“Is one of you going to tell us what the fuck is going on?” Reed barked.
Phoenix remained where he was, leaning against Reed’s Jeep with his arms folded. Fucker looked so relaxed and smug that my palms itched to bitch-slap him. I didn’t care that I’d be signing my own death warrant if I did so.
Once I caught my breath, I nodded towards the one brother in the bad books. “Why don’t you ask Micah where he was today?”
Reed frowned and turned to his brother with a questioning look. “Where were you?”
“What?” Micah said, grabbing his dreads and tugging them. The motion of a guilty man trying to buy himself more time. “Let’s get this straight right now. I don’t fucking answer to you Hudson. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
I ignored that as he did, they all did. And with good reason. I looked out for them, would kill for my brothers if I had to. They were the ones who had cast me as their leader, and when things didn’t go their way, what did they do? Bitched about it.
I was selfish where everyone else was concerned. But not when it came to my brothers and Ma.
Rubbing my lip to see where the blood was coming from, I explained. “I saw Micah by Xander Creed’s car tonight buying who knows what.” My thumb came away clear. I must have bit my cheek when Micah landed that one good blow. He wasn’t usually that accurate, but the boy was fast.
Phoenix pushed off the car and stormed forward. “What the fuck?”
“Micah?” Reed growled, clearly upset.
And my brother’s barriers dropped. I held up a hand to stop him from pussying out, not in the mood for more lies. “I suggest you think long and hard before spouting more shit. You rub elbows with the scum of the city, you force us all to do the same. What the hell were you thinking you lying son of a bitch.”
“I told you. You know I owe him money. What did you want me to do?”
With one last look of disappointment, I walked towards the house, shaking my head. “I’m going for a shower.”
“Yeah, you do that. Cool off your crazy ass,” Micah chuntered under his breath.
“I suggest we all meet in the den in ten. Micah is going to tell usexactlywhat type of shit he has signed us all up for,” I tossed over my shoulder.
All I could hear was my brothers arguing as Islammedinto the house.
*****
Micah started to tell the truth. He said he got carried away with trying different types of shit and had been given credit with the Creed family. Micah was still in debt but had managed to reduce it to two and a half thousand dollars.
And why was the amount so high? Cocaine. That’s why. He confessed to trying it but said it wasn’t for him. Something about his nose bleeding after inhaling a couple of lines. He promised me that he had been focused on weed since then and had decided to stop. Micah explained that his physics teacher, Ms. Gibbs, had put him forward for a Ron Brown Scholarship. It was an African-American-supported college scholarship. The pride I felt at that news washed away my disappointment in him.
Two and a halfthousandbucks?
I felt sick as there was no way we could settle that debt. The only option open was to go to the prison, collect my father’s shit and see how much money he left me. Ma said something about my father’s bank account and a check? I was surprised that cons had bank accounts in prison.
Over the last couple of days, I had decided I wanted nothing from that prick and would leave the shit he’d left behind to be incinerated. Now I had no choice. The thought of going to Ma with it didn’t even register. Not only would it break her heart, since buying the house, her means were meagre. That’s why I worked during the summer. To help bring in the bread. I knew I’d have to put in for some extra shifts at the docks.
Fuck Micah for putting us in that position.
After around an hour of grilling andwhat were you thinking, we got through to Micah. And then we got wasted.
Ma came home as Micah and I (with our arms around each other's shoulders) were halfway up the stairs, singing out of tune. We managed to hide our faces as Phoenix and Reed offered to take the shopping through to the kitchen. Harper had ordered takeout, so Ma didn’t have to cook when getting in late. I was the only one who knew that Ma had been to the agency to speak about Harper’s foster placement. Ma wanted to make it permanent. Hopefully, my little sister would get the good news that night, and we left the girls to it.
“I fucking love you man,” Micah slurred as we got to my room.
Taking my arm from around his shoulder, I pushed my door open and turned to face him. “I know, bro. I love your black ass too.”
We fist bumped and hugged that shit right up.
“We will put it right, won’t we?”
“Yeah, man. Go to bed. You look like shit,” I replied with a lopsided smile.
