“You don’t stay on campus?”
She dropped her head, then brought it up with a smile. “No, I stay with my grandmother. I take care of her.”
I nodded. A girl who loved her granny just as much as I loved my Nan. I accepted her offer to wait. I knew there would be consequences if my big brothers caught me, but it felt good to be in the presence of someone new. Over the last year, I had been at Phoebe’s beck and call, but this was the first time in a while that I was interested in someone else. My only question was how long it would last after I told her I was a nigga with a kid.
CHAPTER SIX
A nigga hadn’t been asleep all night. It was five-thirty in the morning, and we had been waiting in the old Mercier building for the text. I had about an hour left before class, so I needed to shower and change clothes. As I sat there, my patience was wearing thin, waiting and watching the other niggas in odd places, asleep. I pulled out my phone to see that I had only 10% left.
I left the room we were in and called Samara. The phone rang, but she didn’t pick up, so I sent her a message. When she called me last night, I couldn’t really talk because we had just gotten to the fucking cemetery. I still couldn’t believe these niggas thought I was going to be crazy enough to fucking steal flowers from a dead person’s grave. My intention was to call her back, but I didn’t want to do it around any of these niggas because I didn’t know who I could trust. Besides, who was I to do something I tried to stop Percy from doing?
I saw that she read my text, but didn’t respond, and that only pissed me off. While I was locking my phone, the text finally came through.
“Finally!” I shouted.
I rushed back into the room with them niggas and woke them up. “Come on! Wake the fuck up!” I shouted.
Their groggy moans started as they stood and stretched. “Where do we have to go?” corny-ass Brian asked.
“The dean’s office.”
I snatched the handmade flowers off the dusty table and began to walk out. Until Joshua asked about Percy.
“We can’t go there without him.”
I spun in his direction. “The fuck we can. That nigga chose to stay with that girl. Why are any of you niggas doing this, huh? Let me tell y’all something. I have a girl who has no clue what the fuck is going on atourhome alone while I’m out here on a Chi Kappa impossible mission. I have a brother who is paying for this opportunity, a dead fucking daddy who’s looking down on me, praying every day a crazy nigga like me makes the right decision, while my mother is looped out of her fucking mind. I have everything to lose, so if you niggas want to sit around and wait on another nigga, then so be it. I’m going to hand this lady these flowers, and then I’m going to class,” I snapped.
I’d barely been on this line for 24 hours, and they scary asses were blowing me. Once these flowers were dropped off, this was going to be the last piece of energy they were getting from me. When I asked about this fraternity and the reasons for joining, the answer was to gain a better understanding of brotherhood. It was meant to show that I could be a leader, that I was capable of making smart decisions. It was meant to build a sense of community among my Black peers, but this wasn’t it at all.
I walked out of the room, leaving them standing there. Moments later, I heard them coming behind me.
“Chill, Dio. We’re on your side. Just know if the Big Brothers catch us without Percy, it will be hell to pay, but are we brothers, right?” Quan said to me.
I didn’t respond as I exited the Mercier building. As we left, my eyes caught sight of Dark and Lovely and a man walking into the building. I glanced at her, then focused again on my path.
When the six of us entered the dean’s office, those working there looked at us. “Excuse me, ma’am. We are here to see Dean August,” Brian said to the woman sitting at the desk.
She gave a slow nod, picked up the phone, and called her. A few minutes later, she came walking out with a smile on her face. I presented her with the flowers. “Flowers for the lady,” I said.
She glanced at them and laughed cheerfully. “Thank you. You are dismissed.”
All the guys started to walk off, but she stopped me. “What is your name?”
“I’m Dionysus Jackson.”
She nodded. “I see a leader in you,” she said, pausing as she glanced over my shoulder. “I saw you all approaching from my office. We need Black men as strong as you. I recognize a strong Black man when I see one. Keep pushing forward, no matter how difficult it gets. Stay strong and don’t give up, whatever happens. You are needed, you are essential, you are excellence.”
I swallowed deeply, gave her a smirk, and walked out of the building. I glanced at my watch, and I had less than an hour to get to class. Pulling out my phone, I saw I was now at 5% and that Mars still hadn’t texted me back.
I headed toward the class I knew she had, and as I got close, I stopped in my tracks. I watched her come out of the building, but she wasn’t alone. Dean Big Brother Thick Neck was walking beside her. She smiled while he spoke, stirring something inside me. My fists clenched, and my heart began to feel fiery and tense. My feet started to move. I was about to beat this nigga’s ass until I felt my sweater being pulled back.
“Don’t,” I heard Beans.
I snatched away from him. “That’s yo’ partner, right? You’d better check his ass. On God, I will light his ass up,” I sent a warning to Beans.
“She’s loyal, right? Don’t mistake what you see for something it’s not. Nigga, you know what to do. I want to see you cross, not get kicked out of school. Trust her.”
My lips curled into a ball. I heard Beans, but my mind was on some other shit.
