Still alive y'all, still alive.
Thank you so much to the amazing:
444teme444, taydo-the-potato, Clark Kent95, The Tell-Tale Man, Jor-El Smith, ladyrere1985, KaelaBean, anon, RipDaddyLoveYa, The lady of Gaia, necro-wulf, aaliyah60002000, JacksonKid3, jazzyhue20, bunnybabe247, kingofmonsters1, Katie, WishfulThinker1913, LovinHueyFreeman, DeLorean Hedgehog, PippElulu, Yungthuggin, viperkishino, and Sodakandy
Sooo it's definitely been awhile, which I completely apologize for. Many of you won't believe me when I tell you that school really was that bad this semester in terms of busy-ness and having literally no time, but that's what it was. I've missed writing this story so much, you guys have no idea.
Sorry again for the last filler chapter. Tbh, this chapter might also be filler-y, which I apologize for. In my author's note at the bottom of the last chapter, I mentioned that this chapter would be important, but I was mistakenly one chapter back. Sooo NEXT chapter will be one of the more important ones. And thennnn the chapter after THAT is the one that will be highly anticipated ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"Granddad, I think you should calm down."
"How am I supposed to calm down? I'm dying and my TV's broke. Oh, my chest hurts! It's a heart attack! No, my stomach hurts! My liver's exploding! No, it's my bad knee! The room is spinning! Ohhh noo!"
"…Is he dead?"
"I don't know."
"…Hurry! We have to call 911! Where's the phone…? Ohhhhh noooooo!"
"…Do we still have to beat each other?"
Robert Jebediah (AKA Granddad) Freeman, Riley Freeman, and Huey Freeman; Mr. Medicinal
Week 10
Wednesday, August 22
Riley's POV
"Oh yeah…? That's crazy." Riley replied to his patron… for perhaps the seventh time.
He was currently at work in the tattoo shop, finishing up his last customer before he was warranted a break. He'd done several tattoos for this guy before, in fact he usually asked for Riley by name; he was a cool enough person. He always kept them talking the entire length of the tattoo process through stories and jokes that were usually pretty entertaining. Hell, the one he was currently telling was probably just as entertaining. Too bad Riley had barely heard any of it. Unfortunately, his mind was swirling with a million other things and didn't seem to have enough room to contain even the slightest irrelevant thing.
Riley was feeling stressed. More stressed than usual. For him, he was normally used to keeping busy, running hectic, and always expecting the unexpected. That was just his life. But lately, everything seemed to be changing, all at the same damn time. And he didn't feel prepared for any of it. He had his current job to think about at the tattoo shop, his upcoming business that he would be trying to get off the ground, hopefully within the next week, online classes to work on so he'd be able to get his damn degree, finances at home to worry about, and a pregnant girlfriend that wasn't just carrying one of his babies, but two. Thinking about everything combined at once was enough to make him want to vomit.
"Aiight, you're all done, Mac." Riley said, cutting off the end of his sentence as he started to clean off the tattoo.
"Already?" Mac asked, glancing down at his arm. "Damn, you work fast." He said with the shake of his head. It was true though. Riley had been flying. His thoughts were going a million miles a minute and his hands and brain were basically on auto-pilot. He kept his work neat, but knew he had been rushing it.
"It wasn't that hard. You like it?" Riley asked, standing up.
"You know I do. Thanks, Reez." Mac grinned, shaking his hand.
"No problem, my dude. Just go 'head and pay at the register. Dean will take you." Riley barely gestured over to him, as he started to gather his things. When Dean heard his name, he looked over at them.
"I'm not even at the desk, Reez. I was about to do inventory."
"D, I gotta get on my break right now, can you just handle it for me?" Riley pleaded, taking his things and starting to make his way to the door as he watched for Dean's reaction. He gave him a warning look with the raise of his eyebrow, but waved Mac over to the counter. Riley quietly heard him say "Please excuse him," to Mac who only shrugged. Riley knew that he'd probably get it for that later, but he didn't care. He was on a time schedule.
Riley walked through the open doorway of the break room and headed straight for the single table where he left his laptop set up. But he stopped in his tracks when he noticed that there was someone in his seat and on his computer.
Red.
He must've sensed and noticed the sudden angry presence because he suddenly glanced over to where Riley was standing. With noticeably widened eyes, Red quickly closed the lid of the laptop and stood from the chair.
"Yooo Reez!" He began breezily, as if he hadn't just been caught.
"What the fuck were you doing?" Riley demanded sharply, in no mood to beat around the bush with him today.
"I was bored and just playing Blasterball," He started to explain, looking wary of Riley's tone. "I ain't have nothin' to and—"
"I told you not to touch my fucking STUFF!" Riley barked. "I have important shit running in the background! Did you close anything out?"
"No man, calm down!" Red's voice had raised only slightly, now looking defensive. "All I did was pull up the game, then close the lid just now to put your computer to sleep, that's it."
"All my stuff better be exactly how I left it. That's all I have to say. Move." He snapped, nudging roughly past him to sit at the table and open his laptop again. Red stood there and glanced back at him with a hard glare.
"You need to chill the fuck out." He muttered almost inaudibly as he walked away.
"Yeah, come back and say that to my face." Riley scoffed lowly.
"Yo bitch-ass ain't worth it." Red replied before leaving the room. Riley rolled his eyes. He was getting really sick and tired of people messing with him when they all knew he had too much shit to deal with. Anything extra wasn't necessary.
Lucky for Red, aside from the paused game, everything else was exactly how he left it. Riley opened his minimized page from his online class and got right back to where he left off in his notes to finish his assignment due that night. His six-page assignment due on week-freakin'-one, day-freakin'-three.
Riley was pissed. He had never had assignments due during the first couple days of classes. Hell, last semester he hadn't started going to classes until week two because he knew nothing happened beforehand. Online classes apparently didn't work like that. Instead, he had a shit-ton of notes to read the first day, a "pre-quiz" due the second day, a lengthy assignment due about the material for day three, and a full quiz worth a total of fifty points due on Friday… and this was just for one class. Fucking Art History 447. After he was done with this shit, he still had English 301, Business 410, Technical Writing 240, and Digital Media 330 to look forward to.
