Page 15 of His Team

The thing is, I’m not sure that’s healthy for either of us. I’m not sure that’s what I want. I want the friendship we have, but I also want some fucking peace.

Everything I do is for my brother. Kay is the one thing I do for me. This shouldn’t be so hard—not when she’s supposed to be the easy part of my life.

I need something to be easy.

CHAPTER 5

Run-Ins

Maribel

“Are you making friends?” my mother asks on the other end of the phone.

“A few,” I reply as I check both ways before crossing the street.

She continues to happily chew my ear off. She sounds so excited to hear from me. I didn’t realize how much I needed this call.

This morning, I needed to go for a run after all that food we ate last night. I woke up still feeling stuffed. I also had a lot on my mind I wanted to get rid of.

This neighborhood is so nice for jogging. The air was crisp this morning, doing the job I needed. Once I finished my run, I decided to make my way to the grocery store to stock the apartment up.

My cousin doesn’t care about the things I eat or use as it all goes to waste while she’s gone anyway, but I don’t want to become a leech. I’m going to replace everything we’ve eaten and get food of our own. Taylor gave me some cash before I left out.

I had asked her if she wanted to come along, but she was too busy texting with Joelle about some party next weekend and trying to find one to get into tonight. I don’t take her for much of a runner, but I thought maybe she would be open to shopping with me. I would have gone shopping first if she had come along.

However, I was happy to have the time to myself. I got to clear my mind and called my mom to talk to her for a bit. She’s been chewing my ear off for the last twenty minutes.

“Okay, Mami. I’m going to go. I’m at the store now,” I say into the phone.

She sighs on the other end. The disappointment clear through the phone. In my mind, I can see the sadness in her eyes. We’ve been trying to work on our relationship.

It’s something I wish I would have done before I left. I know I hurt her when I went looking for my father. In hindsight, I get that I didn’t understand everything about their relationship and why she felt she needed to keep me from him.

I’m trying my hardest to see past that. My mother has always been there for me. I had been a fifteen-year-old brat and I’m regretting that now.

If I could rewind time, I would smack my younger self and give my mother the biggest apology I could. I hope I have all boys because if not, I’m in for some shit. I had such a hard head.

“I love you, Mina. Be safe. Call me any time you need me. You know I’m here for you,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“I know, Mami. I love you too. I’ll call you soon.”

I hang up and tuck my phone away. Then I grab a cart to get this shopping done so I can go home and shower. I run throughmy list in my head as I try to figure out the lay of the store, being it’s my first visit here.

Turning into the frozen food aisle, I pause when I see none other than Cam standing there just glaring forward. I think to turn and find anyplace else to be, but there’s something in his posture that makes me want to at least see if he’s okay.

I stroll closer slowly. He’s so deep in thought he doesn’t turn to acknowledge me. I take him in from head to toe, wondering what’s on his mind.

“Cam?”

He turns to me eerily slow with a hard look on his face, his blue-gray eyes clouded over. The look causes me to take a step back at first. The moment he recognizes me, a smile comes to his face and his eyes soften.

“Amina, right?”

“Yeah, hey. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just doing a little shopping before my brother gets home.”

He says the words but immediately looks as if he said too much. He clamps his mouth shut and runs a hand through his full hair.

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