The slamming of the front door hurried angry steps then the slamming of the door between them, alerted Mischa and Elijah of Harem's homecoming. A notification popped up in their group chat which set everyone on alert.

Sellie: I want nothing to do with any of you. Y'all thought a few placed lies would have made me leave Derek? It only proved to me how vindictive y'all are. I will never forgive y'all for this. Especially you Harem. You're lucky he isn't pressing charges. Consider this so-called friendship finished.

                                                               Sellie has left the chat.

In his room, Harem read her last text over and over, reading their friends' responses and words. The girls were calling him and messaging him privately but he ignored them all. The guys tried also until he heard banging on his room door. Switching off his phone and turning on his music system, he slowly went to the bathroom and simply stared at himself in the mirror. Lean muscle and tall in stature, brown hair with brown-green eyes, he was considered handsome by the majority of the female student body. His eyes once showed how easy going and welcoming he was but all he can see was the sadness and pain from this afternoon's cluster fuck. Taking a quick shower, the need to get away was strong. He can still hear his cousins knocking on the door, trying to get him to talk. He couldn't speak, not even shout that everything is alright. Reaching up, he touched the tender spot where Selby slapped him. Taking a deep breath, he refused to cry anymore over her. She made her choice, albeit the wrong one, she did anyway. Leaving the now steam-filled bathroom, he quickly dressed in a pair of black sweats, a tank top, and flip-flop then hurriedly packed a duffle bag and laptop paraphernalia. He just needed some time alone. Opening the door, he met Elijah, Mischa, and uncle Eli all standing in the hall waiting for him. They eyed his bags then him, they all knew something was wrong and it all surrounded Selby. It made sense to keep it hidden since she didn't believe him. 

"Derek cheated on Selby. I saw. He got to her before I can tell her the truth, made us the bad guys. I told her I loved her, she didn't believe me. Beat Derek near to a pulp, made her angrier. He's fucking with her head but she's too god-damn blind to see it. I'm headed to the house for a few days. I... I need ... "

"It's okay, kid. Text us when you reach. I'll tell your aunt when she gets home," Eli said squeezing his shoulder. Mischa and Elijah said nothing, they were furious by the news but they alerted the others of the situation.

"Okay."

They quietly watched as he left the hallway and listened as he left the house completely. Elijah felt guilty for being so happy this afternoon when his cousin was warring with his head and his heart. Everyone in the group knew how much he loved Selby. His insecurities about his hearing aid and Selby's own popularity kept him back from telling her, not to mention the possibility of rejection. He worked up the courage to tell her but was hit with the news that she got into a relationship with Derek. Harem faked his happiness for her and accepted his loss. They all encouraged him to hold on to hope but his news just cemented his heart and feelings for Selby.

"Should we allow him to be alone? Much less drive?" Mischa asked eyeing his cousin's dark bedroom.

"He's heartbroken yes but not mentally unstable. I hope not. We will check on him in the morning, I doubt he will want to go to school tomorrow," Eli replied. Running his hand through his gray and brown hair, he pulled out his phone to call his wife. The zeal to cook dinner for his family wasn't there, not when one of his sons was down in the pits. 

"Hey, baby. I'm on my way home," Janine answered cheerfully. 

"Hey, honey. Can you bring home a pizza and drop one off for Harem at Mari's house?"

His wife didn't ask any questions, the low curse was heard, and gone was her cheer, she quietly agreed with him and ended the call. 
"So she made her choice?" Eli asked looking from one boy to the other. 

"She chose the fucktard over a guy who has been loyal to her for years. Yeah, she definitely made her choice, ditching us was the package deal also," Mischa grounded out before stalking to his room. The slamming of his door reverberated in Eli and Elijah's ears. Unsure of what to do, Elijah fiddled with his phone, praying that his cousin will survive this. Again the guilt grew inside of him for thinking of Erica and her shy smile.

"You okay, kid?"

"I don't know. It feels .... wrong now, feeling so happy earlier when my cousin is going through hell. I met a girl who I'm really interested in, my first day of school and I managed to make a date with her. We started off on the wrong foot then things got better. She captured my attention without doing anything. I don't know if it's the right time anymore to explore this new relationship. Maybe I should wait..." 

