Read 22 it was a double update

March 1st

"You can't see him Cali I meant what I said." Zion seethed, arguing with her 'friend' outside of the hospital room.

"Why? I gave you custody and you're doing the most. Just let me talk to him please?"

"No. No and I meant it. I don't even want to be your fucking friend at this point. He could've died and you wouldn't have cared." Zion said quietly, feeling her voice crack towards the end.

Xander listened to the conversation from the hospital bed, not moving because someone was laying on him so he couldn't.

He heard the sniffles and smiled knowing who it was.

"Jaylani." He said quietly, moving his hand from beneath his blanket to touch her head.

"Yes? Wait." She sat up in shock before bawling her eyes out into his shirt.

"Is he okay why are you crying?" Zion asked as she walked in the room.

"Yes titi he just scared me. He's up." She wiped her eyes and sat up as Xander frowned realizing where he was.

"What I do?" He asked lowly, looking at his aunt with an awkward smile on his face. Naomi walked in and before Xander could say hello his head flew back.

"Stupid! And you.. you dumbass bitch. On my soul I'd beat the fuck out of you if we wasn't in this hospital." She turned to Cali and her sister pulled her back, knowing she'd do it regardless of where they were if Cali said something dumb.

"Why everybody keep making me responsible for his decisions? I had Quan with him to keep him safe I just don't know what you want from me at this point." Cali cried, turning to Xander who looked away.

"I thought you said she couldn't come in. Why is she here?" He asked, completely distracted from the burning on his face after Naomi's serious slap.

"She be beating the hell out of y'all." Tay mumbled from the hospital chair.

"Xander.. I just wanted to check on you." Cali tried walking in but stopped when Naomi stood in front of her, almost daring her to say something.

"I don't wanna see you. You encourage me to make bad decisions and you just don't give a fuck." Xander turned his head and looked out of the window, not wanting to look at her.

"You're mad at me too huh? I just wanted you to be happy." She cried.

"You were supposed to be a parent. Clearly you don't know how to do that."

"Your daughter is pregnant by a drug dealer with nba dreams, are you really one to talk?" Cali asked, making Naomi, Zion, Laylani, and Tay look at her crazy. Nasir stayed quiet because if he said anything Aaron would want to fight him and he actually liked him.

"She's about to graduate and if she decided to sit on her ass for the rest of her life she would be living better than you so what's your point? NBA dreams? Baby the draft pick begins in July and he's signed more contracts than you, meanwhile your three times his age. He's gonna he the first person drafted out of high school since 08, so kiss my ass bitch." Naomi said calmly, hearing Tay snicker childishly.

"Worry about your funds and not mine. I'm living good so pipe down."

"Worry about the IRS looking to lock your irresponsible non tax paying ass up and not my baby, my grand baby, or Tay. Aaron is living good and you're living in his house."

"Could you just leave?" Xander asked, feeling his face get hot at Jaylani's head resting on his chest.

"Wait till I tell my husband about this shit." Cali hiked her pants up and walked out, ignoring Naomi's embarrassing rant.

"You're not married because Aaron don't want you tied to his shit considering you're a broke bitch! You his girlfriend. Not his wife stupid ass hoe."

-

"You're gonna have a miscarriage if you don't get yo shit together. The least you could do is act like you give a fuck." Tay tapped Laylanis cheek as she whined groggily, waking up from her 5th nap that day.

She'd gotten depressed over the past few weeks and instead of consistently listening to her therapist she slept.

"I'm gonna be fine she just it alone." She said tiredly, pulling the blanket back over her head.

"Yo I'm not fuckin playin! You heard what she said. If you don't get off your lazy fucking ass you're gonna miscarry and repeat 12th grade like every other dumb pregnant Atlanta bitch. Get up on bro." He pulled her out of bed and she whined, pushing his hands away.

"I'm not being lazy I just don't feel like it. I'm so tired." Laylani felt her eyes water as he carried her to the bathroom and turned the water on.

Tay sighed, realizing he was going about it al the wrong way. She wasn't being like this on purpose.

