Page 5 of Juke
“I’m so happy for you, baby.” his parents congratulated him.
“Well, at least somebody will have some grandkids running around here since my son won’t give me any.” My mama looked at me and cut her eyes like she was really mad.
“Man, Mama. Don’t start that. Be lucky I’ain got no kids, or worse. I could be like that nigga and taking hos to the clinic every other week.” I smirked at Deion. I was lying, but they didn’t need to know that.
“You ain’t shit for that, bro.” He frowned.
After dinner, I stayed with my family for a lil’ while longer. Mama was getting ready to leave to pick her boyfriend, Jacob, up from the airport. That nigga stayed going out of town, but it was mostly for work. He was a good dude, and my mama loved his ass. That’s all that mattered to me. He knew the moment he fucked up would be his last day on Earth.
Once I grabbed my to-go plate, I told my people I’d catch them later. When I got in the car, I grabbed my phone and sent Sophi a text.
You good?
Sophi: Yeah… at Mel’s.
Aight. I’ll be at ya spot when you get there.
Sophi: Ok.
I dropped my phone and headed in the direction of Sophi’s condo. No one really knew the extent of our friendship, and I preferred it that way. I saw a woman who was holding onto some deep shit and, for some reason; I felt compelled to be the shoulder she could lean on. I didn’t even look at Sophi in that way. I mean, she was fine as a muthafucka, but I knew she had hella emotional scars to heal from, and I’d be a fucked up nigga to play on that. I didn’t mind being the friend she needed. Hell, I didn’t understand the shit half of the time, but I guess it wasn’t for me to understand.
2
Sophia ‘Sophi’ Johnson
I forced a laugh when Mel slapped Nic’s hand away from the shrimp tray. Kasha looked over at me with one of those quiet stares that said she peeped more than I wanted her to. “You good?” She quizzed.
“Yeah. I’m good.” I nodded quickly, but from the looks on their faces, they knew I was lying.
“Why you lying?” Nic inserted as she took a sip of her wine. “You’ve been quiet as hell since we got here. What’s going on with you?”
Mel turned the music down and moved closer; her expression was soft and concerned. “Sophi… talk to us. You always say you’re fine, but something’s clearly bothering you. We can see it.”
These were my sisters in every sense of the word, so I knew their concern came from a genuine place. Each of them strong in their own way, always showing up, always holding me downeven when I didn’t ask. Then there was me… the broken one still trying to convince herself she wasn’t.
“I had a dream last night,” I said, barely above a whisper. “About Rio.”
The energy in the room shifted. Mel’s eyes softened. Kasha straightened up while Nic went still.
“He had me pinned against the door,” I went on. “Just like that night. Screaming in my face, calling me all kinds of names… talking crazy. And I—I couldn’t move. I was just… stuck.” Nobody said anything. I couldn’t even look at them. “I woke up drenched in sweat with my heart racing, like I was back in that apartment. I swear I smelled his cologne. I heard his keys jingling like he was coming through the door.”
Kasha reached for my hand. “It’s trauma, Sophi. You’re not crazy.”
“It don’t feel like trauma,” I whispered. “It feels like a warning.”
Mel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think something’s about to happen?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But I’ve been feeling off. Like I’m being watched. Like his energy has crept back into my life and won’t leave.”
Nic cursed under her breath. “If that nigga ever touches you again, I’m going to jail. Just know that.”
“We all are.” Kasha nodded in agreement.
“Y’all, I’on understand why I’m still like this,” I said, tears stinging the back of my eyes. “It’s been years, y’all, and I still jump when I hear keys. I still panic when my phone rings back-to-back. I still sleep with a damn chair under my doorknob some nights.”
I shook my head as visions of Rio coursed through my head.
It was storming that night. I remember because the crackle of the thunder is what ignited his rage. I had dropped theglass bowl by accident. It shattered across the kitchen tile. I was apologizing before I even turned around. Rio didn’t care, though. He was on me within seconds.
