Jackson Dynasty

Zeena's Pov

Date: July 4th, 2019

Time: 11:34

Place: Bronx, New York; Apartment Projects

Pure.

Thats the word that pops into my head as I watch the Stranger Things 3 Premiere on the 25 inch TV sitting on the living room table. The 80's had them looking good. Everything was so bright and vibrant that it took away from the fact that everything was used. Used in a beautiful way, where kids actually apreciated the borrowed watch that their grandfather used to wear everyday or the rusted car that their dad used to wash every chance he got. Something as small as thrifted earrings put smiles on teenage girls faces. Just the thought of it all was so...pure.

Nowadays, buying a 15 year old a BMW convertible for his birthday is all of a sudden mandatory in order for him to feel loved. Or how the kid in the back of the class gets bullied because everyone around him has an iphone XR max and she's the only one with an iphone 8; litterally one upgrade above. This generation is so ungrateful its lowkey sickening.

My judgmental thoughts were interupted by the microwave beeping, signaling that my popcorn is ready. I pause the show and just as I was about to get up to retreave my treat, it gets thrown on top of my chest making me shriek in surprise and pain.

"Ow! What the hell Sol!" I scold as I push it off, softly rubbing my now burned titty. She just shrugs it off and starts eating her bag of Takis.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing much, except El just dumped Mike." I explain.

"Let me guess, she cried her classic Eleven quote: 'friends dont lie' while quivering her lip." She said dramatically getting into character before her and I giggle at her trash impression of El.

"You guessed it." I responded finally pressing play on the show and digging into my popcorn, careful not to singe my fingers.

After a moment of binge watching the 80's inspired flick, I felt myself getting sleepy. I could feel my head leaning over more and more on the edge of the couch as I my eyes fell shut.

"Zeena?"

"Huh?" My eyes flutter open and I jerk up in my seat. Sol shows me her phone and smiles very creepily when I look back at her.

"It's almost time." She says refering to the clock on her phone in which it reads 11:55pm.

"Yeah dont remind me." I yawn and walk up to the room that me and my sister Zora shared. My dog, Blu, welcomed me and encouraged me to get out my clothes and I did just that to slide into my pajamas. Then as soon as I plop on the bed, my door busts open with the loudest screams of the year.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZEENA!!" They exclaimed piling into my room. My mom was holding the cake, my sister was recording on her snapchat, my auntie was holding gifts and my dad was holding the video camera. This stuff never gets old.

"Happy birthday sweetie." My mom cooed as she tried gathering everyone around. "Alright everybody lets sing happy birthday." Before I can even protest, they start singing happy birthday on my behalf, being goofy with the notes.

"Uh thanks gu--"

"Alright, now the black one. Ha-ppy Birthday tooo ya. Ha-ppy Birthday tooo ya. Ha-ppy birthdayyyyy.." My aunti Jada starts off and everybody joins in and claps along doin the church rock.

I facepalm myself, too embarrassed to look. Sol sits on the bed next to me instagraming live turning the phone to me. I cover my face more.

They finally finish singing and my mom pushes the cake towards me, "Alright baby, its time to make a wish" she informs me.

"No, we dont make wishes here, we count blessings" My pops corrected her taking the camera off of his eye periodically.

My auntie Jada snatches the camera away from him and walks over to my side of the bed smiling extra wide. People look at me differently at school once they found out that Jada Pinkett Smith was my aunt on my mama's side. They ask about Will Smith and if he is funny for real and they ask if aunt Jada gives me money. I just tell them that the only perk I got was going to go see Aladdin for free on premier night.

"Make a wish honey- I mean count ya blessings baby." She corrects her self cutting her eye at my dad.

I hover over the cake and think real hard about what I should wish for, even though it probably wont even come true. Then something pops into my head to wish for the main thing that I've been complaining about all day today.

"Okay I wish for--"

"No, dont say it!" They all cut me off before I could even finish my sentence. Talk about superstition.

I just shrug and blew the candles out causing them to erupt in applause.

"Can I have some time with Zeena?" Auntie Jada asks, still sitting on my bed. Everyone pretty much ignores her question and continues to make themselves comfortable in my room.

"Hello??" She says getting their attention again "I wanna talk to her."

With that they get up and leave with complaints.

"This my house..." My dad mumbles under his breath before closing the door behind him. Auntie Jada chuckles at his words before looking over to where Sol is sitting on the bed next to me.

"I mean just to two of us, lil sis." She clarified, and wait for the door to be fully closed behind Sol before continuing her--what ever this was.

"So your finally 19!! How crazy is that?" She gushed trying to start conversation.

"Yeah, I dont even feel like it." I state honestly looking around my boyish decorated room. She looks around as well catching my eyes. "That'll all change." She replies.

"What, the feeling?"

"No, where you are." She explains, throwing her hands up to emphasis her point. She digs behind her and pulls something out. "Your great grandmother gave this to me and your mother when we were 19." It was a ruby ring with brass wiring.

My birthstone.

"It may look like a typical, boring ass ring but it means more. I dont know what but trust me." She say, shoving the ring into my hand forcing me to put it on, which I do. It feels cold on my skin, almost like peroxide being poured on dry fingertips. Satisfyingly shocking.

