2
Malika
Iwasn’tsurprisedJakarididn’t remember me.
I’m not all that memorable.
He was two years ahead of me at Hightower High School. He was fine, and tall, and rich, and I was bony, quiet, and dirt poor. Heavy emphasis on the dirt.
But most importantly, he was a Windermere, and they were practically famous in this town. They owned half the businesses, although that wasn’t saying much. Midling wasn’t exactly a thriving place. It was a medium-sized town that looked and felt like a small one, and it was pretty boring, so when I saw Jakari walk through the door, I got excited. Finally, life was interesting again.
I tried to remember the last time I’d seen him. Probably at his house. Which was huge. I’d gone to a party there—against my daddy’s wishes, because for some reason, he couldn’t stand the Windermeres. Anyway, Jakari’s little brother, Eris, threw the party for his sixteenth birthday. There were no invitations. If you heard about it, you were welcome, which explains why my non-popular ass was able to get in. Jakari had graduated by then, but he put in an appearance that night.
He didn’t notice methere, either.
But tonight…he almost seemed to be flirting with me, which I guess was my confirmation that he had no idea who I was.
He was still fine as hell, and my heart thumped just like it used to do when I saw him walking down the hall at school. Handsome face, a nice black beard and goatee, a diamond shining in each ear—Jakari always shined. I could barely maintain eye contact, I was so flustered.
When he announced that his father died, I was confused, because I remembered Lester getting shot a few years ago. Obviously, he survived that, but then he went underground, and nobody saw him around town anymore.
But the legend lived on.
It was an unspoken rule that you didn’t mess with the Windermeres. They were special. They had friends in high places. You’d be lucky to be let into their circle.
Which I was not.
To be quite honest about how I was feeling tonight, Jakari could have got this pussy in the alley behind the bar. But I was too nervous. Seeing him again like that after all these years had my head spinning. And then, just as quick as he’d come, he was gone, and I was kicking myself for missing my chance. Who knew if I’d ever see him again.
Defeated, I was wiping down the counter where he’d been sitting when I saw that he’d left his phone on the bar. I picked it up. It was black, no case, and heavy in my hand.
I smiled.
“Max!” I shouted to my manager. “I’ll be right back!”
I left before he could answer, because I knew he’d tell me to throw the phone in the lost-and-found and keep working. But after the big tip Jakari left, and in light of the fact that he was still so attractive after all this time, I jogged around the bar and exited the front door, eager to return his phone…and see him again.
Because maybe this was the universe’s way of telling me to get some dick.
Hot, humid air hit me in the face when I stepped out into the night. All around me, the air was filled with the eerie sounds of cicadas and crickets and the occasional croak of a frog. In fact, when I walked around the corner to the parking lot and saw Jakari and the man who had walked in and out of the bar a few minutes before, a frog is the last thing I heard before the gunshot rang out.