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G sighs, the sound creating static down the line. “Well, I wish I was calling you with better news. Are your parents around?”
“I’ll go get them.” Junie hops up from her seat, having overheard, and bounces off into Daddy’s office, our earlier discussion forgotten for now. Our moms are already aware of the phone call and have joined us.
“Yeah, I’ll put you on speaker.” It takes little time for Daddy to join us. Uncle Eric stays in the office. When Daddy stands behind our moms, I press the speaker button and lay the phone toward the center of the coffee table.
“Germaine,” he says, signaling our lawyer to get this over with.
“Marcus. I’m sorry to call you guys so late.”
“No worries. I hear you have some not so good news for us.” Daddy squeezes Junie’s shoulder, who stands behind Mama with her arms wrapped loosely around her midsection and her head on her shoulder. G hasn’t even said anything and already the emotions I’ve kept bottled up lately are clogging my throat. I gently clear my voice, trying to keep myself in check, but Benny knows me and squeezes me closer to him.
“Yeah, and I’ll get right to it. I’m sorry to say it, Lennox, but your attackers are getting off scot free. Not even a slap on the wrist.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Benny roars.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
LENNOX
This night wentto shit real fast. The news from G has nearly crippled us. A grave silence douses the room once we hang up the phone. Lauren and her boyfriend say their goodbyes after about thirty seconds of the awkwardness. Uncle Eric cautiously ventures out of Daddy’s office when Benny’s frustration gets the best of him. A moment later, he leaves as well.
“Are you okay?” Benny asks, dropping beside me and taking my hand in his. Thankfully, it’s become easier to have everyone around me, to have people, especially Benny, touching me.
“I’m bummed out. And–and maybe a little scared, but I’ll be okay.” A solemn nod shows his understanding while also showing me he isn’t okay.
“You’re going to be okay, baby. I promise. Everything is going to be fine.” He conveys conviction, but I don’t believe it.
“I feel like there is a but coming. Benny, what the hell is going on?” I whisper, trying not to draw the attention of my parents, who have started a hushed conversation that doesn’t look like it’s going well.
“I just need a moment to process, you know? I think I’m gonna head out to the guest house and get some sleep.” This is one of those moments I don’t push. Benny doesn’t ask for much often, so I know when he does, he needs me to acquiesce and not push him.
“Okay. I understand.” His shoulders lower with his gentle exhale of relief. What in the world is going on? He rubs his hands up and down my arms.
“Thank you. I’ll be just outside if you need me at all, okay?” So he doesn’t need too much space. That’s good because I don’t want him to go as much as I want to push him on how he’s feeling. Benny has become my strength and too much lately he hasn’t been okay. I’m not okay if he isn’t. That’s silly, unfair, and probably not a healthy dependency, but I don’t care. He’s that person for me.
Benny kisses me on the cheek, says good night to my parents, and makes his way out to the guest house for the night. My parents aren’t prudes and have no problems knowing that I’m not a virgin, but Benny respects them too much to stay in my room when he sleeps over while they’re home. So he stays in the guest house. It annoys the piss out of me because we don’t get nights together often, but I get it.
My parents break up whatever conversation they’re having, frowning as they look from my boyfriend’s exit to me. Ma stands with her arms crossed, expression vexed, and Mama Mallory stays quiet, moving to lean her hip against the couch. She isn’t happy either, which means whatever conversation we are going to have isn’t going to be a good one.
“Do I have your attention?” Daddy asks sternly. His jaw pulses, the veins in his forearms telling us he means business.
“Yes, sir,” we say together, though our answer is hesitant, filled with the impending doom of whatever it is he is about to put on us.
“I don’t want to hear any arguments. You will be using drivers from now on.” I open my mouth to protest, but he holds up his hand, not interested in hearing it. This isn’t like me, but my mind already jumps to rebelling. He will not stop me from getting on my bike and riding. I don’t care about the dangers. Living under lock and key is not living. “I have hired guards. They will assign everyone a permanent guard when the company I’ve hired finds the right fit.”
“No,” I blurt. “Just, no.”
“This is non-negotiable. You will go to your graduation ceremony in the car with Thompson.” There he goes, axing my decision to ride into my graduation on my bike. I bite back my retort as annoyance blossoms in my chest. “This weekend you will remain at the house unless you are to go out for something that you need. No after parties. If you want to, you can have one here.”
“Last minute.” Junie scoffs. “No one is going to come to our party last minute when all the others are planned.” Daddy won’t budge.
“We’re eighteen years old,” I remind him, feeling defiant for once in my life when I see my sister deflate. He cannot take our freedom from us. I refuse. Ma’s eyes go wide, first with astonishment, then with fear as she implores me with her gaze to give in. Daddy’s sharp gaze flicks to me.
“Living in my house,” he retorts. I tense, anger spurring to life in my chest. Ma runs her fingers over her lips, clearly wanting to say something but keeping her mouth shut. He can’t stop me from going out. Fuck that. They attacked me, not my family, and I’m not willing to cower and put my life on hold. He shouldn’t be able to make that decision for me.
“But the club… I get safety and all that, Daddy, but we’ve been waiting for what feels like forever for graduation and going to the club.”
“That’s before your sister was attacked, Juniper,” he bites, not at all interested in bargaining on this. “You’re not going out, not until we have guards in place and they won’t be here until Monday.”
