Page 42 of In the Safety's Zone
“Imagine that shit with the pettiness that women can exhibit at times. She just left it where it was and didn’t bother after a while. Her closest friend is probably Billy and her folks to be real.”
“Damn. She ain’t got anybody like that?” I could tell he was gonna do the big brother thing with her too as soon as he got the chance. He was gonna have to fall back because nobody was gonna advocate harder for Aphrodite than me.
“Her people bad as ours, bruh.”
Antwan slow blinked and shook his head. “Gotdamn, bruh, you couldn’t find a girl with normal people?”
With my brow raised and a deadpan look on my face I asked, “Could you?”
He opened his mouth to say something but then snapped it shut. “Well, fuck. They not as messed up as Rye’s people are they?”
“Her daddy is a ho and her mama is most definitely a doormat. Only her brother is the outside baby not her.”
“Well, shit. We too much alike, Ant.”
“In a lot of ways, we are. But if I get the same fairytale at the end like you did I’ll be grateful.” I shrugged trying to make it no big deal but the idea meant everything to me.
He stood up and pushed my shoulder affectionately. “That was some real shit, Charmin ass nigga. She knows you’re coming?”
“Yeah, we’re going to just hang out for a minute in Miami and try to stay low-key about what we doing.”
“You got rubbers?”
My head shot up, eyes looking at him, because that was not what I’d expected him to ask me next. But that was a failure on my part because I knew my damn brother.
“Nigga, what?”
“Condoms. Protection. Rubbers. Prophylactics.” Why he thought my confusion came from the name he put on condoms more than him asking about them was beyond me.
“Antwan, we had this talk when I was fucking thirteen. You think we need to have it again? Besides, we ain’t on that.” And the craziest shit was that I wanted to be but I damn sure didn’t want to make her feel like she was under any kind of pressure.
“You mean you ain’t or she ain’t? Cause you jumping through a lot of hoops and I don’t want you being led on. Your heart already in this.”
I shook my head as I grabbed my duffel bag. “Always protecting me—”
“Because it’s my damn job!” His face was frowned up like I had him fucked up.
“I’m a grown ass man. I appreciate the concern but it’s my job to look out for me. And shit, have your back once in a while.”
“You’ve already done that and then some.”
“Not nearly as much as I should have. But that’s a whole different story. I’m glad that she wants me to be around. These kinds of things are just perfunctory. Like preseason. They count but not for real for her. The grand slams are what everyone focuses on but she has to do a certain number of these events through the year too.”
“How many of them you trying to get to? All of them?”
“Nah, she’s already got her shit in the bag. Honestly, I think she don’t want to go home for real before she has to head to her next tournament and I want to see her. I’m more than happy to give her a reason to hang out instead of heading back to Jersey. If her people on that bullshit like she says they are, I know it’ll only fuck up her mental to be around them.”
“Real shit. You need anything? You clearly already booked your flight and shit without me but—” He said that shit salty as fuck and I couldn’t help but laugh at his bitter ass.
“Your Black ass trying to send me off with spending money or some shit? This ain’t a field trip, ‘Twan.”
“Uh, yeah. You need to treat your girl. Where you going?”
“Miami, nigga, keep up.”
I was laughing at how he was hovering but I didn’t take that shit for granted. We’d always been like this until he had to check my ass to get my mind right. Our being close again was something I wasn’t about to lose.
“Oh, then yeah nigga how much you need? Ten?” He pulled out his phone like it wasn’t shit and I tried not to laugh at him.
