(excuse all mistakes.)

Compton, California 📍

Vadah Avani Parker | Buddha

"Daddy that's not even what happened!" Lady bussed out laughing.

"That is what happened! Y'all just don't wanna admit it. Y'all sister got her ass beat that damn day." Daddy frowned while Zaza shook her head laughing.

"I did not get beat up!" Nay protested.

"Oh but you did though." Daddy pursed his lips.

"What happened foreal? Anytime y'all tell this story, I always hear a different version." I asked confused.

"Cause Daddy never tell the story right." Nay rolled her eyes.

It was Saturday and we were all at the bowling alley. It was something we tried to do every other weekend. As a family, we'd go out to different places having fun and enjoying each other's company.

"Chile please, who don't tell it right? Was you or was you not talking shit bout everybody in that damn school?"

"I was." She mumbled.

"Exactly. Had the whole damn playground crowding you." Daddy rolled the ball knocking a couple of pins down.

"So they jumped you on the playground?" I asked.

"No what happened was, I was talking shit to somebody I thought was my friend and she told the girl and the girl and her friends crowded me."

"No, them bitches beat you up." Lady laughed and shrugged. "So I told Nay find out if she had older siblings and me and Zaza beat them bitches up."

"And back then, Nay was all talk. She would talk shit but her hands wasn't registered. Chauncey had to rough her up." Chauncey was our uncle, my dad's little brother. He was closer in age to Lady, being 21 to my dad's 37. Lady was also 21, Zaza was 19, Nay was 18, and I was 17. It was safe to say my parents were fucking like rabbits.

"No foreal! Remember when she told us when she was at school and them girls would tell her they were gonna hit her, she'd be like 'hit me then!' but in her head, she would be like 'please don't hit me, please don't hit me'."

"Fuck y'all foreal." Nay laughed. "I ain't like that no more."

"Nope. I remember your first fight. Beat up Sanyja."

"Wait I thought that was your bestfriend?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "Zaza it's your turn."

"Bye, that lil linebacker was not her damn friend. She was choosy as hell." Daddy waved me off.

"I told her that girl was fake. I been told you Daja was your real friend. Remember when you stopped messing with Daja for Sanyja and Daja was sitting with me on the bus and I started telling her all her your business?" Lady laughed.

"I remember that!" Zaza laughed. "Then when Nay heard y'all laughing, she wanna turn around and ask what y'all was laughing about. Naaaaa, keep talking to Sanyja."

"Zyir you the last to talk about fake friends! Stop acting like you and Chocolate been besties with no bumps in the road." Nay mugged her picking up her bowling ball.

"Oh yeah. Ion like that lil Chocolate girl. Ever since I seen her behind Burger King sucking dick." Daddy made up his face.

"Daddy you're lying!" I gasped.

"He is lying. That was not Chocolate so stop saying that." Zaza mugged him.

"Zaza shutup, that was her. There was even a video." Lady shook her head. "Ian like her ever since she watched you get jumped."

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Daddy put his fist to his mouth."

"Wait she watched you get jumped? She like, set you up? Or just watched you?" I asked.

"Man the whole school was following Zaza home."

"The whole school?" My eyes widened.

"Hell the fuck yeah." Lady laughed. "It was crazy cause when they was following her home, I was laid up with some nigga I was fucking with at the time."

Daddy popped her in the lip for cussing and she mugged him and continued. "So one of my girls bussed in the house and was like, 'Lady, yo sister out here got the whole school following her'. So I jumped up and went out there and I told Nay if she didn't hit that bitch, I was gone hit her."

"So she got beat up in front of the whole school and Chocolate just watched?" I asked. "Wowwwww."

i never knew chocolate was like that.

"Well we was getting jumped, but it wasn't like we was getting stomped or none. We was holding our own. But Chocolate just watched us get jumped and claimed to be her best friend. Like no, that's fake as hell."

"It was funny as fuck cause Daddy was coming to pick us up, and saw us jumped." Nay laughed.

"You was there? What'd you do?" I asked.

"I was bout to hit all them damn kids." He sipped the lemonade from out his cup.

"Hell yeah! Daddy was finna roll them kids over!" Nay laughed.

"And Zaza was so pissed about getting jumped that she told him to do it. She kept on, 'Daddy roll them over, come on do it! Do it!' Daddy all like, 'girl you want me to go to jail?'." We bust out laughing.

