"Reunited" 🌻

Courtney's bladder woke her up at two a.m. She went to the bathroom and then decided to go downstairs to grab a bottle of water. She saw Reneé sitting at the kitchen island. She started to just go back upstairs. Stories told to her about Reneé was still in her head. But at the same time, she was curious about her. Especially since she seemed to experience a little deja vu when she laid her hand on Reneé's wrist and healed her pain. It seemed like she had healed her before. But they had never met.....right?

Courtney decided to grow a pair of balls and walked her scary ass into the kitchen. Reneé was shocked to see her. Courtney grabbed her water and tried to exit without making things awkward. But Reneé wasn't about to let her get away that easily....

"Hey....what are you doing up?", Reneé asked.

"I had to use the bathroom. Then I got thirsty....", Courtney said shyly.

"Oh.....well, it's other stuff in there besides water. There's juice and soda too", Reneé informed her.

"Yeah, but I'll just go ahead and have water. Thanks for letting me know though....What are you drawing?", Courtney asked.

"Nothing but psychotic shit of course. But I'll show you the more innocent drawings. The few that I have anyway", Reneé said.

She showed Courtney a picture she drew of two pretty little girls. One girl was black and the other was white. The girls were smiling at each other. In the picture, the white girl was handing the black girl a dandelion....

"This picture....It....seems like something that happened to me before. Actually, the black girl looks like me. And the white girl...."

"That's me.....Are you Coco?", Reneé asked Courtney.

"Yeah....my family calls me Coco...", Courtney replied.

Reneé had to fight back tears. She never forgot about Coco. She never got over her evil stepmother deleting her best friend's number out of her phone. Nor has she gotten over the physical and verbal abuse. And people wonder why she almost killed the bitch when she was thirteen!

"We met at a park when we were ten. I was running away from home. When you asked me my name I gave you my middle name..."

"Jane?!", Courtney asked in disbelief.

"Yeah....I'm so sorry I didn't call you. My evil ass stepmother deleted your number out of my phone after she beat me", Reneé replied bitterly.

"Well....I wouldn't have got the call anyway. After that fun day I had with you in the park, me and Meg found our grandmother laying on the floor in her living room. She had a brain aneurysm....she passed away", Courtney explained sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Coco....I knew there was something different about your eyes. They don't have the same glowy innocence in them like they did when we met. It's because your spirit is broken", Reneé said.

Courtney nodded her head in agreement. Her spirit was immediately broken the day her grandmother passed away. Finding her laying on the floor like that traumatized ten year old Courtney. And that was the day she began battling depression and suicidal thoughts.

"My momma brought me into this world, but my grandma was my REAL momma....She took care of me and my sister while our momma was chasing men and getting high. She cared about men and drugs more than she cared about us. And she still does which is why we're here. But I guess we both went home to some bullshit that day. I'm sorry your stepmother did that to you" Courtney said.

"All I wanted was to talk to you. I actually planned on escaping again to find you. I never forgot about you", Reneé said.

"Reneé....What happened the day you pulled a gun out on your stepmother. And where's your real mom? I remember that day in the park you said you had to find your mom. What was really going on back then?", Courtney asked.

"I had a growth spurt when I was about twelve. So me and that bitch were the same height. She couldn't beat me like she used to. When she would try I would fight her ass back. My heart got real dark, my soul became as cold as ice, and I became as evil as her. She stopped beating me because she couldn't anymore. But that didnt stop her from calling me every name in the book and talking shit about my mother.

Anyway, one day when I was thirteen, the bitch was mad at my dad. She found out about him cheating on her. Her dumb ass didn't understand that if a man cheats with you he'll cheat on you....

I overheard them arguing downstairs while I was up in my bedroom. They were both drunk. I started to put my earbuds in to drown them out. But before I could I heard my stepmother say, 'I helped you get rid of her! And this is the thanks I get in return?!' I knew they were talking about my mother", Reneé stated.

"What the fuck did she mean by she helped get rid of her?!", Courtney asked in shock.

"I think they killed my mother....which is why I tried to kill them! I took my dad's gun from his so-called hiding place and told them it was their last days on earth....But I wanted to kill that bitch first! Because I felt like she was probably the one that influenced my dad to do it so that she could have him all to herself", Reneé replied.

"That's some sick shit!", Courtney exclaimed.

"And I was going to make sure their sick asses paid for whatever they did to my mom. But because this was during the day time and our front door was open, the neighbors heard what was going on. One of the neighbors, an older lady who I actually liked, was brave enough to enter the house. She said...

'Don't do it, sweety. Come over to my house and calm down. I don't want you to get in trouble with the police.'

She was able to get me to come over to her house, but I didn't drop that gun! I told the lady what happened and she called the police. I told them about how my stepmother had been abusing me for years, I told them about how my dad claimed my mom abandoned us, I told them about him moving that bitch into our house a week after my mom disappeared and I told them what I heard that bitch say that day", Reneé explained.

"So did they arrest them?", Courtney asked.

"No, because they had no evidence. But since I said she was abusing me they couldn't send me back there to live. They brought me here", Reneé replied.

"Maybe she's not dead. They might've had her kidnapped", Courtney said.

"All I know is, I don't know where my mom is and I don't like that. I still want them to pay for whatever they did to her", Reneé said.

"Well, my grandma used to say whatever is hidden will eventually be exposed. They'll get what they deserve. And if your mother is still out there, she'll find you", Courtney told her.

"I really needed you, Coco....", Reneé said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Well....I'm here now. The universe reunited us for a reason. Can I hug you?", Courtney asked.

"Only if you say yes to hanging out with me after we're done with our classes", Reneé replied.

"Deal....", Courtney said before hugging Reneé.

"For the record....I still think you're the prettiest girl I've ever met", Reneé said.

Recalling Reneé saying that to her when they were little, Courtney smiled.

"You think I'm pretty for a dark skinned girl?", Courtney asked. Which was her response back then.

"Hell no.....I think you're pretty period. Actually, you grew up to be sexy as fuck....", Reneé said.

Courtney shook her head and blushed. "Stop gassing me up! I ain't all that...."

"Says who....?", Reneé asked. Then, she kissed Courtney's lips. And Courtney didn't stop her....

"Shit, I hear footsteps", Reneé said. The girls jumped apart from each other quickly.

"What are y'all doing down here at two something in the morning?! Got this big kitchen light on like y'all pay the electric bill!", Taraji fussed.

"Sorry!", the two sixteen year olds said in unison.

"Y'all better get in the bed somewhere", Taraji told them.

"Yes, ma'am!", the girls said in unison again before running up the stairs giggling.

_____________________________

"Reneé was laughing?!", Fantasia asked in shock after Taraji told her that.

"Mmhm.....Her and Courtney was downstairs in the kitchen doing something. What, I don't know, but whatever Courtney said or did to make Reneé laugh I actually want her to keep it up.

"Reneé asked me if Courtney had been living in Houston her whole life. Maybe they realized they know each other from somewhere", Fantasia stated.

"Maybe....but I'm just glad somebody is being nice to Reneé. When I get home from work, I want to sit the girls down and just have each girl share their feelings about whatever they want. This will give all the girls an opportunity to stop seeing each other as 'bad' or 'crazy'. Especially Reneé and Normani. It's a reason why each girl is the way they are", Taraji said.

"I think that's a good idea, babe. I just hope the girls are willing to open up. Especially Rihanna and Beyoncé. They try to act so nonchalant about everything", Fantasia said.

"Well, hopefully they will take off their masks and open up....I want each girl to start healing....."