#ficitional univese

[thesocialfables]

Reynard “Rain” Bannister, II was never wanted to live in the house next door to his mother. However, it wasn’t because of his mother’s endless prying, but rather he was tired of being stuck with his infamous brothers.

“RAIN!” His mother’s voice rung from outside of his bedroom window, acting as an alarm clock to pull him out of his sleep. As if the indistinct noises coming from downstairs hadn’t done enough damage to his slumber.

“I swear she picked your room.” Kendie groaned as her eyes peeled open as well. As she climbed out the bed and started to dress, she was sure to keep her body low from the window and Juliette’s trained eyes.

“REYNARD!” She called again, as the young man she was calling laid still watching Kendie move carefully around the room. “Well shit, KENDIE! One of y’all better answer me!”

Rain let out a soft laugh before climbing out of his bed and approaching the window to answer his mother, “Ma, you cannot be screaming like that in this neighborhood.”

“Fuck this neighborhood! Your brother called, he needs some more clothes. I don’t know why he just ain’t take all his shit with him. Either you can take ‘em or Kendie can. Y’all need to be up anyway.”

Rain smiled a little, before looking over to Kendie, who was using hand gestures to deny the responsibility. “I’ll take them, Momma.”

“I got some biscuits and gravy if you’re hungry. Lord knows, I ain’t seen not one bag of groceries go in that house yet.”

“I cooked him breakfast already, Miss Juliette.” Kendie quickly called down the woman. Nearly tripping over Rain’s drafting table to make it to the window. She was definitely lying, but Rain just softly pecked his girlfriend’s forehead to try and solidify her win. Even though he knew that his mother would see straight through their façade.

“Mmmhmm. Well, then y’all should be ready to go.” She said before turning around going back into her own home. “And tell Shadow he can stop sending them fucking kids over here to ask me for shit!”

Closing his window and pulling down the blinds, Rain turned to Kendie. “So is you really gone cook or…”

“I’ll pour you some cereal, Momma’s Boy,” Kendie answered before kissing Rain passionately. Just as he began to take the top she had just put on, back off, Kendie pulled away. “And you better tell her it was delicious.” As Kendie exited the bedroom, Rain shook his head. If she really did make him a bowl of cereal, he was definitely having breakfast at his Mother’s.

After getting dressed, Rain headed downstairs. He knew that Heaven would be sitting in the living room complaining about there being nothing left to watch on Netflix, but the rest of what he was walking into was a gamble. Rain and his siblings may have grown up together, but he was nothing like them. By the time Rain was born, his father was a made man in the streets, running his outfit with the 218 drug syndicate. Desmond would try and be a present father, but with all the bullshit he was involved with, it was better that he was away more than he was home. Rain was nine years old when his father was sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary. While his older brothers quickly stepped up to fill the void Desmond had left behind monetarily, Rain remained close to his mother.

“What’s that smell?” He questioned as he passed by Heaven in the living room. It was obvious the smell was breakfast being cooked, but just like his mother had mentioned – they didn’t have any groceries.

“Kia making breakfast.” Rain stopped long enough to pass Heaven a look that questioned, who the hell was Kia. Heaven’s response was a light chuckle and a Bannister smirk as Rain quickly understood to pretend he had heard all about her from Heaven – and her only.

Inside the kitchen, Rain took in the scene – speechless. This is why he didn’t want to live with his brothers. They were animals. Sitting at the island, was Shadow and three of his four children. As one of the Princesses moved around the kitchen preparing the group something to eat. However, Princess wasn’t alone as she worked around Tempest, Kendie, and who Rain assumed was Kia. While Princess and Kendie were dressed appropriately, Tempest and Kia were still in their undergarments.

“Okay then,” Rain said sitting down next to his niece. “Well, what’s for breakfast?”

“Cereal.” Kendie answer before sitting a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of Rain, while Princess served Shadow a plate full of grits, eggs, bacon, sausage, and French toast topped with powder sugar.

“Thank you.” Rain said before pecking Kendie’s lips – those biscuits and gravy were calling his name now. But before he could put the spoon in to eat, the kitchen erupted in laughter as Kendie slid the bowl down to one of the children.

“Your Momma not gone be talking bout me.” She said before maneuvering around the women to make it back to the stove. “Cause I know you still gone eat some of them biscuits.”