"Hungry?" Cindy's voice surprised Riley as she was suddenly next to him. He'd been so absorbed in his work he hadn't noticed or heard her come in.
"Hey babe." Riley gave her a quick peck before turning back to his computer.
"How's it comin'?" She asked, rubbing his back.
"Slow. I'm like halfway done." He muttered, his eyes skimming over the words in front of him.
"You wanna take a break and go get food? Your babies are feelin' Taco Bell."
Riley smirked. Even in the midst of his work, Cindy couldn't play him. "More like you are feelin' Taco Bell. My babies wanna eat healthy. Take your cute ass over to the Subway."
Cindy sighed dramatically and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Whatevs. Aren't you gonna come with me?"
"I would babe, but I really want to get this done before my break is finished."
"Want me to bring you back something?"
"Taco Supreme?" Riley suggested.
"Boy bye!" She huffed, pulling away from him and causing Riley to laugh.
"I'm kidding. Any type of sandwich is fine though."
"Yeah yeah." Cindy pretended to snip. "I'll be back."
Riley lightly grabbed her arm before she could walk away. "Hey… thanks."
"Yeah yeah." Cindy repeated, this time with a smile. Then she leaned in to meet his soft kiss. He gently caressed her face before they pulled away.
"You know I love you, girl."
Cindy grinned before beginning to walk away from him. "I know." She winked. Riley shook his head as he turned back to his assignment. She was such a diva. But she was his diva.
When she returned, she found Riley in the same position: body immobile while his eyes scanned side to side over his screen as he typed. There wasn't much conversation held while Cindy ate and Riley wolfed down his sub in what seemed like only a few large bites.
Cindy lightly cleared her throat in between a bite, scarcely catching his attention again. "So, what's the plan for today after we pick Jamilah up?"
"Oh fuck," Riley cursed, gaining a questioning look when he finally met her gaze. "I wasn't even thinking that today's Wednesday."
"I mean… it's not like she's a handful to watch, Reez." Cindy commented, raising her eyebrow.
"I know that, and I didn't mean it in that way. I had just planned to go over to the studio tonight after work." He explained, turning back to his screen.
"You didn't mention that, babe."
"I just need to get some more things done before next week. It's almost ready."
"I know but… are you sure you really wanna work late again tonight? You can take a break, Riley."
"I know that I can, but… nah. I'm almost done." Riley insisted again with certainty. "And if I'm really gonna aim for this deadline, I've gotta get this stuff done now."
Riley had decided… he was going to have the grand opening for his studio the following week. Yes, it was hectic with everything going on. Yes, he'd only had the space for a little under a month. Yes, there were still things that needed to be done, events to be planned, and people to inform, but he was so close. He could handle this. His studio… his dream was about to become a reality by next week, come hell or high water.
"Alright Reez." Cindy replied, giving a subtle shake of her head that Riley missed. Then she rose to her feet. "I think I have enough time to run to the vending machine and grab a snack before my break's over. I'm still a little hungry."
"Try to find something remotely decent in there, babe." Riley finally cast her over a look.
"I'll see you in a couple hours then?" Cindy said, avoiding the comment.
"I'll come get you from the gym after we wrap up here." He nodded.
"Sounds good." She leaned in to kiss him. "I'll see you later."
"Bye babe." He murmured before turning back to his computer screen. Cindy sighed as she gently took his chin into her palm and redirected his head to face her again.
"Don't stress about this stuff, Riley." She told him softly. "It'll all get done." She gave him another firm kiss on the lips before leaning back and heading out.
"I know, babe. And I'm not." He lied in return, watching her steadily until she was completely out of the room. Then his attention was directed right back to his computer screen while his fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard.
He was way past stressing.
Cindy's POV
She wished she would've offered to drive.
"Could you merge any SLOWER?!"
Not that he would have guaranteed let her, but she still should've tried.
"GET THE FUCK IN YOUR LANE!"
Riley was in rare form today.
"Baby," Cindy began before he could shout another profanity at the car he was now passing. "You realize that you'll have to not do that once we pick up your niece, right?"
"I never swear in front of her." He muttered.
"Sometimes."
"Not the major ones." He corrected grudgingly. Cindy sighed in return.
"You're out for blood today."
"People don't know how to fuckin' drive."
"Terrible." Cindy mumbled inertly. She was not about to push him more. He had been like this all day. Technically, he'd been like this since the beginning of this week, but seemed to be getting edgier by the day. She'd tried asking him about it lightly, but of course, typical Riley brushed it off. She knew he was stressed about everything upcoming one day after the other, but damn. He had to find a balance. And a better outlet for his stress. She wanted to help him of course, but he needed to help himself first and to let her help him. She couldn't force him to.
Well… she could… but Cindy didn't want it to come down to that just yet.
"Here." Riley quietly announced as he practically whipped into a parking space.
"That was definitely the quickest we ever got here after work." Cindy finally felt safe to let go of the assist handle above her door.
"You know how I do." Riley said as he got out of the car. Cindy rolled her eyes and followed him. They were barely five feet from the car when his cellphone began to ring.
"I'mmmm about to whip somebody's assss." Riley lowly sang as he dug into his pocket. Cindy couldn't contain herself as she exploded into giggles.
"That was the best thing you've done all day, hands down." She smiled up at him. Riley winked at her while pulling out his phone. A split-second later his stressful demeanor was back as soon as he glanced at the caller ID.
"I've gotta take this." He told her before answering. "Yo."
"I'm gonna go in and get her, you can wait in the car." Cindy whispered, beginning to walk on ahead of him. Riley mouthed a thank you back before turning to go back to Dorothy. Cindy hurried in approach of the daycare. If there was anyone who could turn Riley's mood around, it was his favorite little girl.
