Page 170 of The Love of Priest

Eventually, Priest stopped the car in a familiar area. Britain recalled pulling up to these exact projects to hang out with Priest for the block party he invited her to. That night, they had a great time. A smile masked her face as she looked around. Great vibes were all over. Music was playing, drinks and good weed were being passed around, and there was food. One thing about Priest was that he knew how to party, and Britain had grown to love hanging out with him and his people.

"If you wanted me to throw this ass back at you tonight, you could have just said that," Britain teased Priest, causing him to laugh loudly.

"You're wild." He shook his head in amusement as he made his way around to assist Britain out. The door glided up in the air, emulating wings of a butterfly, and Priest gave her his hand, aiding her out the vehicle. "I'm fucking with this all white," he complimented her.

Britain smiled up at Priest. "Thank you. I'm cute, ain't I?" She posed momentarily so Priest could take in her full look.

“Sexy as fuck,” he added with a smirk.

Although Britain was acting as though she was perfectly fine, Priest knew the matter of her cutting ties withThe New York Timeswas still weighing heavily on her mind. If she wanted to have a good time tonight to keep from overthinking, Priest wasn't going to stop her.

Hand in hand, Priest and Britain made their way toward the crowd. Priest was able to locate J'Ru and Kaymen with ease. His eyes drifted to the right of Kaymen, noticing that Jadey was accompanying him. "You cool with being around her?" Priest asked Britain as they continued making their way toward the group.

Britain nodded. "I'm learning to forgive." She peered up at him with a light smile.

He smirked down at her, proud to hear that she was taking a step in the right direction. Priest slapped hands with both J'Ru and Kaymen before politely greeting Jadey, and Britain did the same. There was some slight tension, partially because no one expected Britain to speak to Jadey.

Britain definitely wasn't going to act as if everything was normal between the two because it wasn't. She no longer trusted Jadey, and quite frankly, a friendship was nothing without trust.

"You ready to ride out, Britain?" J'Ru smirked.

Britain’s brow rose. "I have no idea what that means," she laughed lightly.

J'Ru, Kaymen and Priest all laughed for a second. Kaymen then reached behind him, grabbing a helmet and handing it off to Britain. "You gonna need this, Brit," he teased.

"Wait a damn minute." Britain shot them all a crazed look as she held the helmet in her hands. "You're trying to kill me?" She snapped her head in Priest's direction.

They all laughed, including Jadey. She had truly missed her best friend's personality, but after talking with Kaymen, she realized she had to give Britain time. What she had done was traumatic to Britain, so it wouldn't turn out good if she kept pressuring a conversation.

"It ain't fun if it ain't dangerous." Priest hooked his arms around Britain's shoulders, leading her off toward a trailer that was hooked to a pick-up truck. Priest lifted the door of the trailer, revealing various dirt bikes and four wheelers. Over the years, Priest, J'Ru and Kaymen had picked up on the hobby of bike riding and did it as often as they could. What they usually did was just show up in the hood ready to ride, and people would join them. It was definitely a sight to see. Plus, it gave everyone a rush of adrenaline, even those who weren't the ones riding the bikes.

Tonight would be different, though. J'Ru had sole intentions for the whole hood to pay respect to Jamari. Everyone agreed to ride a route that went through the projects to the park where Jamari was fatally shot and then ended at Tasha's house, where they would send her condolences and pay respect.

Priest loved the idea and was glad J'Ru was able to make something happen on such short notice. Tasha and Jamari's little brothers, King and Jaden, definitely needed something to uplift their spirits. Britain and Jadey stepped aside, allowing the men to unload the trailer with their respective bikes.

"Don't be scared. You aren't gonna get hurt. They do this all the time," Jadey leaned over and whispered to Britain, assuring her of her safety. She had joined Kaymen a few times, and she was skeptical at first, but now, she found it exhilarating.

Britain smiled lightly while nodding her head. For some odd reason, she couldn't find it within herself to speak to Jadey like normal. She just didn't know what to say. Britain didn't want to lead Jadey into thinking that everything was fine, but she also wanted to take that steppingstone in the direction of forgiveness.

The smile on Jadey's face diminished once she realized Britain wouldn't be serving her a verbal response. Her attempt to alleviate the awkwardness wasn't accepted well, and it slightly embarrassed her. Jadey knew she deserved it, but she also felt like Britain needed to give her some sort of sign. Would they ever be friends again, or should she just let things go?

Jadey let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Britain, I'm sorry," she blurted out, repositioning herself right in front of Britain so she couldn’t avoid her. "I've been apologizing for months, and I haven't gotten a response yet. Tell me something, Brit," Jadey pleaded with Britain.

Britain pursed her lips sheepishly. Jadey's outburst was drawing eyes to her, and she hated the feeling. "Can I even get the chance to explain myself? All you've been doing is killing me with the silent treatment, and I can't take it anymore."

"Jadey, this isn't the time." A sympathetic look flashed across Britain's face, as she hoped Jadey would let things die down.

Jadey huffed out a heavy breath with impatience and frustration embedded within it. "Then when is, Britain?" she snapped.

"You don't get to choose," Britain retorted in an indignant tone before brushing past her to head toward Priest.

Priest was seated on his four-wheeler, his eyes observing Britain's body language and the look of annoyance that was visibly etched on her face. "You good?" he asked her, placing his hands on her waist as she stood before him.

Britain nodded. "It's not about me right now. It's about Jamari," she reminded him, not wanting to be grilled by his intense eyes.

Priest glanced at Jadey, who was now wrapped in a conversation with Kaymen. He was sure Kaymen was helping her regain her composure. "Heard'ju." He nodded.Britain leaned down with a sly smile, pecking his lips with a kiss.

"Hop on." He smirked while moving up to make enough space for her to get onto the bike behind him.

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