“My Momma made biscuits?” Dasun asked coming from the bathroom, dressed only in the towel wrapped around his waist.

“And I made waffles. Fuck you gone do with a biscuit? Go put some clothes on!” Tempest ordered as Dasun stole one of Shadow’s sausages and headed up the stairs to his room.

“I don’t know my momma biscuits pretty good.” Shadow added to the conversation, while his twin spoke up from the living room.

“Guess that’s what I’mma be eating. Since everybody else seems to be getting their food before me.”

As this Kia person and Heaven began going back and forth, Rain tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Rather than just making one large meal for everyone, each woman was in the kitchen making a separate meal for the Bannister Boy of their choice. While he knew it would be something for his brothers to talk shit about and compare later, all Rain could think about was the food that they were wasting.

“I’m fine with just cereal.” He spoke up, as Kendie looked back at him from the stove.

“It’s fine, Reynard.” Whenever she used his government name it was a subtle suggestion that he was overreacting. Unlike his brothers, who kept a revolving door of women, Rain had only been with Kendie since they were 17. He had even properly introduced the girl to his mother – unlike his brothers.

“I just think-”

“You always thinking.” Shadow shot as he sat back from his half-eaten plate and began texting.

“Its fine,” Kendie said presenting Rain with a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, and biscuits. “I don’t know how to make gravy.” She admitted as Rain just smiled happily.

“That’s fine. I don’t even like gravy.”

“Why you lying? That’s the only reason Momma makes that shit.” As Rain tried to explain his lie, Kendie just shook her head and exited the kitchen – leaving one of the other girls to clean up, just like Rain anticipated they all would.

“What you gotta do today? Don’t you wanna take Little Man his clothes?” He asked Shadow while digging into his plate.

“I got my kids today.” He responded flatly.

“What about you, Dasun?” He asked as his brother entered the kitchen to get his food.

“I ain’t got time today.” He spoke before pecking Tempest’s lips, raising a whole new set of questions for Rain. “I gotta go to the store and get some food for these plates. Plus, I gotta go to work later.”

“Wouldn’t the kids like the beach?” Rain attempted to bargain with Shadow.

“Now, why would you say that word?” He quickly shot before standing and turning down the cries from his children to go to the beach.

“I’ll do it.” Heaven joked. Or course no one paid him any attention because he was house arrest and couldn’t go any further than the stop sign. “Why you don’t wanna go? You ain’t even been down there. Its cause of Letitia, ain’t it?”

“Just tell Little Man to come outside and get his shit. You ain’t gotta go in there.” Dasun informed him about avoiding their father’s new wife at the request of their mother.

“You been in the house?” He asked and Dasun nodded his head.

“I’m not scared of Mom.”

“I’m not scared of her.” Rain defended himself, only for his brothers to tell him that he was wrong.

“Just tell her you gotta go to work and Legacy gotta come get his own shit.” Kendie spoke up as she came back into the kitchen, she had put on her jacket and was carrying her phone and keys in her hand, as she leaned in to kiss Rain goodbye.

“You not eating anything?” He asked.

“I had a bowl of cereal, I’m good.” As Rain went to explain how that too made no sense, Kendie gave him a look to let him know there was no reason to interject. “I’ll see you when you get off?”

“Aye, if you really gotta go to work, that’s not lying. It’s like an hour drive just to get down there.” Heaven said, as Rain just sighed softly. He really didn’t want to stay here with his brothers. They all acted as if their mother was the nosey one, but it was really them.

“It’s not that bad.” Rain responded in a low tone. He didn’t mind taking the drive, but since he didn’t have to be to work until later this afternoon he was hoping to spend some more alone time with Kendie. “You didn’t want to ride with me?” He questioned his girlfriend. “We can drop Legacy stuff of and check out the beach down there.”

“I was going too. But my Mom just called me, and you know how she gets. Almost make me wish I was Juliette’s daughter.”

“Tsk, I don’t.” He said with a smile before kissing the girl. While Rain was hoping it would be a modest kiss in front of his niece and nephews, Kendie slipped her tongue inside his mouth and pulled his hands up to grab ahold of her butt. At that point, simply for the sake of their audience, Rain pulled back.

“I’ll call you later.” Kendie said flatly as she headed towards the front of the house.

