A/N:

I keep getting asked if Edward is black. Um, I thought I made it kinda clear he was plainly a Latino, but just in case anyone was thinking otherwise there you go. Not that imagining him as African American makes any difference… but for this chapter's sake, you gotta imagine him as the Mexican dude kicking it with different races and actually getting along.

By the way- if you've never met a Big T in real life, you are sorely missing out. I am blessed to have unlimited inspiration for his character, it's not even fair for these other writers out here! Lol

Anyway, review! I love you all very much!

Sunday Afternoon-

When we pulled up to the yellow grassed one story swelling, I took another stab at the loosely used term 'BBQ'. This was more like a cookout after an inner-city Homeboy convention, honestly. Colored shirts and hankies hanging from back pockets seemed to be the popular choice of outfit, and for some reason Edward stood out from the crowd in his blue jeans and dark shirt, as though stating his distance from them for today.

It almost brought a smile to my otherwise tough look; Lana and I only ever wanted him to leave that all behind. That was it- all he had to was walk away from it. We could both work Average Joe jobs, cash legal checks, move somewhere smaller with fresh air, start all over… I yanked myself back to the present and back to reality when some of his homeboys approached us with raised hands as if to shake 'em with Edward.

Although, it wasn't the kinda handshake my dad gave to his colleagues… it was more of a loose, informal hand/hug that tough guys seemed to give one another. My dad used to call it a 'scoundrel greeting'.

His homie Big T was the 'hostess with the mostess' it would seem, seeing as he was tossing around hamburger patties and links like he was feeding the poor in Nigeria- his tightlipped expression transformed into a wide smile when he saw us walk through the side gate, which was made up of four or five different types of fence.

He came wobbling jollily towards us, his thick silver chain whipping back and forth over his raised belly, before enveloping Lana and I in bear hugs and giving Edward's a shoulder a brotherly pat. I liked that much better than the scoundrel greeting, it was far more personal. "Hey there, peach." He gestured down to little Lana, though her instinct to shy away crept up and she nearly shoved herself into her uncle's jean-clad legs.

"Nice to see ya, T. Thanks for havin' us." Edward gestured to the thirty pack in one hand and a bottle of his favorite cognac in the other.

"Oh, nah, thanks for comin'- I just got the patties and some dogs and corn on the grill, finna be done in no time. Mama hooked up potatoes salad, macaroni, some greens- oh and some hot salsa for yo Mexican ass." T cackled at his own joke, thumping Edward in his chest before play boxing the way he always did.

This near 400 pound man with soft eyes and the loudest laugh imaginable was infectious in a way, and I couldn't help but smile despite myself. "Peach, you wanna play with the kids? They' in the house." Big T gestured to the opened back door, a trail of running, laughing kids trampling in and out of the worn down abode. The house looked old and handed down, but from what Edward said it had seen five generations of the Cook family and much more to come. The neighborhood was a little tougher than Edward's, and that was saying something.

T pulled up some plastic lounge chairs for us and cracked open the first beer of our pack and passed me one accordingly. I usually didn't drink, but after the kinda weekend I had, I popped the cap and took a sip. "Armani's bitch ass momma s'pose to be here today." Edward shared a look with him, but I had to butt in even if I didn't really know the situation.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh to say, T? That's the mother of your kids." I took another sip as he scratched at the stubble on his dark chin. From what little Edward told me, T met his baby mama dancing at The Rack, Detroit's second biggest strip club after Sugar Daddy's (where Rosalie had worked, very long ago)and fell in love with her against "the Clique's" wishes. Two daughters, one son, a failed relationship, and a lot of bad blood between Edward's set & the Crypt 11's later brought us to the current situation. One street separated two now rival gangs, and even if Edward wouldn't admit it, he was worried about Big T and his kids living so close to a danger like that.

"There's a difference between a lady and a bitch- a lady takes care of her family, a bitch runs the streets and doesn't give no fucks about anyone. She a bitch." Big T shrugged comically afterward and went back to grilling, leaving us in our own world- with a little goading by T's mother (Mama Corina as we were instructed to call her) Lana went to play with the other kids at the party.

Although you wouldn't be able to tell this was a ten year old's birthday party; there was enough booze, loud music, and hoes in booty shorts to have been a rapper's music video.

"How you likin' it so far?" Edward grabbed my free hand in his own, that dreamy smirk back on his face now that we were alone. I still hadn't forgotten how he left me hanging that morning, but I would let it slide and enjoy the atmosphere.

I shrugged and took a sip of my cold beer, the only thing that was keeping my raging hangover at bay. "It's good." I tried not to look at him too long, else I'd think of how his hands felt elsewhere and get all flustered. "Not really what I expected from a kid's party though." When my family had birthday parties, it was usually an hour and half charade of a themed entertainer, some pre-cooked food, and short goodbyes.