She smiled once she finally made it to the room. For there she was: playing behind a toy kitchen set with some of the other kids. When she noticed Cindy in the doorway, her eyes lit up.
"Hi Aunt Cindy!" Jamilah beamed as Cindy approached her.
"Hey there, sweetie." She smiled, leaning down to give her a big hug. "How are you?"
"Good! We made pizza!" The child explained cheerfully, taking a plate off the toy stove and showing her the plastic slices.
"Oh wow, it looks delicious! Can I have some?"
"Yeah!" Jamilah prodded, along with the other handful of children among her. Cindy giggled as she lifted one of the slices and pretended to nibble it. "Do you like it?" Jamilah asked.
"Who made this amazing goodness?" Cindy asked, continuing to mock-eat.
"Trey made the dough and I made the topping," Jamilah smiled widely. Cindy also grinned, looking over to the boy who was standing the furthest away with a shy smile.
"You guys did amazing." She spoke to Trey, who smiled even more. "Mila, I'm inviting him over so you both can make dinner sometime."
"Okay!" Jamilah giggled, adorably oblivious.
"Thank you guys so much for the snack." Cindy smiled, setting down the plate. "You ready to get Uncle Reezy and go home, baby?"
"Yes!" She responded, taking Cindy's outstretched hand. They then gathered Jamilah's belongings and said goodbye to the kids and the daycare providers before heading out. They found Riley waiting outside, leaning on Dorothy as he tapped away on his phone.
"Hi Unca Reezy!" Jamilah's voice instantly tore him away from what he was doing as he glanced up, a grin already starting to appear on his face.
"Hey babygirl." Riley leaned down to scoop her up into his arms and give her a kiss. "How's my girl?"
"I'm good! I missed you." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder. Cindy smiled from behind while Riley squeezed his niece and rubbed her back. That was the hug he needed all day. They were precious.
After Riley got her settled into her car seat, they all continued their way back to the house. Cindy noticed that while his eyes were on the road, every few moments he would glance at his phone in the cup holder, as if he were expecting a notification any minute.
"Who was that on the phone, baby?"
"Xzibit." He muttered. "He was telling me that I've gotta go back to the filming location tomorrow to finish the last of the shooting."
"Tomorrow?" Cindy echoed. "Could you give you any shorter notice?"
"Naw, he had already told me about this, he was just reminding me. Glad he did, I completely forgot." Riley shook his head. "He said he gonna call me back, he had another call to make.
"Reez, you're gonna be exhausted. Tomorrow's your off day with Jamilah."
"I know, but it won't be bad. And the shooting shouldn't take too long. Granddad can watch Jamilah and I'll leave early in the morning; I'll try to get back by noon."
"Babe, you gotta find out what time everyone else is arriving. Yeah, you might get there early, but the people filming might not show up until noon."
"I know, I know… I'll wait for him to call me back so I can ask." Riley mumbled, rubbing his temple.
"And you really shouldn't be out late if you're planning to go your studio tonight." Cindy gave him a look.
"I am going to my studio, and no, I won't be out that late."
"You still have to look at your other online stuff tonight before you even go to sleep."
"Cindy." Riley finally looked over at her as he approached a stop sign. "I've. Got. This."
"Baby, I know you do. If anyone can do this, it's you. I'm just saying… you're going to wear yourself out. You need a break." Cindy explained to him, resting a hand on his thigh. Riley sighed lightly, lifting her hand and placing it to his lips to kiss. He squeezed gently before letting go.
"I've got this." He said again before finally pulling away from the intersection. Cindy gave a quiet sigh of her own. She could only help him as much as he'd let her.
"Did you have a good time at daycare, Mila?" Riley asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.
"Uh-huh!" She nodded enthusiastically.
"What was your favorite part of your day?"
"We got to cook today!" She answered without missing a beat.
"What'd you cook, girl?"
"Pizza, and sketti, and chicken, and veggies, and ice cream, and donuts!"
"I had the pizza and it was perfect, Reezy. You missed out." Cindy grinned over at him.
"Dang." Riley smirked. "Who were you cooking with?"
Here we go.
"Maya, and Gabrielle, and Trey."
Riley's eyes snapped up to the rearview mirror as soon as he heard the last name spoken.
"We played cooking house! Maya and Gabrielle were the babies, and me and Trey were the mommy and daddy!"
"Oh hell." Cindy muttered lowly, grabbing the steering wheel lightly to steady it while Riley completely turned around in his seat to stare at his niece in shock.
"…Yes, Unca Reezy?" The child asked innocently.
"Hell-LO, Uncle Reezy, can you please keep your eyes on the road and drive the car?!"
The Next Morning
Cindy stifled a yawn as she finished bringing the bacon and waffles to the kitchen table. Jamilah was already in her high chair, sipping happily on her orange juice.
"What's all this?" Granddad asked as he came into the kitchen.
"I just made a quick breakfast for you both so it'd be ready by the time you were done with your shower." Cindy explained while grabbing a glass down from the cupboard.
"Girl, you should be focused on gettin' ready for work! You know I know how to make breakfast."
"If anyone knows how to throw down in the kitchen it's you, Granddad." Cindy grinned as she poured the orange juice. "I just wanted to make your morning a little easier and thank you again for watching Mila for us." She told him as she handed him his glass. He accepted it with a grudging grin.
"Thank you, Cutie Pie. No need to thank me though. That's what I'm here for." He smiled as he brushed over Jamilah's hair, who grinned up at him.
"Would you like me to make anything else while I'm up? Eggs, grits, coffee?"
"I'd like you to eat somethin' before you go. You shouldn't be runnin' around on an empty stomach."
"Oh Granddad." Cindy smiled, taking a pear from the fruit basket to make him happy.
"Thank you." He nodded to her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not great." She shrugged, taking a seat at the table across from him.
"What time did Riley get in?"
Cindy paused to give him a look that was less than happy, then turned to Jamilah. "Your Uncle Reezy keeps staying up way past his bedtime."
"Ooooh." She grinned cutely.