“Why she with your square ass?” Shadow shot, opening up the floor for his brothers’ childish laughter and crude jokes. Rain, however, was not laughing as he followed behind Kendie to walk her to her car. As he went to call the car back to him for a proper goodbye in the semi-privacy of the enclosed porch, he heard Kia’s voice call from behind him.

“Hey! Can I just ride with you? You going to Oz’s, right?” As Rain turned to look at the girl, who was standing on the porch, still dressed in her boy shorts and cropped baby doll shirt. He cleared his throat and instead, motioned over to his mother staring out of her kitchen window at the porch.

Meanwhile, Kendie looked over Kia with a cross look. She knew Kia in the same way everybody did, she was neighborhood dope boy’s Emil’s real girlfriend. And with whatever she was up to with Heaven, it didn’t give her a reason to speak to her so candidly in front of Rain. “I was going past that way, yeah. My Momma wants some oysters from Nanny's.”

“At 9 in the morning?” Rain questioned, keeping his eyes on his mother – who was obviously ranting at Kia’s presence from behind the window and sending Rain signals to get rid of the girl.

“I don’t know what she be thinking. I just do what I’m told, love you.” Kendie responded before quickly walking towards her car parked on the street – since no one was allowed to park in the driveway.

“Can I get that ride?” Kia called out to her, way louder than she needed to be. Just as Juliette was pulling open her window to do her dirty work for herself, Rain motioned for Kia to step back inside the house. “What? I’m not scared of y’all Momma, y’all grown ain’t y’all?”

“Some of us are.” Rain mumbled under his breath, before closing the door behind her and going to answer his mother’s questions.

“Who the hell was that, and where the hell her clothes?”

“I think those are her clothes, Momma.” Rain attempted to joke from outside her window.

“She must be there with Heaven, his nasty ass. And boy,” Rain just sighed. Just because he had done the right thing and introduced Kendie to his mother, didn’t mean she liked her any more than the rest of the girls her sons kept around them. “Kendie lying to you. Don’t nobody need no damn oysters this early. Nanny’s ain’t even open yet.”

“They’ll be open by the time she gets there.”

“Maybe when she had that little hooptie. But thanks to you, I’m sure she’ll get to where she going pretty quickly.” Rain took a moment to look over to Kendie inside her Audi coupe. Obviously, his mother believed he had purchased the car for Kendie, but he hadn’t. However, the circumstances revolving around how she did get it were still unclear. So instead of trying to explain something he didn’t even know, Rain just looked back up to his mother in the window.

For a second he wanted to tell her he had to work and couldn’t do what she asked. But with Kendie off running errands for her own mother, he’d still be in house and Juliette would know he was lying. “She even know that girl?” Rain turned back to see what his mother was watching as Kia climbed into the front seat and the two girls drove away.

“I guess. I’mma come grab Little Man clothes.” He said walking around towards the front door.

“It’s all in that bag right there by the door.” She informed him, as Rain looked on at Kendie’s car driving away.

The controversy around Desmond’s new wife didn’t come with how quickly the two married after his release from Fox Island, but instead, the fuss was that she was one of the numerous women Desmond had slept with while he was still dating Juliette. While his siblings ignored their mother’s request to steer clear of Letitia, Rain did whatever it was his mother said.

“Thanks, man. I was bouta turn some drawls inside out.” Legacy joked as he opened the backseat of Rain’s Pontiac Grand Prix.

“Why not just wash them?” Rain asked from behind the wheel.

“I don’t know how to do that. A garbage bag, really, Ma?” Legacy spoke to himself, as Rain stayed seated. “You not gone come in and speak to Dad?” Growing up, Rain and Legacy were almost like twins themselves. He was Rain’s best friend, up until high school, and then Legacy began acting just like the rest of the Bannister boys.

“Naw, I gotta go to work.”

“The Comic Store don’t open for another two hours, you can come say hey.” Legacy paused for a moment. While he didn’t make fun of Rain for following all of Juliette’s rules as everyone else did, he still didn’t understand why he did it. “Look, go through the back. That way you ain’t gotta tell Ma you were in the house.”

Turning off the engine, Rain disagreed with him and climbed out of the car. “It’s not Letitia. It’s him.” He admitted, only to grow silent when he noticed a car in the driveway. It was a 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT, a Hellcat, the official car of the Bannister Boys. “He got a new car?”

“Oh, that’s mine.” Legacy admitted. “Before you start, I told Ma I would come to get my clothes myself. She said you was gone bring them, and I knew not to argue with her.”

