Page 14 of Restless
She studied his full lips, once again struck by how gorgeous he was, resembling a young Michael B. Jordan. “Hey.”
He glanced around the small ramshackle structure.
“It’s an old picnic shelter,” she said, nervous and guilty.
CJ brought her here on their one and only date. Three months ago, that night had been dark and chilly. Today, the first of December, was cloudy and cold.
A couple of times, she’d come here on her own, sneaking away from school. Until today, when she got a series of photos with CJ and Molly, Harley had considered the old shelter a sacred spot, meant only for her and CJ.
“Hey, ma, why you brought me here? I cut class to just stare at you? You a’ight but you not bumping enough for me to freeze my butt off.”
“Right,” she mumbled, drawing in a deep breath. Shoving the memory of the photos out of her head, she lowered her lashes. “We spend so much time together at rehearsals, I just thought we could get to know each other away from school.”
He considered her, then picked up a handful of her braids and cascaded them over her shoulder. He twirled one around his finger. “I don’t know, Harley. I don’t want to face your old man. Ever again.Never.”
Snapping her brows together, Harley stepped back, forcing Nardo to drop the braid he continued to play with. “What?”
She’d been so caught up in her feelings the week before Homecoming that she’d lied on CJ to manipulate her parents into agreeing to her movie date with Nardo. She hadn’t counted on Mommie and Daddy bringing up her allegations at the weekly family get-together. The repercussions for her lies angered her further and she’d taken her wrath out on CJ.
Daddy was so outraged on CJ’s behalf, Nardo barely came up in the conversation. She’d certainly never expected to discover her father confronted him.
“I’m so sorry, Nardo. I don’t…my father is over-the-top in protecting me,” she huffed, annoyed. “You’re a child, so whatever threats he made to you is just hot air.”
Cocking his head to the side, he studied her. “Imight be beyond his wrath, but my father isn’t. My pops isn’t a bitch-ass motherfucker, ready to jump at another man’s orders.”
Harley giggled.
Nardo lifted a brow, and she slapped a hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never heard you use profanities. You sounded funny.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“I-I meanit, thewords, s-sounded funny coming from you. You’re always so buttoned-up.”
He backed away from her. “Yeah, whatever, girl.”
Harley ignored his look that bordered on insulting. She couldn’t lose his friendship. He was the only one buffering her pain at CJ’s betrayal. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled him closer, resting her head against his chest.
“Don’t be mad at me, Nardo,” she whispered, hurt to her core.
CJ promised her that Molly was only his lab partner, but he was a liar. The pictures Molly sent proved that he’d spent time with her at a mall, an amusement park, at the moviesandat dinner. He was a backstabbing snake, playing Harleyandmaking moves on his cousin’s chick.
If that was the game he wanted to play,she’dplay it better. Smarter. She’d string him along as he was stringingheralong, while using Nardo…
No, while getting to know Nardo to use…
Nope…
Shewasn’tusing Nardo.
“Are you slow, Harley?”
Nardo’s annoyed voice broke into her jumbled thoughts.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’ve been talking to you and you’ve been staring into space like you belong with the retards.”