Edward chuckled in response and tipped up the dark shades he wore, flexing his fingers between mine. "Don't act like you never been to a hood party."

I rolled my eyes. When he said things like that, like he knew where I came from or the things I had or hadn't seen, I got pissy. We were just ships passing each other in the distance back then, not close confidants or best pals. He needed to remember that I didn't like that version of himself at all, and I didn't idolize the 'boss' he was. "Yeah? Well usually they didn't involve kids younger than fifteen." I used the number fifteen intentionally, alluding to the fact that him and his brother used to have me at their parties when I was that age.

Numerically, he was already twenty-five at that time… yeah, let that sink right in. "You guys have these kinda parties to recruit, right? Little Armani getting jumped in the Clique at the ripe age of ten, then?" I teased him relentlessly, but all he did was smile and not react all hotheaded like he usually would have.

Lately he had taken to me making fun of the gang lifestyle much better. "T would beat that ass if any of his kids got into the streets." I nodded somberly, taking a look around the dried out backyard inquisitively. His oldest, a boy by the nickname TJ, stood posted up against the fence with a phone in one hand and earphones plugged in his ears. Edward let T use our address to enroll his son at the nearby high school, which in Edward's words was TJ's best shot at staying away from the Crypt 11's.

Not long after, some of Edward's homies surrounded him to play Spades or Bones or Horseshoes I wasn't sure, so I took my cue and went into the house to assist Mama Corina.

Just walking into the kitchen door, I got a few funky ass looks from the other girls and even a few under-the-breath comments. Whether it was because I was white and they were Latina and black or because I was all cozy with the Jefe, I didn't know and quite frankly I didn't care. Had we been at someone else's house, I wouldn't have been so comfortable to walk around freely. But even as I walked into the kitchen, I was greeted with long hugs from both of T's daughters and his oversized, very lovely mother.

"Look at you, comin' to Mama Corina's house lookin' all perty." T's mother was originally from Louisiana, which accounted for her thick accent, but those warm eyes wrapped me in a blanket of comfort and familiarity. I had only been around her a few times and spoke even less, but I knew about her and her about me than my own grandmother… these people were better than family, to be real.

Armani was instructing a lesson in beauty with her friends and Lana, whilst Nya pulled up a rickety kitchen table chair for me. I smiled serenely at Mama Corina before snatching one her table cookies, not being able to control myself. I had been here a few times before, twice to pickup Lana when Edward had 'business to attend to' and once to drop off TJ when he missed his bus. Each time, I had left with a handful of her sweets. "You and Eddie doin' good, I see." Mama Corina said with a little side-eye, her hands busy with kneading dough.

Nya sent me a tight smile, as if reading my mind. I cleared my throat and sent her an innocent look, not trying to get into a lengthy conversation with T's mother about my love life. T's middle child was seated across from me- Nya was the exact opposite of the description of her mother and I prayed to God she stayed that way. A beautiful fifteen year old girl with long black hair and the sweetest smile against her ebony skin, she was the prettiest natural girl I had ever met. She was a real treat; so unlike other girls her age, she was very insightful and really the only one I liked speaking to when Edward brought me and Lana along with him to stuff like this. "He needs a girl like you, you knaw'imean?" Nya chastisized her grandma for meddling, but I just laughed it off like always.

I smiled over at Nya, letting her know I was blind to stuff like this. "Mama Corina, I know exactly what you mean."

We shared a few quips back and forth about the food and the party and Big T's lack of a love life lately before Nya herself spoke up, which was rare. "I told him he's at a certain age already." I couldn't help but laugh at the young girl, feeling ridiculously proud of her even though she wasn't even related to me- any girl at fifteen that was still in school, without a baby on her hip, and not boy-crazy was a good reason to be proud in my book. "But do he listen?" Her soft accent was pure Detroit, and I kind of liked and got used to it. Big T told us she liked books and classic movies, so different from what he and her mother used to enjoy when they were teens. "No." Her sassy attitude was also cute and it shimmered, as though part of Big T was right there behind her eyes.

"I'm sure your dad will find someone nice soon enough." I reassured her from across the table, helping to shuck the corn as if I had done this my whole life. What if my parents and grandparents had showed this much attention to me and Liz? They didn't need to throw extravagant parties or follow us around twenty-four/seven- not that they were around all that often. If they had just sat at a table with us once in awhile, or asked what our dreams were or how our days went… we might have come out better- maybe we might've known how to love and be loved in return the right way.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the house's screen door slammed open and then slammed shut again- that was a rare sound, even with the kids running wild, because no one ever disrespected Mama Corina's home.

But in trotted a woman with dark ebony skin, even darker ink etched across her arms and neck, with long, yellow-ish blonde hair and chopped bangs. She was so casual and calm, as though she paid the bills around the place; I watched for Mama Corina's reaction and when she pressed her round lips together in a down-turned look, I figured I knew who this woman was. "Baby." She called to Nya, who simply looked over at her with a half smile, half grimace and then went back to shucking the corn with me.