"Why? Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't know I just feel ugly and left behind. My dad doesn't love me anymore, you're not even around so I feel like you hate me too, my mom is busy as well, how am I supposed to be a mom when I'm this pathetic? I can't do this." She said quietly, feeling his hands wipe her tears away. He pulled her shirt over her head and she just relaxed, looking forward to the warm water.

"He does love you, I do too. Everyone does. Get out of your head." He sat her in the tub and she held his hand when he began walking out.

"Get in. I'm not being horny I just want you so don't be funny." She mumbled under her breath.

"Okay." Taylin undressed and laughed when she yelped and covered her eyes.

"Jesus Christ. A warning would be nice." Laylani gasped silently, putting her hand over her chest.

"You see my dick all the time. You so childish." He got in and laughed, trying to act like the water wasn't setting him on fire.

He was a cold shower person.

She leaned back against his chest and felt his hands go to her hair, scratching her scalp the way she liked it. He hair was growing quickly because of all the hormones that came with pregnancy and it really annoyed her.

"Wash it for me?"

"Lazy." He picked up the denman brush she kept on the side of the tub for when she did wash it on her own and detangled her hair like she instructed him a few months prior.

"I made it's been 3 years since I start my website and I've made 2 million in revenue. It's a girl. Oh and it was a false alarm, I'm still passing everything." She said quietly, opening her mouth in satisfaction as the bristles ran through her wet hair.

"That's great. All of it. You think of a girl name?"

"No. Sadly. I just haven't been feeling myself lately." She said vaguely.

"It's my fault. Your therapist said depression during pregnancy is often caused by loneliness.. I never meant to make you feel like you were in this by yourself. Everything I do is for you and .. soon to be named. I can't stress that enough." Tay kissed the side of her face and she nodded, holding his hands that were together, holding his arms arms her waist.

"I know you'd never intentionally spend time away from me, I just can't help how I feel. I just have to learn to adjust because you deserve this. Really."

"Baby names for a girl though. Putting my career to the side for once. Let's talk about us." His chin rested on her head and she nodded in agreement.

He moved his hand to her stomach and smiled.

"Daliah or Armani. I don't know no whores named Daliah." Tay said quietly, feeling her pop him.

"That's cute. Don't be cussin in front of my baby." A few moments of silence went by before he spoke up again.

"Move in with me. After my 18th birthday in January I moved out, it's 10 minutes away from your parents house so you won't be far from home and we get to spend more time together. You'll probably feel better too." He suggested carefully.

"Yes." She answered immediately, ready to get the fuck out of her parents house. They weren't terrible but she was too pregnant and irritable to be living with her parents and 4 siblings.

"Nasir gonna be okay?"

"I don't know but lately he's been biting his tongue and letting me make adult decisions. I'm not 18 yet but I do have adult responsibilities and a baby that I've been handling well.. until recently.. and I'm happy he respects me. Not as his child but as his daughter, who's having a daughter, and moving out." Laylani felt her hair touch her shoulders and sighed, moving further under the water.

Bubbles covered everything up to her chin as they sat and shared irrelevant conversation they'd forget about later for 2 hours.

"I wanna cut it." Laylani said as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Then do that."

"Like short short."

"Then do that."

"But I'll look dumb."

"Then don't do it?"

Laylani threw her bath and body works lotion at him and rolled her eyes. He could never give his opinion all the way, always filling the conversation with dumb banter to intentionally annoy her.

"I'm serious. You know what." She grabbed her scissors and laughed, waving them around.

"You gon fuck yo shit up. Let me see." Tay grabbed them out of her hands and she parted her hair in fours, giving him a section in the back.

"Higher. Higher. There." Laylani had the scissors about 2 inches away from her scalp, les omg just enough for you to see her curls pop back up. She had heat damage already and figured a change would be nice anyways.

"Bald headed ass." He cut without hesitation and laughed awkwardly at the chunk of hair in his hands.

"That's 12 inches of heat damage gone. I can deal." She shrugged as he snipped the other three sections off and shook her head.

"You look cute." He said as she wiped the counter down and washed her hands, laughing at their height difference.