"Yeah, he's gonna get himself in trouble." Cindy replied casually, although there was a serious undertone implied that Granddad caught on.
"That boy." He muttered.
"Yeah." Cindy sighed in agreement. After they'd picked Jamilah up from the daycare yesterday and gotten home, Riley had merely dropped them off before leaving for his studio; he didn't even come inside, which bothered Cindy although she didn't say anything about it. She'd gone in and watched Jamilah for the rest of the day with Granddad. Riley hadn't gotten home until a little after midnight, let alone went to bed until about an hour and a half later. He'd gone straight to the desk in the bedroom and worked on something school-related until he felt tired enough to go to sleep. Then, he'd tossed and turned in bed for over an hour, keeping Cindy up, and then, he woke up at 6am to get ready for the Pimp My Ride shooting.
She wanted to wring his neck… but that was probably pregnancy-brain talking.
"Did he make it to where he's supposed to be yet?" Granddad asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, he texted me."
He nodded while he gave another. "What time does he think he'll get home?"
Cindy shrugged and took another bite of her pear. "Anywhere from between noon and four in the afternoon. Your guess is as good as mine."
Ding-dong.
"That'll be Huey." Cindy said, standing from her chair.
"Don't know why that boy always rings before he walks in." Granddad rolled his eyes.
"To alert the house that a storm cloud's about to roll through." She replied easily, earning a hearty chuckle from Granddad. Sure enough, within seconds the infamous Freeman waltzed his way into the kitchen, his trademark scowl already in place.
"Are you ready?" His monotone voice held no trace of enthusiasm.
"Absolutely, carpool buddy!" Cindy tried to make it a point to call him that every day he drove her. It always made him slightly cringe in one way or another. This time it made his eye twitch.
"Bye, Daddy!" Jamilah called from her high chair.
Huey walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Bye, Angel. Mommy and I will be back later."
"Okay, Daddy." She nodded as she picked up and ate one of the bite-sized pieces of bacon. Huey openly glared at the food on her plate before turning to Cindy.
"This certainly does not look like turkey bacon."
"Oh, get the hell out my house, boy! Get Cutie Pie to work!" Granddad snapped at him.
Cindy giggled and leaned to give Jamilah a kiss on the cheek and then Granddad. "Thank you! I love you both!"
"Love you too!"
"Let's go, buddy!"
"Please stop calling me that."
"Yeah, that's never gonna happen."
Several Hours Later; 6:20 PM
"Thanks for the ride, Freeman." Cindy said as she opened her car door and got out.
"Whatever. Now listen," Huey said impertinently. "After Jazmine gets off work at seven, I'm going to pick her up and we're going to stop at home for dinner. She told me she'll be by after to pick up Jamilah."
"…Kay." Cindy replied before swinging his door shut and turning around to go into the house. She smirked in satisfaction, practically feeling his angry glare on her.
She loved being carpool buddies.
"Hey, I'm home." She announced as she walked through the door. After locking it and kicking off her shoes, she followed the noise of the television into the living room. Granddad was, of course, fast asleep in his recliner, while Jamilah was sitting on the couch clutching her favorite stuffed bunny.
"Hey, Mila!" Cindy smiled, coming over to take a seat on the couch beside her.
"Hi, Aunt Cindy." Jamilah greeted back quietly, lifting her arms so that she could be hugged.
Cindy hugged her gently before pulling back. She knew instantly that something was off. There wasn't a trace of happiness in that response. Or in her eyes. Or in her attempt of a smile.
"Are you alright?" Cindy asked her.
"Yes." She replied as she turned to face the TV again.
"Jamilah, look at me." Cindy said evenly, waiting for the toddler to meet her eyes again. When she did, it almost broke Cindy's heart. "What's wrong, honey? You know you can tell me anything."
Jamilah nodded, looking to be on the verge of tears. "Unca Reezy… he… he yelled at me today."
"What?" That was the last thing Cindy expected to hear. "What happened?"
"I was bad." Jamilah admitted meekly. She seemed to be petting her bunny for comfort. "I went to get my applesauce cup from the 'fridge-rator, but I accidentally knocked over the orange juice… I broke it." She told her sadly.
"It fell onto the floor?" Cindy's eyes widened. Jamilah's seemed to get sadder.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Cindy." A tear finally fell.
"Baby, I don't care about the orange juice, I care about you! That was a glass pitcher! Did you get hurt?" She asked immediately, not waiting for an answer as she lifted her foot to check for redness or glass shards.
Jamilah seemed confused about her reaction. "No, I was wearing my bunny slippers. Granddaddy checked my feet too."
"Thank goodness." Cindy said after checking her other foot just in case. "Now… where is Uncle Reezy?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even for Jamilah's sake.
"Upstairs." She answered, holding her toy closely. "I think he's still mad at me."
"Jamilah, listen to me. I know your uncle. I promise he is not mad at you. He wasn't even mad in the first place, he was probably just upset that you might've gotten hurt."
"…Okay." Jamilah nodded, seeming to accept that for an answer.
"Come 'ere." Cindy reached over to bring her into a hug. Jamilah nuzzled her face into Cindy's neck and wrapped her arms around her. "No one is mad at you." The child nodded against her silently. "I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too."
Cindy gave her a kiss on the cheek before letting her go. "I'm going to go talk to your uncle, okay? We'll be down in a bit."
"'Kay." Jamilah picked up her bunny again and turned back to the TV. Cindy immediately headed out of the room and started up the stairs.
She had had it.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cindy demanded as soon as she entered their bedroom. Riley was at his desk working on his laptop. He instantly turned around at her hostile tone.
"Hello to you too." Riley mumbled defensively.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cindy retorted again, ignoring the comment. She slammed the door behind her. "You yelled at Jamilah?"
Riley sighed and stood up to approach her. "Cindy, listen-"
"No, you listen." Cindy cut him off fiercely, stepping back out of arm's reach. He wasn't about to pacify her. "I know that you're stressed. And you're tired. And you have a lot on your plate understandably. But you will not start taking your frustration out on this family. Or anyone for that matter! Especially when we don't deserve it."