Eli felt at war for his son. The boy's heart was in the right place for his cousin but at the same time he's giving up on a chance to make new experiences in the world of dating. The family knew how captured he was by Bree back in grade school which lasted through the years. Something went wrong on the girl's side for her to accuse Elijah of being unfaithful and wanting a menage relationship like his sister. He wasn't being biased because it's his kid but he knows his son from the open relationship they have. Elijah wears his heart on his sleeve to an extent, logical in thinking but empathetic to those close to him. This is why he was feeling this way.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked. 

"I don't know," Elijah whispered before looking at his phone when a message came through. His father saw the makings of a smile when he read the contents of the text. "A friendship will be a good start," Eli suggested. 

"Right. Begin a friendship with a girl I call my beautiful island flower and want to kiss her in the same breath," he confessed with an uneasy laugh. Eli raised his eyebrows in amusement, his son was serious about this girl... and after one day. Shit, he couldn't judge, he was pining after Janine the first day he saw her. Like father like son? Hmmm. This will be another interesting senior year.

"You're right. Talk to her. I'm going to check on Shaye, I will call you guys when your mom comes home. In this situation with Harem and Selby, we won't have any say in it. Just know we'll be here if you guys need help or want to talk. I pray this won't be a repeat of Mari's senior year," Eli said. The frightened voice of his daughter about Issac's suicide attempt still resonates in his mind. To know a kid went through so much at the hands of his family to ever think about giving up, makes him wonder if his parenting skills are good enough.

"Thanks, Dad."

Leaving his son to his own devices, he gave a quick knock to Mischa's bedroom door. "I'm okay, uncle. Need to process."

"Take your time. I'll call you for dinner."  

The muffled okay was heard before he moved on to his daughter's room at the beginning of the hall. "Princess?" 

"Yes, daddy. Is mom home as yet? I can't decide what to wear tomorrow," she answered. Eli stifled his laughter after hearing the annoyance in her voice. Opening her door, he followed her frustrated mumbles into her closet. Standing with her hands on her hips, she was the exact replica of her mother. "Enjoyed your first day then," he stated.

"Yup. Made a new friend. Her name is Shaun. We found it cool that both our names begin with Sh and the baby of the family. She says her brothers spoil her too." 

Eli rolled his eyes at her cheeky grin. It wasn't only her older brothers who spoil her, her older sisters, aunts, uncles, and dear old mom and dad do too. Her gifts and requests come with a compromise for good grades and chores being done. She isn't one to shy away from hard work to reap her rewards. 

"What else do you guys have in common?" Putting her to sit on the bench seat between two sections of shoes, he began to tidy up the mess she made.
"We both like to watch prank videos. Ummm.... we both have the same dark eyes and we're both fat."
Eli flinched at the word. The first time he heard that word was from his older princess Marielle when she came home crying that kids called her fat. Mari was the same size as Shaye when the teasing began, at the same time, his little girl was withdrawn because of the absence of the twins.
"Sweetheart..."

"I know. I know. I'm not fat. I'm a curvy girl in training. Mom and Mari spoke to me about my size and what to expect from ignorant kids who haven't been raised right," she interjected with her head held high. 

"You're definitely Janine Johnson's daughter and they are right. Don't ever let people's opinions about what is socially right, bothers you. You're my beautiful little girl, God blessed me with another angel. How in the world I'm so lucky?" he returned with a grin.

"Mom says it's because you dipped in the chocolate and got addicted as fudge."

This time he couldn't hold back the laugh he was trying to stifle. His wife had a way with words. Third kid and she hasn't found her parental filter yet. Shaye grinned at the way her father laughed at her mother's statement. She always thought she had the coolest parents ever and she hasn't been proven wrong yet. Here was her father standing in a very pink closet, pairing out outfits for her and laughing at an adult understanding comment she told her. 
"At least, she filtered the last part. God, I love that woman. Okay so here are four second-day outfits. What do you think?" he said taking a seat next to her. Eli rolled his eyes when she got up and closely examined each outfit. 