"Imma be tall one day. My baby gon give me a growth spurt and imma be 5'8 or something." She said in confidence.

"Yeah. Okay."

Taylin plopped down on the bed and she laid on top of him, tracing over his new tattoo. It was a tiger on his chest, taking up the one space he had left on the front. His back was completely empty though.

"When did you get this?"

"A few weeks ago." He shrugged.

"I haven't been paying attention I guess." She said quietly, feeling bad about her lack of awareness the past few weeks.

"Its not a big deal girl relax." Tay kissed her chastely and she shook her head, leaning in for another.

"Mhm." She got defensive and insecure out of no where. Her hormones were really wacky and she wasn't feeling herself.

"What's wrong now?"

"Nothing, Nothing at all." Laylani turned his head to the side and kissed down his neck, feeling him push her away.

"I'm celibate." the doorbell rang and he got up to answer it but Laylani did instead, hearing him follow behind her.

"I got it." She pushed him back and he walked back to his room.

When she opened the door a girl was standing there. She looked young but not young young, maybe in her twenties.

"Who are you?" The girl asked bluntly, trying to step inside.

"Who are you?" Tay came from behind her and opened the door quickly, inviting the 'stranger' in.

"Please don't have your side pieces answering the door for you when I'm coming to discuss business. It's rude."

"Chill the fuck out.. Payson this is my girlfriend Laylani."

"You're not good with first impressions, I don't fucking like you already." Laylani stretched her back and sat on the couch tiredly.

"You don't have to like me, your boy thing needs me. Anyways, Taylin you-"

"Tay." Laylani corrected, continuing to flip through the channels.

"Tay you have conditioning tomorrow and I need to measure you so Belov has what he needs for your poster, rookie of the year." She joked, dragging her duffel bag to where he was.

"Mhm." He looked over at Laylani before taking his shirt off and leaning against the counter impatiently. This was so irritating.

"Don't look so grouchy. You wouldn't be drug tested if you weren't a habitual weed smoker and I wouldn't have to measure you if you stopped growing so damn much. You're 6'5 now."

"Haven't touched an-anything since January." He said honestly, flinching at the sound of the cabinet slamming shut.

"A jealous one? Basketball players sure do know how to pick em."

"Normally? No. She's pregnant so I'm not taking it personally and you pissed her off within the first 15 seconds of meeting her so I don't know what you.. expected."

"Pregnant, jealous, and controlling. Like I said. Basketball players really know how to pick em."

"You're prying. And she's not controlling or jealous, you just don't know how to talk to people. If she hits you I'm not stopping her."

"She's not? Does she know you spend all of your time from 4 to 11 at night with me?" She whispered in his ear, getting a hand up to reestablish their space.

"I need her to stay focused on her so I can stay focused on me then spend the rest of my days focused on us. Me and you not even platonic, we're professional. Just because I'm cordial don't mean I wanna be your friend or discuss my personal life with you. Remember that." He said seriously, pulling his shirt back over his head.

"You say that now. They all get tired of bitchy baby mommas and stay longer than what's required for practice. Be nice." Payson said in a whisper tone before packing the rest of her stuff up.

"She's really sweet, she just don't like you. With reason. Now stop touching me."

Tay shook off the bad energy she had given him and walked back to his room where Laylani was. Payson was attractive but she wasn't Laylani. He didn't crave variety in his sex life so she definitely has wasn't needed.

Laylani made him feel good inside and out and he never had to question their relationship. Cheating was something he didn't understand. If you cared about someone what would you gain from cheating unless your intent was to hurt them. If you weren't trying to hurt them then that just meant you didn't care about them at all if you were willing to risk something you cared about for sex.

He cheated on Kelis all of the time because he wanted to hurt her just as much as she continued to hurt him. What did he gain? Not much. He'd be the first person to tell you cheating was always intentional.

"I love you." He dragged, laying down next to her.

"Okay."

Tay sucked his teeth and slapped the back of her head when he remembered there was nothing he could grip right.

"Boy stop, annoying dumbass!" She pulled the blanket over her head and he cackled like a child.

