Includes Caribbean Dialect

Present Day

After Eli and Janine finished their love story that can be forever told and never gets old. The girls quietly bowed out and took the cool walk down the garden path that led to the pool house. Shaye asked to join after observing her parents. The girls deducted to the fact that after years-long secrets being revealed, the two needed some time alone. 

Sitting in the living room, Shaye watching a saved tv show, the girls were all lost in thought. "I know what to do now," Raine said softly. She wrapped the blanket that was on the sofa around her, trying to ease the pain her decision caused to her heart and mind. Ayanna eyed her worriedly. The others quietly waited for her to go on. Ayanna filled in Stacia and Taylor about what happened earlier that day. Hearing the scene she herself was part of, made Raine feel so much more like a fool. Pining over a boy who saw her as a dumb whore. Her eyes burned remembering the harsh way he spoke to her and those cold dead eyes. It won't be easy forgetting about Travis, he was the forefront of her childish crush. That's what she now saw her infatuation as - a silly childish crush. 

"Aye! Yuh okay? Tell we what you goin' an' do?" Erica called out from the other sofa. Raine smiled at the island girl who fit so perfectly into their group of friends, better than Bree, she had to say. 

"Give him what he wants. It will be hard but I have to. I don't think there is any guy out there who is worthy of you making a complete fool of yourself. I-I should have backed off the first time," she said with a weak smile.

"Nah. Doh beat yuhself up. Not your fault. Yuh was bold enough to tell yuh crush yuh like him. Most ah we deez days just stay quiet an' watch dem be wid other girls then saying what if. He's de cunthole though. He didn't have to mek you feel bad like that. That says a lot about how he treat gyals. Now leh we enjoy we self. Ah think that's why Elijah tell we to come here," Erica said getting up from her seat. The girls shook their heads in amusement thinking of how unique their friend's girlfriend was. They didn't need a translation of what she said. She was right. They came to enjoy themselves, cheer Raine up, and show her that she has people in her corner. Leaving their seats, they called out to Shaye to follow them but the little version of Janine was too focused on her show. 

"Is she allowed to watch that type of movie?" Stacia asked her friend Taylor. 

The blonde craned her neck to see what the little girl who she adoringly called her sister was watching. She frowned and took in a scene. "Hey! Are you four episodes ahead of me?" Taylor shrieked, rushing back to Shaye. The little girl grinned impishly at her and nodded her head in answer, 'yes'. Stacia looked on as her friend took a spot near Shaye and put all her focus on the show. 

"Taylor!"

"Oh, right. Uhhhhh... It's Anime. Totally fine. Seven Deadly Sins is a... fave. No... Meliodas... Uhhh... yeah... fave with us, "Taylor muttered, near incoherency. 

"You lost her. Mischa and Trey will probably be the same now. Just feed them and they will be fine," Ayanna shouted from the kitchen. Shaking her head, Stacia rushed towards her new friends with a smile on her face. Erica was on her phone talking to someone while Raine and Ayanna were busy putting an array of junk food together, Stacia opted to simply sit and watch. 

"Allyuh, come and meet mih friends from Tobago," Erica called out. Like, little kids, Raine and Ayanna rushed to the now propped-up phone, Taylor found herself skidding to a stop at the marble counter and Stacia peeked in between the heads of the girls. 

"This is Avi an' Alissa. Girls,  my new friends, Raine, Ayanna, Stacia, and Taylor. We having ah sleep-over tingy," Erica said waving her hand about. 

A chorus of hellos rang through the kitchen. "Wam to the black gyal and the hoity toity one?" Alissa asked narrowing her eyes at Erica's new friends.

"Hoity-Toity?" Ayanna repeated trying not to laugh.

"Girl..... Is comes ah have to give yuh," Erica answered, stressing on the L. Her tone grabbed everyone's attention. Grabbing the snack they craved they listened on as Erica relayed the story of Bree and Natalie, putting in their own input of the events that led her to the group.

"So how Elijah an' she get together?" Avi asked, getting more comfortable on her bed. 

"To be honest, the guys and I were surprised when they did," Raine answered.

