back to me."hell yes"

"Girl please, look at all those girls drooling over him. Don't they say don't compete where you don't compare? Court I do not compare to those girls so I'm not going to compete"

I wasn't ugly, but those other girls had things I didn't.

I was brownskin, standing 5'4ft. My hair was shoulder length and I had a nice little figure. My plump brownish pink lips complimented my button nose.

My mom would say I remind her of kash doll. And people would say I look like her too.

Courtney quickly looked at me."oh hell no bestfriend, you the baddest bitch ok? If you wanted that nigga you could have him. He probably not even on your level". Courtney hated when I would say things like that.

She was a little silver spooned. We lived in the same projects but her parents had a little more income. She was about to keep going on, lucky for me The Bell rung.

"Saved by the Bell" I stood up and threw my tray away. Me and Courtney hugged since we didn't have last class together."love you bestfriend"

As I was walking out of the cafeteria I fought that boy staring. I furrowed my eyebrows and began waking faster.

I was hoping he wasn't going to be a problem
———————

Lovely by Brent Faiyze played from my beats as I did the dishes. Mom was gone at work and I was waiting for Nick to get home.

I turned and looked at the clock on the wall."5:30" I said."He was supposed to be her at 4:50"

I turned the water off and dried my hands with a paper towel. I slid on Nicks Nike slides.

"Hey Princess" our neighbor, Pete said. He was a old friend of our mom and Dad. After the death of our father he's really helped a lot.

"Hey Mr.Pete, have you seen Nickolas? His knuckle head self was supposed to be here at 4:50" I said folding my arms over my chest.

Pete shook his head."Yeah I seen him with those bad ass little boys, they went over there by the trash can"

I sucked my teeth and dropped my arms."he just don't listen Do he" I thought.

Me and Mom repeatedly told nick not to hang with Tashawn and Jaqwan. First they was two years older than him, making them 13. He don't have no business hanging out with them.

2 they were bad as hell. Always got suspended, smoked weed, and I even heard they wasn't virgins. I'd be damn if my little brother get caught up in that mess. He was going to stay on the honor roll path he was on.

I quickly walked to where Pete said they was.

"Yeah, my brother gave this to me. He said I'm gone need it, you know how Telly got shot a couple months ago? He was apart of my brother gang"

I walked up and nearly jumped out of my skin."Nick, cmon!" I said. Jaqwan was holding a glock. Aiming it as if he was going to shoot someone.

"Damn. How she find us? Tashawn said looking as if he was trying to hide something."what you hiding Tashawn?" I asked.

"Fuck it" he mumbled. He brung his hands in front of him showing me a blunt.I quickly looked at Nick.

"You was 'bout to smoke this shit?" I asked."man I'll catch up wit' y'all later" he said grabbing his bookbag.

"Bet" both boys said running away.

When me and nick got in the house I smacked the back of his head."Nickolas I swear! You just won't learn until you in a hospital bed. That little nigga had a gun! What if he would've shot you? Plus you was about to risk your life by smoking? You know you got asthma" I ranted.

Nick sucked his teeth."off my dick" . I looked at him with black eyes and lunged at him.

I held my hands tightly around his neck."Watch who the fuck you talking to!" I yelled.

"Aye! Nykell get off!" My Mom yelled pulling me off Nick."what he do?"

When she got me off of him I look at her and scowled."So now you wanna help? Ma yo son was ju-"

I stopped talking before I snitched. I knew if I told her she would beat the living hell out of nick. He would've had bruises all over and I don't was Child services knocking on the door.

I looked at nick as tears went down his face."since you want to be disrespectful? Remember that". I turned around and made my way upstairs.

I was heated.

——————
Later that night I couldn't sleep. I was up thinking about my dad."man, Dad everything is going downhill"

I was also feeling a little bad earlier for what happened between me and nick. I should've never reacted like that. He my brother not sole nigga on the street.

I got such of a low temper though, when he said that I just went crazy.

I stood up and walked to his room. Knocking on the door before waking up. He was also up.

"Can't sleep?" I asked sitting on his bed. He looked so much like our dad. He had light brown sling like our father, he also had his hazel eyes and full lips. His curly Afro made him look like the baby he was.

