Family Kickback
849 Words
Auntie’s backyard was packed the next afternoon. Folding chairs, plastic tables, kids running in circles, and the sound of Frankie Beverly and Maze sliding out of a Bluetooth speaker. The kind of family kickback where you knew you were leaving full and at least half a pound heavier.
I balanced a paper plate in one hand and waved with the other as my cousin Deja spotted me.
“Keishaaa!” she yelled like I hadn’t just seen her yesterday.
I laughed. “Girl, we just talked last night.”
“And? You still deserve a loud welcome.” She pulled me into a hug, stepping back to look me over. “Mmmhmm, you look like a whole new person already. Country air doing you good.”
“Girl, stop. I literally just unpacked my shoes.”
Before I could say more, I heard my brother’s voice. “Yo, Keish! Grab you a drink and come over here!”
I followed his voice, and like clockwork, Dre was standing next to him again. Leaning against the grill this time, talking to my uncle about something I didn’t care about but pretended to listen to.
“You settling in okay?” my brother asked, handing me a cup of sweet tea.
“Yeah, it’s good. I like my place,” I said, taking a sip and glancing at Dre out of habit. He wasn’t looking at me, but I felt him noticing me. You know that feeling when someone’s not watching you but somehow… is?
“You need anything, you let me know,” my brother said.
“I’m good, bro, for real. Got everything handled.”
Dre finally looked up then, smirking like he was in on some joke. “She independent now, huh?”
I turned toward him, eyebrow raised. “I’ve always been independent.”
He grinned. “I ain’t say you wasn’t. I’m just saying… small town different. People look out for each other.”
“Translation: mind everybody’s business?” I shot back.
A few people laughed, including my brother. Dre just smiled that slow, easy smile.
After a while, I sat under the shade of Auntie’s big oak tree, plate half-finished, catching up with my cousins. Dre moved around like he owned the place—helping my uncle flip chicken, laughing with my brother, giving high-fives to random little kids. He was comfortable.
“So…” Deja leaned in, eyes all messy with curiosity. “You and Dre ever—?”
“Girl, no,” I cut her off before she even finished.
She raised an eyebrow. “Yet.”
“Deja, stop.” I picked up my drink, trying to look busy.
“I’m just saying, everybody can see it. He be looking at you like—”
“Like what?”
“Like he tryna figure out how to risk it all.” She laughed, falling back in her chair.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “He got a girl, Deja.”
“Mhmm, and? That ain’t stopped half the women in this county before.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t move here to be in mess,” I said.
“Didn’t you though?” she teased.
I threw a napkin at her, and she laughed so loud, people turned to look. Dre looked too, eyes catching mine across the yard. For a second, neither of us looked away.
And then his girlfriend walked in.
She was pretty, tall, with that effortless “I woke up cute” vibe. She kissed Dre on the cheek like she owned him, and I had to look down at my plate before I rolled my eyes out loud.
Deja leaned close and whispered, “That’s Chanel. Been with him on and off for, like, ever.”
“Good to know.” I stabbed at my potato salad like it owed me money.
The whole vibe shifted for me after that. Dre was still laughing, still being social, but I noticed how close she stayed to him, how she grabbed his arm when other women got too friendly.
He’s taken. This is not your lane, Keisha.
Still… when I was leaving, Dre managed to catch me before I hit the driveway.
“You good out here?” he asked, standing a little too close, voice low so nobody could hear.
“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”
“Just checking. Ain’t seen you in a minute, that’s all.”
“You’ve seen me plenty.” I smiled to soften it.
He smiled back. “Not like this.” His eyes ran over me quick, then back up. “Anyway, hit me up if you need anything, alright?”
I nodded and walked to my car without looking back, but I could feel him watching me.
That night, I replayed that look in my head—him standing too close, his girl in the other yard like nothing was happening, me trying to act like I didn’t notice.
This was supposed to be a fresh start. So why did it already feel like déjà vu?
- Writer
