"I don't wanna moveeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Jason whined, folding his arms as he grunted in annoyance.

I also didn't want to move but at least I'm not whining about it.

"Shut up, would ya. Your 14, not 5." I growled.

"Shut up Jayla." Jason grumbled back.

"Shut it you too! We oved here for a reason ok. For a new start. No more fighting, just relax ok. And try not to wake up Jasmine." My mom yelled at us.

Yes, that...

My dad has been abusive lately towards my mom, siblings and I. Drinking, smoking, all that nasty crap. But my mom decided to divorce him. Being a 16 year old girl without a dad isn't how I pictured my future. We moved to Washington Heights because we have relatives here. My moms older brother stays here so we decided to move in with him and his wife. I was suprised when my mom decided that because she's not on speaking terms with him because he married a white woman. My mom has been called black by many white people in the passed so her older brother marrying a white woman didn't help matters. Yes, I get why she should hate Uncle Mark for that but his wife is so nice. Being born into a black family and having a white aunt is kinda a big change for me but it's really nice. I call her Aunt An cause her name is Annabelle. Maybe my mom was just disparate. I love that Aunt An is also Cuban-

"We are here kids. Wake up your sis, would ya?" Mom announced. I shook Jasmine, my 8 year old sister, up.

"Uh, why." She whined.

"Get your ass up already." My mom announced, parking the car in front of a bungalow. It had white walls, decorated with lilacs on it's doorway.

"White people shit." I heard my brother grumble, hit short brown threads blocking his eyes a little.

"Get down kids." My mom mumbled.

I opened the door and hopped out the car with my siblings on my trail. Jasmine slammed the door shut. I walked to the boot of the car and lifted it up, bringing out all our luggage's. I gave some to Jason and few to Jasmine. We took them inside with mom on the lead. She rang the door bell. Few seconds later, a black slender yet muscular man opened the door . "Jamila, you made it. " He said, smiling broadly. My mom just nodded. He left the doorway, allowing us to enter the home while shutting the door behind us.

" Anna, come here, and bring the kids!" Uncle Mark yelled up the stairs.

Few minutes later, a beautiful Hispanic woman and 5 children came running down the stairs. I've never seen my cousins before but once I saw them I immediately became jealous. The youngest looked 5. She looked cute with her waste length curly hair and caramel skin. The next was around 9 or 8. He looked a lot like Uncle Mark but lighter. His curly hair and toffee coloured skin. The next was about 13. She had honey comb hair that was passed her waist a little. Her caramel skin glowing. The 2nd to the last was about 15. He has honey brown skin and curly floppy hair. The oldest who looked 16, my age was the prettiest. She looked exactly like her mom. She had a figure 8 body with caramel skin tone. With long curly hair past her waste. She looked like she could model for Vogue.

"Hello Dear Jamila." Aunt An greeted my mom.

"Hello Annabelle." My mom mumbled.

"Good morning Auntyyyyyy!" Jasmine trailed off, running off to hug Aunt An.

"Good morning Aunt." My brother said, staying at my moms side.

I just hugged Aunt An.

"Awe, you've grown a lot Jayla. You look even cuter than I last saw you." Aunt An said, cupping my cheeks

I just smiled at her.

"Ashley, please help take Jayla's stuff up to your room, she'll be staying with you." Aunt An said, gesturing to the oldest.

"But mom, Katie is coming over today and I don't even know this so called cousin of mine." She grumbled.

I felt taken back. My mom started getting angry but I took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

"It's ok Aunt An. I'll take my stuff by myself." I re assured my aunt.

I took my bags and dragged it up the stairs. I heard footsteps behind me.

"Can you wait up already, ugh." Ashley said.

"Ok" I replied.

She led me to her room. It looked really pretty, aesthetic based.

"So, who are you again?" She asked, clearly annoyed with the fact that she has to share her room with a stranger.

I dropped my bag on the floor and sat on a swing based couch.

"Hi, my name is Jayla Smith and I'm your cousin. My mom is your dads younger brother. We moved here for...reasons." I explained, mumbling the last part.

"Why did you move here?" Ashley asked, curious.

"It's just, daddy issues." I sighed.

I saw the look of sympathy in her eyes.

"But it's ok though." I reassured her.

She just nodded, laying on the bed.

"My names Ashley Core and I'm 16. I go to Heights High School. I have a boyfriend but I think hes cheating on e." She explained, snarling at the last part.

"Wait what. I've never dated anyone in my life." I said, shocked. She looked at me with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Katie will be here soon, she will help me with this. Are you serious?!" She said, sitting up on her bed.

"I mean, no one really attracted me in my old school. They where all either black bastards or racist." I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, school starts tomorrow. If we start now, we may have time." She exclaimed, getting up and pacing around the room.

"Time for what?" I asked, curious.

"For your glow up. You can't go to school all....you." She explained, gesturing at my clothes.

I was wearing an oversized tee and baggy shorts with white vans and headphones on my neck. My curly brown hair which is a little bit past my waste was packed in a messy bun.

