Page 13 of Make Me Forget

People expected the same excitement that rodeos had, and that just wasn’t the case. It was like playing a game of keep away on a horse. It was fun to me because it was what I grew up liking to do. I used to watch my dad do it. He loved it, but not enough to pursue a career doing it. It was expensive to compete. My horse alone was worth a hundred grand, but if you were a winner, the reward was worth it.

“I’ll have to remember to look it up. Cassie, Kendall, and the twins may not want to go then.”

“They may go the first time, but most likely, they won’t go a second time.”

He chuckled. “Well, Cassie told me she saw you some months back at a gas station.”

“Yeah, she did. It had been years since I’d seen her. She’s doing well for herself.”

“Yep. That’s my baby. She overcame so much. I’m just glad that she’s still alive to thrive.”

I nodded. I’d heard repeated stories about how Cassie had gotten hit by a pickup truck when she was in third grade. Her healing was miraculous to say the least. The only evidence of that day was a small scar on her head above her hairline. The pictures I saw of her after that accident nearly brought tears to my eyes. In one of them, she was so swollen, she was unrecognizable. However, her dad said he wanted to document what he knew would be a miracle. People would never believe him without proof.

My phone chimed, and Mr. Price squeezed my shoulder and walked away as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I’m home. Sorry my text is late.

It had been an hour, but I knew she probably couldn’t text right away. Okay, baby. Call me when you can. I love you.

I love you too.

CHAPTER 4

CASSIE

“When are you going to cook the dish you learned how to cook the other day?”

I wanted to roll my eyes. I wasn’t in the greatest mood, and I just wanted to get my homework done so I could relax. “I don’t know, Mesani. Let me finish my work, and I’ll go in there to chill with you for a little while before bed.”

“My bad. Okay.”

He didn’t affect my mood. I just missed Kendrall. Later that night, my dad had told me that Kendrall had said hello. I’d nearly given myself away, because just at the mention of his name, my body shuddered. The man’s attention to my body was unforgettable, but his attention to me as a woman was damn near unattainable. Not even Mesani knew everything about me and my thought process.

I’d forgotten my parents were going to Nome that evening. Had I remembered, I wouldn’t have been within ten miles of that place. Thankfully, Kendrall lived in Henderson Village, which was a community slash neighborhood. The entrance to it was on the main highway, but the houses weren’t visible from the highway since it was surrounded by a brick wall. Mr. Kenny lived on that same highway. If I would have left a little earlier, they would have seen me leaving. That wouldn’t have been good.

When I got home that evening, Mesani had asked so many questions about where I’d been. He said he forgot, but I wanted to believe that he was pretending. At the sight of him, I originally felt guilty about fucking around on him, but I allowed that feeling to dissipate. What I had with Kendrall was so much deeper than just fucking around. While guilt was originally keeping me here, it wasn’t the reason I was still here, taking care of his ass.

The real reason was that I knew he would press charges against me. He had up to three years to do so. It would be a felony charge, because I used the vase as a weapon. I didn’t have anger issues, but seeing him in the act made me snap. I wasn’t a violent person. That scene would play out very differently in court, though. He would make me out to be the bad person.

I glanced at my phone, desperately wanting to hear Kendrall’s voice. We’d texted back and forth earlier while I was on campus, and he’d invited me out to his competition this weekend. I always wanted to call it a rodeo, but he said that wasn’t what they were called. My dad had already told me about it, but I didn’t give him a definite answer. He’d invited Mesani as well. There was no way I would be taking Mesani with me to watch Kendrall compete. No way in hell.

I told Kendrall that I didn’t think I would be attending this time, because Dad had invited Mesani. I couldn’t do that to him. That would be cold. I loved him too much for that. I couldn’t even focus on school this past week, and I was at the point of taking a break after this semester. My mind was consumed with how I could leave Mesani without fear of retaliation. Things just weren’t the same between us, and I knew it was because of what had happened, but more importantly, my love for Kendrall.

I lowered my face to my hands as my phone vibrated on the desk. Taking a deep breath, I picked it up and saw it was a message from my sister. She was ten years younger than me… my brother too. They were twins. Can you call me, sis?

I really didn’t have time to call her, but it wasn’t like we got to talk often. I shut my computer down for the night then called her. “Hey, sis,” she said when she answered.

“Hey, Ebony. What’s up?”

“Not too much. Are you going to Kendrall’s thing this weekend? Did Daddy tell you about it? I want to go, but I don’t wanna be there with just him and Mama. Evan isn’t going because of something he has going on at work.”

“No. I’m not going. At least, I don’t think I am. I have way too much work to catch up on.”

“Aww. Okay. Well, I guess I won’t be going. It’s not like Kingsley’s fine ass will be there.”

“What? You’re messing around with Kingsley?”

Kingsley was one of Kendrall’s younger brothers. He was probably three years younger than Ebony. All their names started with Ks, just like their parents. Well, Keisha’s first name may have been LaKeisha, but she simply went by Keisha.

“Girl, I wish. I was just gonna go so I could see him. I went to dinner at their house with Mama and Daddy, and he said he wouldn’t be there because he was going to help one of their cousins at another rodeo. Kane might be there, but he isn’t twenty-one yet. I need somebody that’s completely legal.”

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