FOUR.

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"Nigga pass the damn blunt," Siah fussed at KB as they sat in his backyard, smoking. It was Friday, and they had gotten off work early.

"Hold on! Shit," Khy huffed, taking his second hit. "Here nigga," he passed it and leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

"What's wrong wit' you?" he asked, blowing smoke from his nose, and doing the same. 

Khy shook his head subtly, before beginning to speak, letting Siah know he was highly irritated. Kasiah knew Khyren like the back of his hand and vice versa. As soon as he moved to Atlanta and started going to school—Khy was his first friend.

Khy stuck by him when Kasiah was making terrible choices in his life and did everything in his power to get him back on track, and to stop him from literally dropping out of high school to live a life he wasn't meant for. He felt as though he owed a lot to Khyren, and he'd always be grateful for the friendship.

"Man—nigga got engaged," he said dryly.

"Who?"

"Kash ex!" he exclaimed, making Siah's eyes widen and he almost choked on the smoke he inhaled.

"Nigga what? Ain't he say—"

"Yes my nigga, he told her he wasn't ready for no marriage or commitment or nothing! Seem like this just set her back to when they first fuckin broke up. She cryin all day, don't come out her room, Aryn be over like every day tryna get her to go out but she won't, and she just realized he might have cheated on her,"

"You think he did?" he raised his eyebrows. If there was one thing he could and would never respect it was a cheater. He hadn't been cheated on, nor had he ever done so himself. But he'd seen enough of his friends go through it, and he couldn't fathom being that bad of a person to do that to someone else.

"I'on know bruh, but what I do know is that I'an never met nobody that know they wanna get married straight off a relationship in two fuckin' months. I feel so bad for Kash, bruh like shit don't make sense," he ranted.

"Yeah, I'on even know what to say to her when she sad. I hope she feeling better soon, it's weird not seeing her happy ass bouncing all over the damn place," he chuckled.

"Hell yeah, hyper ass girl," Khy laughed. "But what you doin' in two weeks? We might take her out of town for like a week," he asked. "You know my Nana got that house in the country that don't nobody use, all that room we making it a lil road trip. Ava said it might be good for her," he shrugged.

"She bringing her weird ass friends?" he raised his eyebrows. If Camille and the nameless girl were coming, he would stay right in Atlanta.

"Nah," KB laughed. "It's gon be just a us thing. Me, Ave, Veah and her nigga, Aryn, Donny and Kash. If you wanna slide we got the extra room," he explained.

"How big is the damn house?" he asked and KB laughed again, although he was very serious. Khy thought the way he spoken was hilarious at times because he always sounded angry.

"It's where my nana 'nem grew up, she had fourteen brothers and sisters, her daddy built the house to hold all sixteen of em, plus the dogs. So...it's pretty big," he said.

"Fourteen?" he asked incredulously. "Well aight, Im wit' it," he nodded. "I got hella PTO," he chuckled.

"That's because all yo' ass do is work, nigga,"

"I got bills, bitch," he shot back and they both laughed, going to finish off the blunt.

"So where the house at?" Tatum asked his som as they sat and ate dinner. It was something Savannah instilled in them, they to only eat dinner at the dinner table.

"Um...I think KB said Toccoa? I'on know where that is," he chuckled. "He say his granny got fourteen siblings man. How you take care of fifteen kids?!" he asked, still shocked. "Even if that's two kids to a room, it's still seven rooms. I might had to sold some of them gremlins,"

"Kasiah you a asshole," Tatum laughed. "Yo' granddaddy got ten siblings, you know that? I'm one of eight, boy! Old country people ain't had nothing better to do back in the day,"

"Man listen, three is too many, that's how I'm gone handle that when I have my own. If I have my own. Do what that what you will," he shook his head.

"If? Since when you don't want no kids?" he furrowed his brows. Kasiah had always expressed his want for a family of his own, ever since he was a child.

"Not that I'on want em, I'on see myself with nobody I done talked to, I had to tell Mimi the other day, I need to find a mama for the kid," he explained. "I already know what you finna say too," he chuckled.

"Good! Yo' ass is twenty two years old! Talm bout can't see yourself with—you a baby!" he fussed.

"When you knew you was gon marry mama?" he raised his eyebrow. "Sixteen right? When y'all got married? Nineteen. If I got unrealistic standards for my love life I think that's y'all fault," he chuckled.

"This not about me and Vannah!" Tatum continued to fuss. "Everyone's journey to finding who they gon be with forever is different. Just cuz you don't think you found yours, don't mean you won't," he shrugged.

"Don't think?" he wondered and his dad nodded.

"You never know, you may have met her. You might just know her already," he pointed with his fork.

