“Son, don’t be so down. I’ll be here in six weeks to get you.”
“I don’t wanna stay,” Lo tried once again to change his mind.
“Boy, you ain’t gon’ be gone that long,” Ada fussed, waving her hand dismissively. “Stop acting like we’re sending you away for good.”
“Ada,” Dax warned. “You're not making it any better.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “Mama’s sorry, Lo. I just really want this for you, baby. Just do this for us, and I swear we won’t make you participate in anything else you don’t wanna do.”
Lo didn’t care about what Ada said. He wanted out now but judging by the looks on his parents’ faces, that wouldn’t happen.
“I’ll do all the chores at the house if you let Lo come back home,” Meco offered.
Ada scoffed. “Boy, your lazy ass don’t even do the one you’re supposed to do.”
“I’ll start right now. Just let Lo come home.”
Dax walked over to Meco and rubbed his head. “This is a great opportunity for him. He’ll be home before he know it.”
Lo felt like crying but didn’t want to give his parents the satisfaction of knowing they’d hurt him. Maybe he was being a spoiled brat in this moment, but he didn’t care. There were many places he’d rather be than some weak-ass summer camp.
“Come give us a hug,” Ada requested.
Begrudgingly, Lo got up from the bed and gave her a side hug. He did the same with Dax and turned to Meco. They had a special handshake they had been doing since they were five. It cemented their twinship and brotherhood. They usually did it when they parted ways for class but knowing he wouldn’t see his brother for six weeks really dampened his already fucked-up mood.
“Call me tonight.”
Lo nodded and watched him walk to the door.
“Bye, baby,” Ada said as Dax rubbed the top of his head.
Once the door was closed, Lo’s rage intensified, and when his roommate walked inside, he became vexed.
“Hey, I’m Julian. What’s your name?” the white boy said, extending his hand.
Lo looked at his hand and slapped it away. “My name is stay the fuck outta my way.”
Julian’s head reared as his eyes widened. Lo laid back on the bed and positioned his hands behind his head. He would make this experience as gloomy as possible since he was sent here against his will.
Lo jumped out of his slumber, feeling sweat coat his body. His limbs shook slightly as he tried to make out where he was.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
Bria’s soft tone caressed his ears as she wrapped her arms around him. Her touch provided him with so much comfort at the moment. It was soothing and helped Lo relaxed.
“It’s okay, you’re okay.”
Bria didn’t know it, but Lo needed to hear that. His nightmares were becoming so vivid that he still smelled the scent of the summer camp. It was an aroma of old wood and pine trees. Lo hated parts of his life. There were moments he wished he could erase from his psyche because they were too painful to think about. For years, he had been okay not reliving what happened to him. Now, he was being harrowed almost every night.
“Did you have a bad dream?” Bria whispered to him.
How could Lo answer her? He couldn’t tell her what it was about because then he would have to explain his past to her. Explaining his past would mean exposing a part of himself thathad been tainted by the evils of the world. No, Lo couldn’t do it. He wasn’t ready and didn’t think he would ever be able to tell Bria how he had been ruined before he had a chance to become a man.
“I’m good,” he assured, knowing that was a lie.
He would never be well again. Lo was spoiled goods. He had been tainted by the dark side and instead of fighting it, he embraced it.
“Are you sure? You’re shaking.”