"This one. I can wear the tie-dye bobs Mari bought for me," she beamed. Shaye chose the denim overall with a white unicorn graphic tee and a pink and blue flannel shirt. 

"Cool pick."

"FAMILY! I'M HOME!" Janine's shout from the stairs was heard and the excited look on their daughter's face tells him she had a lot to tell and ask her mother. "Shaye's room, baby," Eli called out. Shaye quickly ran out of the closet and into the hall only to bounce into her mother. Her father joined them at a more moderate pace. Leaning over his little girl, he placed a kiss on his wife's lips with Shaye looking up at them intently. "Welcome home, my queen," he whispered against her lips.

"Thank you, honey. Pizzas are in the den," she relayed. He didn't miss the question in her eyes when she glanced at the silent hall behind them. Any other day, music and laughter, maybe screams of death threats will be streaming from the half-opened doors but not tonight. "Later. Go get settled. I'll make sure they get something to eat," he said softly. 

"Okay. C'mon Shaye, tell me about your day," Janine said aloud, guiding the little girl to the other side of the house to their room. 

"It's going to be a long night."

                                                                                         *******

Another text came in on her phone as Erica finished up the last of her math homework. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined talking to Elijah Johnson. They started texting back and forth after school let out, she was able to avoid Bree and Natalie, arriving at her father's garage earlier than she thought. The evening at the garage was informative. It turns out her father was a well-known man in Spencer, not only for his successful garage but his personality. She didn't pay attention much when she first arrived, she was still taking in a new culture, you can say. 
Tucked away in his office earlier that afternoon, she studied how easy-going the relationship between client and owner was. Every car owner that came to the garage respected Julius and his workers for the excellent job they always do. Everyone was welcome. With each customer, she asked about he was happy to tell her a little about them. Whether it was a middle-class customer or the high classed one she heard her schoolmates talk about. Spencer had an eclectic mix of residents, it was an eye-opener for her. Back in Tobago, the rich and the normal class didn't live in different parts as they did in Spencer, apart from the bigger houses than others, no one was glorified for their hard-earned wealth. The rich were celebrities here and idolized, Erica understood that heck she pretty much fangirl every time a celebrity that she follows posts something new. 
To be rich must be nice, Erica thought but it wasn't said with jealousy, just amusement. It made her think of Elijah and his friends. She compared how hateful Bree and Natalie acted towards them while the other students treated them in a friendly manner despite Bree's and Natalie's snide comments and hateful glares. And she fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. She fell for the sympathy card and the need to make new friends. Talking to Elijah over texts showed her how thoughtful he was, somewhat shy, and honest with his words and actions. She deliberately did not ask about his past relationship. They teased each other, talked about random stuff, and learned little things about each other.

A knock disturbed her from her memories of earlier and reading the latest text from Elijah. "Yeah!" she called out, frowning at the contents of the text. Group trouble? Feeling bad about them? 

"Come for something to eat before you start reading. Yuh finish huh homework right?" Erica giggled at her father's mixture of US and Trinidadian accent, it sounded so cool yet so weird at the same time.

"Yeah. Ah coming jus' now," she returned. Reading over Elijah's text she got the gist of what he was trying to say. Not wanting to leave him hanging or thinking the worst. She responded with, 'Understand your thinking. Talk after dinner?' It wasn't long before she got his reply.

Elijah :): Sure. Going down for dinner also. TTYS!

Leaving her phone in her room, she opened her door and followed the scent of a familiar Caribbean dish. Not any dish like curry chicken or pelau, the scent of well seasoned, hot from the stove fried shark was in the air. Running to the kitchen she found her father preparing her plate of bake and shark with mango chutney on the side. 

"Yuh know how long I ain't eat dat," she exclaimed rushing to her seat. Julius grinned as he placed the plate of three large fried bake with fried shark in between with a hefty serving of mango chutney on the side.

