The air got thick...realthick.
Skye’s mother stood. “Kory, you need to hush before you write a check your ass can’t cash.”
“Nah, you need to tell that to this fool.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the front door opened.
Skye walked in, her eyes flicking around the room immediately. She could feel the stress hanging in the air.
“What’s going on?” she asked cautiously.
Leera trailed into the room, KJ in her arms. “Yeah…what’s happening in here?”
Before I could answer, Kory was blurting shit out of his mouth. “Your boy here got a slick mouth. Came in my house disrespecting me.”
I barked out a laugh before I could stop it. “Nigga, you the one started talking sideways. I just matched energy.”
Leera frowned, clutching the baby closer. “Skye, get your...friendto calm the hell down. This is our home. We’re not going to tolerate disrespect.”
“Then maybe your husband should learn how to not dish the shit out,” Skye shot back. “Shit, maybe if he knew how to have even an ounce of respect, we wouldn’t even be in this situation.”
“Oh, please, don’t start with that shit again.”
“What? The fucking truth?” She snapped. “See, that’s the problem, Leera, you never want to hear the truth.”
“No, I don’t want to hearyourtruth.”
Kory laughed. “Yeah, don’t nobody want to hear that bullshit.”
“Kory, if you don’t shut your mouth?—”
“Mama, stop defending her!” Leera snapped. “You always take her side! This is my house, and if they can’t respect it, then they can leave. Every time her and Kory are in the same room, it turns into something. I’m sick of it.”
Skye blinked fast, her voice trembling but steady. “He’s the reason it turns into something. He’s always lying, always twisting things, and you?—”
“Skye,” Kory interrupted, smirking again. “You still mad I turned you down back in the day? Is that what this is really about?”
Skye’s eyes widened.
“Nah, we not doing that,” I cut in. “You not going to flip this shit around tonight. You know what’s up. You know what really happened.”
“Man, you don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Kory snapped, stepping up to me like he forgot who he was dealing with.
Skye’s mother moved fast, getting between us. “Enough! Both of you!”
I took a step back, breathing through my nose. My fists were tight, my jaw locked, but I wasn’t going to give this nigga the satisfaction.
Skye was shaking. Not out of fear, but out of anger. “You’re disgusting,” she told him, her voice breaking. “You came on to me, tried to fuck me, and then made my sister believe that I mistook your so-called kindness for something else.”
Kory laughed again, hollow and defensive. “That’s crazy talk. You’re really going to stand here and lie like that in front of everybody?”
Leera’s eyes filled with tears. “Get it out,” she screamed. “Get out!” She stormed toward the hallway, the baby crying against her shoulder.
“You heard what she said.” Kory smirked, his arms folded over his chest.
I wanted to knock that shit right off, but I knew I wouldn’t stop there.
The silence that followed was loud.
