“Was Cortez with you when your uncle gave you the weed?” He slouched in the seat and played with his twist. That gesture alone, followed by him diverting his eyes from me, let me know he was about to lie. “Nah.”
“Aye,” I tapped his chest, “you can lie to me but do yourself a favor and don’t go in there and lie to your moms. From what I see, you’re a good kid. Tez is too. Y’all just do stupid shit from time to time. But understand this. When you start partaking in adult shit, you gotta be ready for them adult consequences. And you may not wanna hear this, but that was some lame ass shit yo’ uncle did.” I could’ve kept the last part of my sentence to myself, but I couldn’t let that shit ride.
He didn’t reply, and I understood why. Whether right or wrong, Koric was his blood. And even when the truth aboutsomeone you loved hurt, it didn’t make it easier to hear. Part of me respected his silence. The other part felt like he needed to sit with that truth.
We arrived at his house, and he didn’t attempt to reach for the door handle when I parked.
“Look, so long as you’re honest and don’t try to sugarcoat what happened, I’ll be right there witchu, so she won’t go too hard on you.”
“Maannn, my mother wouldn’t care if you were Jesus Christ himself. If she need to get on my ass, she gon’ get on my ass. You being her boyfriend ain’t stoppin’ nothing.”
I chuckled. “You might be right. But look, I can make a suggestion for a punishment that don’t keep you locked in the house. How that sound?”
He frowned. “It sounds like you tryna use this situation to get in good wit’ me.”
I went to break the news to him that I wasn’t the nigga that longed for anyone’s approval, then he cracked a smile and sat up straight in the seat.
“It’s working. What you need me to do?”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Bruh, get out my car. You on yo’ own to face the music now.”
I got out, and he followed behind me. “Nah, Enzo. Tell me what I need to do. I ain’t tryna be on house arrest, man.”
“We’ll see.”
At the door, he fumbled with his keys, unknowingly giving it away that he had fucked up.
“Stop shaking, Za man,” I joked. “I got you,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Open the door.”
Sticking his key in the lock, he went to turn it, and the door was pulled open. Thyri stood on the other side of it with EJ onher hip and sharp eyes peering into KJ’s soul as only a mother could.
“What happened?” she asked.
KJ glanced back at me like I was the one she was questioning.
“Let’s go inside,” I suggested.
She stepped back to let us in, and something in me said that this moment would be one of the many moments that would shape the way we navigated this relationship.
CHAPTER 11
Let’s Be Clear
THYRI
The door closed behind KJ and Enzo, and I felt the heat rolling up my spine. I was pissed off. Shifting EJ to my other hip, I stared KJ down so hard, you would’ve thought I had X-ray vision. His eyes landed everywhere but my face. He stood still and didn’t bother walking to his room. That alone let me know that whatever happened was worse than I thought.
“So, what happened at school?” I asked again.
KJ didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced back at Enzo like he was searching for a lifeline. I followed his gaze and caught the reassuring head nod Enzo threw his way. Still, nobody was talking.
“Enzo don’t go to Millenium Prep, Kaleb. I’m not looking for answers from him. You need to tell me something because the silence is making it easy for me to come up with my own answers. Neither of us want that.”
The air tightened in the room, and I went to step toward KJ. Enzo moved in sync with me. It wasn’t a quick step. Nor was it threatening or commanding. It was intentional and protective. He crossed in front of KJ to me. Gently lifting EJ from my hip, he pressed his lips to my forehead and whispered, “Not in front of me, Ma.”
The gentleness in his tone settled me, like he was reminding me that we were still new and he wanted to respect that this was a conversation that me and KJ needed to have alone. Exhaling through my nose, I caught on.
“Go to your room, KJ. I’ll be right there.”
