Page 25 of Unlucky You

“How the fuck am I supposed to go to the doctor with no insurance?”

“They have emergency care centers on damn near every corner, fam.”

I glared in warning to leave it alone. I wasn’t going to the damn doctor. He grunted in annoyance.

“Didn’t think you would. You still sore?”

“Yeah but it’s not that bad. It’s been a couple weeks so most of it’s healed.”

“Maybe you should…”

“I’m fighting. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Broken ribs and internal bleeding is a big deal, Grand.”

“I’m new. If I‘m not consistent, they don’t let me fight, and I need this money.”

“If you end up in the hospital, you can’t fight.”

“Chill, I’m good.” I glanced at Raiden who was in his own world.

“If you say so,” Tali mumbled. “You call her yet?”

“Who?”

“The photographer.”

I’d thought about her more than a few times but I wouldn’t tell him. It was none of his fucking business and I wasn’t going to do anything about it.

“No, and I’m not going to.”

“Why the fuck not? She’s pretty as hell. You been in any pussy since you got out?”

I punched him in the chest and he grinned when I glanced at Raiden.

“He isn’t paying us any mind. When he’s on that thing, don’t shit exist but what he’s watching.” Tali rubbed the spot where I’d hit him, grinning. I hated how he knew my son better than me.

“Watch what you say unless you want to explain to my mother how he knows what pussy is?”

Tali smirked and nodded. “Fine, but have you?”

I tensed and shook my head which had Tali cutting his eyes toward Raiden before he lowered his voice. “Fam, you know she loved you, right?”

My eyes darkened. “Yeah, I know she did. What does that have to do with any of this? You think Aleah loving me means she’d want me fucking other women?”

“She would want you to be happy. No matter how things turned out, that’s who she was. She was good like that. You can’t not exist in the world.”

“Leave it alone,” I ground out.

“I will, but trust me when I say, at some point you have to figure that shit out. If not for you then for him. You can’t keep living in the past, cuz. The shit is not healthy.”

I was well aware living in the past wasn’t healthy, but this was where I was for now.

“We’re about to head out,” was all I said and lifted to stand. “Raidy, tell Tali goodbye. We have to go so I can feed you and get you home.”

“But it’s early.”

“It’s six. You have school tomorrow,” I warned and he pouted but slipped off the stool he occupied and walked over to Tali.

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