"I don't look half bad. And i planned to spend the rest of today laying on the bed." I explained, walking over to her bed and laying flat on it.

Ashley just nodded her head. She then left the room, leaving me alone. I sat up, crawling over to my bag and searching for it, my phone and ear plugs. I plugger it in, searching for the first song that came to my mind. Suitcase by Sia.

As I hummed to the song and drew in my journal, Ashley and a girl walked into the room. She looked mixed but more on the white side. She was tall, slim and slender with small hips. She had her wavy brown hair in a high pony tail while rocking a crop top, skinny jeans and adidas shoes.

"Ah, she looks so pretty." The tall girl cried, beaming at me.

"I know ok. Prettier than me just, what do we do with her?" Ashley asked.

"I don't see why you should change her, she looks perfect the way she is." The skinny girl said, with a confused tone.

"No she doesn't, Katie. She doesn't look Heights High School perfect. I don't want to walk around know my cousin dresses like....THAT!" Ashley explained, waving her hands at me.

"I'm right here ya know. " I said finally. Both eyes turned to me.

"Hi there, I'm Katie Landry and you must be Jayla." She said in a sweet voice.

"Yeah hi, uh. I don't want anyone to change me, ok. " I grumbled, pausing my music.

"Yeah, I know you don't. Just be a little more fashionable, ya know. Beyoncé kinda thing. Just like, That shirt you wearing, spice it up by removing the sweatpants and using a belt on your waste to show off your shape or wear mini shorts with it. Like that." Katie tried to explain.

My face scrunched up a bit. The short thing was ok, I could try that tomorrow and all but the shape thing, not my style.

"Ok fine. I'll try out the short thing but NEVER the shape one." I tried making a deal with them.

Katie jumped up and down while Ashley just glared at me. I think she forgot that I was born and raised with black people and wen to a school with only black people. I have never met a white person in my life except for Aunt An. The white must have brain washed them because I have never seen no black 16 year olds be so....white.

"Me and Katie are going to meet up with Brody and Jacob, my boyfriend and her boyfriend. It's a double date. See you later today, bye." Ashley said, with an edge of annoyance in her voice, as she dragged Katie out the room and slamming the door shut. I just shrugged my shoulders and continued singing along to 'suitcase'.

Few hours later, I decided to take a break from drawing and decided to take a walk. I put my journal down, tucked my phone in my pocket with the ear plugges still in my ear, blasting some of the latest hits like 'need to know' by Doja Cat. I re-did my hair into pig tales and went out of the room. It was 8 pm already so my siblings where probably playing with the rest of my cousins. I quickly ran down the stairs and slipped out the door to the lightly deemed alleyway. It was dark outside but not to dark, evening dark. I walked down the road, singing along to 'all the kids are depressed'. I then heard a voice behind me that said 'Hey shawty.'

I walked faster, picking up the pace every time footsteps got closer. At a point I just started running. "Baby girl, why you running from me." The deep raspy voice said.

My eyes stung with tears. I just kept running, barely being able to see because I left my glasses on the bed back at the house. I bumped into something. I immediately hid behind it while I could. The thing I hid behind was breathing up and down. I was about to start running again until I heard a voice say. "Hey bastard, go back to where you came from !"

I felt a vibration. I stepped back from where I was hiding. It was actually a boy. He looked 17. He was white with black wavy, floppy hair, covering some parts of his eye. He wasn't muscular nor looked terrifying but I swear, his voice could even scare a thousand angels. It was so deep and just...very attractive. He even looked very attractive. I could see his facial features in the dark clearly. He had ocean blue eyes that kind of had a dash of emerald green in them. He had soft facial features, making him look like a hot ass baby. Who knew a stranger could attract me this much.

"What you gonna do about it n*gga." The man said. I could see his face more clearly now. He was tall, black and kind of chubby.

The white boy I was with brought out a pocket knife and threw it at the black man, landing right in his left eye. The man screamed and ran away.

"Are you ok?" The white boy asked. His voice became softer, as sweat as honey. it was almost...cute. Enough about this weird ass white boy.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks." I mumbled, stepping aside.

"Why are you out so late?" The boy finally asked.

"I just wanted to go for a walk." I sighed.

"Well you must be new around here because it's never safe to be out his late at night in the streets of Washington Heights." He explained.

"Well I am, I just moved. I'm going to Heights high school tomorrow." I explained.

"Oh wow, I school there. The names Angelo, Angelo Russo and I'm Italian." He introduced himself, stretching his hand out to me to shake.

"Well I'm Jayla, Jayla Smith." I sad, shaking his hand.

"Well, I better take you back home because I don't want you being attacked again." He said. We let go of each others hand and walked back home.

We finally reached the house.

" Well bye. Maybe I'll see you in school tomorrow." He said, waving of to me and walking away.

I waved back at him.

I walked back inside the house, feeling tired and dizzy.

My first friend, met in a weird situation.