“Worried? Tessa, I’m scared shitless. Kids are getting mixed up with things that they shouldn’t be and what once was a problem is now back. I’m scared.”
She sighs, “I know. That’s why I have protection and eyes everywhere in place.”
She sounds sure of herself. “Care to enlighten me then?”
She shakes her head, “Not until it’s necessary. And that’s to protect you. This isn’t your mess to take care of, it’s mine. If you have trusted me at all, then continue to trust me here. You can hold me to that promise.”
I do trust her, but the problem is, this is hitting too close to home. Maybe she has a point, maybe the less obsessed I am, the better. Stick to things I can control. I nod my head, “ I’ll agree but, these are my kids. I’ll hold you to your promise.”
“Good,” she says. There’s a brief moment of silence before the next burning question, “What’s going on between you and Keola?”
Chapter 15
Keola
Spence’swordscontinuetorun through my head.I highly doubt you are a former detective, no detective would look like,he said. He didn’t have to say anything further because I knew. No one needs to guess. I shut down everything. Charlotte attempted to calm me down, but calling me a “good man” stirred uneasiness. Unlike her, I’m the angel with the clipped wings.
“Hey Keola,” a small voice breaks my concentration. I look down and see Finn standing next to me. I jumped away from him. The last time this kid screwed with me, I was itching for a week, though it did give me a chance to see Charlotte in the shower.
“Easy there dude, I’m not going to hurt you,” he laughs.
“No way, little man. You and your aunt are maniacal. I don’t trust you in close proximity,” I cross my arms. He may not know how to fight, but this boy knows how to cause chaos.
“I’m on my best behavior today,” he crosses his heart and swears.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I smirk. “Good day at school?”
“Yeah, for the most part. Between projects and winter break coming up, I guess it’s been hard,” he says adjusting his backpack. He remains next to me.
“Something on your mind, kid?” I ask. He shrugs. “It’s not nice to lie,” I raise an eyebrow.
He let out a deep sigh. “Just worried,” he says.
“Worried about?” I ask, trying to pry information out of him.
He looks down at the floor, “Nothing, forget I said something.” Finn holds back from what he truly wants to say. He’s worried about his friends and maybe even his aunt.
Finn scurries off to the homework center and sits down to begin his work.
“Hey, big man,” a voice calls out. I turn to see one of the workers, Layla, standing in the art room, prepping for the session the kids are going to have.
I turned to her attention, “Yes ma’am.”
“Ew, just call me Layla. Listen, you are on clean up duty. I hope you don’t mind,” she shared a crimson smile, like she is hiding a secret.
“Can I ask why?” I ask, annoyed now.
“I would have to guess that no one wanted the job,” she says, not looking at me. She places the paint and the clay blocks in the appropriate spots. Something tells me that this isn’t going to be the cleanest art session.
I wait patiently, watching the kids and the volunteers make their art. Each piece shedding a light on each of the kids’ lives. A piece of them incorporated into each piece. I’m not much of an art fanatic but it’s not hard to see the beauty of it. Students take their pick into the colors they use, the way they carve the clay. The thought that one day these children will take their place in the world we live in and change lives, and the hope is that it would be for the better.
After the kids finish, stashing their work into the drying rack or the shelves, they put away their items and clean themselves up. They rush out, heading to the vans to be taken home.
The room looks like a hurricane blew through. There is paper everywhere, globs of paint, trails of clay splattered everywhere, and what I think is dirty paint water. The supplies are sprawled out, laying on top of everything.
If anything, I believe this is punishment. No volunteers my ass. I have enough club business that I need to get through on top of what was revealed today. I grab the cleaning supplies from the closet and strap on some gloves.
I hear footsteps behind me, coming from the hallway. I don’t need to look to know who is behind me.