"Come here I love you." He teased her despite her obvious bad mood and pulled her from beneath the blanket, pulled her waist up as he got behind her and humped her like a dog.

"Finna go to my other nigga house. He not as childish- fuck stop!" She squealed and pushed her faced in the pillow when his hand pulled her underwear down her legs.

"It's been a month and I feel like I'm dying. Open." Laylani pulled her shirt off and arched her back immediately. This was needed, a must have.

"Hurry up before I decide to pay my man a v- okayyy." She yelped when he pushed inside of her and relaxed assuming he'd give her time to adjust. After her shit talking he decided against it.

"F-fuck." The girl pushed her face into the pillow as he thrusted into her to muffle her moans, cowering away immediately.

-

Xander's left hand held her face as they kissed on the back of the Marta bus for their field trip. After what had happened at the beginning of the month they spent all of their time together, not intentionally though. They just wanted to be up under the other.

"Can I talk to you?" Que asked after getting up and leaning over the seat, rudely interrupting their moment.

He ignored him, his tongue still moving against Jaylanis before he pulled away, nipping at her bottom lip gently. Que cleared his throat and Jaylani looked over at his confused. Xander touching her was nerve striking so kissing definitely fried her brain.

When she thought about it.. he was her first kiss, her first boyfriend, the first boy to hurt her feelings, the first boy she openly let look at her butt. These were small things in comparison to what her friends were doing but they were big first to her.

Amariah was ready for sex and talked about it with their friends but Jaylani was a virgin that had never even watched porn. The only penis she'd ever seen was Kambrens and it was because he hated clothes up until he turned 6. Xander never did anything weird to make her uncomfortable and she liked that about him.

"What?" Xander asked when he got around his male 'friends'. They were circumstantial friends he only spoke to at school.

"Nothing bro we can't just wanna talk no more?" The boy asked as Xander sat down in seat.

"I wanna go back with my girlfriend. Speak or I'm leaving."

"She must be lettin you hit if you hangin with your bitch instead of your friends." Que said boldly, making Xander turn to look at him sideways.

"No she's not and watch your mouth nigga what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Oh so you can't get that? Shit if I was you I'd be-"

"I could if I wanted to, it's not that hard to sneak your way into pussy. But I don't want to because I actually care about her and she's not ready. If I take her virginity that automatically sets the rest of our relationship up for failure. You just a piece of shit, that's all." He shrugged, staying calm so he wouldn't violate his whole life.

"I'm a piece of shit but I get pussy so I guess the hoes love it. If I knew she was into dating shit I guess I woulda been into dating too, till I get in her pants at least." Que joked, getting laughs from his friends.

"You really need to relax before I bust you in yo shit, word to Zi and Mi." He said seriously.

"My bad, your girl fine as fuck though. Heard she do gymnast-"

"Stop!" Vinny tried pulling Xander off of Que but it wasn't a lot of help because the boy was whooping his ass despite Vinny trying to pull him off.

"Get the fuck off him before he beat yo ass too. Should've left him alone." Tez shrugged and ate hid hot fries.

When Vinny snatched at Xander's shirt Tez sighed and sucked his teeth. Now he really was about to go crazy.

"Why you do that stupid? His aunt Zion bought him that shirt that nigga gon-" Xander slammed Vinnys head into the window and Tez sighed, noticing Jaylani watching quietly.

Fighting didn't really bother her. She saw her dad do it all of the time, especially with uncle Elias and Aaron. She wondered what would happen to her dads friendship with Aaron now that Cali wasn't friends with her mom.

Aaron was funny like uncle Keion.

-
March 26th

"I'm moving out." Laylani said randomly.

Nasir didn't say anything and continued eating but Naomi spoke up with s happy smile on her face.

"Congratulations, I figured you'd want to leave after or a little while before graduation. With Tay right?"

"Yeah. I spend most of my time there anyways."

"Can I have your room?" Jaylani asked quickly.

"Yeah. The oldest in the house now. You know what that means? You gotta get used to everyone else knocking on your door to use your stuff. Dad?" She spoke to her sister before turning to Nasir,