PROLOGUE
Zoya
Recommendation: Listen to Mockingbird by Eminem
“Why the fuck isn’t he answering the fucking phone! My pops had money… I shouldn’t be begging to use that money.” Maverick barked into the phone before tossing it onto the couch.
It had been two months since our parents had been laid to rest. I sat on the couch, looking at the butter noodles and parmesan that Kora had made for us. It was all that we had in this new house of ours.
Groceries magically arrived every week, and this was the second week there was no groceries. No visit from Uncle Nash, and no candy that he would give me and Landon. Kora pushed around the noodles with worry etched in her brows. When she noticed me staring, she put on a smile and nudged me playfully.
“Eat up, Zoya Bean,” she teased.
I looked at the noodles and then over at her plate. “I don’t like this much, Kora.”
She sighed and rubbed my hands. “I know, but if you eat this tonight…. I promise that we can have something different tomorrow.” Although she was promising me something, I knew she didn’t believe in her own promise.
Since our parents had been gone, both Kora and Maverick had been sad. Things were tense, and they pretended that everything was fine.
Well, Kora did.
“Who want some pizza and garlic knots?” I heard Core’s voice and jumped up, excited to be eating something other than the noodles.
“Me!”
Landon clapped his hands and cheered, not knowing what was going on. Unlike me, he was done with his noodles and wanted more.
Maverick looked at Corleon. “You saying I can’t feed my siblings, Bruster?” he questioned.
Kora stood up and went to grab the pizza from Core. “Not saying shit like that… Mav, you need help. Not knocking or looking down, we fam, no?”
“I called him,” Kora admitted.
Maverick was always so tense. Always on alert and never relaxed like he used to be. For the first time since our parents passed, I saw his shoulders relax as he looked away. Corleon cupped his shoulder.
“Stop, Bruster.”
“We family. Take care of one another… we don’t count favors this way, right?” He looked at Maverick, who nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Eat some pizz?—”
“He has noodles,” Kora quickly added, knowing that Maverick ate different than us. He always had different dinners when both mommy and daddy were alive.
“Eat Zoya… have pizza,” Maverick said, as he sat down beside me.
“We can share, Mav.”
He smiled. “Nah, I’m good… eat up.”
Kora put a slice of pizza on my plate, and I started eating while Menace rubbed his hands together, not touching his food.
“We’re good, Maverick,” Kora assured him.
“I don’t like depending on people… don’t like that shit. We’re supposed to be family but fuck his kids… stick them in this house and let them suffer and die.”
Corleon leaned on the counter and bit into a piece of pizza. “What you thinking, Mav?”