I sent Nya a look, not sure what was going on here. I was fairly new around so it was obvious I would need to be caught-up on the who's-who, but part of me already knew I didn't want to know this one. The woman swayed her hips as she walked, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes in their sockets; she had the most ridiculously un-realistic body imaginable. We were speaking on a Kardashian level- thick hips, small waist, ass for days, narrow shoulders and a done up (if not done a little too much for a kid's party) face to boot. I suddenly felt very under dressed in capris and a tank top- she was rocking a scoop neck body suit, jewels hanging in different places and tiny piercing on her nose and lip. She didn't look older than me, but maybe I was just so taken by her initial appearance that I couldn't notice the sullenness in her eyes and drooping lines of her face.

"Who the white girl?" She said the word 'girl' so drawn out and with enough animosity to make me shift my eyes to her for real now. At first I was okay with just being a spectator, and observer to the life of the Cook family.

But now she obviously wanted to know who I was, and maybe that wasn't as much of an innocent inquisition as I thought. "My name's Bella." When I spoke, she turned to me with a snap of her neck and toss of her hair, as though I had interrupted her.

"Bel-la?" She said the name with disdain. "You white or nah?" If I had been somewhere other than Mama Corina's house, I might have snapped back with a 'are you black or nah?' but decided against it. Technically I wasn't white- a mix of this and a mix of that but yeah my skin color was pretty pale.

Not that it was something to be proud of when I was surrounded by ebony queens. "Um, no." I spurted out awkwardly, taking a cautionary glance at Nya to gauge her reaction.

Nya shoved the corn on the cobs on the table and folded her arms, a mean look on her face as she faced the stranger. Where did this diva come from? Just a minute ago she was sweet, innocent Nya with long pretty hair and sensitive eyes! "The guy Dad works for- Bella's his girlfriend." I gulped at her summarization- no, I wasn't Edward's girlfriend… well I wasn't, right? He hadn't made any gesture to initiate that conversation with me recently, though we hadn't really had to the time to anyway. "And she's my friend." Nya seemed to push in some sort of dagger with her words because after she said that, the woman was sauntering even closer to me, her heels clacking against the old wooden floors.

"Ya friend?" She scowled nastily at me but softened when she looked back over at Nya. "What you need friends like her fa' when you got me, baby? Ya Mama's ya best friend." Her accent wasn't something I could place, but I couldn't help that thought that said it was hoodrat. I remembered girls like her in high school, walking around like people owed them something, out casting or picking fights with whoever got in their way. And in no way was it based on color- no, bitches came in all sorts of colors, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. "I could teach ya mo' about life then some white bitch-"

"Mama!" Nya screeched, her voice full with tears I knew she was fighting to hold in. Whether they were tears of humiliation or hate or anger, I wasn't aware. But now, supposedly, I was the white bitch.

"What, Nya Uneke Cook?" Nya's mother looked around in fake innocence, her upper lip curled in a smirk. "I'm jus'…" she leaned down to my seated person, getting close enough so that I could count the threads of her fake eyelashes and smell the thick perfume she wore, "playin' wit ya new friend."

I swallowed throatily, half wanting to hide away until the wretched woman left and half wanting to put the bitch in her place. Well, not that I was that good at fighting or arguing… but surely I was in the right for feeling put out and insulted? You could only be referred to as the white bitch so many times before you snapped. "And who are you?" I did that innocent little toss of my head and pretended to contemplate her person, as though she had to pass some little inspection before she could proceed.

Her bottom lip, which was full and glossed, jutted out and a stink face took over her once pretty features. "I'm Moenissa Sheryl Cook, who the fuck you think you is?"

"You use'ta be a Cook-" Mama Corina corrected her ex daughter-in-law, the wooden spatula held tightly in her hand dripping ingredients on the floor. "The goo' Lord gave my son enough sense to get away from you."

Moenissa chuckled condescendingly at her, almost daring the older woman to step to her. I had never, since Liz, seen such a disrespectful woman in all my life! I hadn't ever met Edward's parents, but I had met Michael's and I knew I would never ever speak the way this girl was talking. "I guess the "good Lord" was on break last weekend when he was all in my pussy-"

"Mama!" Nya yelped in humiliation, followed with a few screeches of Mama Corina herself. Nya chanced a glance over at me as if to ask 'you're going to avoid us now, aren't you?' but it wasn't like that. I, as well as many other out there, had been in situations where embarrassing family incidents had gotten out of hand.

Before Mama Corina could completely loose her cool and murder Moenissa, Big T came bounding through the backdoor with a pensive look on his face- and when his eyes washed over Moenissa, the big, round eyes of a jolly giant transformed into thin slits. "What the fuck you doin' here?" His voice was rough and harsh, as though this was my sisters boyfriend Jake, or some beggar on the corner of the street. Like she was scum.