"Thanks." I say shortly playing with the ring already. She just looks at me and smiles weirdly. "Okay, please dont make it more awkward than it already is." I laugh dryly playing it off.

She nods knowingly and softly gets up off my bed and treads slowly to my door. Before she leaves she whispers, "I wouldnt take that off if I was you" and she closed the door behind her. Okay what does that mean?

With one breath the door opens again, this time by Sol.

"So what was that all about?" She asks suspiciously as soon as she jumps on my bed. "Nothing just some bougus ass ring." I reply showing her my hand nonchalantly. But her eyes squint to mine as if I said something wrong.

"Bougus? Honey no, this looks like it can pay for my whole college tuition." She yanks my hand back to her to take the ring off and put it on herself.

"Its probably just glass, but if it isnt and it breaks then your gonna be fingerless so give it back." I warn her and snatch the ring back putting it on. "Okay no need to be a bitch about it. Anyways, what you wish for earlier--" She stops in mid sentence when she realizes Im not listening. My attention was currently set on the picture of Christian that was stuck on the mirror of my dresser.



Flashback

I let each ring run after the other.

I used to love it when his name would pop up on my phone at any hour and anytime. My stomach used to do full on cartwheels when he picked up the phone after the first ring. I used to love it when the phone would vibrate because of the bass in his voice. I used to love him.

But that all went away when I caught them that day. In my bed. In my room. In my house. Tangled up in my sheets. Her back arching up higher and higher as he stroked deeper and deeper into her frame. The bed creaking more frequently as he picks up the pace.

Making my presence known I slam the door wide open causing him to hault his motions; him knowing he couldnt undo this. Before giving him a chance to speak I storm away skipping down the stairs into the old living area.

"Wait, baby! Lets talk about this...its not-"

"Boy if you say 'its not what it looks like', I will tear that unibrow off yo face. Dont push it." I shush him, turining around to finally see him face to face with the sheet wrapped around his waist tightly and his face terribly red and soft.

He litterally looks terrified.

I snatch open the front door and walk out, knowing he will follow me to wherever I thought I was going.

"Zeena look...Zeena look at me!" He rushes up behind me and forces me around to look at his face. I litterally wanted to throw up in his mouth.

"Chris, let go of me." I say with my teeth gritted trying to keep calm as much as possible. As if he didnt hear me he tightened his grip on me and tried talking but I hollared over him to get him to shut up, instead it got other people's attention.

We heard a siren chirp and he immediately let go but the expression on his face still lingered. The officer get out with his hand on his belt making his way over to us.

"Is everything alright here, ma'am?" He asks as a statement stopping in front of us. "Yeah everything's fine we just--"

"I asked the girl." He cut Christian off, putting his hand in his face and looking back over to me for an answer. "Yeah, we were just talking and everything is fine." I reasure him and stood closer to Christian to make it more believable.

"Now ma'am if this trash is disturbing you, just tell me and he will no longer be a problem."

Christian steps up to him causing the cop to put his hand on his holster and scrunches his unibrow at the cop. "So what are you tryna say." He asks getting closer to him, but I pull him back. The cop pulls his gun out hesitantly before saying, "Dont you take another step." Shakingly.

But Christian being the stubborn individual he is, shakes his head and says "I dont have time for this shit." And he grabs my hand walking back to the house but he barely took his third step before he fell to the ground at the sound of fire.

"I-I said dont move." The cop whispers to us but simply refering to himself.

My world looses its gravity and drops to the future hell that lays in front of me. My mind froze in place, dreadfully downloading the picture laid in front of my eyes. I have no words. I lost them all.

"I-I.." The cop looks around frantically and takes off in his squad car leaving me with this souless Christian.

Words dont find my mouth until I see the blood spread from his neck to his chest.

"No, no Christian..." I drop down to his level, trying to compress the pressure on his wound. "No, Christian you gotta wake up..." I panic and start with the CPR, pressing as hard as I can. "CHRISTIAN! WAKE THE FUCK UP!" I shriek pressing even harder on his chest only causing more blood to ooze out. I felt myself getting pulled off of him into someone's arms.

"NO CHRISTIAN! YOU STUPID ASS BITCH, DONT LEAVE ME!" I yelp kicking around in the persons arms trying to get to Chris. But after all of the struggling and pushing I felt week and I blacked out on the street with sirens echoing in the back.

------------------------------------

"Do you miss him?" Sol asks hesitantly, softening her face. I inhale deeply still looking at the picture. "Like crazy." I respond dryly to ignore the memories coming back. Sol just nods not knowing what to do or say.

"But its whatever." I sigh heavily and lay back on my bed, Sol doing the same. We both lay there staring up at the ceiling where my Michael Jackson Bad posters are hanging. Silence filling the room for a good moment.

"He was so sexy in the picture." She says randomly, allowing a smile and a smile giggle to escape my lips. I study his whole image in the poster, checking for any flaws.

"He was, wasnt he?" I comment waiting on a response, instead was met by light snores. I roll my eyes at her sudden turn but soon considered how late it is and decide its time to rest for myself.

I turn my lamp out and let the moon that shined threw my window glisten on my ring, allowing it to twinkle. I turn in my bed and the last thing my eyes see is Michael looking back at me.

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Hope you liked it💜🖤