Page 68 of Steel

“Girl, take your ass upstairs,” her mother scolded.

She took off for the stairs. I stared at Kerrion, and he stared at me.

“I have a question,” I said, quietly.

“I might have an answer.”

“Did you push Jaiden to be friends with Nayelli?”

He smirked. “I might have sent him her way.”

“And the little girl that threatened her bullies?”

Mrs. Jenkins gasped. “Kerrion, I know you didn’t sic those kids on somebody!”

He shrugged. “They made a new friend, so it all worked out.”

His mother grabbed a dish towel and smacked him repeatedly with it. I tried to stifle a laugh. As she fussed with him, all he could do was laugh. I smiled to myself. It was always nice to see him smile because all I got from him was coldness. I’d always loved his smile.

“Ma, stop!”

KJ was laughing up a storm, watching his grandmother beat his father.

“Give me my grandbaby and take your ass outside so you can talk to this girl. And you better listen, or next time, it’s gonna be my belt.”

She grabbed KJ up and went back to cleaning up her mess from the flowers. Kerrion stood there staring at me and me staring at him.

“I don’t hear feet moving,” his mother said.

I guess we both knew not to play with her. He headed for the back door. I sat there for a moment before following behind him.

Here goes nothing.

A FEW DAYS AGO

I pulledup to my mama’s house and shut off the car.

Today was the day I was finally telling her about Nayelli. Jaeda and Pops were with me for moral support, while Quaid was watching KJ.

“You just gon’ sit here, or we going in?” Pops asked, smacking my chest.

“I’m going.”

“You scared of yo’ mama?”

I gave him a side-eye. “Hell no.”

“Then get your ass out the car, nigga. Come on.”

He opened his door and got out. Jaeda giggled as she climbed out the back seat. I took a deep breath and followed behind them. Jaeda used her key to open the door. As I steppedover the threshold, my mother came around the corner with Emmy in her arms. When baby girl saw us, she fidgeted until Mom put her down. She bypassed me and Jaeda and ran straight to my father.

“Tanly!”

She couldn’t say Stanley, so she called him Tanly. It was crazy that my mom and stepfather made him her godfather. Emmy loved this damn man.

“Hey, baby girl,” he said, kissing her cheeks. “How is my favorite girl?”

She started talking to him in that baby talk, and he acted like he knew exactly what she was saying.