Page 3 of Kings Fear No One
“He will soon.” His smile spreads to go along with the chuckle he lets out and the way his gaze roams over me.
Confusion flickers through me. Suddenly, I’m thankful for my way-too-big t-shirt. I’m wishing Mama would stop yapping with Mrs. James and come rescue me.
“How are your grades in school, Teysha?”
“Very good. I got all As and one B.”
“That’s my girl. I knew you were a smart cookie. But you haven’t been attending my Bible study class that I offer every other Saturday. Can I expect you this summer?”
…no thank you…
“I’m not sure,” I say, easing half a step back.
He inches closer, the spice of his cologne tickling my nose. “If you’re to grow into a good Christian woman, it’s important you take your studies seriously.”
“I will try to make it, pastor. But, um, I see one of my friends. Please, excuse me.”
I make my exit like I’m a mouse scurrying in a kitchen late at night. The pastor doesn’t have a chance to trap me again before somebody else calls out to him. I’m long gone within a matter of seconds, slipping through the crowd.
Maybe this will finally be my chance to talk to Wallace.
Mama’s busy chitchatting with Mrs. James. Papa and Grandma Renae are lined up, fixing plates of barbecue. Emerging from the crowd, I spot Wallace toward the back by the trees. My feet move faster, my pace picking up.
I smile, about to call out to him, then I stumble to a stop. The smile drops off my face as my insides twist into a pretzel.
Wallace is off by the trees, but he’s not free to talk like I’ve been hoping.
He’s in the middle of kissing another girl from school. Viveca Robinson is one of the prettiest girls in my year. Popular, fashionable, and confident, we couldn’t be more different.
Night and day.
It feels like I’m frozen in place. I’m powerless to stop my heart from leaping into my throat and making it impossible to speak.
The two separate to share in a smile, then grab each other’s hands to go sit on a picnic table somewhere. I watch them go, feeling foolish for any hope I’ve had.
How could I think a boy like Wallace would ever want to talk to me?
I’m not the girl boys my age like. I’m not the girl they want to dance with or kiss.
I’m the girl who stands on the sidelines and watches.
“There you are,” comes Mrs. James’s voice. Her friendly tone from earlier is gone. She blocks Wallace and Viveca from my line of sight by stepping in front of me. “Your mother is looking for you. She says you weren’t supposed to go off.”
“Oh,” I say, forcing an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I’ll go find?—”
“I would appreciate it if you knew your place,” she interrupts sharply. “I saw you earlier, and I would prefer if you behaved your age. My husband has a reputation to uphold. One I won’t let be tarnished by a girl getting certain ideas.”
“But I wasn’t?—”
“Marriage shall be valued by all,” she recites louder than me. “It is an institution that is sacred. I will not tolerate mine being disrespected. Stay away from him.”
The woman trudges off with a final judgmental glare.
I’ve gone from stuttering to speechless all over again, more lost than ever.
It’s not long before Mama calls out to me and issues more scolding about how I didn’t do what I was told. For the next couple hours, I’m her shadow, going where she goes. Hovering beside her as she chats up everybody in attendance.
Any time I feel Pastor James’s eyes on me, I’m looking in the opposite direction, praying his wife won’t get mad and tell me off again.