"Nah. Kelly I'm sorry for what I said earlier...and thanks for not telling Mom what caused our fight" he said looking down at his hands.

I laid back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling."its cool Nick, I'm sorry for putting my hands on you like that. And plus I just want you to not hang with them boys. I feel like they not good for you"

He sighed."I know man, it's just..I wanna fit in"

I looked at him."don't worry about fitting in Nick, be different, You is different..anybody bullying you? Cause you know I'll beat anybody son, daughter, sheman"

"Nah princess" he said laughing."in straight, I go plenty of friends but they don't live in the jects" he said.

I nodded."I get where you coming from"

After a couple of minutes of talking nick was sleep. I kissed his forehead and fixed his covers before heading out leaving the door cracked.

I went downstairs to get a water. I heard weeping, furrowing my eyebrows I followed the sound.

"What wrong Mom?" I asked sitting next to her. She quickly wiped her eyes."what you doing up? Don't you have school"

I ignored her question and looked at a yellow love of paper she had in her hand. I grabbed it.

"Aw man" I lowly said.She started to cry again.

We was getting evicted.

I wrapped my arm around her and rubbed her back."they said I could pay by next Monday, but I don't get my next paycheck until next Friday. I'm sorry Princess..I feel like a bad mom"

I sighed."Nah Mom, we got this okay? Ill see what I can do". I rubbed her back and shook my head.

I hated what I had to turn to, but it was life.

——————

Woowoo

I was in my room laying down. Drowning myself in my thoughts.

A knock on my door came."come in" I said sitting up.

My father walked in."wassgood son? You sleep? This early?". He turned on the lights.

I looked at the clock on my nightstand. "I wasn't sleep but it's 11 at night Dad, I got school"

He chuckled."oh yeah, I gotta remember you still a youngin' " He said sitting on my bed.

"Wassup pops? Where you headed to looking fresh" I said looking over his attire. He looked like he was about to go to the club.

"I'm about to go have fun, you should come" he said smiling showing his golds. I chuckled. "You think so?"

"Hell yeah. It's gon' be lit" he said. I could tell he already had a little buz."you off the hendog pops?" I asked.

"You already knowwww" he slurred. I shook my head with a smirk."Yeah I'll come through, what's the real reason you came in here though?"

He rubbed his hands together."Well, I just wanted to tell you we can stop laying low. I heard it's some new boys in town tryna stela the thrown". You could hear the anger in his voice as he talked about it. He hated when yew cats came in town trying to run shit.

My dad and his bestfriend, who died last year ran this business together. He refused to let a rookie take over.

"I got you pops, and you know what. I ran into Nytrell daughter. The day we did that mission on Telly" I said remember her face. I was shocked to see her today.

I thought she was in middle school or some shit. Short ass.

"Really? She seen you shoot him?" My Dad asked. If she did see us shoot him he wouldn't want to go kidnap her. She's his deceased bestfriend daughter. He knew Nytrell raised her better than to be a snitch.

Kelly knew snitches get stitches.

"Nah, when we was getting a way she had some little boy on her back, I think her brother. They was running away cause they heard gunshots. I didn't know she was close to my age though, she a sophomore"

I'm a senior

"What? You seen her at school or some shit?" He asked. I nodded my head."Yeah, I don't think she remember me from that night though"

Our little staring moment came up in my head.

"Watch over her Prince" he said calling me by my real name. I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows."huh?"

"Watch over her. Make sure she good or some shit aight? But don't get in a personal relationship with her unless your ready. I don't need you breaking her heart man"

I chuckled."you kidding me right? I don't know this girl and you want me to watch her?"

"I'm not asking you to marry her, just make sure she good for me ight? It's a crazy work out here. I'm going to go check up on her moms too"

"I hear you, I'll get up on that"

We gave each other a handshake."'my boy, now get up and get dressed. Time to get crunk"

I laughed at my his old ass slang as I got up.

Nykell came into my mind. "Watch over her" replayed in my head.

//Nykell nicknames are Kelly, kells, and princess! Just for y'all won't get confused\\

Thoughts?