Page 3 of Krash & Bern

“We gon’ get you out your shell. I see you like to read, and that’s cool as hell. Around certain people, they’d make fun of you for having a hobby like that. If anybody ever gives you a problem, you send them my way, and I’ll guarantee they never fuck with you again.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. Why did he take me under his wing? Why did he want to protect me? Did he feel the same connection I felt? Was… was what I felt real or a figment of my teenage mind?

“Why?” The question left my lips before I could catch myself.

“Why, what?”

“Why did you choose me? Why didn’t you ignore me like everyone else?”

“You want the truth?”

“Please.”

I braced myself for what was to come.

“The truth is, I saw a young girl who looked like a deer in headlights. You are prime conditions for bullying, and I don’t play that shit. I ain’t ever been a bully, and I don’t fuck with anybody who is. I’ll nip that shit in the bud really quick. Ya feel me?”

“I feel you,” I replied. I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked away.

“I’m just letting you know. As long as you’re by my side, you ain’t got to worry about anybody bothering you. You got a personal bodyguard in me, and I don’t mind knocking niggas out for you.”

His words were final. My first day of high school, and I’d already made a friend. Something in my gut told me this would be the start of something beautiful.

A few months later

“Mom, please!” I swatted her hands away as she picked and pulled at the dress I’d chosen to wear for my junior homecoming.

The sparkling gray dress stopped below my knee with a deep slit up the right side of the gown. The thin straps held up the B-cup breasts I had. I wasn’t blessed with much to work with, but I had enough to fill the top of my dress. I opted to wear a blonde wig with a black skunk stripe. The hair was curled in a water wave pattern and pulled up into a neat half-up, half-down style. I wore a chunky black heel because I couldn’t walk in thin heels to save my life. I needed the extra support of the thicker heel.

“You’re so beautiful,” she complimented with teary eyes. She’d taken so many pictures of me, I was certain she’d run out of storage on her phone.

“Thanks.” My eyes looked away as my cheeks burned from the compliment.

“You’re growing up so fast,” she continued. “I don’t know where the time is going. Before we know it, you’ll be packing up and leaving for college.”

“And I’ll be packing too,” Daddy added as he came from the kitchen with a bottle of water.

My eyebrows met together in confusion. “What do you mean, Daddy?”

“I’m not sending my baby girl out to the wolves in college. I’ll be at every corner watching and waiting for one of these boys to step out of line so I could put them hands on them.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, you’re not. How would you feel if parents were saying the same thing to their sons? You wouldn’t want somebody’s mom or dad to threaten me because I showed interest in their son, right?”

He thinned his lips but remained quiet. Trenton James was a protective man. I was his only child and often made his blood pressure rise because of the spotlight my accolades put on me. He’d begun to grow gray hair from the stress of being my father.

Luckily, my mother, Janice, was his peace. She always found a way to remedy his bad moods. Like always, Mama changed the topic as she pulled me outside to get some pictures of me in the natural light. In October, the sun set a little earlier than usual, so it got dark a little after six o’clock.

The weather was still warmer, so I opted out of bringing a jacket. Instead, I grabbed the black clutch purse Mama bought me. Inside were all the necessities: hand sanitizer, mint gum, my headphones, charger, and money. I had both a debit card and cash. I downloaded the Kindle app on my phone to read the books on Kindle Unlimited. I didn’t expect to have much fun, so I planned to read to pass the time until the dance was over.

While we stood outside, a familiar car pulled up in front of the house.Krash. His car was a bit old, but he took care of it. The black Nissan Altima was a gift from his grandmother. She passed it down to him before she passed away. Krash told me she was the only person in his life who ever cared about his well-being. I told him he had me in his corner too.

When Krash emerged from his car, his gaze met mine, and his face lit up with happiness. He grinned as he took in my appearance.

“You clean up nicely, Bern. I love the dress,” he stated as he rounded the front of his car and made his way toward me.

In the few strides it took him to close the distance, I perused his frame. His hair was freshly cut, and he wore a fitted dark blue suit. The dress shirt underneath was a cream color. His shoes were a cream color with a gold buckle. He lookeddamngood.

“You do too, Keyshawn.”

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