Riley remained quiet as he looked down at her, but nodded. "I know. And I won't."
"She's two years old, Riley. It was an accident. And she could've gotten seriously hurt! Did you even think of that before you yelled at her? What is your problem?"
"I know." Riley said again, even quieter. He looked so solemn, Cindy was almost taken aback. This wasn't the confrontation she was expecting.
"What's going on with you, Riley?" She asked, her voice gentler this time.
He blinked at her before looking away to walk to the bed. "You don't think I feel bad about it?" He replied instead.
"I know you do. And you should. You know that wasn't right." Cindy followed him to sit down beside him. He finally met her gaze again.
"I feel like an asshole. I've never upset her like that. I've never even raised my voice at her, let alone yell at her." He shook his head, disgusted with himself. "I feel like shit."
Cindy watched him carefully, knowing he was deep into his own thoughts. The look of regret and self-loathing he wore was almost hard to look at. He clearly didn't mean to take it as far as he did.
"I lost my cool." He admitted quietly. "And I snapped... fucking stupid. I didn't see what she was doing initially, but I came around the corner right as the pitcher smashed onto the floor and… said some shitty stuff." He shook his head back and forth, clearly not wanting to think about it. Cindy wasn't even going to go there. He didn't need to dwell on it even more.
"I know you didn't mean to." She rubbed his leg.
"I really didn't. I just forgot where I was for a minute. The day I had was ridiculous. And I think watching that last incident occur right in front of me pushed me over the edge."
"What happened today?"
Riley rolled his eyes. "You mean other than waking up at the crack of dawn, having to drive over an hour to the damn location, being forced to work on a "dummy car" for about two hours before even starting the actual car, which took about four hours, then having to drive back for two hours due to traffic, and then have to stare at a computer screen for hours as soon as I get back?"
"…Not to mention you barely slept, so you were probably a bit of a bear all day." Cindy smirked without missing a beat, which finally made him crack a grin.
"Girl, whateva." Cindy grinned and gave his cheek a lingering kiss. With a sigh, Riley leaned his head against hers. "I'm sorry, babe."
Cindy gave him another kiss. "You know she's going to forgive you."
"I hope."
"Oh stop, she will. I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about you."
"Why me?"
"Reez, are you serious?" Cindy pulled away from him so he'd be able to look her in the face and see how serious she was. "This… has got… to stop." Riley stared at her calmly, very aware what she was talking about. "You talk about me overworking myself? What you're doing is insane. Yeah, you're getting stuff done, but at what costs? You are going to wear yourself out running on no sleep, high stress, and no breaks. And worse than that, you're isolating yourself. You won't even talk about it with anyone, not even me."
"I just don't want you to worry, baby." He tried, making Cindy raise her eyebrow.
"So your plan is to worry and stress for the both of us?"
"…Yes?"
"…That's stupid. And also not how it works." Cindy rolled her eyes. "You have to let me in, babe. The struggle is clearly real. Just talk to me."
Riley ran his fingers through his rows and looked down at the floor for a minute. "This past two weeks have just kinda sucked." He admitted finally. "Yeah, I'm making moves and making progress but I am tired. And to be honest, I really didn't think it'd be this much."
"I did." Cindy snorted, causing Riley to look at her. "Reez, come on. You're working the tattoo parlor, managing your studio, trying to get that off the ground within weeks, filming for a show, doing online classes with a shit-ton of homework, and still taking care of your grandfather, niece, and putting up with your temperamental girlfriend who's carrying your twins…. If that's not a bit much, I don't know what is."
"It's all necessary though. I've just gotta man up and handle it."
"You don't have to handle it alone, Reez."
"You got any ideas, toots?" He smirked at her.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Because I am and always have been the brains of our operation." Cindy shot back with a grin.
"Girl bye, you were the muscle."
"One of us had to be." She winked. She then was squealing when Riley promptly pinned her onto the bed and tickled her. When he finally had enough, he gave her a kiss on the forehead. Cindy smiled up at him and pecked his lips.
"We're gonna work this out, Reez. It'll be fine."
Riley nodded before leaning down to kiss her again, slowly this time. "I love you, C."
"I love you too." She smiled at him. "Now come on." She patted his side and began to sit up.
"What?"
"You know what you've gotta do."
A look of recognition washed over his face. "Right."
"Stop it with that sad face. It'll be fine."
"I don't know." Riley mumbled, hanging back.
"Boy, if you don't get your ass out this room…."
As they both headed downstairs together, Riley asked Cindy to bring Jamilah into the kitchen so they could talk; he didn't want to have the distraction from the television or worse… Granddad, if he were to wake up and input his two cents. Cindy agreed, allowing Riley to head to the kitchen first before returning back to the living room.
"Hey sweetie," She said as she entered the room. She was in the same spot she left her, cutely lounging on the couch with her bunny.
"Hi." She replied, turning away from the TV to look at her.
"You wanna come in the kitchen with me? I got someone who wants to talk to you and we don't wanna wake Granddaddy." Cindy explained, even though she soon realized the last part wasn't necessary. He was in the same spot she left him too, his snoring uninterrupted.
"…Okay." Jamilah said reluctantly. She clearly was smart enough to know who wanted to talk to her and what it was about. But she slid off the couch anyway, taking Cindy's hand to be led out of the room. When they arrived in the kitchen, Riley was already sitting at the table waiting for them.
"Hey Mila." He greeted quietly.
"Hi Unca Reezy." She answered softly.
"Come 'ere, hun." Cindy said, leaning down to pick Jamilah up and moved to the table. Riley had already placed Jamilah's booster seat on the chair next to him. "I'll let you guys talk for a bit, okay?" She told the child as she set her in her chair.
"'Kay."
"You ain't stayin'?" Riley asked, giving her a look. Cindy gave him a pointed one back.
"I haven't even changed out of my clothes yet, Reez. I'm gonna hop in the shower. I'll be back down soon." She then kissed the top of Jamilah's head before leaning over to kiss Riley's cheek.
