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This chapter is a bit different. Both POVs take place at the same time, rather than in one linear timeline. Meaning, if Ash's POV starts at 6:pm and ends at 6:30 pm, Reece's POV doesn't start at 6:31, instead it starts at around 6 as well, if not a bit earlier. Get it? Just in case anyone gets confused.

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https://youtu.be/xUq1rZ7mmns

Ashley

"So, who's Dom?" I asked Kenzie, who got stuck with cleaning the dishes. "And why does he want to kill me?"

Kenzie, brain surgeon that he was, blinked his eyes and kissed his teeth. "You afraid of that fool?"

"I'm afraid of anyone who is holding a gun in my face, Kenneth," I barked at him, standing up from my seat at the table.

He stopped scrubbing. "When was this?" he asked looking over.

"At work, Kenzie." I moved over to him. "He knows where I work, he knows what time I work."

"I'll handle it," he said. "You go to bed or something."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to bed without you in bed," I said. I knew Kenzie.

"Look, yo dumb ass want me to handle it or nah?" he threw back. "Or do you want to end up on the evening news?"

"Drive-bys aren't the answer to everything Kenzie and I was already on the evening news," I blurted.

His left eye twitched. "So, you a ghost or some shit?"

"Not dead, you disease with limbs," I responded. "Reece and I announced our engagement on primetime."

He snorted, dropping a plate and breaking it in the process.

"When Moms and Dad find out, you're gonna be as good as dead," he laughed. "You might as well move in with 'em."

"Dad," I whispered, with a soft chuckle that sounded bitterer than I intended it to. "In jail for assaulting a police officer from that night."

"The officer killed someone," Kenzie said. "Dennis' Dad didn't deserve to die for trying to help our dad not get killed. But, officer had friends in high places."

The Reds, I thought. Got the cop off. My Dad ended up going to prison for 7 years. He's on Furlough right now. Three days of freedom before they shackle him again so he can serve the rest of his sentence.

"It's not fair, but it's reality," I said.

"Now you see why I hate cops?" Kenzie said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You hate cops because they stop you from doing the shady crap you do," I told him. "You sell drugs Kenzie. Most cops are good people. It's just...some of them aren't."

I snorted. "You really are different," he said. "You're not like the rest us. Not like me. Dad or my homies."

"When since is being different a bad thing," I said, pushing passed him.

He gripped me by my hoodie and pulled me back. "I ain't ever say it was bad, baby bruh," he laughed. "I'm just saying. It's like you from Jupiter and the rest of us from the hood side of Mars."

"Is that's compliment?" I asked. "It's seriously hard to tell with you."

He snickered, cackled – God, he was loud – and smiled. "It is right now."

I rolled my eyes at him, "get back to washing the dishes," I said, laughing.

I exited the kitchen and entered the living room, where Dad was sitting on the couch, almost as if he was waiting. "I ain't here from you in three years," he spoke. He looked up at me. "Why?"

"I don't like prisons," I answered.

He laughed/huffed. "You don't like prisons," he repeated, in a mocking tone. "You don't come to see your old man because you don't like prisons?"

"It's not as if the times that I did come were filled with joy and laughter, Dad." I stayed by the kitchen entrance. Kenzie was now beside me.

"Family ain't about joy and laughter, Ashley," he said. "It's about togetherness." He stood. "Now, what is this yo mom is telling me about Dennis taking your virginity on a beach?"

I flushed.

"He a thot," Kenzie said.

I elbowed him. "Dad, do we have to talk about it now?"

Dad gave me crazy eyes. "Yes," he said, sternly. "I think my son getting back-shots on a beach by another boy is something we have to talk about."

"Why are you interested in who I lost my virginity to," I asked.

"Because I'm your father, because of the diseases associated with your...community and because it's my job to educate you," he replied. His fists were balled.

"I'm in my 20's Dad," I said, almost laughing. "What advice can you give me at this point?"

"Come on Ash," Kenzie snickered from behind. "Dad may not be able to give any advice, but it's the thot that counts."

I was about to speak and or punch Kenzie in the nose, when I heard the door that lead to the back of the house one and close.

Erika, Lola and Nikko walked in, briefly stared at Dad – Erika the most – before refocusing on me.

"We need to talk," she said. "Now."

I shook my head. "It's going to have to wait, Erika," I said. "In case you haven't realized, my father is home for a few days."

She looked at him, at his ankle monitor, before looking back at me. "This is urgent," she said. "The cops were at my house."

I blinked. "Well-"

"Ashley King," I heard from Mom.

Our gazes flew to the staircase, where mom was in a robe with a belt in her hand. "You're engaged?"

Everyone looked at me. Dad's face was a mix of disbelief and anger. I could not describe my mother's face. It was almost burning red.

"Mom I-"

The doorbell rang.

I had to escae the eyes. I walked over to it, jogged if I'm being honest and opened it. Hoping it was my savior.

Jesus it was not.

Dennis stood in the frame with angry and sad eyes. He stepped in, walked passed me. I closed to the door. He spun around to face me. "You're engaged to Reece Red?" he asked, voice hard as stone and as soft as cotton, all at once. I could hear the hurt and the anger.

"It's a lot more complicated than that," I told him.

He snorted. "He asked you to marry him, you said yes. It's not that complicated," Dennis said. "Why string me along? Why pretend that you were even remotely interested in me? Why come to my show if you were interested in another boy?"

"It's not what it seems, Dee," I said.

He folded his arms over his chest. "Then what is it?" he asked. "When I see Reece Red, I'm going to fuck him up."