"Wow y'all were wild." I laughed. "Where was I?"

"With yo Mama!" They said in unison.

"Oh yeah. True, true." I nodded.

My mama and my daddy were married through Lady's, Zaza's, and Nay's childhood but once she got pregnant with me, she took me away from them.

I grew up not knowing my daddy or my sisters. She always said she wanted better for me than the life they were living, so she packed up her stuff and moved away from them.

It wasn't until she realized she didn't want me when she dropped me off on my Dad's doorstep and left the country.

I was only fourteen.

As far as I knew now, she was in Jamaica living her best life.

"Remember when Daddy first introduced you to us and we treated you like a damn doll." They laughed.

"Yup. Was putting make-up all on my baby and shit." He looked down at me and kissed my forehead making me smile.

yup, im a daddy's girl.

"It was like without even knowing me, you guys were so protective over me." I frowned.

"I mean, we knew about you. Daddy always spoke about Mommy and how she was pregnant so we knew we had a little sister. When we finally met you and seen how fragile you were, it just caused us to be protective. We don't want nobody fucking with you."

"I hate that you guys are always fighting for me though. And Nay you're always getting suspended."

"So defend yourself." Zaza shrugged.

"I don't like confrontation." I mumbled.

"My baby is not no fighter. Stop tryna turn her into one of y'all." Daddy mugged them.

"I'm never gone stop fighting for you ho. Even if you learn how to fight. We gone be fighting them bitches together." Nay shrugged.

"Period." Lady co-signed.

"Who won?" Daddy asked looking at the big screen that told the scores.

"I did." I pursed my lips.

"I won, gimme my money." Zaza mocked the scene from Friday.

"It's five thirty. Y'all wanna eat here or we going somewhere to sit down?" Daddy was looking down at his phone.

"We can always sit down here." I shrugged.

"Yeah and I'm in the mood for some bowling alley pizza anyways."

"Ard, coo. Food and another game?"

"Fasho." They said in unison.

"I wanna place the order." I stood up, feeling like walking around.

"Alright get a large pizza, half cheese half pepperoni. Barbeque and hot wings, and some celery sticks.." Daddy trailed off.

"Oou', get cheese sticks too!" Nay exclaimed.

"Dang buy the whole bowling alley." I laughed and grabbed the fifty my daddy was handing me. "Alright, I'll be back."

I walked over to the counter where they would take orders and silently thanked God for the line not being long at all.

"How may I help you?" I went on to tell her my order.

"And for the drinks?" I hesitated since my family didn't give me a drink choice.

"Um, Sprite will be fine." I nodded.

"Okay that's 27.54." I dug in my purse to give her the exact change instead of handing her the fifty my daddy gave me. I'd just keep the fifty for myself.

"Can I have your table number please?"

I squinted hard in that direction seeing Nay holding up a sign that said 19 making me smile. "19."

I stuffed the receipt in my purse and walked back towards our table while texting Marv back.

marv.💞: That's what she told me

Lil Baby 💜: so just ask her, what you scared?

marv.💞: No iaN sCared but yo sisters meaN as hell

Lil Baby 💜: you want me to ask her for you? or i could always just book your appointment. 😂😂

marv.💞: Lol yeah just booC my shit lil baby. PreCiate it. 💙

Lil Baby 💜: no problem.

I laughed and shook my head. He needed his hair braided but he was scared to ask Lady.

"I got Sprite if that's cool with y'all." I sat down.

"Yuck I don't drink soda." Zaza shook her head.

"I'm tied of yo lil picky ass. Better tell them bring you a bottle of water." Daddy mugged her.

"Za you needa start putting that Wild Growth Oil in your hair." Nay was observing Zaza's head. She had just recently did the big chop.

"Ho shutup cause I do be putting it in there."

"Fuck you getting so defensive for? I'm just telling you." Nay mugged her.

"Okay baby and I'm telling you." She snaked her neck making me laugh.

"Annoying."

"I don't care cause I'm getting my hair done tomorrow anyways."

"How you getting it?" Nay asked.

"Ho don't worry bout it. See me when you see me." She rolled her eyes making Lady and I bust out laughing.

"Y'all funny."

"No they not, they fucking sickening. That's why you my favorite. " Daddy spoke making me smile hard.

"Y'all ugly, bye." Za made up her face.

"You ugly, bald head ass." Daddy scrunched his face up.