"Handle it, Daddy." She whispered into his ear, giving him one more peck on the cheek before walking away.
This was one thing he could handle on his own.
Riley's POV
She definitely wasn't supposed to leave him. He glared at her retreating backside, knowing she was purposely sashaying it for him as she flounced away. That girl.
Riley slowly redirected his gaze back on the little girl in front of him. She looked up at him patiently, with those eyes that were sweet enough to break his heart.
"Can I tell you something?" He waited for her little nod before continuing. "Uncle Reezy messed up today."
Jamilah looked surprised as she tilted her head slightly. "You did?" She asked quietly.
He nodded. "I handled what happened earlier in a really bad way, Mila. And I'm not proud or happy about the way I did it. I owe you a big apology."
"Really?" She asked quietly.
"Of course, baby." He reached out to gently hold her tiny hand. "You didn't do anything wrong today. I messed up, not you. I know it was an accident. Uncle Reezy just had a bad day and got upset over the wrong thing. That's no excuse though…. I really am sorry for yelling at you, honey." He told her sincerely. "Can you forgive me?"
Jamilah tilted her head again, a small grin taking over her little face. "I forgive you."
Riley couldn't hold back the smile. "You do?" He smiled more as she nodded. "Really?" She bobbed her head again. "You promise?"
"Yes!" She giggled.
"Thank goodness." Riley said as he stood from his chair, scooping up Jamilah from her seat and bringing her into a hug. His niece wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him back. After a few moments of holding her, he pulled back and looked down at her sweet little face. "You still my best girl?"
"Mm-hm." She beamed.
"That's right." Riley grinned before giving her a kiss. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Unca Reezy." She smiled.
Riley pulled her close to him again and held her in content. Cindy was right, as usual. His composure the past few days had been complete shit. And it wasn't fair to her. Or Granddad. And especially not Jamilah.
He needed to regain a little bit of normalcy back in his life.
Two Days Later; Saturday, August 24
"Why you puttin' on lipstick?" Riley asked, glancing over at Cindy.
"Lip gloss." She replied before applying the wand to her bottom lip as she stared into her overhead mirror. "I'm tryna avoid lookin' like a beached whale, thank you."
"One: you don't look like a beached whale. And two: even if you did, how is putting on lip gloss supposed to help?"
"Distraction." She quipped before rubbing her lips together.
"Nothin' can distract me from that chunky ass." Riley smirked.
Cindy let out a surprised laugh and swatted him. "You did not just call my ass chunky!"
"Girl please, you know I love your chunky ass." Riley snickered, grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss. "And you look beautiful, so knock it off."
Cindy stuck her tongue out at him, but pulled his hand back to give his a kiss as well. "Thank you. I'm excited."
"I'm excited too." Riley nodded, meaning it. After the week he had, he needed this. It had been stressful and shitty to say the least, but he was damn sure going to end his week on a good note.
Cindy was making sure of that.
Riley stole another glance at his girlfriend in the passenger seat. She was sexy from head to toe, and even cuter with that tiny bump that was starting to show. He was so damn lucky. After she had pretty much put him on check on Thursday, they talked more in depth that night. She convinced him to talk to Dean about getting some additional hours off so he could focus more on his schoolwork and finish getting his business ready. Of course Riley was reluctant to ask, but he knew Cindy was right. He couldn't keep up the charade that he had everything under control, because he obviously didn't. But despite everything, Dean had been so understanding and was willing to work with him. He basically gave free reign to Riley to choose when he would work, but would still provide him with full pay, which was awesome.
That alone lifted significant stress. When he shared the news with Cindy, she seemed almost happier than him. And she was prepared to celebrate.
"Whatchu mean?" Riley had asked at lunch that Friday. "Whatchu wanna do?"
"Something FUN." Cindy had answered excitedly. "You need a day to unwind. So you're gonna get it."
"And how's that, cutie? There ain't nothin' to do around here."
"Please boy, I've gotta couple ideas. Don't doubt me." She had grinned. "We should make it a group thing."
"Ew, like a double date?" Riley joked with a smirk.
"Triple." Cindy had smirked back, causing Riley to raise an eyebrow. "Huey and Jazz AND Caesar and Anthia."
"You think he'll finally agree for us to all meet her at one time?"
"He doesn't have to agree," Cindy had shrugged carelessly. "But it is happening this weekend."
And it was. Everyone was finally about to meet Caesar's girlfriend at dinner.
"I can't believe this is gonna be the first time meeting his chick." Riley said as a distraction while he accelerated through a yellow light.
"Slow down. And I know." Cindy replied. "I hope she's as nice as Caesar says she is."
"As much as he rambles on about her, she damn well better be."
"I don't want any of us to scare her off, Freeman." She cast him a look.
"Why is that directed towards me? Tell that to McHater!"
"He was included in that." She smirked.
"Hm. It's definitely gonna be interesting." Riley said as they pulled into the parking lot of the outdoor restaurant, Breeze. It had been the one they had both come to on their first getaway weekend together.
"That's for sure." Cindy agreed. "Best behavior."
"No promises." Riley winked as he turned off the car. He was about to open his door and get out, but Cindy stopped him by resting a gentle hand on his arm. "What's up, babe?"
Cindy smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips softly while cupping his face. Riley moaned slightly and leaned back into her, enjoying the playful kiss. When she finally pulled back, she smiled again as she used her thumb to brush over his bottom lip. "I hope you have a good time tonight."
"I'll have an even better night once we get home, girl." Riley told her huskily with a grin. He tried to lean in again, but Cindy giggled and pulled out of his reach.
"I've gotta fix my lips again. Be good."
"That ain't fair. You can't expect me to be good after all that." Riley complained, watching her re-apply her gloss. "You look so fuckin' good too… you play too much."
"Oh stop it." Cindy grinned. "Do I really look okay though? Honestly." She asked, turning to look back at him again.
