Page 60 of Off the Charts
“I’m sor—I apologize everyone,” he looked up, eyes filled with tears. “Jersei, I’m sorry for everything, for being a bad father, for how I treat you, for cheating. Everything.”
I didn’t respond because saying I accept would be a lie. He was only sorry because he didn’t want to get his ass beat. I folded my arms against my chest and nodded my head toward the door as I looked at Devon.
“Get him out of here before our son comes.”
“You press charges, my father will remove his stock from the bank. Fuck with me,” Devon hissed as he grabbed him by the collar. Thankfully there was a back door in the room that they could exit through so Zion, or the other kids wouldn’t see them.
Valen followed behind and Jade told me she was going to check on the kids. Vayce returned to my space
“I apologize, baby,” he grabbed my hand, kissing the back of it. “That disrespectful shit set me off. Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I spoke, noticing his eyes were still filled with rage. I rested a hand on his cheek, and he exhaled and curledinto my palm as if he was chasing my touch. “I’m not mad. I promise. It’s okay.”
“It’s not. I never want you to see me in that mode. That’s the version of myself I put to rest, but it’s my nature, Jersei. I protect what I love and if I don’t protect my black woman, then who the fuck will? If I don’t, I can’t expect the world to, J and how I see the shit, it’s us versus them every time. It’s war behind you.”
I placed two kisses against his lips. “If I didn’t know that, today solidified that. Thank you for stepping in, but right now, you’re on a thousand. I need you to go home, shower, and calm your nerves. When I finish here, I’ll be on my way to you.”
He licked his lips. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
“Never.”
Favorite Mistake
(Earlier That Morning)
When the plans changed this morning, I told J to put me wherever she needed a helping hand. She had to decorate and so as not to disappoint or alter Zy’s plans, I told her I’d take him. Jersei damn near had a cow because she wanted to be part of our first time being alone outside of the school, but Zion and I needed time to connect.
Going into today, I don’t think either of us knew what to expect, but the shit was cool. We didn’t have awkward moments, and I believe that was because of the three weeks we got to bond at Sweet Pea Academy in counseling. It didn’t feel like I washanging with a kid because he truly had an old soul. We started the morning at The Golden Café where he ordered whatever he wanted. I was a frequent customer, so the owners made him some type of cookie French toast and sang happy birthday to him.
After that, we went up to Edgewynne to do some shopping. Just like his mama, he acted like he didn’t want anything. I had to break down his pride and tell him it was his day, and it was okay to be selfish. We left there with shoes and clothes for the new year.
We shouldn’t have been, but I brought him to Whipped to get a root beer float. It was their specialty, and I’d learned today that it was one of his favorites outside of sorbet.
“Aw man,” Zion flipped his phone over.
“That’s your mama again?”
“Not this time. My gaming friend said that he’s on punishment for two weeks. I don’t know who I am going to play the game with now,” his shoulders slumped.
I slipped my double Oreo milkshake knowing this shit was going to fuck my stomach up later. “You got a PS5 or Xbox?”
“Xbox.”
“Me too. I’on play much but add me and I’ll hop on the game with you.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, man. Don’t be talking about me when I’on hit buckets like I’m supposed to.”
Zion laughed. “We all start somewhere,” he played with his ice cream. I could tell that fast he’d drifted off in deep thought. “What do you like about my mom? Well, that is a pretty loaded question. Give me two things that you like about her.”
“Damn,” I leaned back in my seat. “Her mindset and how loving she is. I feel like you may ask me for a definition too, so let me beat you to the punch,” I chortled, and Zion’s head bobbedup and down. “You know how good a person is based on how they treat the people around them. You are her world, and I love seeing her do whatever she can to make sure that you don’t want for anything. When I say how loving she is, what I mean is she automatically takes care of the people that are around her. She can make the most damaged person in the room feel love and it's a beautiful thing. She’s a beautiful person,” I smiled thinking about her.
“Have you ever watched Family Feud?"
I nodded. “I watch it often and I always root for the black people.”
“Me too!” He giggled, making me laugh. “You know how they say, good answer, good answer! That’s me to you right now.”