"You did not just call her bald head." Lady's mouth dropped in shock.

"I did. She my only bald head child."

"First off, I'm bald head by choi-."

"Naaaaa homie you was bald head before that." He cut her off making us bust out laughing.

"I can't stand y'all." We was dying.

i love my family yo.

♛

"Stop eating my damn fruit snacks!" Za yelled from downstairs talking to Lady. We had been home from the bowling alley for a couple of hours and Lady still hadn't went home. I guess she was spending the night over here.

"Ain't nobody even eat yo damn snacks! Them mine!"

"Bitch please you ain't got shit over here! Go home, ugh!" Za huffed making me laugh and shake my head. I slipped on a black Love PINK sports bra with the matching shorts.

"Buddha!" Nay called out.

"Yeah?!" I put on some deodorant and slipped on my black ankle socks afterwards.

"Daddy want you." She popped her head in my room.

"Okay." I closed my panty drawer and picked up my phone, following her out the room and down the stairs.

"Yes daddy?"

"I'm bout to go to work. Make sure them dirty clothes get washed. You wanted me to bring you something back?"

"A Cookie and Cream Hershey Bar."

"Dang you never ask me if I want something." Za frowned.

"Girl I barely like you." Her mouth dropped in shock.

"Daddy." I gasped as Nay and Lady laughed.

"I can't stand her ass either Daddy." Lady mushed her head. "Bald head ass."

"Okay cause y'all ain't finna do me." She laughed along. Out of the four of us, Zaza was the meanest. She had a nasty ass attitude and she was just rude and mean as hell. We never really let it get to us cause she was our sister and we knew that's just how she was but a lot of people didn't like her because of that.

"Whatever. Make sure my house stay clean and don't have nobody in my shit. Ian playing." He hugged me and kissed my forehead.

"Love you."

"Love you back. I love you lil sickening mothefuckers too."

"Love you Daddy." They said in unison as he walked out the door.

"I'm tired as hell. Daedae wanna come over."

"Aht aht! You heard what daddy said."

"Ho bye you don't even live here." Za dismissed her making us laugh.

"Foreal go the fuck home." Nay was in the corner dancing.

"Shutup you fucking dubsmasher." Lady mugged her making me let out the ugliest laugh.

"Bitch in the corner making dubsmashes." Za laughed.

"I can't stand y'all." I laughed harder hearing the 'Aloha' song everyone kept dancing to down my timeline.

"I wish I was at my nigga house." Za groaned.

"Just go. What daddy don't know won't hurt him." Nay shrugged.

"Aht! I'mma tell."

"You such a snitch. Take yo ponk ass home." Za mugged Lady.

"Bitch don't forget I'm doing yo hair." Lady chuckled.

"You bout to do it right now?" Nay asked.

"Bitch I know you see all this hair shit." Za pointed at some hair products I didn't happen to see until now.

"Girl fuck you." Nay waved her off.

"Oh Lady, my friend Marv wanted to know if you could braid his hair down."

"How you know Marv?" She scrunched up her face.

"She met him and the rest of them hoodrats that day of the block party. They real cool." Nay spoke.

"Oh okay. Yeah I can do his hair, just tell him book his appointment." I nodded, knowing I was gonna do it myself.

"Well I'm bout to go binge watch Everybody Hates Chris." I stretched.

"Girl all you do is stay in your room. Chill with us."

"Untun." I shook my head and walked to the kitchen. I got a Capri Sun out the fridge and the big bag of Cheeto Puffs of the top of the fridge and made my way back to my room.

Sipping from my Capri Sun, I checked the time seeing it was only 8 O'clock. I put my phone on the charger and grabbed my remote turning on my TV.

I rarely did anything. I was always at my house cause wasn't shit to do outside anyways. Wasn't nothing wrong with not wanting to be in the house all the time but I preferred to be inside.

I stuffed a Cheeto Puff in my mouth and turned up the TV, humming along to the Everybody Hates Chris theme song. This was my favorite show.

"Bitch!" Nay bussed in my room yet again.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm bored, gimme some." I shoved the bag in her direction putting my focus back on the TV.

"KB pool 8 ball would like to FaceTime." My phone announced. I rolled my eyes looking at it, making it go to voicemail.

"Bitch now why the fuck?" Nay looked at me.

"Whatttt."

"Why you ain't answer that man FaceTime?"