“True,” Rain said. “Heir bought it?”

“Naw, Pops did. Said he wasn’t finna drive me around all summer.” As Rain looked over the car, Legacy headed towards the front of the house. “I can’t take it to school. You can have it once I leave if you want.”

“Naw, I’m fine.”

“Go ahead and go in the back. We’ll meet you back there.”

Before Rain could explain he didn’t want to see Desmond, Legacy walked into the large house. Alone in the driveway, Rain took a moment to look around the neighborhood his father had settled into. And he thought about how come it didn’t bother his brothers more. For the twelve years Desmond was away, their family continued to struggle in the Samuel-Young projects in Little Rico. All the while, Shadow was spreading both his seeds and weed, Heaven had turned his apartment into The Carter and Dasun acted like his hands were lethal weapons. Then of course there was the Godfather himself, Heir. When Desmond was released, he figured his work with raising the boys was done. Since they were graduating high school or in the twenties, and he somehow managed to ‘retire’ down by the beach in Key Beach Park. In a lovely five-bedroom beachside cottage, with a private pool, game room, and his mistress who was now the boys’ step-mother.

“Rey J!” His father called from behind the three-story home. Rain just exhaled slightly as he began to travel towards the back. That was until something much more interesting caught his eye.

He tried not to stare, but amongst the picturesque scene of mansions, rolling hills, and ocean air, the young woman walking her two French Bulldogs was a sight he had to stop and take in. Rain could hear his mother’s voice in the back of his head, cursing him for gawking. But as he took in the girl’s exposed peanut colored skin that was covered in various tattoos, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to disobey his mother for one moment longer.

“Hey Amina,” Legacy called as the girl passed by Desmond’s house. Of course, Legacy knew who she was. She was far too beautiful to stay off of a Bannister’s radar. “This my brother I was telling you about.” Rain turned to quickly look at his brother and was not shocked to see Desmond too was staring at the girl.

“The one who’s name you don’t know.” She responded, stopping at the edge of the driveway for Rain to take in the full view of her slim body and long natural locs.

“I told you I knew his name. I just don’t know what he’d want you to call him.” Legacy spoke, as Rain smiled a little. Only Legacy understood how much he hated both Rain and Rey J.

“Reynard,” Rain introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, Reynard,” Amina answered, lifting her hand for Rain to shake. She said her name herself before questioning. “Little Man, said you draw? Is that true or more bullshit.” Rain tried not to smile like a schoolgirl, but he couldn’t help it.

“Yeah,” He spoke up, ignoring Desmond and Legacy’s snickers. “Why’d that come up? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I paint. It came up when I met…Ummm, he had another weird-ass name. Shadow?”

“Oh shit, sorry, about that.” He joked and Amina laughed.

“Told you he was corny. Bring yo ass to the back when you done talking.” Legacy said.

“Yeah, I got something I wanna show you, Rey J.” Desmond added before the two walked away, just as fast as they appeared.

“You live here too?” Amina questioned. Rain shook his head no, before wondering what lies Shadow had told the girl. Unaware of how far the two of them had gotten.

“Did Shadow tell you he lived here?”

“No. Your brothers lie often though, huh? I swear mines would probably drop dead if they ever had to tell the truth.”

“You have brothers?”

“Four. Don’t worry though, they all bark and no bite.” Rain continued to smile as his mind drew blank, he had no idea of what to say next. He didn’t want to stop talking to Amina but felt the urge to bring up his relationship with Kendie, which was the last thing he wanted to say. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around then, Rey J.”

“I would definitely rather you call me Rain then that.” He said before laughing awkwardly. Rain was the name his mother began calling him, to offset the fact he was named after Desmond’s father. Amina chuckled along with him, smiling brightly before agreeing to stick to Reynard.

“You better be careful, Rey J. Your Momma can sense when one of us smiling.” Desmond teased as Rain found his way into the back of the house. Even though the beach was a short walk away, Desmond had a large pool in his backyard where Letitia was lounging in the sun in her swimsuit and a thick pair of shades, completely carefree. “Come here, I want you to see something before you leave.”

Rain softly spoke to Letitia, as Juliette would be twice as pissed if he didn’t show his manners before following behind his brother and father. “Now,” Desmond started as they head down a small path, towards the sand of the beach. “Don’t be getting all sensitive with me, but you 20 or 21?”

