Chapter 9

RAY

After leaving the beautiful penthouse which I knew I may not ever get to enter again,i hopped on the next available bus and went straight to my apartment.The guilt still sat heavily, perpetually weighing me down. We suffered because I had insisted on going camping with mom and dad because I was always grumpy about the fact that they were always busy. At least they both loved me, no matter what. Now, I did what I could to work for money and take care of my little sis.

My neighbor, Asher, Ash as he liked to be called, always flirted with me. To be fair, he flirted with everyone, so I didn't take it all that seriously or like I was anyone special. Whenever I saw him, I would just smiled to him knowing he was the landlady's son who cannot be offended,u know he wanted my body but I was not ready to be touched after what happened with my last boyfriend, Richard.

Mostly, I did worked for my 7-year-old sister, Tania. She didn't need to suffer because of me. And because I had an evening job, and sometimes I worked at nights too, i needed someone to watch Tania.

My little sister had been a complete surprise when Mom got pregnant with her. For twelve years, it had only been me and my parents. Then came along little Tania, I fell in love with her on the day she was born and stepped in to be the best big bro possible.

But it wasn't only about her and the guilt. I'd been saving for medication for the autoimmune arthritic disease she was born with. While a careful diet and exercise helped, she still got flare-ups that left me incapacitated or nearly blinded by pain in her eyes. It didn't happen often, but it happened enough to affect her quality of life, especially since each flare-up left behind damage to her bones and vision. The injections were expensive as hell when you didn't have health insurance, but they'd really help with keeping her pain under control. Maybe one day.

Despite that, I probably would've left already to live on my own were it not for the guilt and the need to help out. I couldn't abandon my sister with our relatives because I am pretty sure that they were not going to be responsible for her and they would rather leave her at an orphanage home. So, She and i crammed into one-bedroom apartment, where I shared a room with my little sis. It wasn't exactly convenient if I wanted a boyfriend, but I dealt with it. Not that I had any boyfriends. If I did, though, they'd have to be really cool with what I did for a living.

But my biggest dream was to be a cook. I was self-taught, but I didn't think I was too bad. Sometimes, the different cafe's have worked at were always equipped with world class Baker and chef so I didn't have the courage to apply there too since I don't have any certificate. the only real practice I go was when i cooked in the little space in one corner of my room when we first moved here after the tragedy,I knew I could not afford to buy food or order so I had to learn how to cook for me and my little sister.

I readjusted my dick as I walked inside my apartment, feeling his Asher's burning gaze on my back. He wanted more from me than just acquaintance but I wasn't interested. He was my landlady's son and fourteen years older. No thanks. Besides, he was too fem for me. Nothing was wrong with that, but it wasn't my type. I preferred a guy bigger than me who could toss me around like a rag doll and pound the hell out of me like Brian.

My apartment was empty with Tania at the sitter's which means Mrs Williams picked her up herself which am grateful for since Ricky is busy these days, I stripped off my clothes and took a quick shower to wash off the Brain sex and get ready for work. As I put on my boxer briefs, I quickly ran my fingers through my floppy hair, which I bleached over my dark brown hair last year, and stuck with it. Then I put in several earrings, Next went the chain chokers around my neck. I tossed on one of my ironic T-shirts in black that I got at Goodwill that said, 'i know am hot.' It was my thing.

With one more look in the bathroom mirror, I ran out of the apartment, locked it up, and headed to the first floor to grab the munchkin. As I walked down the stairs,Sounds of a cartoon echoed into the hall from the apartment as I knocked on Mrs. William's door. An older woman of about seventy and five-foot-nothing answered. Her gray hair was cut into a short cut and she was the nicest lady ever, watching over Tania whenever we needed her for cheap, using the babysitting money as supplemental income. It was even better that we trusted her.

"Well, hello, Ray. Come on in. We just finished a snack, and she's watching TV."

"Was she good today?"

"She's always good."

And she was. Nova was the sweetest kid I'd ever known. But I could be biased.

I pressed my finger, to my mouth so Mrs. William didn't let her know I was there yet, and I snuck into the living room, seeing Tania sitting cross-legged in front of the ancient television, watching a recording of Sesame Street.

Her brown hair was in long pigtails but was a mess, and the tails were lopsided. I squatted behind her and snuffled her neck, making her squeal and giggle. "Gotcha!" I said.

"Ray Ray!"

We both stood, and I lifted her in my arms.

"Were you a good girl for Mrs. William?"

"Yes! I learned to make mac and cheese today. I got to stir in the cheese."

"You did? Well, aren't you a little chef?"

She nodded with a massive smile on her face, and her dark brown eyes that matched mine were wide as she played with one of my dangling earrings.

"You ready to go, munchkin?"

She nodded and suddenly yawned.

"Say goodbye to Mrs. William."

"Bye, Mrs.William."

"Bye-bye, dear. See you tomorrow."