I clenched my fist involuntarily; completely forgetting that my knuckles were split open. But pain was good. Pain numbed all the other thoughts festering inside my mind.
Soon enough, Dad turned off the road into our driveway. Without a word, I climbed out and made for the house. I didn’t want to listen to any more of his bullshit, and I certainly didn’t want to see the look of disappointment in Mom’s eyes.
“Asher, wait,” she called. “I should really look at your—”
“I’ve got it, Mom.” Digging my key out, I unlocked the door and hurried inside. I needed space. I needed to be alone. But the screech of tires had me glancing back.
Headlights illuminated the driveway and my mother shrieked. Bolting out of the house, I came slamming to a stop when my eyes landed on Jermaine. “Where is she?” he yelled, his eyes wild.
“You need to walk away, son.” Dad moved casually toward him, shielding Mom.
“She’s not here,” I added, inching closer to Jermaine who was acting like a caged animal.
“She didn’t leave with you?” He faltered, only for a second, and Dad dug out his cell phone, dialing nine-one-one. But before it connected, Jermaine pulled out a gun and aimed it straight at him. “You don’t wanna do that, old man,” he said.
Everything slowed down.
The thud of my pulse against my skull.
The beat of my heart in my chest.
Dad dropped his cell and lifted his hands.
Slowly.
Slowly.
Slowly.
“You don’t want to do this.” He sounded so calm, so composed. Like he’d been held at gunpoint a hundred times before.
“A- Andrew.” Mom’s cry pierced the silence and Jermaine swung his aim around. I dove in front of her, throwing up my hands too.
“Mya told me about you, you know?” I said, hoping to keep his thoughts on me and off the trigger. “She said you were best friends. Grew up together and everything.”
“She talked about me?”
“Yeah, man. You were her first everything, remember?”
“So why the fuck is she runnin’ from me?”
“I can’t answer that. But why don’t we call her?” I went to lower my hand, but he jabbed the gun toward me. “Whoa, easy.” My heart was in my throat. “I’m just going to call Mya and tell her you’re looking for her.”
I didn’t want this psycho anywhere near her, but I didn’t know what else to do.
He had a gun.
A loaded fucking gun aimed right at me. Maybe if I could call her or text her, I could warn her. I could get her to alert the authorities.
Think, Asher, think! I inched forward, careful to keep my mom behind me. “Asher, Son—”
“Ssh, Dad, I got this.”
“Jermaine, you don’t want to do this. Imagine what Mya will do when she finds out—”
“Don’t be talkin’ like you know her. You don’t know her, I know her.” He turned the gun into himself, tapping it against his chest.
“Why don’t you let my parents go on inside and we can talk? Man to man.”
Mom whimpered, and I heard my dad quietly trying to comfort her. I needed them out of here, somewhere safe. Somewhere where he couldn’t touch them.
Shit. I was in over my head.
“Call her,” he demanded. “Tell her to come here.”
As slowly as possible, I dug my cell out my jeans pocket and dialed Mya, all while keeping one eye on Jermaine.
“Asher,” she breathed. “Thank God. I thought—”
“I need you to come to my house.”
“Asher, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Jermaine is here,” I kept my voice as even as possible. “He wants to talk to you.”
“H- he’s there?” Hushed voices came over the line. I could pick out Jason and Felicity in the background.
“Hurry,” I added, before hanging up. “It’ll take her at least ten minutes.”
“I got time. I got all the fucking time in the world.”
Mya made it in less than seven minutes, but it had felt like a year. The second she stepped out of Jason’s Dodge Charger, Jermaine seemed to relax. “You came.”
“What’s going on, J?” Her tone was soft, but I didn’t miss the sheer horror in her eyes as she noticed the gun in his hand. “What did you do?”
“Nothin’. I didn’t do nothin’ yet. I just needed you to listen.”
“And you thought following my boyfriend home and threatening him and his parents with a gun was the way to get my attention?”
“I wasn’t thinkin’. Shit, Mya, everything’s so fucked up.”
“I can see that,” she seethed and I tried to catch her eye to silently ask her what the hell she was doing. But then it dawned on me; she wasn’t trying to aggravate him, she was trying to draw his attention off us to her.
“Asher, Son, we should go inside and call the police,” Dad whispered.
“You two go.” I kept my eye on Mya. “I’m not leaving her.”
“Asher,” Dad hissed. “Now is not the time for heroics.”
“I’m staying.”
He and Mom moved toward the house just as Jermaine advanced on Mya. I didn’t have time to think as I lunged for him. He was so focused on her, he didn’t see me until it was too late. My body slammed into his and we toppled to the ground.
“NO!” someone yelled as a gunshot went off. The gun clattered to the floor and Mya kicked it clear of Jermaine.
“You’re okay,” I rasped, a little winded from the fall.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and Mya helped me clamber to my feet. “What were you thinking?” she scolded me before falling into my arms. I held her tight as I searched for my parents to check they were all right. But something was wrong.
Dad held Mom in his arms, his face ashen, his crisp white dress shirt stained red. “Dad?” I croaked, shoving Mya away and rushing over to his side. “What happened?”
I’d seen my father wear many expressions. Anger. Indifference. Arrogance. But I’d never seen him look scared until that moment.
“The bullet...” was all he managed to say.
Two little words.
Words that should never have passed his lips.
Two little words I knew would change everything.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mya
“What did you do?” I lunged for Jermaine as he staggered to his feet. “What the fuck did you do?” My fists rained down on his chest, his face. My nails scratched, tearing flesh and drawing blood, as I shrieked at him over and over until my lungs burned and tears stung my eyes.
Eventually, strong arms wrapped around my waist, hauling me off him. “Easy, Mya.” It was Jason. “Easy.”
“I… fuck.” Jermaine’s eyes were wide and skittish as the drone of sirens drew closer. “I didn’t mean to… fuck!” He rubbed the heel of his palms against his forehead.
“Yo, J, we need to roll,” one of his guys yelled, but it was too late. The flash of blue and red illuminated the inky sky. The Chevy gunned to life, speeding away as Jermaine’s friends abandoned him.