Page 43 of Body Language
She blinked, eyes flicking me up and down, her face softening like I’d just walked straight out of her daydream. “Now this somebody I’ll go with.”
Behind me, I could feel Niv rolling her eyes so hard the earth tilted.
“Yeah,” I said smooth. “I got you. Let’s just get outta here. No more scenes.”
She huffed but started shuffling toward the stairs, her eyes still on me like she couldn’t believe a man that fine was talking to her.
I followed close behind, every sense on alert, while Niv stayed back, sliding right in front of the cops with that sweet smile she wore like armor.
“Look,” I heard her say, “I don’t know why they called y’all. It’s handled. She good. I’m good. And trust me, this neighborhood don’t need no more chaos today.”
Meanwhile, I was trailing her mama upstairs, already wondering how the hell I got myself in the shit.
Walking into that apartment was like stepping straight into hell with no AC. The second the door creaked open, the smell hit me. Weed, old grease, and something sour I couldn’t place. The carpet looked like it had seen the Civil Rights Movement. The couch was leaning like it had arthritis. I damn near wanted to stand in the doorway with my shirt over my nose.
But I sat down anyway because if I didn’t, she was gone think I was too good to be there. And even though I was, I needed to play it cool until I talked to Niv.
Her mama plopped down across from me, lit a cigarette, and blew the smoke straight into the air. Nails chipped,clothes half falling off her shoulder.
“So, who are you?” she asked, squinting at me through the smoke. “And what you doing with my daughter?”
I leaned back, resting an arm on the armrest like I was comfortable when I wasn’t. “Just a friend.”
She smirked like she didn’t believe a damn word. “Mmhmm. Y’all always start off as ‘just a friend.’” She took another drag, exhaled slow. “You hitting it?”
I raised an eyebrow, but I kept my face straight. “That’s between me and her.”
She laughed, this dry, raspy cackle that made my skin crawl. “So you special, huh? You must be. She don’t bring nobody around here.”
I didn’t give her shit. Just shrugged, calm.
Her eyes narrowed. “Where that shit you said you had for me?”
I slid my phone out, typing quick.
Dirt. Bring it to my lo. ASAP.
My boy texted back almost instantly.
Bet. 10 minutes.
I looked up at her, cool as hell. “It’s on the way.”
She grinned, ash dropping off her cigarette onto the carpet like it was an ashtray. “See? Now you talkin’.”
Niv stormed through the door.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she yelled, slamming her purse down so hard the whole table shook.
Her mama didn’t even flinch. She just leaned back, blowing smoke out her nose like a dragon. “Don’t come in my place of peace with all that yelling, girl. You already loud as hell.”
Niv’s eyes damn near bugged out her head. “Peace?! Mama, you was outside tryna fight a grown-ass man over some rocks!”
Her mama laughed. “Shit. He was gone give ‘em to me until you showed up acting like you my parole officer.” She waved her cigarette toward the door. “Go on back to your house with all that bullshit. Don’t nobody need it here.”
I sat back, watching Niv and her mama go at it. I could tell Niv was trying hard to keep that respect in her voice. But you could see it in her eyes that every nerve in her body wanted to snap.
“Ma,” she said through gritted teeth. “You out here acting like a damn fool.”
