Frankie freezes, not fully turning but just enough that I can see her profile.
“Jabari, I just— I can’t right now, okay?”
“I didn’t even do anything,” I reply very controlled.
“I know,” she says. “That’s the problem.”
“Jelly,” I try again, softer this time. “Please…”
Her expression shifts and I see it. The pull. Za in one direction and me in the other.
“She needs me,” Frankie says.
“I know she does?—”
“And right now she needs me more than you do.”
Fuck.
Za’s already at the gate, wiping her face, pretending she’s not crying anymore.
“Let’s go, Frankie!”
Frankie glances back at her, then at me.
“You should come too,” she tries.
“I can’t just leave my own party,” I reply. “People are inside.”
Her lips press together. “Yeah. Of course. Gotta give the people what they want.”
That tone. It’s subtle, but I hear it.
“What do you want from me, Francine? You expect me to run after her and start shouting at my mum?” I ask, trying to keep it level.
“I expect you to keep your word.”
“I am. I said I’ll fix it.”
“Later,” she says.
“What’s wrong with later?”
“She needed you now, Jabari!”
I feel irritation rise, not at her, but at the situation.
“Francine, I can’t undo what was said,” I reply. “And blowing up out here won’t help!”
Za calls her name again, and Frankie turns toward her instinctively. ??“Look. I gotta go.”
“We’re never gonna tell them about us, are we?”
I already know the answer.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“Seriously?” ??