“20, his birthday in two months. And don’t call him sensitive, that’s worse than forgetting how old he is.” Legacy coached his father.

“You go back in the house. I know you dying to figure out this code.”

“Ain’t nobody worried about that little lock. The whole window open in the back.” Desmond stopped to reprimand Legacy, and Rain was slightly impressed. He figured Legacy was down on the beach running a mile on Desmond, but apparently, he still had chores and other responsibilities to take care of. “Let me know when you getting ready to leave. I wanna show you the pier.” Rain agreed as Legacy headed back up the walkway.

“He just as pesky as Son-Sun was, always speaking up for you.” Rain reminisced with his father, thinking about the time when the boys were children and all got along. “So the twins are 21 now?” He questioned, keeping up the small talk as they traveled down the walkway. He was still wrong, but Rain just reminded quiet to see where this was going. “When I bought this place, I didn’t know this little shack back here was included. Then the HOA started fucking with me about some overgrown bushes and I was like where! Shit, I pay my gardener – well not really – he a crackhead I used to serve from back in the day, but he does good work. So I’m like, show me some overgrown bushes. And then that’s when they showed me.”

At the end of Desmond’s story, the two had come to a small structure right on the beach. Obviously, Desmond’s gardener was now keeping up with the HOA’s rules, as the small bushes in front of the place were perfectly trimmed to lineup with the walkway, creating a serene entrance to the small bungalow. As Desmond approached the door to put the code in the smart padlock, he continued talking for some reason, “The code your Momma birthday. I think.”

Opening the door, both men stepped inside and Rain quickly understood what Desmond wanted to show him. “I was gone offer it to Shadow, trick his ass into fixing it up since he still works with Big Rey. But, he got all them fucking kids and I know one of them Princess still be sneaking in y’all momma house.”

“Legacy told you that?” Rain said admiring the small area. It wasn’t much now, but an open space and a small kitchenette. But Rain saw the perfect place for him to work alone, without any distractions from his brothers.

“Ever since your Momma got sick when she was pregnant with you, she’s coddled you.” Desmond paused for a moment, he never knew how to talk to Rain. “Look, I admit I ain’t much. But I don’t need nobody to tell me anything about my sons.”

“Besides our birthday.”

“Well, shit, we was popping y’all out back to back, I’m bound to forget one of y’all every now and then.” As much as he didn’t want to, Rain couldn’t help but laugh. Juliette often mixed him Rain and the twins' birthday herself because they were so close. “I figured Big Rey could give us some materials, and we turn this into a loft. You can put your drawing table somewhere over here, so you can still work on your comic. Make it a little sitting area or something, because we gotta fix this small ass kitchen up. You know your Momma ain’t gone let you miss a meal. And that’ll be the first thing she finds to complain about. Fix the plumbing in the bathroom, it’s a tub right now. Don’t no man take no bath. You’ll be 21 soon, so a little bar or maybe a bookshelf over here.”

“Bookshelf,” Rain muttered imagining the space with his father. “You already talk to Ma about it?”

“I wanted to talk to you first. Otherwise, I’d be fighting with that woman for nothing if you don’t want it.”

“She’ll probably be here a lot.” Rain admitted.

“That’s your business. Them HOA motherfuckers, say it’s supposed to be a private entryway, but other than walking through the back like that, I don’t see shit. Maybe that’ll keep her nosey ass on the boardwalk. We’ll figure out how to work Juliette in though if you want it.”

“What if I don’t?”

“I’m still gone fix it up. Find that private entrance, rent it out. That’s what most of the neighbors do.”

“What if I wanted to help?” Since Heir had taken on the providing role with Desmond’s absence, the boys’ Uncle Reynard, Jr – the real Rey J if you asked Rain – would bring the boys’ with him to work with the family’s construction and landscaping business. Surprisingly, Shadow kept working with Uncle Rey into his adulthood, but Rain actually missed spending the summers working on houses.

“Oh, I’m definitely gone need that. Little Man scared of sweat. How y’all all grew up together, I don’t know.”

“I wonder the same thing.” Rain answered, laughing with his father and admiring the space.

“So what you think?” Legacy asked as he and Rain walked the beach’s pier.

“Is that the boardwalk?” Rain asked, peering out into the ocean. Although they lived in Andreas all their lives, they only saw a half of the city from Little Rico.

