“Good,” Berkeley said as she linked our arms. “Now let’s go inside and see what kind of hell Tulane’s old ass is raising. That man fussed the entire car ride over here. It got so bad that Clarke pulled out her noise-canceling headphones.
I looked over at my sister, who was already minding her own business and carving into a small piece of wood. “I’m sorry,” I said, tapping her arm to get her attention.
“It’s fine,” Clarke said without looking up. “He needs to feel some kind of control over the situation, and yelling is his only outlet.” She shrugged, then walked into the house. “From what Berkeley was saying, it has something to do with old age and refusing to acknowledge that there are things that are beyond his control.”
“I also said it had to do with parental love,” Berkeley said as we followed Clarke into the house.
“You did, but I didn’t like that part.” She looked over her shoulder and smirked. “It’s something about acknowledging Tulane as our father that just bothers me. Like, I have no problem saying y’all are my sisters, but claiming him?” She shook her head. “I just can’t yet.”
“Same,” Spelman, Berkeley, and I agreed.
“Call a meeting with everyone. I don’t care what you do, but this shit ends today,” Tulane demanded. We were only a few minutes behind him, yet he was already causing hell like we thought he would be.
“Tulane,” Mama Diamond sighed and shook her head. Pop sat at the island watching as his wife handled Tulane with kid gloves. Pop was too short-tempered to deal with Tulane and his outburst. More than likely, he was barely holding on, and the more Tulane fussed, the quicker he was going to be to react. “We’ve already done that. We are just waiting on word on Destyn and Purpose before we actually have it.”
“Waiting?” he laughed, shaking his head. “We don’t have time to wait, Diamond!”
“Tone, Tulane,” Pop warned. He leaned forward and shook his head. To see a man lean forward, especially one who was calm, was never a good sign. “That’s my fucking wife you’re talkingto. Do not disrespect her in her own home.” He smirked. “As a matter of fact, never disrespect her period.”
Tulane and Pop stared each other down for a moment. There may not have been any words spoken, but the tension and body language spoke volumes.
“Mama Diamond?” Clarke called out.
Mama Diamond turned her attention to my sister, and I held my breath. There was no doubt that Clarke was going to say something crazy. “Yes, Clarke?” she replied.
“You procreated with that man three times, right?” Clarke pointed to Pop, and Mama Diamond nodded. “Two of the three are spoken for?”
“One--”
“Two of the three,” Clarke said, cutting me off.
“Yes, baby girl,” Mama Diamond laughed. “Two of the three are spoken for.”
“That third one, he got Pop’s energy?” Clarke asked, and Mama Diamond nodded. “I only got a chance to meet Amethyst and Pyrite. Does he act like them?”
“What do you mean?”
Clarke looked over at Berkeley and waved her hand in a waving motion like she was asking for help. “Explain it to her for me.”
“Pyrite and Amethyst more than likely have borderline personality disorder. In Pyrite’s case, it’s why he kidnapped Fable. He was afraid that he would never find someone to love him. He just so happened to kidnap a woman who loves his ass. Now that I think about it, it’s also giving obsessive-compulsive disorder for both of them.” Berkeley answered with a laugh. “Amethyst’s case is a little different. His entire mindset is to protect Yale at all costs. He doesn’t care about what he has to do or the ramifications of his actions, which is why they’ve been stuck in this push-and-pull bullshit their entire friendship.I have no doubt that since he’s met Yale, he’s acted out of character any and every time he thought she was in danger. No matter what, he’s not going to stop either. Not until he knows she’s safe.”
“Right, so does Citrine act like that?” Clarke said, nodding as she turned back to Mama Diamond.
“No,” she answered with a laugh, and Clarke had the nerve to look disappointed. “Citrine is like his father, temper just as short, but he’s always calm and collected, no matter what.”
“Damn,” Clarke sighed. She turned to Berkeley and crossed her arms. “What’s the cause of BPD?”
“Usually, it’s two factors, abuse or genetics,” Berkeley answered. “I doubt it’s the former, though.”
“So, it’s genetic?” Clarke smiled and then dropped her arms. “Then Citrine has it in him, too? I have to unlock it?”
“It can skip generations.”
“The Lord wouldn’t disappoint me like that,” Clarke said, shaking her head. “It’s in him.”
“Do you realize how dangerous BPD is? Do you see what your sister is dealing with? Have you not spoken to Pyrite a few times? Have you heard how he talks about Fable?”
“It’s kind of romantic,” Clarke replied. It was taking everything in me not to laugh at Clarke and Tulane’s interaction. He was losing his mind, and she was egging him on. Or, at least, I was hoping that she was.
