“I’m defending the truth. He could’ve let me walk into something blind. He didn’t.”
Rich’s jaw tightened, “That don’t erase the fact that he took the money. He agreed to the bullshit.”
“I know, but it counts that he stopped it.”
Rich stood to his feet, “You have a soft heart.”
“No, I got a sharp one. I know the difference between someone plotting on me…and someone choosing not to.”
He exhaled slowly, “He was weak as hell for taking the money, but he was strong enough to tell you. I guess that counts for something, but you’re stilldonewith him.”
Diamond didn’t argue.
“I know, but I’m not done respecting him,” she said in a low tone.
Rich stared at her for a long moment then nodded his head once.
“Fair.”
Diamond blinked, shocked by his response.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Rich said. “Ace got a problem and Duke saved himself from one.”
Diamond let out a sigh of relief.
“You did right, both of you did, but still…stay away from him. Don’t confuse honesty with safety. Feelings don’t protect you in this world.”
She swallowed hard.
“I know.” She nodded before walking to her room.
She realized something heavy and true… liking Duke didn’t make her weak and protecting the truth didn’t make her blind. Just like choosing her father didn’t mean she had to erase the fact that she liked Duke…a lot.
“We gotta go look for Momma,” Diamond said to her sisters as soon as she walked in the room.
Sherry would always leave and stay gone for hours until they came and found her. Kayla rolled her eyes, but Diamond didn’t care, they were going to get their mother.
“I got plans,” Kayla shot back with too much attitude for Diamond’s liking.
She noticed the change in her sister in pieces at a time, but she noticed. It was the little things like Kayla missing curfew, more attitudes and less smiles, and the careless ass comments. At first, Diamond thought she was tripping because Kayla had always been the spicy one.
Diamond cut her eyes at her sister as the smell of weed filled her nostrils.
“You been around somebody that smoke weed?”
Kayla rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Then why I smell weed?” Diamond pressed.
“Girl.”
“Girl my ass, who you been around?”
“Friends.”
“Since when you don’t use names?”