Legacy laughed a little before answering his brother, he asked the same question when his father brought him down here. “Kinda, that’s Mason. You can’t see Little Rico from here. It’s like a whole new world, in the exact same place.”

“I think that’s beautiful.” Rain joked as the boys continued to walk. “So, what’s it like?”

Legacy passed Rain a quick look. He knew what Desmond wanted him to say to convince Rain to stay down on the beach with them. But Rain was too much like their mother to fall for the silver linings. “Desmond can’t afford that house. He really don’t sell drugs no more. Uncle Rey won’t give him a job, because he thinks Pops gone play him like he did back in the day and Letitia’s fat ass don’t work. Only reason why he stay there is because it’s all he had left once he came home. He figured with you and me staying there, Heir’ll help him pay for it.”

“All he had left? He been had this house?” Rain spoke upset, and rightfully so. Heir may have managed to move them out of the projects, but that was eight months ago. This whole time, they could’ve been living down here away from police sirens and gunshots.

“Momma didn’t wanna live here. He brought it after you was born, trying to make up for everything. She said she ain’t nothing else from him. Only reason why the feds ain’t take it is because he had it in someone else’s name.”

“Probably Letitia’s.”

“Probably. I don’t say shit to her, and Pops don’t make me. I wake up, get dressed, and find me something to do. But you, you ain’t even gotta see her. Or Desmond.”

“Where I’m supposed to park, though? How I even get down there, and what about my job?” He questioned and Legacy just smiled before walking away. Rain sighed, before checking the time and following Legacy’s wicked smirk.

It was a short walk from where the boys were standing to a quaint little bookstore right on the busy pier. “Motherfuckers keep saying it’s a private entry, but Pops thinking about just expanding the driveway, so you can just drive right up there. Amina however,” Legacy said as he pointed to the girl through the window of the bookstore. “She park right on the beach. Her spot be lit after the beach close.” Right as Legacy went to enter the small store, Rain noticed a help wanted sign going up in the bookstore’s window. “I swear we had nothing to do with that.”

Rain just shook his head, not believing him, as he followed Legacy inside. “And what about Kendie?” He whispered as the two of them began to approach Amina inside the shop.

“Bring her with you. What she doing in Sam-Yo? Unless,” Legacy teased. “If I would’ve known you was coming down here, I would’ve just sent him with you.”

“Like you got something better to do. You ain’t never been to the pier either?” She questioned, Rain figured Legacy would answer for him, but instead he remained quiet for the first time in his life.

“No,” Rain spoke up for himself. Pausing for a second to clear his throat and speak with a little more bass in his voice. “Growing up right on the boardwalk wasn’t no need to see another beach.”

“Fair enough. So, I guess you ain’t never been to Mason either.”

“Oh, we definitely gotta go. That’s where Amina from. She know all the spots.”

“That explains it.” Rain said attempting to flirt a little with the girl. “Cause you definitely don’t look like anybody around here.” Amina blushed a little before responding.

“Too bad you’re the one with a girlfriend. So far, you’ve been cutest.”

“Don’t get too excited, you still haven’t met Heaven.” Legacy butted into the conversation, setting up Rain to brag about himself. However, Rain didn’t take the hint and instead, he inquired.

“What about Heir?”

Legacy shook his head to himself, while Amina smiled, “He aight.”

“Yeah, well, you still haven’t met Heaven.” Rain awkwardly laughed once again, as Legacy cringed and Amina giggled. “You work here?” He recovered.

“Kind of, I use the back to work on my art. One of my brothers owns the place.” Rain just looked over Legacy, once again thinking about the timing of the help wanted sign. Yet the boy just denied the timing of it all once again.

“So, y’all really hiring?” Rain asked goofily as Amina agreed and went to grab her brother, as he and Legacy took a seat at one of the tables inside the bookstore. “Ma is not gonna let me move in with Kendie.”

“Don’t tell her that part.” Legacy said as he and Rain both pulled out their phones. “Oh shit,” He said looking at Facebook. “Maybe you should.” He finished as he passed Rain his phone. As Rain waited for Kendie to pick up his call from his phone, he looked at a status she had posted to her Facebook about twenty minutes ago; All niggas do is wear white tees, text fifteen girls, fight demons, smoke, and lie “Damn, Rain. What you do?”