Nobody's Business (BOOK ONE)

Chapter 6

After a day of listening to teachers introduce themselves and talk about plans for the school year, Cordell is dead tired. Part of his sleepiness is due from the fact that he didn't fall asleep until 2:30 last night, his sleep schedule being messed up from staying up all night during vacation. It's gonna take him at least a week and a half  to get back into the habit of going to sleep at a decent hour.

 Corey climbs three flights of stares to get to his apartment on the third floor of the building. Walking in, he throws his bookbag on the couch and locks the door. It's eerily quiet which is strange because his dad is usually laid out on the couch, watching tv and falling asleep. He works as a late night constrcution worker and usually getting home around 4 am and sleeping as much as he can during the day. Corey walks into the kitchen to find his father sitting at the table, surrounded by papers, with his head down on his arms. He body looks tense and Corey can see the strands of grey streaked through his black hair. They may not have the best relationship but Corey still cares about him.

 He cautiously places a hand on his father's shoulder and his head pops up immeditaly. "You alright?"

 Derrick Maverson nods his head without looking at his son. "I'm fine," rubs his face with his hands, "Just a little tired from work."

 "Well you are getting up their in age. You can't bounce back the way you used to." Corey replies.

 Derrick shrugs Corey's hand off his shoulder, "How did your first day go?"

 Corey stares at his dad for a moment, trying to decipher the stress around his eyes. After a while he lets the subject go and walks to the fridge. "It was iight I guess. Same old same old, just new teachers. And a new girl named Aubrey." His father flashes him a grin and can't get any words out before Corey keeps talking. "Don't even get any ideas dad. She's new, I'm not tryna push up on her. Plus Ty already has his eyes set on her and I'm not about to steal my friend's girl."

 "Is that part of the bro code or somethin?" His father asks.

 Corey chuckles, taking a cup down from the cabinets. He spots the empty bottle of alcohol pushed towards the back of the cabinet and shakes his head. He walks to the fridge to pour himself some fruit punch. "Yeah, I guess it is. Plus she don't seem like my type anyway." He chugs down his juice, thinking about Aubrey and they way she had such a strange aura around her. Corey is more into girls that are free spirited but laid back. Wild but not a drama queen. Aubrey seemed like her nose was too far in the air to even ackowledge others. Nah, Ty can handle her.

 "Yeah sure." Mr. Maverson says, "Your mother called today by the way."

 Corey's hand tightens around his glass. "The fuck did she want?"

 "Hey, watch your mouth boy." His father warns, "She wanted to talk to you, not me. She said she'll call back later."

 "I don't understand why you answer the phone for her. She stay trippin' for real and she's always tryna bribe me to go and live with her and husband down there. I don't want no part of that." Corey says, feeling the anger in his body beginning to rise. "You're only hurting yourself by answering the phone. You make yourself look weak."

 Corey's father stands up abruptly nearly knocking over his char. He stares at his son for a moment, his amber eyes looking just like his ex-wife's before she started doing drugs. "I'm being the bigger person Cordell. And if talking to your mother like an adult is me being weak then so be it. She may not be around but she's still your mother whether you like it or not. And when she calls here again you are going to speak to her."

 "Whatever man," Corey mumbles, pouring out the rest of his juice and dropping his cup in the sink. He begins to walk away when his father grabs him by his collar and yanks him backwards so that they're face to face again, Corey towers over him by a few inches.

 "Don't disrespect me in my house Cordell. I won't put up with it again. I promise I'll kick you out this time." Derrick warns, his voice cold as he grips Corey's shirt.

 Corey lets out a deep breath and looks at the floor, "I got homework to do." He says. Derrick stares at him and grunts before releasing his shirt. Corey tears his self away from him father and walks back to the living room, grabbing his bag and walking down the hall to his bedroom. He slams the door shut, tossing his bookbag on the bed and slipping off his shoes, careful not to crease them. He digs his phone out of his pocket and dials Shaun's number, who picks up on the first ring.

 "Wassup Corey?" Shaun greets him.

 "Aye, you busy?" Corey asks, pacing around his room.

 "Nah man, just got home. Why, wassup with you?"

 Corey sighs, "Dad is on this bullshit again and I'm not tryna stay cooped up in the house with him."

 "Damn, daddy trouble again." Shaun chuckles, "Whatchu tryna get into?"

 "Anything, I just need to get outta here. We should go chill with Keenan at the studio, at least till my dad leaves for work at 8." Corey replies.

 "The studio again? Nah, I'm tired of the funky ass basement. We can chill at the courts, I heard there's a game down there tonight." Shaun points out.

 Corey smirks, "You tryna find a girl to smash arent you?"

 "Damn a nigga cant go watch a game of ball?" Shaun asks sounding hurt. Corey stays silent and they both burst out laughing. "Alright alright, yeah I'm tryna smash. You in or not bro?"

 "Yeah I'll go. Anything to get out this house." Corey tells him, grabbing a different pair of sneakers out the closet.

 "Gimme ten minutes and I'll swing by for you."

 "Sure you will." Corey says. They both laugh before hanging up. Corey sits down his bed and opens up Instagram just to kill some time. Knowing Shaun, ten minutues will turn into twenty. That nigga is never on time.

**

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