Page 119 of The Sweetest Devotion

“Shouldn’t you be workin’ on homework?” I brought up as I gestured to the guys who had their heads in their books.

Dom peered at the other kids around us and shrugged, not interested. In fact, I didn’t even see his backpack in sight. “I’ll do it tonight.”

“Why can’t you do it now?” I asked.

Dom faced me, a crooked grin on his face suddenly. “I’m talkin’.”

“Oh yeah?”

He held his phone out, and on screen I caught a glimpse of his Instagram page. It was full of shots of him smoking weed, flashing the middle finger, holding money—all the juvenile shit kids thought was “cool.” He pulled up a girl’s page, some cute little thing who had a penchant for selfies and flipping the bird as well.

Kids.

“That’s cool, but you should still hit the books,” I suggested.

Dominique made a face and tucked his phone away. “Yeah, yeah.”

I looked out at the floor, trying to come in casual. “So, what’s up, D?”

Dominique leaned over, planting his elbows on his knees and huffing a sigh. “It’s whatever.”

“Mm-hmm.” I hummed. “So why ain’t you sleepin’?”

The frown that stretched across Dominique’s face as he kept his gaze out on the gym floor made me tense up.

Something was wrong.

“I ran into some trouble.” For once, Dom wasn’t giving me the runaround. “My people…they wanted me to move some stuff for them. You know, do ’em a solid like how they looked out for me when I needed it.” He hung his head, the muscles in his jaw flexing. “But I didn’t think it was a good idea, because of the stuff you be tellin’ me. They ain’t like that I wasn’t down. Almost had to square up with one of them.”

Instinct had me wanting to reach out and touch him, but remembering what it was like to be in his shoes, I didn’t.

“So now what?” I prompted when he didn’t continue.

He shrugged, shaking his head. “Just been laying low. Whatever happens, happens.”

A pain sizzled across my heart for the kid. He was just trying to do the right thing, and maybe it was already too late.

I scratched at my neck, peering down at my boots. “What are you thinkin’, Dom? What do you need? I got you.”

“I got heat, so I’ll be okay if anybody want to roll up on me.”

Closing my eyes, I shook my head. Seventeen with a gun and a few problems was a bad recipe.

I’d held my first piece when I was nine. Found it in the woods one day when I was on a walk with Savon and some guys. At the time, it had felt cool to hold such power in my tiny hands. We’d taken turns holding it, pointing it, and pretending to shoot each other and objects. It wasn’t until I’d gotten jumped into the local gang that I realized shit wasn’t so sweet.

I’d seen things I didn’t want Dominique to see. Things that pushed me to be right where I was in this gymnasium trying to fix a problem that some men before me created.

“You don’t want to do that,” I warned gently. “Once you pull that trigger…ain’t no turnin’ back.”

Not to mention what would happen to him if he ever ran into a cop holding a gun.

I scrubbed my hand down my face, watching the game going on absentmindedly. “I tried tellin’ you about them people you hang with, Dom. The people that’s really there for you, will look out for you, and don’t expect anything in return. And by look out for you, they won’t be trying to get you to do some shit that’ll get you caught up.”

For once, Dominique didn’t fight me. “I know.”

“The streets can seem like they welcomin’ you with open arms, but take it from me, they don’t love nobody. I’ve seen them take more than give,” I said.

Dominique bobbed his head, quietly listening.

---