“Okay. Thanks. You can come right to the main office once you arrive.”
“Got it.”The phone beeped with an incoming call from Thyri. I hung up to answer.“Wassup, Ma?”
“Hey, are you on your way here?”She sounded flustered.
“You good?”I asked, ignoring her question.
“Yeah. Just a little frustrated. I got a call from KJ’s school saying I gotta pick him up. Supposedly there was a situation, but they can’t tell me what the hell the situation was.”
These two lil’ niggas in cahoots, I thought.“I’m headed that way to get Cortez now. I can grab KJ and bring him home. Save you a trip.”
“I appreciate it, but I…”
“I gotta come get EJ anyway, remember?”
She paused for a second before responding.“You’re right. Let me call the school back and let them know I give them permission for you to get him. I can’t believe this.”
“Yeah, call them and tell ‘em ya man on the way to handle the business.”
“Okay.”I could hear the smile in her voice, even if it was brief.“Thank you.”
“All good. I’ll see you in a few.”
“K.”
Ending the call, I wondered just what the hell these two were up to. Whatever it was, I was going to get the answers before I dropped either of them to their destination.
They weren’t fuckingaround with security at Millenium Prep. Before I could enter the building, I had to scan my ID then have it checked by school safety. It felt more like I was going to visit a damn prison than a school. I was all for security, but goddamn, was this Eastside High? By the time I was escorted to the main office, I didn’t care about what Tez or KJ had done. I was ready to go.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” An older Black woman with a stern face that looked like she gave the students hell greeted me.
“Good morning, I’m here for Cortez Sullivan and Kaleb Smith.”
She glanced down at a book in front of her then back up at me. “You’re here to get them both?”
“I am,” I replied evenly.
“Right this way,” she said, walking around the counter she stood behind.
I didn’t know who mama this lady was, but there had to be an old nigga happy as hell somewhere because she was thick. The face gave forty-two, but the body didn’t look no older than thirty-two. I wasn’t on the market, but a nigga had eyes.
We entered a small hallway then walked into an office labeled principal. Inside the office, KJ and Cortez were seated off to the side with their coats on, bookbags in their laps, and solemn looks on their faces. A familiar face sat behind a medium-sized oak desk. On the desk was an acrylic sign that read Principal Malcolm.
“Thank you, Ms. Reed,” he said to the woman as she exited.
The door closed, and the principal stood to his feet with his hand extended to me. “Not too many Sullivans come across my desk these days, so to find out Cortez is one of yours was a surprise.”
“Well, you know we don’t travel in packs, and we’re often seen before we’re heard, Tim.”
“Yeah, he got that slick talk honestly. Wassup, man?”
We shook hands and embraced in a brotherly hug. I knew Timothy Malcolm from high school. We were on a travel basketball team together. Niggas hated him because he was undisputedly the best player on the team and dominated the court. I, on the other hand, didn’t care. I played my position well and never let another nigga shining dim my light. And that was where we bonded – our tendency to not give a fuck and being ready to throw hands with anybody on the team that wanted static.
“I ain’t seen you in years, man. A principal? Who would’ve ever thought.”
He sat on the edge of his desk. “Not me.” He chuckled. “But here I am. Making sure my kids are learning and making smart decisions. Even if I gotta hit ‘em with that tough love. Ain’t that right, fellas?”
We both looked over at the boys, who shifted uncomfortably in their seats. KJ’s shoulders were hunched over, while Tez avoided eye contact altogether.