Riley gave her a look before his eyes leisurely stared her up and down again. She was wearing her new blue maxi dress and white wedge sandals while her hair was down in wavy spirals. She had that effortless natural beauty that bitches would kill for.
"Like I just said, you look fuckin' sexy. Can we get outta here?" Riley asked as he openly readjusted himself in his seat.
"No." Cindy giggled again, keeping her eyes focused on his and nothing else. "You look good too. Thank you for trying."
"You know I wouldn't be comin' up in here dressed like this if I didn't love you." Riley shrugged. He was wearing a white button-down with nice darkwash jeans and gray Vans.
"Well thank you for loving me." Cindy smirked, leaning over to give an air-kiss to Riley's cheek. "I love you too. Let's go." After they made it up the walkway and arrived on the deck, they spotted Huey and Jazmine at a table right away and headed over.
"I saw your afro as soon as I got up here. Cut dat shit." Riley said by way of greeting.
"You're looking gangster today." Huey replied coolly.
"Fuck you!"
"Shhh!" Cindy shushed as she swatted at him.
"Knock it off you guys, we just got here." Jazmine said, giving the boys a look. "You both look great. That dress looks phenomenal on you, Cin."
"Yeah yeah, I hate you." Cindy replied as she glanced Jazmine over. "You're ahead of me. How am I showing more than you?" Jazmine shook her head as she sipped her water. She was wearing a flowy pink blouse and white floral skirt. There was a slight hint of curve to her belly, but definitely not noticeable for people who didn't already know she was pregnant.
"I am starting to show. One more week or so and it will be obvious."
"Meanwhile I've been obvious since week five." Cindy pouted.
"Oh BS, you were not." Jazmine laughed. "You're so full of it."
Cindy shrugged a shoulder as she glanced down at her flashing phone. "Ooh, Caesar just texted me. He said they just pulled in."
"What's the point of texting you that if he's right outside?" Riley rolled his eyes.
"He also said quote, 'Be on your fucking A-games! Please don't none of y'all embarrass me, Freemans.'"
"Damn, why we gotta be singled out?" Riley turned to Huey, who shrugged.
"He really likes this girl." Jazmine told him. "Can we at least try not to scare her off?"
"Girl please, she gonna love me." Riley smirked, glancing at Cindy who gave him a questioning look back.
"There they are." Jazmine announced with a smile and a wave. The rest of them to turned to see Caesar proudly making his way over, hand-in-hand with a beautiful woman. She had dark mocha skin and natural curly hair in wild ringlets that came down to the top of her shoulders. She was wearing a long halter orange dress with a black tribal design and beaded gladiator sandals to match.
Homegirl was fierce.
"Hi!" Jazmine greeted, rising to her feet. She silently urged everyone else to stand up as well, which they did accordingly.
"Hey guys." Caesar grinned at everyone. He was wearing a green polo with khaki shorts and boat shoes. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Anthia." He said almost formally, which was weird coming from him.
"Hi everyone." Anthia smiled at each of them, giving a shy wave. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you."
"Believe me, we've been waiting since the moment Caesar told us he was seeing someone." Jazmine said as she approached her, embracing her with a light hug. Anthia chuckled in surprise, but hugged her back easily. "So nice to meet you. I'm Jazmine."
"Caesar told me you were a hugger." Anthia grinned when they pulled back.
"I almost got her to bet that you were gonna hug her the first time y'all met." Caesar added.
"I'm glad I didn't fall for it." She said, nudging into him gently.
"You're a mess, Ceez. And I'm glad that you didn't fall for it either." Jazmine giggled. "This is my husband, Huey." She introduced, letting Huey move forward.
"I'm not a hugger." He said, extending his hand. Anthia laughed and shook it easily.
"I didn't peg you as one." She replied smoothly, earning a light smirk from him. "And you must be Cindy, right?" She asked once she turned to face her.
"Is it that obvious?" Cindy chuckled.
"Only a little." Anthia grinned. "Hand-shaker or hugger?"
"I can go either or."
"Bring it in then." They both giggled as they gave each other a quick embrace. "Great to meet you, Cindy."
"You too." She smiled. "This is my boyfriend, Riley." She gestured to him.
"Pleasure to meet you." Anthia said, extending a hand. Riley smirked, casting another almost unnoticeable glance to Cindy, but she caught it. Then he directed his gaze back on Anthia and put on the charm.
"Likewise, sweetheart." He replied smoothly as he took her hand, making her smile and making Caesar snap his head at him. "You are gorgeous. I mean Caesar told us as much, but damn, he didn't lie."
"Aww, he said that?" She asked, smiling back at Caesar, who gave a tight-lipped smile in return. "Thank you, honey."
"You're welcome, baby. Reez, why are you still holding her hand?" Caesar asked, his eyes deadlocked on his hand.
"Because I'm a hugger, not a hand-shaker." Riley shot back coolly, before surprising Anthia with an embrace.
"Aww!" She giggled. Riley only smirked over her shoulder at Caesar, who was beginning to catch the hint.
"…Aiight… aiight man, that's enough." Caesar glared at him when they finally released each other. Riley gave Anthia a wink before stepping away. He caught Cindy's eye who just shook her head at him, clearly realizing what he was doing. Anthia gave a confused smile to Riley then back to Caesar who just shook his head. "I'll explain that later." He told her quietly.
"Ohkayyy," Jazmine intervened, heading back to her seat. "Let's figure out what we wanna eat." The group took their seats and browsed the menu quickly before the waiter returned to take their orders.
"I love your hair, Anthia." Jazmine said, openly gazing it.
"Thank you so much." She giggled. "It's not for everybody, but I gotta say, I really do love it natural."
"It kinda reminds me of Yaya DaCosta's style." Cindy mused.
"Oh my God, YES. That's exactly who you remind me of!" Jazmine exclaimed.
"Who?" Riley asked Cindy.
"She came in second on one of the seasons of America's Next Top Model."
"Freakin' stunning." Jazmine added.
"I can see why they'd compare you to her then." Riley commented casually, before sipping his drink.
