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“Thanks. See ya later, kid.”
I waved and jogged up the stairs into the building. What Jenkins had said was cause for concern. I thought back to the time in chemistry class I overheard that jerk, Garrett, telling Brooke she should call the cops on me and Chris. Now I had to wonder if she was seriously considering taking that advice or if it was Leslie who wanted to make the call.
Either way, it was bad news for us. I had to convince Chris to stop partying in the apartment. Either that or I had to move out as soon as I could. I couldn’t have that kind of heat coming down on me.
I opened the front door and went straight to Chris's room and knocked.
“Yo, who's there?” a muffled voice asked from behind the door.
“It's me.”
“Oh, hold on E-dawg.” The sounds of mattress springs echoed from behind the door before Chris spoke again. “Okay, man, come on in.”
I opened the door and stuck just my head in. Chris and Ciara were lying in bed, both only covered by Chris' comforter. Barely. It was pretty obvious what I’d interrupted. Still, I cut straight to the point. “Dude, you've got to cut the partying down.”
“Well, good morning to you, too, bro,” he replied sarcastically. “So nice to see you. How was your—”
“Look, I just spoke to Jenkins downstairs. He said he overheard one of our neighbors saying if there's any more noise out of our place—and I mean any at all—they're gonna call the cops.”
“So? Screw 'em. Let 'em call the cops.”
“Chris, are you insane?! We've been over this before, man! If the cops come in here and find all the alcohol, we're dead! Have you forg
otten who the dean of the college is?”
“You worry way too much, man. Nobody is gonna call the cops. Jeez, just chill the hell out.”
I shook my head; it seemed nothing I said to him would make a difference. It was looking like I might have to consider moving out, after all. “Look, just think about what I just told you, alright? I gotta go shower and get to class.”
“Sure,” he said coldly. “Later.”
I walked out and closed the door, burning frustration bubbling deep inside me.
***
I walked into chemistry class ten minutes early and smiled as I saw Brooke already sitting there. Thankfully, Garrett hadn't arrived yet, so she was sitting alone. I took my usual seat behind her and tapped her playfully on the shoulder.
When she turned around and saw it was me, she smiled warmly. “Hey, Emerson,” she said with genuine warmth in her voice.
“Hey, Brooke. How's it going?”
“Pretty darn good, actually,” she replied with a smile.
“Oh yeah? Why is that?”
“Well, I managed to raise over a hundred dollars just by selling those plants! Together, the rest of the team and I managed to raise twelve hundred dollars for the children's home.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed, impressed. “That's fantastic!”
“How's your little cactus doing?” she asked, a playful twinkle sparkling in her eye.
“Oh, he's good,” I replied with a chuckle. “Surviving, despite my black thumb!”
“Good to hear. Just don’t overwater it. It can be just as bad as not giving it enough water.”
“Don’t drown the cactus. I'll keep that in mind.”
I thought about bringing up the noise complaint but didn’t want to make the conversation awkward, so I avoided the issue. Luckily, it seemed Brooke was in a talkative mood so additional topics weren’t needed.
