As soon as they start talking to Jordane, mi slide away quietly and head to mi room. Tired a dem, man. One bag a fake family, only a few mi woulda even say can gwaan.
Shooting did gwaan inna dem place, and dem deh right deh so enuh. None a dem never even call fi say, “Yow, a Adonis drive da voxy deh.”
Dem down there a shield him, fully knowing him did try kill innocent people. Mi nah encourage nobody fi be no informa, enuh. But come on—a family. If unuh nuh want him dead, at least think ‘bout the police. But no. Nothing. Now dem deh yah a gwaan like dem miss the man so much. Like him did mean man no good. I hiss and throw myself down on my bed. My room is just the way I left it. Everybody know better than fi come inna mi room. Cause if dem move even one thing, no matter how subtle, mi a go know.
I close my eyes, finally relaxing into the silence. And of course, that’s when someone decides it’s the perfect time toknock on my door. I blink open slowly and see Lorie standing at the entrance with my sister beside her. Just like that, irritation coils in my chest. I sit up, my gaze hardening as it lands on Lorie.
“A wah, Nick?” she asks, confused.
“Yow, mi a tell yuh plain and straight seh mi nuh wah yuh a walk wid mi sister,” I say sharply.
Her expression falters, softening like I just hurt her feelings. I don’t care about her feelings. That’s that.
Janel sighs beside her. “Nick, what is wrong with you?” she asks, clearly annoyed.
But I ignore her. I’m not speaking to Janel. I’m speaking to Lorie. She’s the one I’m dealing with. Lorie keeps looking at me. “Wah mi a go mek happen to your sister?” she asks, defensive.
I glance over at my sister. “Janel, leave the room.”
She hesitates for a second, then turns and exits. I wait a moment, listening. I don’t speak until I hear her footsteps fading down the hallway. Then I lock the door and turn back to Lorie.
I lean back on the bed, leveling my tone. “We both know seh you nuh have nothing ‘bout yuh. So fi you a walk up and down wid mi little sister… pan road? While she young? Mi nuh wah you an influence har.”
She shakes her head. “Wi just go a shop cause Nicki send wi out.”
Why is she even still here? Didn’t Mommy say she was gonna stab her if she didn’t leave? “How yuh still deh ya?” I ask coldly.
She shrugs. “Nicki sorry fi me, I guess.”
She leans against the wall now, eyes trailing over me slowly, examining everything. “You look richer… like Zara a take care a you,” she says, envy lining her voice.
Come to think of it, I really had been grinding for a while, but the moment I started taking Zara seriously, the girls who used to come around faded quick.
I sigh. “You a wonder how mi know har?” she asks, then pulls out her phone. “Mi always a watch har story ‘cause mi follow har pan IG.”
I ignore her completely. “Mi a try wul a meds, so you can leave,” I say, tone clipped, signaling that I’m done with this conversation.
“Still a treat me bad?” she fires back. “You just a go leave and forget all about wah wi did have?”
“Me and you did ever deh?” I ask, raising a brow. She shakes her head, clearly not expecting that response.
“But we sleep together how much time? Yuh nuh think mi woulda develop feelings?” she asks, her voice quieter now, but still holding weight.
“Mi nuh response. Mi never tell none a unuh fi ketch feelings. Mi tell unuh plain seh mi nuh do the relationship thing,” I remind her. “Mi nuh wah no strings attached. Wi just maths up wah wi a do, and wi go wi separate ways. So how yuh reach feelings, G?”
She looks away, at her phone, then back at me, narrowing her eyes. Something shifts in her expression, something I don’t quite recognize, before she steps closer. Her eyes glisten.
“A engagement ring that she have on?” she whispers, clearly hurt.
Jah know. “Yah,” I say firmly. “Mi have suh’m serious going on now, and mi done play ‘round. So whatever yuh think was happening between us, figet that. Mi done chat.”
“Nick… weh yuh a tell me seh?!” she bursts out, raising her voice.
I meet her tone. “Yuh forget who yuh a deal wid!?” She’s really pushing me now.
“Mi know seh you did deh wid the gyal, but mi lef yuh fi get over har like how yuh do the other gyal dem. And now yuh a tellmi seh yuh engage to har?!” Her voice cracks with disbelief. “A muss obeah she obeah yuh, ‘cause yuh woulda never!”
My patience is gone. Lorie knows better, so why’s she testing me? Something shifts in me. The way she’s carrying on, it’s pushing buttons that I don’t like touched. I can feel it building, that dark edge crawling up inside me. If she raises her voice in my room one more time, she get knock.