"Wah yuh mean?" Erica asked, truly curious. She really wanted to know because if Natalie didn't mention her 'friend' being Elijah Johnson's ex-girlfriend, she wouldn't have known. There were no simple girlfriend shout-outs on his pages, no mystery pictures of her, not even a cute quote about love. His fans had no clue of a girlfriend BUT recently they all have been asking and speculating after he posted a picture of Erica talking to Mischa and Alec, with her back to the camera. Luckily he didn't tag her in it but he did notify her of it. She still smiles whenever she remembers the caption he wrote. 'A bit more beauty in my world. All mine.'

"We became friends with her when we were in middle school, she just moved to Spencer, and Selby and I befriended her. The miniature Regina Kings were teasing her and stuff so we went to her rescue. During our budding friendship, she developed a crush on Elijah. I mean all the girls did in our grade, Elijah was the cute, smart boy who was crazy cool. After we pushed her to invite him to a weekend mall trip, we found out that he too had a crush on her. All was well until one day she stopped talking to us and found new friends. We didn't care but she hurt Elijah. She cut all communication with him, ignored him at school, even asked the teachers to change partners. He was really broken," Raine explained.

Ayanna shook her head remembering what Trey and the others told her about Bree. She joined the group late but saw how protective they were of Elijah. "The group became closer and bigger after our older siblings went to college. Harem and Mischa joined us, moving to Spencer to finish school with Elijah..." Raine continued.

"Harem said, Elijah needed him but I knew it was more than that for him but I wasn't mad at him for leaving. I was happy he was going to meet Elijah," Taylor interjected, sharing a tight smile with Raine. 

"Marielle made sure we had everything and anything, even the others. Over the years we drifted further apart from Bree, then high school began. Freshman year, was great, Sophomore year was the same, then Junior year came around. We didn't see it coming. Bree came back into our lives like bad food poisoning. One day Elijah was ignoring her, the other he was friends with her again. We asked him about it but... bless his loving heart... he said everyone needed a shoulder to lean on. Not wanting to cause a rift in our circle we politely welcomed her back but not fully. Natalie joined us and it was the worse... Elijah was spending on both of them, giving in to whatever Bree wanted, he was lost on her. Deep down we all knew he still had this crush on Bree from way back, not looking at any other girl, not dating, his mind was always on Bree, 24/7 he was loyal to her. Introduced her to his parents and sister, invited her over to the Hector house, he was overall the best boyfriend ever..."

"Then she hurt him AGAIN," Ayanna spat.

"What? How?" Stacia asked shocked at the revelation.

"She publicly broke up with him in the most ratchet way, accusing him of stuff he will never do, spun lies about him, and made his relationship with his sister sound disgusting," Raine said shaking her head.

"Nah man," Alissa exclaimed.

Erica stayed quiet, she felt ashamed for once believing Bree and her sob story but now hearing his side of things and knowing the guy he truly was, she now knew how much of a bitch Bree was.

"She broke him. Elijah changed after that. He can smile at you and you will think he's fine but he's calculating how much of himself to give to you," Ayanna said softly.

"But he's so open wid me," Erica interjected.

"Because he's trying to be himself once again with you. He second guesses himself sometimes, like when he holds you or tell you something only we as his close friends know," Raine said softly.

"I say he's healing," Taylor said firmly, nodding her head in punctuation.

"You do?" Stacia asked. The blonde eyed Raine and Ayanna closely, the two smiled her way and gave identical nods in agreement.

"You're in his home, not just visiting for a few hours but for a whole weekend. He never brought Bree here. It has always been his sister's house and only for a few hours, never a sleepover invite was given. We can all see that he's trying to be himself with you and not overthink things," Ayanna said with a genuine smile.

"Wow. I really like him..." Erica began but her always eager to tease her friends interjected.

"Wuh like. Yuh obsessed wid de boy. She follows him on every social page an' like all he pictures dem," Alissa said aloud.

"Oh gosh," Erica groaned in embarrassment, hiding her heated face from her new friends. Laughter filled the room as her friends from Tobago told them about her fangirling episodes whenever Elijah posted something new. Meeting Elijah was a dream come true, getting to know him was a blessing and him reciprocating the same genuine feelings she had for him was a gift. How many girls out there had crushes on Instagram stars and are now in a relationship with them? She was one of the lucky ones.

 Avi and Alissa's crazy laughter filtered through the girls' chatter. "Yo, imagine Giselle's face when she sees you with yuh new man. She goh dead," Avi cackled.

"Who's Giselle?" Taylor asked stuffing her face with some Cheetos.

