Like a protective big brother Ghanelle defended us. Ghanelle was who I used to look up to. Everybody in the Hood absolutely adored him.

"Oh ya nuts having a drop that beat fest ey?" asked Mama.

"How you gonna whoop my brother and all we want is an ice cream?" Ghanelle asked sternly.

"Don't make me stomp you to sleep."

"You're always drunk as a skunk, you're working crazy hours at a job no one knows about, but that don't stop you from lying to those drunks in ya AA support groups."

She jumped on Ghanelle. He didn't seem to care.

His lips were made for talking and talking's what he would do and today those lips were gonna say what he been wanting to say.

Ghanelle grabbed the belt before it hit him again ain and refused to let it go.

Mama never whipped us with a belt ever...

"Alcoholic! Alcoholic! Alcoholic! I should tell that Colt 45 group that you're a fraud! I stand up for my brother and sister."

"She's a gurl? Humph." Mama was really goin' in on me.

Surprisingly she dropped the belt.

"I got a trick for your grown ass. Go to bed. Now!"

Wowee! What a trick! She's done this countless times already.

Kingston and I rushed to my room and openly sobbed.

With his chest out Ghanelle went to my room and slapped palms with Kingston and me like he tore down Rome and rebuilt ancient ruins.

Kingston and I stopped crying...

"I told you not to worry," Ghanelle gushed with pride...

...holding em because he definitely had a pair. "I got y'all. We can't get an ice cream with money our daddy give us a month and she ain't even giving him no coochie and they married under the same roof!"

Kingston said, "Go look in her closet tho. If she stop buying up Burdines we can get a bomb pop."

"Ew!" I retorted, grossed out. I hated bomb pops. It was all Mama ate when she was pregnant with me.
said. "Strawberry sherbert."

Kingston said, "Are you sure she's gonna be a dyke..."

Fuk you undercover sissy! I frowned. "Hey!"

Ghanelle was laughing.

"That's what Mama telling the hood. Plus, dudes don't eat no dam strawberry unless he like it in the..."

How would you know that?

"Shut up, Kingston!" I laughed it off. "At least doo doo stains ain't in my draws. Mama told me that!"

We poked fun at each other until we pinky swore that we held each other down as siblings no matter the cost.

After our I love you's we fell asleep in the same bed...