“Nah, it’s never too heavy for a man like you.”
“I didn’t come here to argue.”
“Then what you here for? To surprise an old friend after running from her for almost a lifetime because she reminds you of everything you abandoned?”
I glance over at Coach Williams, raising my eyebrows as high as they’ll go to remind him of the little by little I mentioned. I forgot to tell him that Ace and Mama got as thick as thieves during his absence and today might not be a day for little by little miracles.
“I came to support you... and your friends... and my friend.”
“Well, I don’t need your support anymore. When I needed it, you didn’t have any to give if it didn’t feed into your agenda.”
“If I didn’t support you, you’d be sitting in somebody’s cell. Don’t sit up here and tell me I don’t support you when you know I’d give my last for you.”
“How many times I have to tell you I don’t want your last, a’ight? Go give it to Javier and all them other boys you be so proud of forjust waking up.”
“Don’t do this to me, Junior. Don’t do this.” Coach Williams shakes his head and that bomb in my purse ticks louder.
“They never had to wake up to the world hating them, but you so goddamn proud of them because they didn’t come from you and didn’t tarnish your perfect legacy.”
“That’s not why I tell them that, and you know it.”
“Fuck this—”
“Stop,” I blurt, gripping Ace’s face between my hands. “Stop it.”
The loud silence comes back, but I’m sick of it. I’m sick ofitand the bomb in my purse.
“I need—I need to show you something, Ason,” I stutter, letting go of him and yanking the zipper on my purse.
“What’s wrong?” he gasps out, forgetting about Coach Williams and all the shit that keeps them apart.
His voice makes me move quicker because I have all of his attention, even through arguments and hospital chaos. It’s no wonder I want to crawl into his body.
My hands shake as I pull out my phone and my fingers slip across the screen while I pull up half the reason for their arguing.
Their strained relationship existed before Cheyenne, but she magnified the cracks in it, making them spread further and further until there was no way they could ever be put back together. But I’m hopeful, so I press play.
There’s shame, grief, anger, fear and sadness in Ace’s eyes when Cheyenne’s nasally voice blasts throughout Mama’s room.
His fingers dig into my side. “What’s this? Did Cree send something to yo—”
“‘Houston? What the fuck is in Houston? Are you still fucking that mysterious high paying client?’”
He reaches over me to grab the phone, but I dig my nails into his hand and yank it into my stomach.
“‘How is he, anyway? I saw him on Insta with his new girlfriend.’”
“Lourdes, what did you do?” Ace’s chest pushes into my back while he breathes out harsh breaths that make Coach Williams push forward in his seat.
I finally see the finished product of Cheyenne’s ruining. His eyes get big and wild the more she talks. Now I know why it took him so long to even say her name out loud. Her existence hurts him so bad.
“‘I mean, like nobody’s checking for him anymore. He plays for a freaking no-name school, he’s punching agents, and dating some basic ass black girl who probably can’t afford the lipo she desperately needs.’”
“Turn it off right now.” We wrestle over his hand while Coach Williams holds his up to us. “What if Mom wakes up and hears this?”
“Let it play, Junior. Let it play. Let it play.”
He chants the words with deep breaths between them.