"Mih half sister. Is because ah she why I had to come to the states. She get some scholarship and everybody had to migrate," Erica answered with a wry smile. Her older sister was a social media junkie, her entire life can be told on her Facebook account and she follows Elijah's older sisters religiously. It won't be long for her to glimpse a photo of her new life with her friends.

"I sense no sisterly love there," Raine commented with a light laugh.

"Nope and I ain't bothered. I wid my daddy now, so that's all I care about."

It was the truth. She was slowly accepting that she was a simple accessory to her mother, a way to get cash for her favored child from the man she kept in pain for years. No one had to tell Erica the truth, she figured it out when the pieces started to fall in place. Her father wanted her from birth despite what the woman she called her mother said. She's with him now and that's all that matters.

"Damn right," Alissa commented. Shaking her head, Erica looked around the kitchen and smiled at the way her new and old friends were getting along. A small tug on her hand brought her out of her appreciative mode. Turning to the source, she immediately went to the little girl's silent demand. 

"Hungry?" she asked Shaye.

"Yes, what does it have? Can I have a chocolate ice cream sundae? Mama said I can have as much as I want.  You can call Elijah and he will say its true." she stated with pleading eyes. The youngest Johnson certainly got the puppy eyes accurate, Erica was seconds away from giving in but she remembered a comment Elijah made of his baby sister. Folding her arms, she raised a questioning brow at the little girl. Shaye placed her hands on her hips and fixed her with a cute but slightly intimidating stare.

"Yuh will get some snacks from de girls to eat while ah cook. After dinner then yuh will get de icecream. Elijah is unavailable until Sunday," Erica said firmly.

Shaye narrowed her eyes at the older girl for a moment then slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Stupid big brothers," she muttered to herself. Trying to hold back a laugh, she gently pushed the girl to the older ones to get a handful of whatever she wanted. Leaving them all to chat, she went deeper into the kitchen to fix something quickly for everyone, she was really in the mood to cook. That feeling meant she had a lot on her mind. Finding chicken in the chiller and potatoes in the pantry, she opted to cook the favored 'one pot' of steamed chicken and potatoes. A quick yet filling meal she loved to cook back on the island.
During her time of prepping the chicken and chopping the vegetables she wanted to add, Ayanna came to her with her phone still on the video call. "Aye gyal. We goin' eh. Call we tomorrow," Avi said with a smile.

"Okay. Careful. Talk later," she said waving goodbye to them as they ended the call. Ayanna and Erica stayed silent for a while, it wasn't uncomfortable but there were questions in the air that needed to be asked.

"Yuh okay?" Erica asked softly.

"I don't know."

"Thinkin' bout you an' Mischa?'

Ayanna blushed and nodded her head yes. The two returned to their silence and took seats by the now empty island with a drink in each of their hands, waiting for the food to come to a good simmer. "I really like him, I always did but his good looks and the attention he garnered from girls always intimidated me. Being his friend is my safe zone, well was. When we kissed over the summer, I felt those things our older sisters always talk about. My best friend brought out those feelings. I thought he felt the same after seeing the shocked look on his face when we pulled apart then it disappeared. He apologized and said it was impulsive of him to kiss me and it won't happen again. That part hurt." Ayanna chuckled sadly at the last part, remembering the way he backed away from her and continuously apologizing.

"Now you too fighting somethin' between yall," Erica commented.

"I can't stand seeing him with another girl now. Before I ignored it but now it plain old irritates me. Stupid thoughts surfaced, like if he impulsively kisses them too and I was one of many. I began comparing myself to them until I couldn't be alone with him."

"But he became possessive of you too. Dat says somethin'. Dat says a lot," Erica pushed.

Ayanna shook her head sadly. "He isn't into relationships. He stated that clearly when we were all goofing off in the group chat. He said he didn't want to be in any drama and preferred to choose a girlfriend when he's out of school and doing his own thing. I don't know what with his caveman thing. He's confusing the shit out of me and killing me at the same time."

"Oh."

Giving her new friend a simple shrug, Ayanna threw back the last of the sparkling wine they poured themselves and made up her mind to get rid of her feelings for Mischa. Not everyone can fall in love and marry their best friend, it's better to simply focus on school and start her career. 

"Things go work out, man. Doh worry."

Smiling at Erica's optimism, she already built the walls around her heart and let her mind focus on the future.