"Nay he literally text me good morning this morning, I text back and he ain't respond all day, like what the fuck?"

"I hate when niggas do that." She rolled her eyes.

"That's why I don't be giving my number out. Like you literally wasting my time."

"What y'all even got going on?" Nay and I were the closest out of the sisters. We were closer in age her being 18 and me being 17. She told me everything and vice versa.

"Honestly I don't even know. When I first gave him my number, he'd text back hours later and like a couple of days ago he was texting back fast and yesterday is when he came to pick me up. We just kicking it guess."

"Girl I don't remember the last time you was just kicking it it with a nigga." She laughed making me laugh too.

"I don't kick it with anybody. Either we're together or we're just friends. KB's weird though. You never really know with him and that annoys me."

"Yeah KB mean as fuck Buddha. I'm so confused on why you chose his mean ass. I thought you'd go for Marv. He's a sweetheart."

"No Marv's just my friend. He's cute but I don't see him like that." I shrugged.

"Why KB though? He rude as hell."

"I don't even know. I like that in him." I smiled.

"Oh you a suckaaaaaa!" She fell back laughing.

"Shut up Treneé." I laughed looking down at my vibrating phone.

KB 🎱: Come outside.

My eyes widened and I showed Nay. "Nay, look."

"Oh shit Buddha." She looked at me. "Best get yo ass out there."

My eyes were still widened as I walked in my closet and grabbed my jacket and slipped my feet in a pair of slides.

"Socks or no socks?" I took off one sock.

"No socks." Nodding, I walked to my dresser going in my purse, popping a stick of gum in my mouth and rubbing some lipgloss across my lips.

"That bitch prepping for that dick." Nay started recording me making my mouth drop in shock.

"Bitch don't play." She bussed out laughing making me shake my head and grab the bag of chips off my bed. I rolled it back up and put the chip clip on it grabbing my phone.

"You staying in here?"

"Nope, I'm bout to go have phone sex." She walked out making me shake my head at her. Nay was someone else. She was the wild sister.

I followed her out cutting off my light. I heard music coming from Zaza's room and I didn't see no lights on downstairs so I assumed they were doing her hair in there. I put the chips back in the kitchen and grabbed a water out the fridge and made my way out the door.

When I spotted KB's black Hellcat Charger, my stomach started doing flips. "Oh my God." I rolled my eyes and knocked on the window.

I shut the door behind me and that's when realization set in.

im really sitting in this man car at eight o'clock at night.

I looked over at him and he looked up from his phone. The light from his phone illuminated his face allowing me to see the mug he had plastered on it. It's like he was emotionless.

"Hey."

"Waddup." He stared at me, admiring my features making me shy away and move closer to the door.

He chuckled and shook his head, looking back at his phone. I squinted my eyes, confused as to why he called me out here if he wasn't gone say none.

Huffing, I unlocked my phone going to Lady's hair website. My eyebrows raised in surprise hearing Lauryn Hill's Nothing Even Matters play lowly in the background. I navigated through the site, booking Marv's appointment then screenshotted the page, going to our message thread to send him the picture which showed the appointment date and time.

Abruptly, my phone was snatched out of my hand making me snap my head up.

"Why you over there chewing that gum like that?" He mugged the fuck out of me.

"Gimme my stuff. Why you always snatching my phone?"

He shrugged and dropped it in his lap all while looking over my face and leaning back. "You hungry?"

"No." I poked out my bottom lip. He gave me a face.

"I'm serious. I already ate am in the mood for some ice cream though." I smiled, showing my braces.

"Dairy Queen?"

"Sure." He started the car back up and backed out of my driveway.

"Put on yo seatbelt."

After strapping it on, I moved closer to the door if that was even possible. It was just something about his aura that made me feel small and nervous.

"Wassup witchu?"

"What you mean?"

"Fuck you mean what I mean? Why you way over by the door? Sit yo ass in the seat correctly."

"Why you so rude? Nothing's wrong with me. I'm just chilling."

"Yeah ight. You getting out or we going through the drive-thru?"

"Whatever you choose to do is fine." I shrugged, twiddling my thumbs.

"You bout to make me take you home." He side eyed me.

"Whatttt?

"Get yo ass out the car Buddha."

"Okay dang. So mean." I shivered when the chilly air hit my bare legs and zipped my jacket up some more.

There was no line at the order window but there were a lot of people