Page 5

“Who?”

“Nobody. Can you leave, please?”

I pushed off the car slowly and walked closer.

I had to see her up close.

“You used to show me your drawings all the time,” Zay said. “I still got the one you did of me. I framed it.”

She looked up at him, eyes sharp. “We not kids anymore. I’m not that girl and never will be.”

“You can be,” he said. “Just come home. If you don’t want to be around Mom and Dad, fine. I’ll take you somewhere else.”

That’s when her eyes cut to me.

“Yuck. What is he doing here?” she asked through clenched teeth.

I couldn’t help it. I chuckled under my breath. “The audacity.”

She stood up fast. Fire in her eyes.

“You trying to judge me, you fake French nigga? You wasn’t judging me when I fucked and ducked you. Bet you didn’t tell Zay that.”

She laughed and shoved me.

There it was.

The girl I remembered.

I didn’t flinch.

Didn’t react.

I just looked at Zay.

“Bro, you’re being too nice. Snatch her up, Ralo. Toss her in the van. She out her damn mind.”

My voice was calm. Authoritative.

Her eyes snapped back to me.

“Oh, so you’re running the show now?”

I smirked. “Yeah. And you’re in my alley, and can’t stay here.”

Zay hesitated, then nodded at Ralo.

In one swift move, Ralo lifted her over his shoulder.

“Let me down! This is kidnapping!” she screamed.

Zay grabbed her three designer bags off the ground.

Dior.

Even rock bottom looked expensive on her. She was down on her luck and hadn’t sold her duffel bags. That let me know she was still holding on to who she used to be.

I bent down and picked up her sketch pad.