"I think if I met her, I would have known, old man," he joked.

"If you say so," he shrugged. "She could be right under your nose, you just not lookin' hard enough,"

After dinner, and cleaning up, Siah went downstairs to his room. Since he was in his twenties, he and his dad decided he could have the basement all to himself—as a form of privacy until he was fully ready to move out.

He didn't see a reason to move out right now, he didn't mind staying with his dad. He still had responsibilities and he took a bill or two, on top of his car insurance, car note, and other miscellaneous things. He also did the groceries every other trip.

He was still getting a lot for free, and until he saw the need, he wouldn't give that up. He had basically an entire apartment down here. His room, a living area, where he usually had company and a full bathroom to himself.

"I need to clean up," he mumbled to himself, moving the clean laundry over so he could lay down. He couldn't help but think about what his dad said to him earlier. It's not like he was desperate for a relationship—but that really had him thinking.

What if he had met her already? One of his exes that he mistakenly thought wasn't the one, if she was then he'd kick himself for making the mistake. If it wasn't one of them, he honestly couldn't think of who else. He had only a few girl friends—and they had boyfriends. So he was at a loss. Maybe he hadn't, not just yet.

"Kash! Can you come downstairs and get this gift man!" he called up to her room. He never called her Kash, but he hoped that'd wake her up. He kept forgetting to bring her graduation gift over, and now—nearly two weeks since the day, he remembered.

He hoped she still wanted it.

"Kasiah, why you in here yelling?! I'm sleep," she fussed, coming downstairs in a fuzzy robe and her bonnet. "What do you want? Khyren is not here," she sighed, perching her hand on her hip.

"I'an come to see yo' big head brother. Here," he held the bag out toward her and he saw a smile creep up on her face. "I know it's late, but I still brought it, right?"

"Right," she chuckled. He remembered her complaining on instagram about how her pandora bracelet was full, so she couldn't put on any new charms, so he decided that'd be a pretty good gift for her. "Aww thank you, Siah!" she cheesed. "Help me," she held her hand out toward him and he just raised his eyebrows.

"Please," she showed all her teeth and he shook his head, unclasping the gold bracelet and putting it on for her with her other gold bracelet. He bought one with a gold cap charm, since it was her graduation present and some flower charm that he thought was nice.

"Thank you, Kasiah. I really appreciate this—gimme hug," she cheesed holding her arms out and he groaned. She was way more affectionate than he was, his mom was the only person who loved hugs and kisses in his house and after she passed he wasn't really used to all that again from anyone else.

"Aight here, damn," he hugged her with one arm, and patted her back with the same arm.

"We want you to get all pretty before your week away, Mommy," Bianca said as she washed her daughter's hair. "You excited?"

"Um, I guess so," she said, picking at her nails. "I'm grateful for Khy and Ava—I just...I don't wanna bring everybody down, you know? I cry randomly throughout the day even though I try not to," she mumbled. "I don't want them to go through all this trouble planning something nice for me and I can't even be excited like they want, mama," she explained.

"Well, baby," Bianca massaged her scalp throughly, causing Kash's eyes to slip closed. "That's why they're doing it. You're allowed to be sad, Sadé, it's only natural, you was with that man for two years, coming up on three. They not expecting you to be all happy, shit they probably expecting you to cry, chile. They just wanna get you out the city. Get you some of that fresh country air," she chuckled, making Kash smile.

"Just try to have a good time, baby. You never know what could come of it, maybe you'll come back a whole new woman," she spoke, starting to rinse out the last round of shampoo, moving on to conditioner.

"Maybe so," she giggled.

"Hey daddy, hey Anaya," she smiled walking inside. After her hair appointment, she went and grabbed a milkshake and made her way back home.

"Hey sweetheart. You look beautiful! I guess yo' mama could do a lil something," he teased, making Sadé laugh. She had installed a forty inch silky straight wig for Sadé, with a middle part. She usually went with side parts, but she wanted to try something new.

"Donovan don't do my hairdresser, I would be a hot mess if it wasn't for her," Anaya pointed. Kash was so glad that both of her parents and both step parents got along—and well. She didn't want to know what it felt like living in an hostile family situation like that.

After talking to them a little longer, she went back up to her room, taking all of her outside clothes off as well as her jewelry, smiling at her two new favorites to wear. Siah's bracelet, and Donny's necklace. He bought her a nameplate necklace that read "Ka$h" instead of her first or middle name which she already had and she loved it.

She was actually glad he did—it replaced the necklace from her ex she used to wear every day. It was taking her a long time, but she was surely throwing out every piece of memory she had left of Jerrell. It took a while to sort through two years of it, especially the pictures but she was getting there.

