Forever and a Day

Forever and a Day

By: Jasmine Barber

This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, event, establishments, or locals are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Other names, characters, and incidents occurring in the work are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, as those fictionalized events and incidents that involve real persons. Any character that happens to share the name of a person who is an acquaintance of the author, past or present, is purely coincidental and is in no way intended to be an actual account involving that person. 

Copyright © 2013 Jasmine Barber

All rights reserved.

Dedication

I dedicate this to my mother Taiesha. Everything I do is to make you proud of me. Every girl wants their mother to be proud of them and I’m happy to say that is the case with you. I love you mommy.

I also dedicate this to everyone that I’ve lost throughout my life.

Antwanett “Netta” Smith, Mary Mitchell, Kenya Barber, I wish you were here to celebrate my first book release, but I know you all are in Heaven looking down at me. I just want to say I love each one of you and keep looking down on me.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for bringing me to where I am in life. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even have this acknowledgement section to show. I’ve been through many trials and tribulations over the past year, and that’s what bought me to write this.

To my mother, Taiesha Barber. I love you more than anything. Thank you for all the support you’ve shown me through out this writing project. I owe you the world for being my cover mode
l
Yes everyone, that’s my mommie on the front cover <3.

To my brother, Alonza. Boy I swear I wouldn’t think you were 10. As I wrote, you threw out ideas that you wanted me to write and thanks to you Alonzo is a character in Forever and a Day.

To Poohbear, Thank you for everything. I’m thankful for all the tips you gave me on a business aspect. You supported me through out the whole process. Like you said we on the roll. As a unit we will make it.

To my Auntie, Tonya Barber. Thank you for inspiring me and pushing me to write my own book. You were the one who said that I should turn my short story into a full project.

Tiffany McGhee: I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. You barely knew me, but you motivated me and took me in like a long time friend. I will be forever grateful. I told a couple of my friends, but I have to say you are the best editor ever!

MC Family: Mercedes,
Leondra, Tiffany, Dwinique, Danielle, Alicia and Jarell. Each of you pushed me hard to make sure I finished Forever and a Day. Nique, you made me laugh throughout the whole process making writing so much better. Danni, you pushed me to be different from other authors and for that I would like to say thank you. You definitely were my savior when it came to writing at the end. My WORSE critic Cedes, you made sure that Forever and a Day was perfect before I could say I was done. I knew this wouldn’t be a good book without getting your approval. Leondra, thanks for giving me friendly advice as an author and as a friend. You saw me stress over little things and made sure I never let it deter me from reaching my goal. Alicia, you publishing Shy’s Heartbreak was motivation for me. You gave me advice, you were an honest test reader and I just want to thank you. You pushed me and I’ll forever be grateful. Tiff, I love you man. You are one of the biggest ain’t shit people in MC but that’s what makes you Tiffany. Thank you for being the test reader throughout the process.

Dynasty’s Co
ver Me: Thank you so much for giving me one of the most creative book covers ever! I’ll be back for my future projects!

Jade Broomfield: Thank you for making my 1
st
Cover. Just wanted to let you know your work did not go unnoticed! Love you Jadie.

Special Thanks To:

Tajana Sutton (Tajana Sutton’s Deja Series)

Leondra
LeRae (Hood Love Fan Group)

Monique
Chanae Tillman & Dama Cargle (The Takeover)

Nae
(Dollhouze Ent)

Shameek
Speight (#TeamTrueGlory)

Tonya Barber (Tonya’s Reader Den)

Brandie Davis (My Urban Book Club)

Thank you all for letting me promote my work in your groups. I truly appreciate it.

My 1
st
Set of Test Readers: Jasmine, Christina, Naiima, and June. I love y’all. To be honest this wouldn’t have been a book if it weren’t for y’all. Ya’ll asked for more so I gave y’all more and look at me no
w

Support System: Kellee Enos, Jackie Black, Ellie Melon, and Nellie Mithcell. Thank y’all for encouraging me throughout the process. Sometimes I just needed to hear that, “I’m so proud of you”, “Keep up the good work”,  “I can’t wait to read that” and you were the ones throughout the project who continuously gave positive feedback. I love y’all more than y’all will ever know.

To everybody who said I was going to fail, eat your heart out because Forever and a Day is now a reality.

If I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me and know that just because you weren’t in my mind, you were still in my heart. Here is a place for you: ____________________.

Now, I present you with my baby, “Forever and a Day.”

Love Always,

Jasmine B.

