Page 282 of Kentrell

I was ready to finish the game.

The buzzer sounded,loud and sharp, slicing through my already frayed nerves.

I stepped through the door and into the visitors room at Whitmore. The air was thick… stale like always… but I saw her before I even made it two steps in.

My mama.

Sitting at one of the bolted-down tables, tapping her foot like her life depended on it. Quick. Anxious. Her knee bouncing under the table like she had a whole pot of coffee in her system.

She was wearing that old zip-up hoodie she hated but kept for days like this. Hair pulled back, edges barely slicked.

The second her eyes landed on me, her foot stopped mid-tap.

I could see it on her face—relief and worry fighting for space. Like she didn’t know whether to cuss me out or cry.

I pulled my hood down, walked straight over, dropped into the seat across from her.

“Wussup, Ma?” I didn’t waste no time.

Her eyes darted around the room like she was checking for ears. Then she leaned in, grabbed hold of the string on my hoodie, and yanked me closer.

And that’s when I knew… whatever this was?

It was bigger than I thought.

“Pokie came to see me yesterday.”

My jaw flexed, but I didn’t say shit.

“Kentrell…” She exhaled like saying my name hurt. “What the fuck did you do?”

“Whatchu talkin’ bout?” I kept my tone even. Wasn’t about to give up too much too soon. Play it by ear.

“Boy, don’t fuckin’ play with me right now—I am not…” she dragged that word out, long and slow, like she used to when I was a kid getting on her last nerve. “In the fuckin’ mood for games.”

She wrapped the strings tighter around her hand, pulling our heads even closer. “What. The fuck. Did you do?” Each word spaced out… giving me flashbacks of them ass-whoopings I used to duck.

“Fuck it.” She let me go when I didn’t answer. Sat back hard in her chair. “You know what—I tried.”

Her eyes started watering. Made my stomach knot. Confusion and irritation mixed in my chest like oil and water.

“Ma, what’s goin’ on?”

“Pokie… is the reason I’m here, Trell.” She paused, tucked her lips tight, squeezing them like she was holding back more than just words. A few tears slipped out anyway before she wiped ‘em quick and sat up straighter.

“She got Dee to put me here… so I wouldn’t have to go to max.”

“What?” My face twisted. That ain’t make no sense. I’d read my mama’s paperwork front to back. I woulda remembered seeing Darius’s name on file.

“He ain’t use his name, Kentrell.” Like she read my mind. “Of course she ain’t want it traced back to her… or him.”

“So why it take her so long to come see you then?”

“She said he advised her not to. Told her to stay away. Wait ‘til everything died down?—”

“It took thirteen years for that shit to die down?”

“Boy, if you don’t—lower yo voice.” She pinched her lips, gave me that old-school mama glare, and I rolled my eyes off to the side, biting down my next comment.

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