"It's-."

The doorbell rang.

I exhaled shakily, exasperated, confused, all out of the strength to argue with another person.

I opened it. Hoping, that someone would save me.

Jesus it was not, again. Almost the opposite.

The boy on the other side clenched his jaw. "Reece?"

Reece

"You allowed that boy to hit you in the face?" Mom snorted, strutting back and forth in our dining room of our manor with half a glass of brandy in her hands.

"I'm not putting my hands on him, mother," I responded. 'He's my fiancé."

"That sure didn't stop him," Liza snorted.

"Your commentary is not needed, adopted child," I retorted. "Besides, I'm kinda getting used to him."

"He almost tore your lip form your mouth with his fist and you're getting used to him?" Liza questioned. "You have deep psychological problems, Reece."

"Tell us something we didn't know," Mother said. "And he's not your fiancé, Reece. He's your arm candy, a prop, a mannequin that I will throw out the second we are in good standing. And for your sake you better hope I don't sell you off to some Saudi Prince after all this is done."

"That was a little much, mom," Liza said, slowly.

Mom nodded. "Sorry, it's the brandy." She looked at me. "And my hatred of stupidity and that interview was a roaring steaming pile of stupidity mixed with a little bit of idiocy and a dash of absurdity for that extra flavor."

"You sound more southern than usual tonight," I remarked. "Maybe you should go lie down," I said.

"I need a man is what I need," she said. She placed her head on the glass and looked to the sky with pondering eyes. "I wonder what Morris Chesnutt is up to tonight?" She started fanning herself.

Both Liza and I shuddered. "I'm going to go and talk to him," I said.

"The media is everywhere," Liza came back with. "The moment you step out of this house, cameras will flash, cars will follow you."

"Then I'll use the secret exit," I said, shrugging.

Liza arched her brow. "Secret exit?"

I leaned back in my chair and smirked at her. "Yeah, only blood children know about it."

"Oh, stop it, you ass," Mother shot. "I forbade you to leave this house."

I inhaled. "This isn't some Disney movie mother and I'm not a princess that you can command." I stopped for a second. "Although your resemblance to an evil witch is uncanny."

"You will not step out of this house, Reece Red," she commanded. "I am still your mother. I brought you into this world and I can take you out."

"You say that to me once every week from that incident when I was sixteen," I grumbled.

"I wouldn't call trying to seduce Kevin Bacon at The Oscars an incident," she replied and walked out of the room.

Liza looked over. "You're still going to try aren't you?"

"Oh," I said, snorting out a laugh and grabbing the drink Mother left. "Yeah."

"Do you always have to be so rebellious?" she asked. "Also, take me with you."

I raised both my brows as I stood. "Liza Red wanting to break the rules?"

She shrugged and stood as well. "Why not?"

"What about your mexicano novio?" I asked. "Wouldn't el want his esposa next to... el?"

She rubbed her forehead. "I don't have the time to correct the amount of things wrong with that sentence," she blurted. "And we broke up."

"Oh, so mother made you break up with him and now you're helping me out of vengeance," I said. "I like it."

"She didn't make me," she said. But her eye roll said that was a lie. "She...suggested I look around more."

"So, did they, like, not teach euphemisms at your high school?"

She knocked me on my forehead and took the glass from my hands, swallowing the rest of the drink. "So, are we doing this or are you to chicken to defy mother?"

I sniveled. "The Bat cave is this way," I said.

We took a small gray car out of the yard. Something that reporters wouldn't think any of the Reds would ever drive.

"Why are you doing this?" Liza, from the passenger seat asked.

I looked over as we got to a red light. "What do you mean, why?" It was the right thing to do. We were freakin engaged.

"This isn't a real engagement; the two of you obviously hate each other and you're CEO of a conservative news corporation," she said. "That's not exactly an ideal love story."

"It's a lawful engagement, Liza," I said as the light turned green. "I don't care if I'm the head of a company and we don't hate each other," I paused, "We just strongly dislike each other."

"Euphemism," she snorted. "And I don't punch people I dislike. I think about punching them but I don't do it. I only punch people I have a strong, visceral hatred for."

"There is no hatred," I said again. "And I want to patch this up."

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you want to?"

I looked over briefly, before refocusing on the road. "What is so damn bad about wanting to patch things up?"

"Nothing, at all," she said. 'I think it's noble. Which is why I don't know why you want to do it."
"I'm not noble?" I asked as I turned a corner.

"You're the exact opposite of it, actually," she admitted. "What makes him different?"

He's not just willing to bend for me. He speaks his mind. He's not interested in my money. He has no ill intentions. He's beautiful.

"I don't know," I said. "He's just different."

I could see Liza staring at me from the corner of my eyes. "Put on your seatbelt," she whispered.

When we got to Ashley's house, all the lights were on in the main house and more than the usual cars I was used to were sitting in the drive-way. Liza got out first and I followed.

She rested her shades on the hood. "I'll be right here if you need me."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I wondered if I would get another shot to the jaw. Ashley was pretty, but Jesus, his hands were brutal. That punch sent a shock wave through me.

I bounced up the porch and could hear chatter going on inside. It sounded like arguing. I could clearly hear Ashley's voice.

I rang the doorbell and the talking stopped for a moment. Hand son the knob, then the sound of the door unlocking and creaking to an open.

Ashley stood in front of it, with that boy Dennis next to him and a lot of other people in the back, all staring.

"Reece?" he said/asked, eyes wide.

I clenched my jaw and placed my hands in my pockets. "Is this a bad time?"