Aside from her trying to pull herself up from the pit she was in, Kash had also been applying for jobs. She thought maybe some productivity would give her a boost, and although she didn't have too many expectations just three weeks after graduating, she was still putting applications in.

She looked in her vanity mirror, staring in her reflection, and today, she actually recognized the girl staring back. As of late, she hadn't been. It was hard to look at herself every day and see the puffy face from crying, the sunken eyes and the bags from not sleeping, and just the miserable look on her face. At times she felt sorry for herself—and sorry for everyone she was pushing this side of herself on.

Sadé knew she needed the support, but she hated to feel as if she was draining everyone around her. Aryn, her brother, her parents, she felt like she shifted everyone's energy and not in a good way.

Most days if she knew she wasn't having a good day, she'd try to stay in her room, or go out by herself and maybe just drive around till she was palatable again, but other days, Khy or Aryn beat her to it.

"Fat fat!" Khy called, as if he was hearing her thoughts.

"Yes, Khyren?" she answered as he popped his head in the door. "What's that?" she tilted her head slightly as he held a black bag out to her.

"Bought you some of them nasty ass pickles," he scrunched his face up and she laughed, looking in the bag and seeing hot pickles, making her smile. "I'on know how you or Ava like them things," he shook his head.

"They're good," she chuckled. "How's Ava anyway?" she wondered, standing from her vanity to sit on her bed while her brother sat at her desk. "That face doesn't look too good, Khy. What's wrong?"

"Nah, you got enough goin' on, Kash. My problem ain' even really a problem—," he began to say.

"Well then you should have no problem venting to your favorite sister, huh?" she patted the bed. "Come sit, it's tea time," she cheesed and he rolled his eyes.

"Stop callin' it that, we just having normal sibling conversation," he chuckled, sitting beside Kash on the bed. "But, it's nothing bad, like I said. She just don't know how to mind her business—that sounds bad. Ava likes to meddle, you feel me?" he asked.

"Well, how so?" Sadé asked. "She never seemed like the type,"

"She never been the type, but her friend Camille, she newly single. And apparently she been takin' a like to Siah, and she don't understand that bro don't like her! I keep telling Ava leave him alone, let that girl find a nigga that want her instead of pining after him because she's only gon hurt herself!"

"Yeah that's true. Kasiah got one more time before he starts getting disrespectful to her, and I don't want that for her or him," she giggled. "Why she want his ugly self so bad, anyway?"

"You rude as hell," he chuckled. "I'on know, it's prolly because she want what he can't have. But one day she gon get some words from that nigga that she not gon wanna hear, and Ava in the middle of the shit like she can force Kasiah to like her. That's not her relationship and it's not her business who he dates, we got in a whole damn argument about it," he said.

"Argument?! You and Ava never argue!" she gasped. "Don't tell me y'all not speaking, Khyren,"

He sighed, falling backwards on to Kash's bed. "We speaking, it's just weird. You know how when we would fight, and then dad would make us sit down and say sorry or we both get our ass whooped? It's like that,"

"You're an idiot," she laughed, falling back with him. "Thank you, Khy," she said after a short silence, them just looking up through the skylight in her ceiling.

When her dad first moved here, she begged him for this room, and Khyren wanted it too. Kash went out of her way to make perfect grades that semester and did extra chores, just to get in her dad's good graces so she could have it. They argued about for weeks, but she always rubbed it in his face that she got the room anyway—even if she stayed with her mom every other week.

"Thank me? For what?" he turned to look at her.

"For being here," she said simply. "You-you really been my backbone through all this, I don't know where I'd be without you Khy Khy," she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You'on gotta thank me for that, Dae. I'm gon be here for you regardless, no matter what goes on, no matter if you wrong or right. Just like you said I'm your backbone you mine, you my sister man," he nudged her sjde. "You my twin, my other half, if you need me, I'm gon be here,"

"I am your other half? I'm honored, I thought Ava stole my spot," she teased and he laughed.

"Stop playin'. If we had the same mama we'd be twins," he said, reciting their old inside joke from when they were younger. "You gon be aight, Sadé, I promise. And you know you can believe ya' big brother," he held his pinky out and she smiled softy, crossing her pinky with his, sealing the promise, like they always did.

If there was one promise she could have faith in and a man she knew she could forever count on, it'd always be her brother.

got a longer one for ya 🥰

how did y'all enjoy this chapter? let me knowwwww

how y'all feel about what siah's dad said 👀

what y'all think is about to happen on this week away??

how abouttttt kash & khy's moment 🥰? we love sibling love.

lol what are y'all opinions on ava trying to get camille in there like swimwear 💀? she doing too much? she should back off or nah?

lmk y'all favorite parts of this chapter!

till next time babes 🖤


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