“Why? It’s summer and I don’t have school,” Sage reasoned.
“I, uh-
“Bro, she not fucking with you for real,” Logic stated. “Let her go.”
“It’s yo fault she don’t wanna stay.” Sage released his mother’s arm. “You didn’t even try to be nice.” He stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Again, Logic wanted to go snatch his ass up and make him close it soft. He hated that rude shit, and for the second time in less than an hour, someone had slammed a door on him.
“Lionel Jr,” Pepper cleared her throat.
“Aye don’t call me that shit,” Logic snapped.
“I really am sorry, and I’d like to sit down and talk to you. I was wrong for what we did, and I want to make it up to you.”
“That’s the thing though, I don’t need you and haven’t needed you since you walked out the door. Sage thinks he needs you because he misses having a mother figure, but I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”
“So you want him to hate me, too?”
“Pepper,” Logic angrily chuckled. “Hate isn’t a word to describe the way I feel about you. I once thought you were the epitome of a woman. You were hard-working, you loved your kids, and you took care of home. I wanted a woman just like you.”
“So you do remember,” Pepper smiled.
“And then you met that nigga.” He wiped the smile off her lips. “You started leaving the kids with me more, staying out late, and cooking less. You started treating me like a built-in babysitter while you ran the streets with that nigga, and then you fucking left. So nah, I don’t hate you, I pity you because you’ll never bounce back from the fucked up shit you did.”
“I sent money when I could.”
“Pepper, please. You sent fifty dollars here and there, but you walked in this bitch with a fresh weave and new nails. Save the money excuses for Sage because he doesn’t know any better.”
“Wow.”
“Lo, come get your brother before I knock his head off his shoulders,” Spice called out.
“You ain’t gone do nothing to me. All I did was ask you to apologize to mama,” Sage barked.
“Boy, I'm not apologizing to her and nobody else. I said what I said.”
“Period,” Shugg cosigned.
“I guess I’ll let you take care of them.” Pepper backed out of the front door as the teens continued to go back and forth. “Tell Sage I’ll call him.”
“Don’t.” Logic closed the door in her face.
Instead of going into the room to defuse the situation with his siblings, Logic took a seat on the couch and picked up a prerolled blunt from the tray on the coffee table. His mind was everywhere, and instead of venting to his best friend, Logic lit his blunt and picked up his notebook.
???
Much later that night, across town, Tyler sat on Dexter’s lap while he tried to make words rhyme. She could tell he was getting frustrated because he kept throwing back drinks and hitting every blunt that was passed to him. Tyler had already written the first two verses, and he was still struggling with the last one.
“Ty, man, come on and write the shit.” Dexter bounced her on his knee. “I can’t fucking focus.” He nuzzled his nose into her neck. “I need you, baby.”
Sighing, Tyler rolled her eyes and picked up her phone to go through her notes. She had already started writing the last verse because this was their routine. He’d half ass try and then beg her to fix it. Before Tyler could open the app, her phone vibrated.
313-446-9612
You up?
The text from the not-so-unknown number caused Tyler to pull the corner of her lip into her mouth. She glanced up at Dexter, whose mouth was moving but her loud heartbeat drowned out the sound of his voice.
