Page 40 of Off the Charts
Her eyes prickled with tears, but she blinked a few times as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Yours, huh?”
“I didn’t stutter.” I gently kissed her lips.
Her cheeks heated in a blush. “You always know how to bring me out of my thoughts,” her eyes bounced around before landing on mine. “I’ve been an overthinker since I was a little girl and I’ve mastered hiding before anyone noticed. I’ve always been the one to play the background ‘cause it fits, but you read me like a fucking book, Vayce. I hate and love it, but I appreciate it because it grounds me. You basically tell me to chill the fuck out in the most gentle way,” we shared a laugh. “Thank you.”
We held one another’s gaze for a second until J looked away. I rested my lips against her forehead then released her hips. Jersei immediately went back to cooking. “Thank me by making me a plate.”
“I may!” she teased. “I don’t know if you know this about yourself, but you have a vein right here,” Jersei pointed to thecenter of her forehead. “It tells on you every time. Anytime I can see it, something either irritated you or has deeply concerned you, so what is it?”
I ran my hand against my forehead feeling that the vein was indeed exposed. I haven’t noticed it until now. Sitting on the barstool, I watched her zip around the kitchen. I don’t know what she was making exactly, but my stomach was hitting cartwheels. I explained the situation with Valen, Devon, and the nigga she was engaged to. Jersei paused from making my plate and put her hand on her hip.
“That’s so fucked up. I’m glad he got his ass beat too. Are you sure you don’t need to go see her?”
I was expecting to see some disappointment in her eyes, but there was only concern. I stroked my beard, “I wanted to, but I trust Devon and more importantly I trust Valen. She said she’s good so I’ma let her be.”
“If that changes, I will understand. Family is first.”
I nodded, appreciating her maturity. Jersei slid the plate in front of me. On it were homemade biscuits, potatoes, grits with that giblet shit on it, and some thick cut ham. I shook my head understanding why niggas be big as a house when they get in a relationship. A run was going to be needed after this.
(1 Week Later)
My cabin routine was different, but change was good. Yesterday, Jersei and I cycled three miles in the mountains. From the way I’d been eating, that shit was needed. For dinner, she made me fried green tomatoes from her garden and thatwas hands down some of the best shit I’d had in my life. Jersei and I have been spending quality time together, but we also have taken time to spend with ourselves. Earlier, I took a small boat on the lake. I didn’t fish; I simply sat on the water in my thoughts. Jersei did yoga at home and some meditation.
Tonight was our first time being together all day. In our moments together, there hadn’t been one that passed that I haven’t enjoyed. We were sitting in rocking chairs on the back porch by the fire. The weather was in the high fifties making the atmosphere perfect. Women look for a safe space, not knowing they can become one too. There weren’t too many mutha’fuckas that saw, respected, and added to your peace, but Jersei did.
“If I wasn’t into fermentation, I would be a police officer and let almost all the niggas free,” she answered.
I laughed at her crazy ass. “Man what? You so damn goofy.”
“But I’m serious! We’ve suffered enough shit. Now, if they were fucking with kids, abusing, or killing then yeah yo’ ass going to prison. But traffic stops because of a signal light or because you are ten miles over the speed limit? Tuh,” she fanned her hand, rocking hard as hell in the chair. “Since I don’t have the money to pay us all reparations, that would’ve been my way of giving back to our community. Go home and be with your family nigga before I tase you or sum,” she rambled in all seriousness. I couldn’t stop laughing. She looked over at me. “You ever been tased?”
I cut my eyes in her direction, still smiling at her previous statements. “Hell yeah. More than I should’ve honestly. Shit, it was one time,” I started laughing before I could finish my sentence. “Me, my niggas Tripp and Truce, and some other niggas were on the block. We got a…” I searched for the right word although I’d told her about my past. “Package basically and it had tasers in it too. Tripp was like ‘Aye let’s start a bootcamp. We already living wrong, we might as well’,” I mocked his voice.Jersei was cracking up. “That’s how he talked too. He in heaven now.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nodded. “Thank you, J. Shit, we weren’t going to shoot each other, so in our minds it was like yeah nigga come on. I let these niggas talk me into tasing each other. Dumb as fuck. We on the ground having seizures then get up like ‘aight, I’m straight. It’s your turn.’ So, when twelve came around and they used to tase us and shit, we would laugh in they face. Stupid as fuck,” I shook my head laughing.
“Wooo, shit,” she wiped her tears. “That shit so funny to me. Niggas getting tased willingly. We is free now!” I joined in on her laughter. “You talked about my grandma, but you have lived a fucking life. I’m convinced you’re sixty-seven.”
I smirked, looking over at her as she put a marshmallow on a stick. J was a sight to fucking see. Her hair was in a messy bun at the top of her head, and another one of my shirts hung loosely from her shoulders. If this wasn’t perfection, it was close as hell to it.
“At heart, I feel like I’ve lived the life of a sixty-seven-year-old. I can’t even argue with you there.”
“Okay, if you weren’t a counselor, what would you do? Personal training full time?” She twirled her marshmallow in the fire. She wasn’t even eating them, just burning the shit up to match the occasion. I chuckled every time she took one off her stick and threw it in the fire. Reaching over, I dragged her chair away from it so she could relax. Plus, she was a little too far for my liking. Jersei smiled.
“Fuck no. Even now, I take clients in moderation. It’s not a passion; I just love helping people, so shit, if I wasn’t a counselor, I would probably be a professor at HHU teaching finance or some shit,” I folded my arms behind my head.
“I can see that. You give me Nutty Professor vibes, lowkey.”
My brow raised. “You calling me fat, J?”
Jersei hollered. “No, nigga. I’m saying how cool and quirky he was. I can see you being the cool teacher. Zy said you were really cool, and they are young. The college kids would fasho love you. That’s all I’m saying,” she held her hands up in surrender.
“I know, I’m fucking with you. I try. I like making everybody feel like somebody, no matter the age,” I split open my cigar and dumped the guts into the fire.
I was an occasional smoker but a heavy one during my breaks. They mellowed me out and pushed me deeper into my thoughts. SPA wasn’t big on drug testing or at least they didn’t test me often. I still did my part and cleaned my system with plenty of lemonade and pickle juice before the year began. Shit, if it came down to it, I would let Principal Voss know upfront. The worst they could do was fire me.
J mentioning Zion made me think. “I hope this don’t sound like I’m overstepping, but have you told him about us?”
