Page 28 of Kassir and Rebel
“You know I can’t twerk.”
I lean in and whisper in her ear, “But you can throw it back though.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter and go; let me dance.”
After pecking my lips, she pats her hand on my chest and I reluctantly release her ass. Next thing I know, she’s stepping back but she falls. It happens so damn fast, I can’t catch her. She lands on her ass.
“The fuck! Shit!” she yells.
“Bestie!” Teaira screeches.
“Bae, you good?” I ask as I lean down and she shakes her head.
“I think I broke my ankle. Shit,” she groans. I kneel down next to her and so does Teaira. Gently, she reaches for Rebel’s leg. “The other one,” Rebel says. “It was a rock or something. It’s broken. Shit. I feel it; it’s broken for sure.”
Teaira places her hand under Rebel’s calf and gently takes the strings off her leg. Then she removes the shoe and rubs her hands across Rebel’s ankle. “Can you move it at all? Try but don’t do too much,” Teaira says calmly. The panic and pained look on Rebel’s face has both of us concerned.
“It hurts,” Rebel sighs as she slowly moves her ankle.
“But it’s not broken since you’re moving it. That’s good. You need a wrap and some ice. Like an ace bandage. I can wrap it for you.”
“Let’s get her upstairs,” I say, then scoop Rebel up. When she’s cradled in my arms, she rests her head on my shoulder.
“Ma has a wrap,” she says.
“And I got an ice pack. I got you, bae.”
“I’m coming too. I’m the nurse, remember? I’ll make sure it’s wrapped right,” she says and I just nod. I carry Rebel through the crowd into the building. Teaira is behind me, trying to keep up with my long strides. When we reach Ma’s door, Teaira catches up then grabs the key out of Rebel’s bag. “I’ll just go in. Where’s the bandage?” she asks Rebel.
“In the bathroom in the hall. It’s under the sink. She has a whole medicine cabinet down there. Grab some Tylenol and Advil too,” she says and Teaira enters the apartment. “Only me,” Rebel sighs. “A rock. If I had on my Nikes, this wouldn’t have happened. These stupid sandals.”
“You gon’ be good. It’s not broken, bae, and besides, Teaira seems like she knows her shit.”
My words cause her to smile. “She definitely knows her stuff,” she agrees. A few minutes later, Teaira walks out with a small bag. “Damn, what all did you get?” Rebel asks.
“You were right. She has everything. I got two bandages, an ice and heat pack, and the pills. She even had a foot elevation pillow. Ma is legit,” Teaira says, sounding impressed.
“With all of us kids, she kept that cabinet packed.”
“Good thing,” Teaira says.
We trek to the elevator and head up to my crib. As soon as we are inside, I carry Rebel to my bed and leave her in there with Teaira. While she takes care of Rebel, I shoot Linnea a text then grab a few water bottles out of the fridge. When I walk back into the room, Rebel’s white fit is off and she’s resting on my headboard with both legs on the bed. Her left ankle is bandaged and propped up on a round, blue pillow. One of the ice packs is inside the pillow.
“That was fast,” I comment as I place the water on the table by the bed.
“I’m an ER nurse. Everything is fast there. She’ll be good in a few days as long as she keeps this elevated and iced. I’m off tomorrow; I can come over and take care of her.”
“I got her.”
“But can I walk?” Rebel asks.
“If you can prevent it, no. Just hop to the bathroom,” Teaira says.
“This really sucks,” Rebel sighs.
“It’s only a sprain. Four or five days and you’ll be good as new,” Teaira says.
“Seriously, I leave in two weeks. Who wants to be crippled for four or five days,” she says and my damn chest tightens.
