Page 21 of The Wright Man

"Watch how you talk to my sister!" Tina, sitting next to him with a deck of cards fanned in her hand, popped her gum and said, "That's why your roof look like a busted fitted sheet."

Kareem turned to look at her slowly, grinning like the troublemaker he was. "A busted fitted sheet?"

Tina grinned back. "You heard me."

Kareem narrowed his eyes playfully. "You come over to my house—"

"Your mama's house."

"—use my blankets—"

"Your mama’s blankets."

"—eat my snacks—"

"Shared snacks, because I’m a guest, Kareem."

"And you got the nerve—" He pointed at her, still smirking. "The audacity—"

"Oooh, ‘audacity,' four whole syllables," Tina said, fanning herself dramatically with a smirk. "He learned a new word. Somebody's been reading."

"I’ll put you outside."

"I dare you."

He lunged across the couch.

Tina screamed and took off, laughing, cards flying everywhere. Kareem chased her halfway down the hall, socks sliding on the floor, nearly taking out the side table before Mama's voice cracked through the whole house like a whip—

"Try me if you want to, Kareem Wright. I just mopped that floor!"

A beat of silence. Then, from somewhere in the hallway: "She started it."

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish both of y'all! Walk. Don't run. In my house."

Angelica didn't even look up from the blanket she was arranging. "They always doing too much," she muttered, shaking her head like a tired grandmother.

"Okay," she declared, standing up and dusting her hands off. "This is Camp Jelly Bean. There's a snack section over there, that's the chill zone—only for kids who read chapter books—and this," she said, patting the middle of the blanket fort, "is the cozy core."

I didn't say anything. I was already in the corner under the fort, arms crossed over my knees, trying not to look like I wanted to be there.

I didn't like thunder. And the thunder tonight was loud.

Every time it cracked outside, it made my shoulders jump. Not 'cause it was noisy. Not really. It was the way it hit—all sudden and sharp. It sounded like when Daddy slammed the door on his way in. Or when he'd drop a bottle too hard on the table. Or when his voice got that tone.

People said thunder wasn't scary because it couldn't hurt you. But they didn't grow up knowing loud didn't always mean harmless.

Before Angelica could say anything else, Mama appeared at the entrance of the fort with some cookies on a plate and set it down in front of me without a word. No fanfare. No "you okay, baby?" No big eyes checking on me.

Just the cookies. And her hand, warm and quick, smoothing down the back of my head once the way she did when Kareem had bad dreams.

Then she was gone, back into the kitchen, already calling after Tina about leaving her cards on the floor.

I stared at the plate for a second. Chocolate chip. My favorite.

She knew. She always knew. She just didn't make me talk about it.

Angelica crawled in beside me, dragging her teddy bear and a flashlight. She clicked it on, shining it under her chin.