And for a moment, I felt bad.

"It's my baby's birthday." Moenissa looked over at her daughter, a self-satisfied smirk going over her features. "Shit, I'm practically family, ain't I?" She laughed maniacally when T made a growling noise in his throat- she liked to rile this man up, then? Sure she was tall for a woman, but T was huge; even knowing his sweet demeanor, I wouldn't ever purposely try to grit his nerves because everyone had a breaking point!

But she continued on. "No matter what flock'a bitches you bring around," her eyes swiveled over to me before rolling them dramatically, "I'mma always be her mama. And I'mma always be his wife." She said it pointedly at Mama Corina, pulling the strap of her dress to the point where she was almost spilling out of her top- out of instinct I was gonna look away, because seeing stripper tits was also not in mind at a kid's party, but she was showing off a rather intricate tattoo there. It had a name, Timothy, blasted from her armpit to the edge of her left breast, with two number one's placed behind it.

"This ain't neva coming off." Moenissa looked so feral, so absolutely enraged that she might just blow up in flames at the point- even Big T looked cautious around her, as though he had seen her implode many times before. I suddenly wondered if this was what Edward and I looked like… two gritty, selfish, enraged adults fighting it out over every little thing.

Nya was crying silent little tears, perhaps not enough to catch her battling parents' attention, but they caught mine- they reminded me of the tears I shed as a teen, too tortured to say anything but angry enough to act out. I would run off at odd times and do as I pleased with 'friends' (not that my parents had a whole of time to worry about me) or sometimes get into pointless, unnecessarily violent fights with other girls and get in trouble for winning. I refused to imagine for even a second that Nya would live that life, or grow up to be the secluded, emotionally distant woman I was. "Come on." I whispered to Nya and beckoned her to come with me, not wanting her to have to witness anymore than she already had to. I for one knew how much of a blessing it was to be away from the house when drama started between my parents or my parents and each other's in-laws…

But Moenissa was obviously on a different planet, one far away from reality. "Where you think you takin' my baby-" She yelled, spit forming at the corner of her lips.

"I'm not your baby! I hate you!" Nya screamed at her mom and immediately after there was a deadly silence so pregnant that even I was stuck for words. In no way was this girl ever disrespectful, or loud, and I could understand that she was frustrated- but the look on Moenissa's face was priceless. Like someone just snatched the rug from under her and she was falling, falling, falling deeper.

When she came bounding toward us, I was sure her hand was meant for me- I even braced myself for it, not willing to get into a fist fight at a little girl's party. But when Moenissa directed herself at Nya, an instinctual part of me lurched forward, as though I were some protective shield that could deflect anything. In any manner, I wasn't fast enough and Nya's cry was betrayal enough- T had his ex-wife by the nape of her neck and before I blinked, he tossed her against the chipped wall, earning looks of surprise and disappointment from both me and his mother. "Dad! Stop please!" Nya cried out over tears, stopping Big T in his tracks- and for the first time, I saw Timothy Cook III, not Big T or Edward's bodyguard at the club. He was no longer a dirty little street thug; he was a dad, a son, a husband, a human.

The mother of his children crawled to a standing position and held onto the wall as she found her footing in her heels once more- never did she spare a glance at T or his mother, and not even her daughter, but she sent me a look that told me all I needed to know. "You're dead." Moenissa uttered ruthlessly, a hand nursing her now busted lip, "If you eva get past 8 Mile and Blythe, we gonna light ya ass up like a fuckin' Christmas Tree-" Moenissa threatened me with a fierce look, and after one last whip of her hair, she walked right back out of the door she came through.

But even after an hour of her leaving, nursing Nya's poor little heart, and convincing T he had done the right thing by dismissing her from Armani's party, I was still left feeling uneasy. Moenissa was basically the Matriarch of Crypt 11's and let me know that if I was ever on the wrong side of town I was dead. Sure, I had been threatened with that once before… but he had been my sister's boyfriend and now I was basically fucking that very gang's lead member, so there wasn't a valid threat anymore.

As a teen I had never stepped a toe over 8 Mile and Blythe, a very clear distinction that separated us 'regulars' from the rest of Detroit, and so I never partied with or met any Crypt 11 members. I only hoped Big T and Edward had enough to pull to make sure they in fact didn't take out Moenissa's ill-directed anger out on me- I never really minded a fair fight, but I was nothing in comparison to a gang.

We'll light you up like a fuckin' Christmas tree… her words played out in my mind that evening, over and over again like a bad pop song.

Shit.

A/N: this is the last update for a few weeks!

Hopefully you enjoyed three chapters in one week… I sure did enjoy writing and editing them!

Review with your thoughts.