                                                                                ***********

What is a Friday night without a party at a random senior's house?

That was the thought on Bree's mind as she sat in the lap of her 'friend' watching some of her schoolmates fill the large home of a Bronson High student. She didn't know the guy who lived there but she sure as hell knew the guy she was sitting on. He was a bit old for the crowd but he had a reputation of being the guy you must be friends with. She moaned into his neck as his hand slowly made its way under the skater dress she wore. 

"Such a good girl," he praised, kissing her lips lightly. She clutched onto his biceps and bit his shoulder as he pushed her panties aside and plunged his fingers into her soaking core.

"Baby," she whimpered.

"Shhhh. You'll get it soon."

On the sofa, with bodies dancing around them and his friends beside them, Bree reached her climax releasing all over his hand and under his numerous praises. "Go clean up. I have some business to tend to so hurry back. Your brother still looking for a job?" he asked her while licking his fingers slowly.

"Yeah, with his record and rep, no one will hire him. I told him about you but he has his pride, well what's left of it," she said rising to her feet.

"That's all a man really has, baby. Tell him to give me a call if he doesn't find a job in forty-eight hours."

"K. Where to meet you?" she asked, eyeing his strong dark brown features hungrily. He was her type of man. The take-charge type who spoils her rotten. 

"Out back," he said standing to his full height. Before she can turn to leave, he roughly pulled her onto his body and whispered in her ear what he will do to her when he gets her home.

"Promise?" she purred, sliding her hand over the large bulge below his waist.

"And more," he answered.

Sending him a smirk, she sashayed her way from him and located the stairs that led to the upstairs. Girls eyed her up and down as she made her way up while the guys openly appreciated her but turned their eyes away when she spotted them doing so. It wasn't missed on them, who she entered the house with. Everyone saw how the man by her side treated her. His presence on that side of Spencer brought unease to everyone who knew who he was. His infamy gave her power and she loved it. 
Reaching the landing, a door opened down the hall, and out strutted her best friend Natalie who was fixing her hair with a guy shouting behind her. Bree chuckled at the pathetic ass running after her friend, probably wanting her number for an encore. 

"Listen, Bentley..."

"It's Blakely," the guy corrected.

"Whatever. That was a birthday gift from your buddies. There's no number switching or second trips. You were good for your first time but here is the time where we do the cliche 'go separate ways'" Natalie said patting her cheek. 

"Oh." Poor guy. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and retreated back to his room. Natalie shook her head and looked up, finally spotting Bree. 

"Hey, chica. What are you doing up here?"

"Came to freshen up," Bree answered. 

Natalie moved to a door and opened it with a bang, a female shriek, and a male protest reached her ears. "Out. We need to use this bathroom for better things. There's a room free down the hall."
Approaching the now empty bathroom, Bree shook her head at her friend's boldness. The two locked the door and set to make themselves presentable. Making sure her makeup and hairstyle were still on point, she moved from the mirror for Natalie to use and nimbly removed her thong, knowing she won't need it for the rest of the night. 

"Where's that man of yours?" 

"He's handling business. Wanna ride back home?" Bree asked.

"Nah, already have that locked. Do you know the dude that lives here?"

"Rush says it's some kid who came asking for a job. His parents cut him off on cash. How did that thing work out today?" she asked leaning against the pedestal sink.

"Fucking perfect. I even got a video," Natalie exclaimed while digging into her clutch for her phone. Finding the video, the harsh voice of the school's nerd berating one of Spener High's favorite IT girls was priceless. The best part was of her crying her pitiful heart out. 

"For a guy with a high IQ, he was so gullible. What a douche," Bree cackled. Natalie laughed along and told her how the rest of the school day.

"I swear they make me sick with all that goody two shoe bit. It's all a front for what really goes on behind closed doors. Name one brother and sister duo that's close as Elijah and Marielle. Not to mention polygamy shit in their family. It's not right. God, they make me sick."

"Who's next? It has to be good, after all, it was that bitch Ayanna who got Russell arrested and that stupid job Elijah's dad offered which made your parents divorce. We have to deal with them before the school year ends then out of this shit hole," Natalie added.

