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“I wouldn’t mind.”
He knew that meant “yes,” so without saying another word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her gently. Her smile told him he was on the right track, and as they walked slowly to the dance floor, the DJ happened to switch to a slow song. Bakari wanted to high-five the dude. It was perfect.
Hidden in the shadows, the whirling lights occasionally bouncing off of her face, Ms. Beardon watched Bakari’s large hands wrap around Danielle’s body, squeezing her in a way that made it clear she belonged to him. And Danielle, well, she clearly enjoyed it, if the smile on her face was any indication. And even though no one could see what was going on inside her head, Ms. Beardon was embarrassed. Her face flushed hot, and she was grateful for the darkness. She was almost certainly beet red. Humiliated.
She hadn’t told him she was coming. The dance committee had asked for chaperones a few weeks prior, and she never even considered it. But she went ahead and signed up a few days ago, thinking there would be a point during the night, even if it was just a small sliver of time, when they could steal away from the dance for an intimate encounter.
She’d thought they were done, but when he showed up on her doorstep a few weeks back, she realized he couldn’t stay away from her any more than she could him. That evening had been amazing, but then he had the audacity to bring this little bitch to the dance. Like she was aprizeor something.
Hot tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about ways to punish him. Falling out of love with her was one thing. That would have been fine. But lying and stringing her along? She couldn’t let that go unavenged.
It would be the easiest thing in the world to give him a D or an F on his work for the rest of the year, but he wasn’t stupid. He could easily prove his work was A quality work, and he would be right, and she would be questioned about her biased grading. She would have to be more strategic than that. More creative.
But one thing was certain: he wasn’t going to get away with this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Mikeleanedalltheway back in his chair and spread his legs as wide as they could go. He reminded Webb of a tarantula, all arms and legs, and the benign appearance of being soft and fuzzy to those who didn’t know better. Webb was someone who knew better.
“Son, you understand that you are entitled to have an attorney here, correct? Or a parent?” Webb asked.
“I’m good.”
“I need you to acknowledge that you understand your legal right to have an attorney and parent present with you today, and that you have waived that right.”
“Yeah, man, I acknowledge it. I waive it. Whatever.”
The last thing Webb wanted was Will marching down to the office with a camera and reporter in tow to tell the story of how the Woodson police department coerced a young black boy into coming to an interrogation alone, thereby violating his civil rights. They’d already had that kind of scandal years earlier, and Webb had no interest in repeating it.
“Alright then, let’s get to it. How did you come to know Nyleah?”
The young man sighed. “I met her at school, man. Fifth grade, I think. And then she joined the Twelve.” Mike nearly spat out the wordtwelve, and Webb’s ears perked up when he heard it.
“Yeah, I’ve heard all about the group. Seems like it’s working pretty well for y’all. Don’t you think?”
Mike shrugged, his locs shifting against his shoulders. “It’s alright. I can’t say I really vibe with all of them, but my parents want me there, so… I stick with it.”
“I see. Describe your relationship with Nyleah.”
Mike shrugged again. “Friends.”
“Can you elaborate?”
The young man scratched his chin. “We were cool. We weren’t best friends, but I never had any issues with her. Or vice versa.”
“Did you ever talk on the phone or hang out outside of the group?”
“Nah.”
“Okay. Let’s talk about the night of the party. Did you interact with her at all?”
“Of course. Talked. Danced, but not really with each other. Just having fun. Cutting loose after a long ass school year.”
“When was the last time you saw her at the party? Before she was found?”
“I saw her outside. We went out to smoke.”
Webb paused, his pen suspended in midair. “Did you say ‘we’?”
