Boss Cori was so hot.
After checking in with Marisol, Cori went straight to the office, and I headed to the first bathroom, which was nearly complete. It only needed paint and grout on the tile. I found Jayden there but not Reign. Sandra, the volunteer, scrolled on her phone in the corner, especially oblivious today with her earbuds in.
“Where’s Reign?” I asked Jayden.
“They’re with one of the staff, doing some art for the big event thing coming up.”
“The Gala for Kids. Good for them. How is the grouting coming along?”
Jayden kneeled on the pads set up under the sinks. Wiping his hands on his thighs, he complained, “I don’t think this work is for me, man. When Reign does it, it comes out smooth. With me, it’s like I’m drunk or blind or something.”
Examining the tile in front of Jayden, I saw that the grout appeared obviously uneven. That’s why I’d had him start behind the sinks, where no one would notice the imperfections.
“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “You’ll get it.”
“I can see from your face that it sucks,” Jayden snarled, rising to his feet. “I don’t fucking need this.” He moved to shove past me.
“Stop!”
I sighed. After everything Cori and I had been through, I’d hoped things with Jayden would go down a little easier. But that was asking too much of the universe. At the first hint this might be difficult, of course Jayden forgot everything we’d discussed the day before.
“We had an agreement. Don’t even think about leaving,” I said. “We put ourselves on the line for you yesterday, and you need to honor your word.”
Jayden cursed under his breath. “I know. But—”
“Nobuts. I can teach you to grout and paint and all the other stuff. But we both know you’re the one who needs to deal with the shit in your head. You’ve been given a gift. And not just by me, Cori, and Amos. That random lady yesterday could have easily talked to the cops and had your ass thrown in jail.”
Jayden shrugged. “Whatever.”
“No, not whatever.” I mimed his shrug. “You tried to rob a business. With a gun. That wouldn’t have been some bullshit juvie stint or community service, kid.” The gun part, especially. I might have done less time if I hadn’t had the bat. According to the justice system, it counted as a “deadly” weapon.
“I’m not a fuckin’ kid.” Jayden straightened his shoulders.
I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah, you are,” I drawled. “Because only a kid would think it wasn’t a big deal to do something that could get you locked up. Only a kid would think prison wasn’t something to be avoided at all costs.”
Jayden studied me. I met his eyes directly, staring until he looked away. Finally, he asked, “You were in, weren’t you? Miss Mari never said, but—”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yeah. Did almost ten years.”
“You’re the one who got Chi-chi, right? I heard about that.”
I mentally rolled my eyes. At what point would my turning Chi-chi’s face into hamburger not be a neighborhood legend?
“I’m not gonna give you details. It’s enough to say I made a bad fucking choice, on top of a series of bad choices, and that was it. Once you start down that road, there’s a good chance one of your bad choices will be the last one you make. Unless you get off that ride.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“What part of nearly ten years in prison do you think was easy?” I growled. “Yeah, I turned it around in there, made the most of my time. I guess in that sense, I was luckier than some. But ‘easy’ isn’t a word I would use. So maybe shut your mouth about shit you don’t understand, alright?”
Perhaps in response to the icy stare on my face or the knowledge of what I’d done, Jayden relented a fraction.
“It’s not that I want to get locked up,” the teen muttered. “It would kill my ma. My brother, Greg, is inside, and it’s makinghim…into something else. Even if he does come home, it won’t be him, you know?”
“Hundred percent.” Jayden was a cocky little shit—Amos was right about that—but a perceptive one.
“I just don’t…” Jayden faltered. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“What? You mean like, with your life?” I eyed him.