"Girl, I hear ya. I gotta go before Rush sends the search party for me. I'll text you the details after I decide who's next and when the plan begins," Bree relayed before giving her friend a tight hug. The two walked downstairs arm in arm and went their separate ways at the impromptu dance floor. Making her way through the sweaty bodies she finally made it to the very modern-looking backyard. Rush and his men were seated on the far side of the pool area while drunk kids danced and splashed in the pool having a grand old time. Keeping away from the wild activities of the other teens, she made her way to Rush and simply slid onto his lap, with him not missing a beat. The guy he was talking to, narrowed his eyes at Bree, probably in confusion or annoyance.

"The fuck you eyeing my woman for?"

"Sorry, sir. She looks familiar that's why," the guy muttered averting his stare from her.

"As I was saying, I'm depending on you to do this. This has been Ace's territory for a long time but I'm looking to expand. It's time for the old man to retire anyway plus no one has even heard or seen his so-called son Joker in years. Don't fuck up kid or your parents will be relieved of not having to care about you anymore," Rush said in a cold tone.

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I'll do my best."

With a wave of his hand, Rush's two goons escorted the guy away from them. "Now my little princess, ready to go home," he whispered in her ear. She giggled when he roughly grabbed her ass and squeezed them over and over.

"Yes, daddy," she breathed out.

"Such a good girl."

                                                                                                       *******

The night was calm giving the pretense that the day which was now left behind was a good one. Heaving a heavy sigh, Elijah flexed his bruised hand. Raine is going to be so pissed when she sees Travis on Monday. Thinking of what the guy did to one of his best friends only made his anger flare. "Yeah, I'm still pissed too," he heard Trey say. He was already in one of the hammocks on the lawn, surveying the night sky, he knew Trey took the vacant one beside him by the creaking of the metal hooks.

"She did so much for him," Elijah said aloud.

"She's going to make a great girlfriend to someone someday and I pray it isn't that asshole. She wants to try once more. He isn't worth it," Trey commented.

"It's her decision though. It has been years since she had this thing for Travis, she put so many things in place for him only for the ass to do her wrong. I hope she makes the right choice."

The two stayed in silence, listening to the nightlife and also the exciting gaming shouts from the boys inside. "Are you happy?" Trey asked abruptly.

"I am now," Elijah answered with no hesitation.

"Weren't you happy before? With Bree?"

"Not entirely. I was living in the infatuation phase with her, I waited for it to grow but it didn't. It only lessened."

"That's why you limited her access to the house and trips, huh?" Trey commented with a small smirk on his face. 

"She changed over the years and seventy-five percent of that is all her older brother's fault and her mother playing the sympathy card. Man, so many rumors have been going around this town, I surprised no one haven't come up to me and ask what really went down with her. Did you know it was her mother who actually broke her parents' marriage?"

"No!" Trey said sitting up in the hammock. Elijah chuckled at his always stoic friend showing so much reaction to this little tidbit. 

"Yes. Dad realized how his foreman's work was sub-par and pulled him aside. This was the day I decided to check out one of his restoration projects. What meant to be a conversation between dad and Mr. Lincoln, ended up with all three of us. It turns out his wife has been using his hours on his different job sites to fool around on him. A guy younger than him by ten years and the extra cash he has been giving her, she was giving it to her young man."

"Holy fuck!"

"Yup. Dad and I were shocked, completely. He swore us to secrecy not wanting Bree to think of her mother as the wrong party. He took the brunt of the negativity for the divorce, that's why Bree has been saying my dad broke up her family."

"We've all been wondering why you never retaliated when she began to spin those lies on you. You never cheated, nor disrespected her in any way. Why didn't you do something?" Trey questioned his friend after they lapsed into thoughtful silence. Elijah thought of how his now girlfriend saw the real him after being fed so many lies from Bree and Natalie. Why must he defend his already good character? It will only play into Bree's mind games, he felt sorry for his once long time crush. Her family has been stringing her along so badly and from her new attitude and her new living, he knew she was far from the brilliant girl he met when they were younger.

"You as my friend, know the 'real me', right?" Elijah asked softly.

"Of course, you're my brother."

"There you go," he returned sending a smirk to his friend. Trey chuckled and allowed himself to get lost in the peaceful night. 

For a teenager, Elijah was pretty wise, thinking things out with a mature mind yet act like a shy kid whenever it comes to his girl, Erica. The group was relieved to see him smiling once more, the girl was perfect for him but there's one more step she must complete. 

She has to pass the big sister test.