Huh. Not what I expected, but now that she’s said it, so very Val. “I get it.”
“Will you still come to church?”
“I will. And, Val...” I run a hand across the back of my neck. “I don’t expect you to sit with me. I’ll ask Mom to go. We’ll attend, and that’ll be that. I won’t look for you.” I stop. Right, Ican’tlook for her.
“I appreciate you giving me time to figure everything out, Jabari.”
I nod, not knowing what else to say.
“Talk to you later,” she says softly.
“Night.”
The door shuts quietly, and I let out a groan. This evening was as awful as my imagination is conjuring, right?
I head to my bedroom, my mind going over everything that happened. From Mom talking to Val like she’s a potential girlfriend and those very real feelings of attraction to sharing my side of the breakup with Jackie.
This is bad. So very bad.
I pick up my phone and call Javier.
“Dude, do you know what time it is?”
“It’s after eleven.”
“You know this is my time with Yas.”
“Are you on the other line with her?”
Javier laughs. “Nah, man, we just hung up. I’m messing with you. You have perfect timing as usual. What’s up? What’s bothering you that you’re calling me so late?”
“Val just left.”
“Val who? Val Elliott? Because I distinctly remember you telling me and Raimo that she’s your ex’s little sister and we did a bad thing. Didn’t we have that conversation, or am I misremembering?”
I clear my throat. “So ... about that.”
“Oh man.” Javier belly laughs.
“Do you want to keep laughing it up or help a bro out?”
Javier lets out one last chuckle, then speaks. “Okay, okay. I’m calm. Hit me.”
I tell Javier everything from Val’s moment of sympathy at our blind date to now.
“So youlikeher and not just as a friend?”
“Yes.” I wince as the word echoes in my mind. “But this is not good, Javi. She’s off-limits. It’s one thing to make her my friend, another to make her my girlfriend.”
“How do you think she feels about you?”
Great question. “Pretty sure I’m in the friends camp.”
“Locked in, or is there wiggle room to get out?”
“ShouldI get out?”
“Maybe wait until you know how her big sister feels?” Javier sucks air through his teeth. “Dawg, this is bad. There’s girl code, then sister code. You’re on dangerous ground.”
