Page 7 of Off the Charts
Rounding my desk again, I opened my laptop, searching the Pea Drive for Zion’s file. There were only three kids in the database with the same name and beside each profile was a picture. His was second in the list and when I clicked it, there was barely anything there just as I suspected. I opened a fresh tab to add on to the notes the front office and Shawn started.
“It’s cool. I’m used to it.”
“Just because you’re used to it doesn’t make it okay,” she spoke softly.
The double meaning behind her words made me look at her for a second. She was still standing up with her arms folded against her chest. I extended my right hand toward the couch, signaling for her to take a seat. For a second, she hesitated then slid into the chair opposite of where I pointed and released a deep sigh.
“I’m sorry. I’m just angry right now.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing to me. Let’s start fresh.” She nodded. “I am Vayce Denver, and you are?”
“Jersei Lane, Zion Collins’ mother.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Lane,” I moved my laptop out of the way to get a clear view of her. “Let me reiterate, I had no idea what was going on today. It came as a surprise to me just as it did for you, but I want to first apologize on behalf of the staff for making you feel like we condone bullying. We do not, hence why Zion was brought to my office and not to the principal. He andI were having a great conversation before you came. He made it clear that the student had been bothering him since last year and he hasn’t said anything because he thought he could handle it. He also stated the bullying stemmed from you and his dad not being together anymore. Sometimes parents separating can ca?—”
She held a hand up, clearly triggered by my statement, but square one was behind us. “If I wanted a reading, I would’ve taken my ass downtown and got one by?—”
“Mr. Iran?” I cut her off, raising my brow. “That nigga still over here doing them palm readings telling niggas they gone be rich by the end of next week?”
I visibly saw her body soften and her cheeks moved like she wanted to smile, but she fought it. “That nigga still there,” she mumbled.
Chuckling, I slid a cracker into my mouth without taking my eyes off hers. Nothing I did was sexual, but from how she shifted in her chair, I could see that she was affected by it. I finished chewing before speaking.
“I got drunk one night during freshman week at HHU. Me and my niggas went down?—”
“Ain’t you on the clock?” She lowered her eyes at me. “You’ve said nigga and cussed more times than I can count.”
“Technically, I’m not. I’m four minutes into my lunch and you’re interrupting.”
“Oh—” she stood.
“Sit your ass down. And don’t cut me off again,” I stated, but it came out as more of a command. Miss Lane blinked rapidly and slowly eased back into her seat.Obedient, I started a mental list for her.Something about her aura made me want to remember every detail about her and I would. “Thank you.”
Our eyes met and we held our gaze. I’d been looking at her, but I didn’t really see her. Although Zion had her big, beautifulround eyes, he looked nothing like her. Her face was bare, and I equated her high rosy cheeks to her anger. Her lips were full, glossy, and kissable. My eyes ran down her body that was covered in an orange sundress that made her tawny colored skin glow. Miss Lane was fucking beautiful. I hadn’t seen her fully from the back yet, but from the way her hips were spread and the dip between the curve of her hips, I could tell that ass was fat.Alluring.
For the first time in a while, I felt a spark, but in the back of my mind I wondered if it was only because she was the first woman to make me feel something different from the ones who threw themselves at me. She didn’t give me a vibe of having to try too hard. Some women did shit effortlessly, because they carried themselves with grace. Jersei was one of them. I watched as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and blinked a few times to end our stare down.
“I umm, would like for you to finish this boring ass story if that’s okay with you.”
“It is,” I chuckled, taking down some of my protein shake. “When I graduated, he told me I was going to be the best tight end to come out of Harvest Hills University. Mind you, I ran track. My sorry ass wouldn’t even be able to play football if I tried. I’m in that bitch nodding my head, hyping him up. Then he told my homeboy that he was going to get a scholarship out of state in Texas. That nigga struggled to get his GED. Who the fuck was about to give him a scholarship?” Miss Lane was hollering and that gave me the opportunity to see her teeth. Both her side teeth were in place and the rest looked straight. The points on the board increased and I didn’t know I was taking score. “I knew he was full of shit right then. I tried to report that nigga to the Better Business Bureau and all.”
“You should’ve,” she chuckled but as quickly as her smile appeared, it faded so I pressed in.
“Is your ex-husband still in Zion’s life?”
“We were never married,” Miss Lane quickly responded. “And he’s around, I guess. He’s caught up in his own shit right now. His son isn’t a priority anymore.”
Single, I added and nodded once. My eyes flickered from her empty ring finger then back to her eyes as I continued typing notes.
Her eyes moved from me and out the window the same way Zion’s did earlier. “Zy is umm, used to having both of us under one roof. The back and forth is taking a toll on him. I’m doing everything that I can but,” she looked back at me with tear filled eyes. “I don’t know what else to do. My son is not bad. I know every mama says that, but he’s the sweetest boy. He’s just…going through a lot. I try to talk to him, but he just tells me he is okay when I know he’s not. Hearing that he was fighting, scared the fuck out of me.”
I stood, handing her a box of tissue. She stared at it for a minute then looked up at me, so I nudged it in her direction, and she finally accepted.Stubborn.
“I know he’s not. Good people end up in bad situations when their emotions go unaddressed,” I sat back down. “Contrary to what the world tells you, change isn’t always good, especially when it’s sudden. The same weight you feel, I know Zion does too. Some of it may be from you two being separated, but the rest of that is probably him trying to help carry the heaviness you try to hide from him.” Miss Lane wiped under her eyes while her knee bounced rapidly. “Zion wants to know that someone is choosing him, just like you probably do.”
Her knee paused mid-shake, and she gave me her full attention. “How do you know what I want?”
“Hmph.” I wanted to answer her question with the first words that came to mind, but I bit my tongue. “That doesn’tmatter until you know what you want, Miss Lane,” I advised before my desk phone started to ring.
