Page 178 of Restless
Harley expected her father and brothers. Seeing CJ shocked her and immediately annoyed her. His wince when he stopped inches from her and studied her face, set her teeth on edge.
“Would you like a mug of hot chocolate, CJ?” Mommie asked.
“No. Thank you, Aunt Bailey. I won’t be long. I just wanted to check on Harley and talk to her for a moment.”
Brushing by CJ, Mommie picked up her silent cellphone from its spot next to her laptop. “I was just about to call Lucas.”
Harley glared at CJ. “No, Mommie. Stay. Anything CJ has to say isn’t a secret. Right?” she challenged.
CJ glanced away and clenched his jaw before he met her eyes and nodded. “Right, Harley.”
“See?” Harley crowed. “Please stay, Mommie. I need your moral support. After all, my friend wouldn’t have allowed over a day to pass before he checked on me again.”
“Why should I have?” he snapped. “When all you’d do is exactly what you’re doing now. Handing me a platter of bullshit.”
“Don’t cuss at me,” she yelled, her anger exacerbating her aches and pains.
“CJ, if you don’t respect Harley, I will ask you to leave and don’t come back until you learn manners,” Mommie said sharply.
CJ gave Mommie an incredulous look, while Harley stiffened her shoulders in triumph.
“I don’t ever have to come here again, Aunt Bailey,” CJ said evenly, shocking both Harley and Mommie. “The reason for my visit tonight was to clear things between Harley and me, and to see if she needed anything. But I’ve done nothing to either of you.” He started to turn away, then halted. “I didn’t want to believe our friendship was over, Harley—”
“I never said our friendship was over,” she squeaked.
“You haven’t,” he agreed, “but I am. I’m done.”
He looked from Harley to Mommie and back again, hurt flickering in his eyes. “See you around.” He turned and walked away.
“Mommie, do something!”
“CJ!” Mommie called. “Harley didn’t mean—”
“She meant every word, Aunt Bailey,” CJ called from the hallway. “And so did you.”
A moment later, the door slammed shut.
After barely sleeping last night and still in pain, Harley couldn’t make it to school for a second day. However, she still needed to rehearse for the play, since it was such a major grade, and she was battling with Nardo and Mrs. Mendez to keep the play true to its original form.
At breakfast, she asked her mother if she could hang out with Nardo at his house later that day so she could practice. Unfortunately, Daddy was there to pick up more clothes to bring to the clubhouse. After deserting them to do whatever, he thought he had a right to pass his opinion.
“Fuck no,” Daddy said. “I don’t trust that little motherfucker.”
“Nardo’s my friend, Mommie,” Harley cried.
“Harley, baby, he’ll still be your friend if he real about it. But you can’t go. I forbid it.”
Mommie bristled. “This is Harley we’re talking about, Lucas. Have some faith in her upbringing.”
“I have faith inher, Bailey. I just don’t have faith in him. You know how teenage boys be, baby.”
“He’sfourteen, Lucas.”
“He not a eunuch! His cock work.”
Lou and Kaleb giggled but shut up at Mommie’s glare.
“Besides, she vulnerable right now. She got jumped at school and CJ fed up. Nardo the type to sense weakness and use that to his advantage.”
