Page 11 of My Brother's Keeper
As soon as he and Jalen came around the corner, they stopped. “Yu-yu-you gu-gu-gg-good?” Jalen asked.
I stood from the stool. “I’m good, just got caught in something minor.”
Xavier watched me. His eyes burned into mine. “Nigga what the fuck are you talking about, minor? We were all over the city looking for you. Let me guess, you don’t remember?”
My head flew back, “What is that supposed to mean?”
Nigga it means you were drunk off your ass and got snatched the fuck up!Jalen signed.
Zay threw his hands up, “I don’t know what you got yourself into, but I’m done chasing your ass. I’m going back to campus. If you need me, don’t fucking call. Call Chev as you did before. I don’t have time for this shit!” he spat as he left the kitchen.
A few seconds later, I heard the door slam. Xavier had come to my rescue plenty of times, and just as every other time, I felt bad. I knew it wasn’t his responsibility to do it, but the nigga was my brother, and if it were him in a jam, I would be there, Johnny on the fucking spot. Jalen eyed me but didn’t say anything; he simply walked off as well.
Fuck!I didn’t understand why everyone was pissed at me when it was me who got snatched the fuck up by Kareem’s crazyass. I snatched my iPad off the counter to send a message to Beans. It was the only device I had until I got a new phone. The good thing about it was that it was connected to my phone. Before I could send him a message, I noticed I had a notification on the Orange-O-Gram app.
When I saw who it was, a smile eased on my face. I snatched the bottle from the counter as I walked over to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Symphony’s pretty ass was in my inbox. I knew calling Beans should have been my first option, but Symphony Harrington was a one-in-a-lifetime chance, and a nigga like me wasn’t going to miss out.
FLEX
I rolled my head in a circle as I took in deep breaths. My arms slowly rose and came down slowly. I stared in the wall-length mirror as I finished off my stretches before class began, thinking about the talk I had with Kareem. When I extended the offer to help him, I thought he would jump at the chance, but Kareem was stubborn, and as he always did, he put up a fight about it. However, with me here, being able to move around freely lets me know he was either considering my offer or was going to leave the situation alone.
I hoped that he would move forward just as everyone has done over the years. I looked at the clock and saw I had another thirty minutes before class started, so I decided to get into a whole routine. I walked over to the radio and hit play.
First position, second position, third position, back to first. Demi-plié, tendu, pirouette.
I begin to glide across the room.Temps Levè, arms, temps Levè.
I took a deep breath to do a jeté when I spotted Alyse. She smiled brightly as she watched me. I walked over and stopped the music. She came further into the class, “No, you didn’t have to stop, you were doing great.”
Alyse was the sweetest and shyest. She had that passion, but it wasn’t easily displayed. I noticed she was dressed in regular clothes, which made me curious. “Is everything ok?” I asked her.
“Yes, everything is fine,” she paused. “I think,” she mumbled.
The thing about Alyse that bothered me was that she had so much she wanted to say, but didn't seem confident enough to speak. “Are those girls bothering you?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I- I wanted to ask you something. I didn’t have anyone else I could ask because, you know, my parents are not really supportive of this whole dance thing,” she said as she pointed around.
That’s what I didn’t understand because she was extremely talented. However, when you come from a background of wealth, things like this were an extracurricular activity rather than a profession. It was all for show, for the likes of others. Although I didn’t have my shit together, I wanted to be there for her in any way I could. Alyse was everything I should have been, and this was my time to pour into her. I smiled as I moved closer to her, “You can talk to me about anything. I will always be here for you,” I told her honestly.
It felt good to have at least one person look at you like you were doing something good. She ran her hand nervously through her hair. “Morgan told me about some upcoming audition and I,” she paused again. “I kind of want to do it, but the truth is, I know my parents they’re going to disapprove.”
“I think you should do whatever your heart desires. Talk to your parents, tell them how you feel, and then decide. Some people don’t get that opportunity.”
I wished I could tell my parents how I felt. The last time I talked to my father, he was trying to convince me to bring drugs into the prison. My mother and I didn’t speak at all. I had always wondered what it would be like for them to see me dance. To seetheir daughter doing moves that they’ve probably only seen on TV. Alyse had the option.
She shook her head, followed by a sigh. “I guess. Anyway, I need to be leaving. I have to meet up with someone, then head back to school. You should come to TSU next weekend. It’s our rival game, I want you to come see me dance.”
I hadn’t been back in Covana since leaving. I wasn’t sure I was ready to go back there. I gave her a weak smile, “I will think about it.”
She nodded. As she turned to leave, Kareem was walking in, and my stomach sank. He held a sinister grin on his face. Which meant he considered my offer, but this was about to come with some bullshit.
“Whatever, I’m not stalking you. I remembered you told me you lost your phone, and I wanted to make sure you were ok,” I giggled.
My leg bounced up and down as I talked to him on FaceTime. Kalani stood to the side of me with her hands on her hips. “Girl, are we going to dinner, or are you going to be Ms. Chatty Patty?”
I waved her off as I glanced back at the screen. Mison smiled. “Oh, you finna go on a little date or what?”
“And if I am?” I smirked.
