Shrimp, Grits, N' Pimp Sh*t

[Valentina's POV]  Since me and Nathaniel have gotten serious, we've started trying to get our families more and more involved with each other. It was his idea to start having dinner every Sunday, and I've pretty much fallen in love with the idea. I feel like I haven't seen Mami, Grant, & Adriana this much in so long, and it feels good to finally have time to see them again. Both Nate & I had really long and stressful weeks, so what better way to wind down than a nice dinner. Mami had to work, so Adriana volunteered to drive her and Grant over to the house. I had been lounging in my underwear all day, because... Like I said. I had a long and stressful week. And to be honest, pants stress me out. Me : So, Booger. Nathaniel : Yes, babe. Me : What's on the menu for this evening? Something good I hope. [Grins] Nathaniel: [Smirks] Now you know EVERYTHING I put on a plate is extraordinary, don't do that. Me : I'm kidding. [Giggles] S...

[Valentina's POV] Me and Adriana have always had a love/hate relationship; most of it due to the way we grew up. Obviously, we look hella different. I got this rich, even, yummy brown skin tone, while both her and Grant are on the lighter side. I'm the oldest of course, but we don't have the same father. My daddy never really gave a shit to settle down and raise me so I knew, even as a kid to just let it go. I knew I'd always have my mom around, and let's be real. I liked her better anyway. Adriana & Grant's dad, a man by the name of Fernando was a great man. He took good care of all of us. Continued to raise me as well just like I was his, but then he died around the time Grant was two.  Anyway,  Since that little Shade Fest at dinner the other week... I called her just to see what's up and how she was doing. Of course when I asked, I was met with attitude and MORE shade. She asked if I was just calling her because Nathan was gone and ...

Nathan's POV My mama and daddy showed up about thirty minutes after Val's people, my mom looking surprisingly laxed and my dad looking sharp with a fresh haircut and everything. [Chuckles] Wow. I stand up like the gentleman I am and introduce my people to Val's folks (her lil sister still got that ugly ass mug on), and they exchange greetings. Val starts telling her mom about how it was her idea to bring everyone together but it was my idea to do all this 'Gourmet Cooking'. Her mom gave me this weird little smirk that embarrassed me a little bit so I just said 'yeah I guess', and kept it moving. Everybody's pretty much silent except for the TV and sounds of chewing and utensils clattering on the plates. Nathan's dad [Mr. Edwards]: *Abruptly* So Nathaniel. Me: Wassup. Mr. Edwards: How you like living on ya own? Me: It's straight... Got responsibilities now. Freedom. Y'know. Mr. Edwards: Mm-hm. Freedom , huh? ...

Nathan's POV Me and Val finally got settled into this li'l bitty crib. Honestly, I hated the place the moment I laid eyes on it. It looked like one of them bandos on the corner on the south side, all boarded up... Minus the boards on the windows. But I wasn't really worried about it because now we could finally say we had something that belonged to us. We've been spending a lot of time getting to know the city... We went on a brunch bar/gallery crawl or something like that Sunday afternoon. (Val's always been into that bougie, Sex & the City type lifestyle lol) It was dope. I just gotta remind myself to watch how many drinks shorty orders... She's a lightweight. [Chuckles] Valentina: [Sprawled across my bed] Naaaate. Me: What's up? Valentina: We should invite our people over now that we're settled in here or whatever. They'd be glad to see the place! Me: Girl your mom gon think we got married or something. [Laughs] ...

[ Valentina's POV ] After four and a half years of the College Life struggle, I thought everything was going to be easier from here. Finally got that well sought-after piece of paper signed by my university that was supposed to land me tons of "opportunities" and ''open many doors". [Chuckles] All it left me was a $50K IOU to Great Lakes and Sallie Mae & twice-daily 11:11 wishes that something will GIVE. A JOB. AN INTERNSHIP. COIN? SOMETHING. Like, I spent my years in school making sure to earn nothing less than a B+ in all my classes because I was taught growing up that looking like me, you gotta work twice as hard to get half as much as... The rest of them . I worked my ass off, walked across that stage six months ago about fifty people after my best friend Nathan; we both had cords and stoles out the wazoo and matching 3.9 GPAs. I was sure that not even a month later the responses to my thousands of resumes being sent off and job offers would ...

Nat han: 24 year old Law Career student, from the south side, 6'6, brown skinned, bearded, teddy bear. Traits: - Asshole - Petty - Career Oriented Likes:  - "Romantic shit"  - Cooking  - Reading  - 80s R&B Dislikes  - "Petty females" (But ain't you...???)  - Cigarettes  - "Shitty appliances"  - Wearing contacts Valentina  23 year old nursing career medical student, also from the south side, Nathan's childhood best friend, 5'10 brown skinned, athletic build Traits:  - Petty  - Carribean  - Career oriented Likes:   - Neo-Soul  - Snapchat  - Shopping   - "Analyzing different animation styles of anime"  Dislikes   - "Anti-feminism"   - Messy rooms   - "People who say their favorite anime is One Piece"  - Low limit credit cards 

                  The first night in that "rental property" was so wild. Surreal, even. I can't even really explain it. The concept of sleeping in a bed had become so foreign to me, I almost couldn't get to sleep to start with, had I not been so comfortable and exhausted. I just can't believe that one random trip to Solar was what did it for me. I always heard of "angels" and "God putting certain people in your path on purpose", but this was something straight out of a movie. Like, a whole ass miracle. I couldn't believe it. One night, I'm sleeping on a New Crest park bench trying to get as comfortable as I could, and the next, I have a furnished apartment... With a bed.          Now, the first look of it, it wasn't much, like Ms. Erica had said. The furniture was a little bit worn; second hand, I'm guessing. There was a smell lingering in the place like a door or a window hadn't been cracked in years, but I gu...