Page 3 of Jaeda

“Try that again.”

“So, you can snap at me, but I can’t snap back?”

“I’m sorry, okay. I’ve had a frustrating day.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing you can help with. I’ll figure it out soon enough. Anyway, what’s going on with you?”

She sighed. “Titan. Sis, I don’t know what it is about that man. He gets on my last nerves, but—I don’t know.”

“Just admit all that hate you have is really love, Mia.”

She scoffed. “I donotlove that arrogant asshole!”

I laughed. “I hate to tell you this, but y’all are one in the same. That’s why y’all have that toxic shit going on. Neither of you will admit that you actually like each other.”

“I like his body parts, not him.”

“Girl, please. No dick is that good.”

“How would you know? Did you finally let someone pop that cherry and not tell me?”

“Bye, Mia.”

“Wait! What am I gonna do about him, Jae?”

I shrugged like she could see me. “I don’t know. Maybe try giving things a chance. Just don’t be toxic. Stop being in competition with each other, and stop using your body parts as the only connection between you two. Y’all might find you actually like each other for more than what’s between your legs.”

Mia huffed. “I don’t know if I like this.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Look, we can have lunch tomorrow and we can talk about Titan all you want. Right now, I have to mentally prepare myself for dinner with my family.”

“Ugh. Fine! Tell everyone I said hey, bitch. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

I hung up and focused my attention back on the road. I got to my childhood home about twenty minutes later. Sighing, I got out of the car and headed inside. When I walked in, I could hear my family in the kitchen. Kicking off my shoes, I made my way to join them. My mother, my stepfather, Hershel, Steel, our fourteen-year-old little sister, Kalia, and eight-year-old little brother, Jaiden, sat at the table eating ice-cream sundaes and laughing. When my mother saw me, she smiled and stood to her feet.

“Hey, sugar,” she said, calling me by the nickname she’d given me as a kid.

She pulled me into a warm embrace, and I melted in her arms. She was being really nice, considering I was late.

“Hey, Mommy.”

“You missed dinner, but I saved you a plate. Have a seat, and I’ll warm it up for you.”

“Thank you.”

As she moved to warm my food, I made my rounds, hugging everybody. When I got to Steel, I put him in a headlock that caused our siblings to laugh.

“All right now,” he warned. “When it’s my turn, I don’t wanna hear you complaining that I messed up your hair. Watch me pull a track out.”

“First of all, this is all mine, and you know it,” I said, smacking the back of his head. “Just because you deal with bald-headed heifers doesn’t mean you can come for me.”

“That was one time,” he defended.

I rolled my eyes as my mother set my plate in front of me. “Thank you, Mommy.”

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