"You don't even know who the hell they're talking about." Caesar snipped. Riley shrugged in response.
"So Anthia," Cindy cut in, ignoring the boys. "Are you working anywhere right now?"
"Oh yes. Right now I'm mentoring at an outreach program downtown for the youth."
"That's awesome. Do you like it?"
"I love talking to the kids. Some of them have stories you wouldn't believe and it breaks my heart, but I'd do anything to get them on the path of recovery. I'd love to be a counselor someday. That or a journalist. Or both." She shrugged.
"Why don't you tell them some of your favorite books?" Caesar smirked.
"Well, some of my favorites are I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, The Color Purple, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X to name just a few."
Everyone turned to Huey who already had his eyebrow lifted. "You've read the Malcolm X biography?"
"Too many times to count. It's fantastic."
"Anthia's big on African-American literature and topics." Caesar added, grinning at Huey.
"Don't even get me started, I could go on forever." She warned playfully.
"Trust us. So can he." Cindy said dryly, nodding her head at Huey.
"Seriously. Let's not even go there tonight." Jazmine agreed, glancing at her husband.
Anthia chuckled good-naturedly. "I guess we have a lot to talk about sometime then, huh Huey?"
"So it would seem." He nodded with a smirk, taking a sip of his water.
Once their food arrived, everyone dined and enjoyed good conversation, from Riley's business to Cindy and Jazmine's pregnancies, to Jamilah, and inevitably, to racism. But that was nipped in the bud very quickly by the group ("We're keeping it light today, Huey! Save it for another time and place,").
"Damn, that was a good. You were right Cin, I loved it." Caesar nudged her as they headed out after they were finished.
"The atmosphere was beautiful." Anthia agreed, looping her hand through Caesar's open arm.
"So romantic, right Huey?" Jazmine cooed at him.
"Eh."
"Whateva, hater. I'm glad we were all able to make it out tonight. It was nice." Cindy told them as they reached the parking lot.
"Word. Dinner was on point." Riley nodded.
"We gotta plan for a night to do something again soon." Jazmine said.
"Ooh, they got a new interactive arcade in Woodcrest we can go to." Caesar suggested excitedly.
"What are you, eight?" Riley scoffed at him.
"Your FACE is eight!"
"Nigga, they call me babyface!"
"Shut. Up." Huey silenced them. "Anthia, it was nice to meet you. Jazmine and I have to pick up our daughter from her grandparents. I'm sure we'll be seeing you again soon." He said as he extended his hands towards her.
"Most definitely." She smiled in return. "I'm looking forward to our discussion soon."
"Likewise."
"Girl, I don't know if you're ready." Jazmine giggled, stepping over to give her another hug.
"I don't know, he may be the one who's not ready." Anthia winked, causing Huey to smirk. "It was great to meet you, Jazmine. Text me whenever."
"You gonna regret you said that." Riley muttered playfully.
"Shut up, Riley." Jazmine shoved him lightly.
"Ignore him. Great to meet you, girl." Cindy said as she hugged Anthia.
"You too, Cindy." When she let go, she grinned at Riley. "It was nice to meet you too, Riley."
"You can text me whenever too," He replied, about to hug her, but Caesar stiff-armed him.
"Oh hell no." Caesar intercepted.
"Alright, what am I missing here?" Anthia demanded with a smile.
"It's a long story." Cindy rolled her eyes.
"But a funny story." Jazmine giggled. Even Huey nodded.
"I'll explain on the car ride home." Caesar promised, which seemed to satisfy her. The rest of the group said their goodbyes before they got into their cars and followed each other out.
"That was a lot of fun." Cindy smiled, looking out the window as they drove.
"It was. Thank you." Riley replied, glancing over at her.
"Why are you saying thank you?"
"You're pretty much the one who planned it. It was nice."
"Did you really have a good time?" She asked him.
"Yes, baby. I needed that."
"I know you did. We have to go out more just to get a break."
"I know you right. I'll try to be better about that."
"Don't do it for me Reez, do it for you."
"Girl, I'm sure you need a break sometimes after dealin' with me so much."
"…Yeah, you right…. Boy!" Cindy starting laughing when Riley reached over and tickled her thigh. When she had had enough he stopped so she could catch her breath.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Riley smirked, ignoring her stick her tongue out at him. After a few silent minutes of quiet, Riley's mind started going again. "I can't believe it's happening next week." He spoke aloud quietly.
"I'm so excited for your grand opening, babe. It'll be awesome."
"I hope so. I still gotta edit a few main pieces, finish some advertising, talk to a couple more people, call-"
"Reezy." Cindy cut him off. "Listen to me. You're gonna get all that done. You're gonna have your grand opening. People will come. And it's gonna be awesome." She stated with assurance. "I already believe that, but you have to believe it too."
Riley looked over at his girl. She was his rock. Still and always would be his ride-or-die.
"I do."
"You got this." She told him confidently, offering her hand. Riley gently took it and gave it a kiss.
"We got this."
Finally did it. You guys don't know how long I've been working on this chapter. I had the beginning part done for a while, but then the writer's block set in and then SCHOOL added to it and had me only being able to input a few lines at a time when I got the chance. But I made it! *Shmoney dances*
I'm so sorry again that an update took so long. I'M ALIVE! School has just been a mess. Seriously unreal. But I'm hanging in. One more semester after this one and I'm out! Then I'll be able to update as much as I please. Just waitin' on it.
Disclaimers: I do not own Blasterball, Taco Bell, Subway, I'm About To Whip Somebody's Ass line from the duck video, Pimp My Ride, Vans, America's Next Top Model, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, and any other thing, person, place, object, phrase, line, letter, punctuation I missed that I don't own!
Thanks again for all the patience, all of the support, and all the love you guys continue to throw my way. Love you guys!
Next update will be for Friends First ;) Stay tuned!
~Schweetie
PS: I gotta be honest, I didn't really proofread before uploading because I have to go somewhere and wanted to get this uploaded today before I left! I didn't want you guys to wait any longer than necessary. So please forgive me :)