“We was just walkin’ around, Mama. We lost track of time.” Haze looked at his mom with puppy dog eyes. It worked every damn time.
She melted at the sight of her only son and grabbed him up in her arms. She kissed all over his cheeks while he tried to escape. Gideon looked on longingly. He never knew what it was like to have a mother’s love.
Charlene wasn’t the type to leave anyone out, so once she felt Haze had enough, she turned her love on Gideon.
“And you.” She grabbed his cheeks, forcing him to bend so she could leave kisses all over his face. “You’re such a sweet boy, so I’m sorry to have to do this. You’re both grounded.”
“Aw, Ma! That’s not fair! Gideon ain’t even do nothin’. It was all me,” Haze argued.
Charlene smiled and patted Gideon’s cheek affectionately before turning to her son. “Until Gideon learns to start making his own decisions, he’ll be grounded right along with you every time.”
Henry chuckled as he watched on in amusement.
Gideon didn’t mind. He thought it was comical, too, honestly. He didn’t even technically live there, but he was there enough to get grounded for sure. He would take that, though, over being at his grandmother’s house.
“Y’all go on and grab your plates from the kitchen and then go to your rooms, your separate rooms. You’re grounded starting now,” Henry said before he turned to his wife. “The girls tucked in?”
Charlene beamed. “Tucked in, but I highly doubt they’re sleeping. You know how they get when they’re together.”
Gideon assumed they were talking about Kyomi, Haze’s little sister, and Deja, his little cousin. They were five years younger than them, and Gideon felt fiercely protective over them.
He tuned the parents out as he followed Haze into the kitchen. Haze grumbled the entire way while Gideon shook his head. What did he expect to happen? They were late for curfew, and he knew it, and still decided to stay out fooling around.
“Sorry, Gideon,” Haze mumbled as he pulled two stacked plates out of the microwave. They were covered in foil, and Gideon drooled at the smell of whatever was underneath.
“It’s all good,” he said as he wiped his mouth and took his plate. “Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”
Haze shrugged. They both knew he wouldn’t.
They walked back through the house and toward the stairs. At the top of the steps, Haze stuck his hand out, and they did their secret handshake before going their separate ways down the hall. Gideon felt spoiled that he had his very own room here, but Charlene made it a point to decorate it for him a year ago, and he loved it.
On his way to his room, he had to pass Kyomi’s room. He heard girls’ voices whispering and giggling. He couldn’t help it. The instinct to make sure everyone was good before he went to his own room was always heavy on him. He inched the door open and saw Kyomi and Deja sitting on Kyomi’s princess bed, with matching braids and pigtails. Sitting with them was another little girl, giggling uncontrollably.
Kyomi held her hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle her giggles. “Glimmer, stop. Mama’s going to hear you.”
Deja laughed loudly, and the girl, Glimmer, bounced around like she couldn’t possibly stop.
Glimmer made a funny face, and Kyomi and Deja flopped back on the bed, red from laughter.
Gideon gently closed the door and chuckled before he went to his room a few more doors down. The blue walls and Desmore Bay sports teams representing throughout made him smile. He put his plate on the dresser. As much as he wanted to devour that food, he knew he needed to shower first. He appreciated being clean and feeling warm and cozy, so he prepared himself for his shower while mentally preparing for a week on punishment.
Thirteen years later . . .
Days like todaymade Glimmer miss her best friends, Kyomi and Deja. Glimmer’s mother, Camille, drove her insane most days, but she was the only person she could go shopping with. Going alone had always been boring to her, and she never liked shopping online if she could avoid it. She loved going to malls, getting food at the food court, trying on clothes, bouncing from store to store.
“Whew, I am so glad to be home,” Camille said as she dropped all her bags in the foyer. “I wonder where my baby daddy is.”
Her mom kicked off her heels, and her long legs carried her further into the home. Glimmer rolled her brown eyes. She hated that her mom referred to her father asbaby daddyand not as her husband.
Today reminded her why she hated hanging out with her mother. Camille made everything about her. While Glimmer was still able to do everything she wanted, her mother wouldn’t stop yapping about her socialite friends and how good all the clothes she tried on looked on her.
Nobody would ever be able to say Camille and Glimmer had anything in common. While Glimmer was confident, Camille was cocky as hell. She had every reason to be. She was beautiful with dark skin and doe shaped eyes, but that didn’t mean she had to come off as a middle-aged mean girl.
Glimmer had always been humble. She was one of those pretty girls with a big heart and a quiet demeanor. She didn’t bother anyone, and nobody bothered her, mostly because of who her father was.
James ‘Juke’ Delacroix was a big time connect for Desmore Bay. Being the connect’s daughter came with a ton of perks. Respect being the main one. It could make for a lonely life though.
Glimmer sighed heavily as she made her way through the home and down to the furnished basement, which was her room, with all her bags in her hands. She didn’t want their housekeeper to have to clean up after her, like she would have to do for her mother.
