Page 77 of Dr. Bell

“You good, my baby?” Adir questioned. His keen eyes were already plastered to Quinton. With my man by my side, I wasn’t worried in the least.

“I’m good,” I said.

Moving through the thick crowd, we finally made it to a spot that Adir was comfortable with. Russ, Zel, Humble, and Peace sat behind us. Alli and Dothan sat in front of us. Haven and Jabari sat next to me. The twins took their seats with Alli and Dothan. Our presence drew attention for the mere fact that Haven and I were two women nestled amongst all these giants.

Being back in Orlando seemed so surreal. Just six months ago, I was unsure of what a new life looked like for me and Quilo. Now, the life we had here was a distant memory. Adir swooped in and changed everything Quilo and I thought we knew about life. I loved him for it.

The announcer cut into my thoughts, bringing the crowd to a roaring shout as both teams made their debut on the field. Side by side, Quilo and Saar graced the field. I was so proud of the two of them and how far they’d come along this school year. My brother was a different person now. Even with the slight hiccups we’d had, he was standing tall in the midst of those adversities.

“Whew! It’s been a while since I’ve been in a crowd like this,” Haven commented.

I chuckled because it was crazy thick out here. Although I chuckled, I couldn’t help but feel the undercurrent of trouble brewing. Inwardly, I prayed this game would be over quickly. I was ready to get back on the interstate and head back to my safe space at Bell Estates.

An hour later, my nerves were tore up. With this being the championship game, I expected there to be strong opposition. However, the opposing team wasn’t playing fair. Between the crowd and the referees, NPHS was in enemy territory. After Adir cut his eyes at me for the second time, I finally sat my ass down somewhere. I had to remember that my man had this.

Every now and then, Quinton grabbed my attention. He was down by the rails separating the bleachers from the field. To anyone, he seemed to be invested in the game. However, whenever Quilo went to the sidelines, Quinton stared him down. At no point did Quilo acknowledge him. I was sure that he wondered why Quilo’s jersey read Bell. It didn’t matter, though. He’d never been in either of our lives. A loud whistle centered me back on the field. The crowd booed as another flag was thrown. Some of the noise was drowned out by the announcer and the band.

By halftime, the game was tied at a touchdown a piece. As the teams headed to their respective locker rooms, Adir went to the rail overlooking the tunnel to get a close up look at Quilo. Briefly, they talked before Adir dapped him, then came back to sit down. During the game, his attention was split between the field and Quinton. Unless he was on his feet watching a play, he was quiet.

“Baby, this is intense,” Haven said.

I agreed. “I’ll be glad when it’s over.”

She smiled knowingly. “I can tell you don’t miss it here. Not me or Jabari… But this place. This is no longer home for you.”

I sighed, then shrugged. “I thought I’d be happy to be back.”

“Remember how reluctant you were to leave in the first place,” she reminded me.

We both laughed. “I went kicking and screaming.”

“Exactly! Now, look how things turned out. You got a good ass man. And Quilo is doing better than he has in a long time.”

I smiled and said, “It was your idea. Thank you, by the way.”

She put her arms around me, and I did the same.

“I see Quinton over there,” she whispered in my ear. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Genuinely, I grinned. “Yes, boo, I’m fine. My life is exactly where it’s supposed to be right now.”

We hugged each other tightly as the band went into their first halftime show.

Bothteamsplayedrough,talking shit and everything. Flags flew left and right, with the refs sending several warnings to each side. The score was tied going into the fourth quarter. Rival games were never without their craziness, but hostility on the field bled into the stands. The crowd was rowdy, and everyone’s emotions were high.

Next to me, Adir’s keen eyes watched everything around us. Unlike the first half of the game, this half his focus was on the field. He was quiet and watching every damn thing at the same time. Especially because the atmosphere was charged with something so heavy that as the game progressed, I grew more and more unsettled.

Kalm and Bragg were just as vigilant as Adir. They weren’t his biological sons, but they had the same piercing focus that Adir held. Normally, they shouted and carried on like they had moneyon the line. Not tonight, though. Tonight everyone was on high alert.

Humble and Peace had moved down to the front row. Any time another player was too rough with Quilo or Saar, they were up on their feet. With three minutes left in the game, Quilo threw a thirty-yard pass that landed right in Saar’s hands. As Saar sailed in for the touchdown, we stood and shouted. Saar snatched his helmet off and jogged back down the field to celebrate with Quilo. In the midst of them celebrating, the other team took offense. One player was in Quilo’s face, prompting Adir to stand and make his way down to the rail. If I felt the tension, he did too. My baby hadn’t said but a few words to me the entire game. If these people weren’t careful, they’d bring out the worst in my husband. Saar and referees quickly broke up the shouting match between Quilo and the other player. Well, the other player was shouting. Quilo had a big smile on his face like this was funny to him.

One minute, the referees seemed to have everything under control. The next, several dudes, including Big O and Bryan, rushed the field. Standing, my heart fell into my stomach because I knew they were going after Quilo.

Police rushed after them, causing both teams to leave the sidelines. Adir was already over the rail with Humble and Peace behind him as the field erupted into chaos. He plucked people out of the way as if he was on a cartoon. Kalm, Bragg, and Jabari all but dared me and Haven to move. Other parents stormed the field, too, trying to get to their children.

In the sea of jerseys, police, and people swarming the field, I lost sight of Adir, Humble, and Peace. Panic set in as the announcer urged everyone to stay in the bleachers.

Then, Adir broke through the crowd carrying Quilo in a bear hug out of the melee. Humble and Peace were on his heels with Saar in tow. They carried the two boys to the sidelines, wherethey created a wall in front of Quilo and Saar. That was when I spotted Quinton standing nearby with his arms positioned over his chest and a satisfied smile on his face. I wouldn’t put it past him to have caused this mess.

---