“Enough,” Mitch spoke calm and everyone listened.
Keith gritted his teeth and looked at Mitch from the corner of his eye. “This ain’t over kid.” Using his free hand he held it up and made a gun with his fingers.
“Stay in a child’s place.”
I watched him and the other men leave out of the warehouse not saying anything back. They were all so riled up and making up lies that I was taking money out of their pockets. The furthest thing from the truth. Unlike them, I wasn’t getting high off my own supply.
“Next time I’m going to put one right between his eyes.” Pacino tossed a towel at me. It wasn’t until I glanced down at my shirt that I noticed all the blood.
“Y’all good? I need to head home.”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Odom spoke while I wiped my face. When I lowered the towel from my face my eyes connected with Mitch. For a few seconds, he said nothing. Just looked at me with a blank expression and walked off.
The walk to our neighborhood wasn’t far from Duffy’s warehouse on 19th street. We stopped at Ivory’s to get my brothers and his sister some snacks. When we made it to the middle of the street Odom had stopped walking and stiffened. I followed the line of his eyes and noticed they were on Mr. Ryan’s, his foster dad, Monte Carlos. I never cared too much for Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. Before they took in Odom and O’Nesh five years ago they were the neighbors from hell and weirdos.
Always complaining and arguing if you parked your car too close to their grass. Mrs. Ryan was rarely home. She worked downtown at Broward General as an ER nurse and Mr. Ryan worked in construction.
“Ca-Can I stay the night over your house?” Odom asked, both of us walking faster seeing the porch lights at his house come on. “I don’t feel like arguing with that crazy nigga.” Odom’s ears and cheeks had reddened against his light skin.
“Yeah, that’s cool. What about Nesha’s snacks?”
“I’ll give them to her tomorrow at school.”
I always wondered what went on in their house but I never asked. I didn’t feel like I was in the position to ask considering the hauntings that went on in my own home. It had been a year since that frightening night, and no one asked questions about Dad. To keep folks from being in our business, I never mentioned a thing, but I think Pacino and Odom knew but never said anything.
They were able to come over anytime and leave after the streetlights came on. Neither of them questioned where Dad was either.
By the following morning, Odom had left before I woke up. I found a fifty dollar bill laying on the couch where he slept. His money wasn’t needed but I think Odom had gotten so used to helping me in the past that it became second nature. Regardless of my pride, I appreciated him and Pacino, and I’d always look out for them.
I can’t explain the feeling I had all day in school. My stomach was twisted in knots and it felt like something was going to happen. Afraid for my brothers, I skipped my last class and ran all the way to their side of the school to make sure I was there right when the bell rang.
“Amell!” My face broke into a wide smile seeing Atlas’s wide eyes and big smile. His excitement eased the unsettling…a little.
“What’s up, Young.”
“Guess who almost got in trouble for putting dead frogs in the teachers’ lounge?”
I really had no reason to guess Atlas’s question because I already knew from seeing Cassian walking up with a smirk on his face. The boy stayed in trouble.
“Cassian, why are you always trying to bring attention to yourself? The less trouble you get in the less likely they’ll ask to speak to a parent.”
His beady brown eyes rolled to the top of his head. “Not my fault it’s April Fools and they couldn’t take a joke.” All I could do was shake my head. There was no point in arguing with him.
Atlas and Cassian filled me in on their day at school while I tried my hardest to pay attention. The nagging feeling of something happening continued to grow the closer we got home. Part of me wanted to take them straight to the park but I knew I needed to help them with their homework and knew Atlas would want to play before I went to work for Duffy tonight.
“How was school, kid? Did you learn anything new?” My head popped up hearing Keith’s voice. That explained why I’ve been feeling off the devil himself was paying me a visit with his creepy ass friends.
“Who them niggas?” Cassian asked with his fists already balled at his side. “Don’t worry about them. Keep walking and don’t say anything to them, Cassian.” Atlas held onto my hand for dear life the closer we walked.
Keith and two of his friends were parked three houses down from ours sitting on the top of his tricked out Grand Marquis. I hated those cars and how the dudes in the hood would put those large rims on them. Cassian loved it and it showed as his frown turned into fascination as he took in the candy apple painted car on gold rims.
It took everything in me to not say anything to them when they started picking fun at my brothers but that wasn’t a fight I wanted to start right now. Stepping through the gate I stopped seeing a middle-aged white woman with glasses at the tip of her nose and a clipboard in hand by the front door.
“Hi there. My name is Evelyn West and I’m from the Department of Children and Family Services, are your parents’ home?”
Turning to look over my shoulder I watched Keith and his friends drive by laughing. They called DCF on us. That’s why I’d been feeling off. She was going to split us up. Take us to families that wouldn’t treat us right.
What parents? One was gone someplace that I didn’t know, and the other was probably floating in a lake somewhere.
My heart pounded. My palms became so sweaty that Atlas released my hand and wiped the sweat from mine off on his jeans. My mouth was open but I couldn’t form words or knew what to say.
“We received an anonymous tip that there isn’t a parent present. We would need…”
“You would need to come back when our parents are home. My dad works late and our mom goes to take care of our grandmother at the nursing home. Amell is fourteen years old. Old enough to watch us until they get home. I’ll tell my daddy that y’all came by trying to take us.” I knew Cassian was smart for an eight-year-old but not that smart.
The lady’s face turned red and she started rubbing her neck like she was trying to hold onto something that wasn’t there.
“Oh, no. Don’t tell your parents that. I’m just doing a home wellness visit because of the call. I’ll come back in three days to reassure them that it was just that, me responding to a call. Here, give them my card and to call if they have any questions before then.” She handed Cassian a card and walked away without looking back. Once she got in her car and drove off, I unlocked the door and told them to go in and stay in until I got back.
I took off towards the park hoping to talk to Duffy about what to do. Keith had me wishing that I did use my gun on him the other day for the childish mess he caused all because he felt threatened by a teenager.
Unlike any other day, the park was deserted. Not one kid or adult was around. The park staff wasn’t outside either. I ran the entire park and found not a person who could point me in the direction of Duffy. His phone number wasn’t one that I had. I never needed it. Whenever I needed to get in contact with him I knew where to find him.