"Ah was thinking about the last time ah went Trini. We went Maracas and de first thing I was hungry for was Richard's bake and shark. Ah know you wudda like it. Try some of yuh granny pepper sauce and she sweet sauce," he said placing the two unlabeled bottles in front of her. Wiggling in her seat, she placed a serving of mango chutney on the shark which was basically tropical half riped mangoes, shredded and mixed with salt, black pepper, parsley, and onions. Dotting the chutney with the hot sauce, she caught her father hiding his smirk. That only confirms her thoughts, this was the 'real' trini pepper sauce. 

"I doh want no bun chest tonight nah," she quipped while dashing some sweet sauce over the pepper sauce. 

"You have indian in yuh, yuh suppose to handle pepper good," he teased.

"Am dat one percent. Sue me."

Taking a bite of her sandwich, Erica swore she can feel the cool salty breeze back home and heard the crashing of the waves on the beach. She missed home, terribly so. Silently she thanked her dad for the local food he cooked. The two ate with gusto, trading things like their favorite spot on the island and little gossip they each remembered of people within their little bubble. Even though her father was there for a little bit of time, he developed friendships with people who kept him aware of Erica. When he found out that he actually had a daughter, he asked his friends to keep an eye on her and her mother. He knew something was off when Charlene kept asking for money and refusing to give him custody of Erica. She wanted a way to get money for herself while her husband and other daughter made use of her income. That's when the secret contact began with his daughter. How cruel. He had to keep his conversations with his daughter secret so her own mother won't harm her. 
Julius had no proof of his kid being badly treated worse than the normal allowed disciplinary actions but he knew of the emotional abuse. He made it his duty to show her that she was wanted and that she's special to him. His family is all excited to meet her for thanksgiving.

"Oh, God. Niggeritis kickin' in," Erica groaned, rocking back in her seat with a huge smile on her face. Julius laughed at his little girl. He still couldn't believe he helped make such a pretty daughter. There were features in which they shared and her personality reminded him of his little sister's who unfortunately died four years ago of cancer. 

"Think yuh could move," he teased before rising to his feet and stretching. He was tired but wanted to spend more time with her.

"Yeah, man."

The two cleaned up the kitchen with small talk which came easy to them. "You wanna learn how to drive up here. Ah know yuh tell me you was doing practice with Mr. Jack in Tobago," he asked.

"Yeah. The roads up here real different but it wud be good to learn."

"I will sign you up fuh driving class. Anything new going on wid you?" he asked leading them both out of the kitchen.

"Ummmmm..... I got ah ting with a.. friend tomorrow. After school," she mumbled. Julius' eyebrows raised in amusement and curiosity.

"Oh really."

"Oh gosh, doh do dat nah. Ummm... he wanna carry me to some flea market." Erica was blushing by the time she finished talking over her nervous stutters. 

"Who boy dat?"

She rolled her eyes at his fake intimidating look, he could of pulled it off if his eyes weren't giving away his amusement.

"Elijah Johnson."

That sobered him up.

"Eli Johnson's son?"

"Yeah... he asked me out in school. Ah cud go right?" she asked. The hope wasn't missed in her eyes. Julius knew Eli, they weren't best buddies but they were past acquaintances, a simple friendship. The entire Johnson family is considered a treasure in Spencer. They all were down-to-earth, hardworking, and generous. The older buildings in the town were kept in their original design thanks to Eli. Landscaping for the park, Janine did it and now her daughter is following that route of giving back to the community by the two homework centers in the town. Elijah is more of an introvert. He came off as simply intelligent and the sweetest kid, it was nice that the boy was coming out of his comfort zone after what that little girl did to him. Most of the folks in town were downright mad when the news of his break up spread like wildfire. Poor kid.

"Sure. I ain't see no problem with that. So you like him?" Julius asked. Erica floundered to get the right words and ran into her room with heated cheeks, embarrassed her father can read her so easily. 

Julius listened as Erica answered her now ringing phone down the hall then the telltale click of her door. He turned to the few pictures he had of her on the mantel. He prayed to God that she finds stability here and for Elijah to come out of that shell he's in. 

"Hope she goes easy on de poor boy," Julius said aloud. 

For both their sakes, he wishes them both luck on whatever it is brewing between them.