Chapter 1

“I'll always love you but I can't stand being with you.” - Brielle

Dear Murder,

It took me a long time to write this letter because I didn’t
know if I really wanted this.  After going back and forth, I've decided that this is exactly what I need. I've been nothing but faithful and understanding to you and to your "career." I'm not your typical chick from the hood. I never relied on you for money or materialistic things. I own my own business, house, and I have cars that are completely paid off. So again, I ask myself, why the hell am I taking your shit?

You’re a liar and a cheater and
that’s all you will ever be! I tried to reason with your "job" because I've always loved the edge of a bad boy, but every time I turn around I'm being slapped in the face with reality when some random chick is playing on my office phone or better yet sending me pictures of you and her doing all types of wild shit. The worse thing a man can do is have his girlfriend thinking everything is all good, while other females look at her KNOWING she is not the only one. Emotionally, I’ve been done. Mentally, I’m still drained. Even though I feel that way you always see me with a smile.

I haven't been happy with you for the last month. I was the one who took your shit and still cared about you, but all that has changed. So with that being said, I've packed your clothes that were at my house and put them in storage. (If you were wondering, yes the
key in the envelope is for you) I've changed the locks to my house; so don't bother coming by to try to beg your way back in my life. I just want to end this letter off by saying thank you for everything you taught me about "these niggas" as you put it and about life in general. You really prepared me for the bullshit you threw at me. I'll always love you but I can't stand being with you. Hopefully one day we can be friends but until then I'm officially moving on. 

             
                            Love Always,

             
                                          Brielle

             
As Brielle went to get ready for her first official Girls Night Out with her best friends as a single lady, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for finally leaving Murder alone. She knew deep down in her heart that she would probably need sometime to get over Murder, but she knew with friends like hers she would be perfectly fine. As Brielle walked into the bedroom next to the master bedroom, which was converted into a walk-in closet, she thought about the past three years with Murder. She met Murder at the end of her sophomore year of college. 

             
It was a hot spring day in the middle of May, everybody in New York City was pissed the hell off. Everybody wanted the summer time to hurry up and come but this was crazy. It was hot as hell. It was that aggravating heat, that unbearable heat that no one likes. The heat where it was hot but there was literally no air blowing. Anyway, she was on her lunch break from her internship at Madison Square Garden. She had been working a total of six hours before she decided that she could no longer hide her hunger. As she snatched her favorite Michael Kors bag and her iPhone out of her desk, she dreaded going outside in the scorching heat. As soon as she opened the door and took two steps out the door, she was being pushed down by some dude running into her. 

             
"Ayo what the fuck? You blind or something?" Murder screamed out, not paying attention to who he had ran into. 

             
As Brielle was getting up she yelled out, "Me? You’re the one who wasn't paying attention to where the hell you were going! And you broke my damn iPhone!"

             
When she woke up this morning, she knew her day wasn't going to be good and this moment made her realize she was definitely right. As Brielle was talking, Murder looked up to find the most gorgeous girl he had ever laid eyes on. He was at a lost for words. Brielle was brown skin, long beautiful black hair that stopped pass her shoulders in a tight ponytail holder. She had dimples so deep that he couldn't help but want to stare at them. He got so deeply mesmerized by her beauty that he didn't even acknowledge anything this girl was saying.

             
Becoming even more annoyed by this insensitive ass jerk, Brielle picked up her broken iPhone and her bag and began to walk back inside the door to her job. Before he realized it, Brielle's hand was almost stretched out to open the door to Madison Square Garden. Murder quickly shouted out, "Aye ma, my bad. I didn't even see you. I'm sorry for breaking your phone and making you fall. Let me make it up to you."

             
"Look the only way you can make it up to me is by buying me a new iPhone, everything else I can handle on my own," said Brielle.

             
"A new iPhone? Ma that's nothing, give me your number and I'll get up with you and buy you a new phone.” said a smiling Murder. Usually his smile was a sign of trouble but today he was generally happy to be in Brielle's presence even though he would of preferred to meet her a different way.

             
"Why the hell would I give you my number, if I don't have a phone to answer when you call,” stated an annoyed Brielle. “You know what just leave it alone! I'll buy my own phone! Goodbye.”

             
Brielle walked back inside Madison Square Garden thinking, my day just can't get any worse. Brielle definitely went home that day with a bad attitude. 

~~~~~

One Week Later

             
Brielle was leaving work with a positive attitude. She had a great weekend ahead of her with her girls. She walked to the train station thinking about the relationship she had with her friends. Danielle, Shanice, Sabriya and Chloe were the best friends she could of ever asked for. You would of thought they knew each other all their lives when you saw the group of girls. When in reality, Brielle only knew Danielle and Shanice since fourth grade and she met Sabriya and Chloe her senior year in high school at Rutgers University accepted student day. She then smiled thinking about how each of her friends were different but how they all blended in together as one.