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My leg bounced uncontrollably as I sat in the courtroom and waited for the judge to call my brother forward.

Quilo had been in trouble before.

However, this was so serious that I cried all night and day, praying Quilo would beat this case.

Two of his homeboys, Bryan and Big O, sat a few rows behind me, cackling under their breaths every time another inmate appeared before the judge.

Their immature asses should’ve been somewhere in school instead of inside this courtroom clowning on people.

I didn’t see what Quilo saw in them.

He was so much more mature than them.

Then again, he’d known those boys since they were all thirteen.

Quilo was thirteen when our mother died.

I found solace in my best friends, and he did, too.

While I couldn’t blame Quilo’s troubles on his friends, I knew damn well they were somehow involved with the robbery Quilo was charged with.

Honestly, I knew my brother hadn’t robbed anyone.

He maintained his innocence, but the system that he’d injected himself into didn’t want to hear that shit.

His co-defendant, another friend of his, was scheduled to appear before the judge tomorrow.

Dana was a few years older than Quilo and was the brother of Big O.

Dana was heavy in the streets and considered himself big shit out here.

To me, he was just a twenty-year-old bum who used his brother and his brother’s friends to do his dirty work.

Quilo wasn’t stupid, though.

He definitely wasn’t a follower.

So, until anyone proved otherwise, he was innocent.

Ten minutes later, it was Quilo’s turn to face the judge.

My stomach was a mess.

This was the first time in a long time that I wished our mother was here.

She would’ve walked in here with her head high and not a tear in her eyes.

Nope. She would’ve waited to shed those tears in the comforts of her bedroom when she thought Quilo and I were asleep.

“Mr. Turner… We meet again,” the judge said.

He steepled his fingers together and stared at Quilo.

It was when the judge shook his head that my stomach tanked.

“Your Honor—”

“Save it, Mr. Downs. The state has filed to drop the charges against Mr. Turner on grounds that there is not enough evidence to prove he committed a crime.”

Shocked, my mouth fell open.

Quilo and his attorney were just as shocked.

“Mr. Turner, luck has found you… again ,” the judge continued.

“Honestly, I don’t know if letting you go free is going to help you. The more chances you get, the more you mess it up.”

I couldn’t even blame Judge Colver for coming at Quilo that way.

If Quilo had a father figure in his life, he’d have to be just the right amount of stern to deal with a kid like him.

He was a scarred kid and didn’t try to hear anything when it came to authority figures.

“My advice to you, young man, is to stay far away from this courtroom. I don’t even want to think that you got into some trouble. Find you some new friends, get yourself a job… anything to stay out of here. Do I make myself clear?”

Quilo nodded.

Judge Colver simply shook his head, banged his gavel, and murmured, “Case dismissed.”

Relief like I’d never felt washed over me.

That was until I heard those friends of Quilo’s behind me snickering a little louder this time.

They grated my skin.

Lord! You gotta help me!

I’d repeated the same prayer so many times, it was the first thing off my lips whenever I faced the slightest issue.

With Quilo, I repeated the prayer too often.

Outside the courtroom, Quilo’s friends stood on the sidewalk waiting for him.

“Ignore them,” he said to me.

Surprised, I glanced at him to find his face set sternly in a frown.

Not only that, but he kept walking toward the parking lot without acknowledging them.

Whatever was going on in his head, he wouldn’t tell me.

All I cared about was getting him home, so that I could make it to work.

If this situation had finally opened his eyes to how fucked-up his friends were, then I wouldn’t make him un think it.

This was a small victory.

“While I’m glad everything went well, you might need to start thinking long term. Those bags under your eyes go crazy, sis.”

I smacked my teeth, then chuckled at one of my best friends, Haven.

She and I worked the same shift most days.

Nursing was stressful enough without me having issues at home.

“Have you considered leaving Orlando? I know this is home and that everyone you know is here. But sometimes a change of scenery can be good. In Quilo’s case, I think he needs it.”

I heard Haven.

However, I couldn’t see leaving the only place I knew.

Plus, I visited my mama’s grave at least once a month.

“I have it made here, Haven. I have the perfect job, the perfect friends, the perfect house. There’s no place I’d rather be than here.”

“ You feel that way. Obviously, nothing’s perfect in Quilo’s world.” She shrugged.

“It’s just a thought.”

“Turner!”

Glancing away from Haven, I met my supervisor’s sharp, irritated gaze.

“Lord,” I mumbled in unison with Haven.

Standing from my desk, I met Laney in front of her office door.

Before I could say anything, she ushered me inside and shut the door.

Her hands found her hips as she glared at me.

“Not only did you leave unannounced, but you didn’t answer any of my calls.”

“I apologize, Laney. Quilo—”

Laney threw her hands up.

“Quilo? I should’ve known. Your brother is going to get you fired, Coco. I’ve covered for you twice already. I can’t do it again.”

“I know, Laney. And I appreciate you.” Truly, I did.

There was only so much she could do.

“One more write up and I’m going to be forced to let you go. It’s not me. It’s upper management.”

I really wanted to go into the nearest restroom and bawl my eyes out.

That wouldn’t do me any good, though.

Crying over the duties bestowed upon me by my deceased mama and nonexistent father was too close to complaining.

If I wanted a way out of this, complaining wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

As soon as I was done with my rounds, I sat at my desk and pulled up job opportunities in another city, far enough away from this place that Quilo would have no choice but to let go of the people here.

Once I’d filled out a couple of applications, I prepared my letter of resignation.

Once Quilo finished these last couple of weeks of school, we’d get out of here.

If picking up and relocating was going to save my brother, I had to.

No matter how much I didn’t want to.