Injustice

Chapter Two

"Don't worry about it." I smiled at her.

This girl right here is the whole reason I was able to graduate high school. Honestly, I didn't get shit my precal teacher taught me. She was basically my teacher all year so if it wasn't for her, I don't know where I'd be. She helped me make my mom proud and I never knew how to repay her for it especially since we didn't really keep in touch at all once I graduated.

She was hella smart, skipped a couple grades and everything. My ego was kind of hurt because I was getting tutored by someone who was younger than me but she was cool about it and she never rubbed it in my face or told anyone about it. The only people that knew were her, my teacher and I.

Glancing over at her, I frowned once I got a look at all of her injuries up close and cleared my throat. "If you don't mind me asking... what happened?" The question caused her to glare at me for a quick second before staring back at the road.

"That's none of your business Xavier."

"You can call me Xae."

"I'd rather not." She retorted without breaking her stare down with the black road in front of us.

I couldn't tell if she was thinking about something or just trying her best not to make eye contact with me but either way it had me wondering what the fuck happened and how an intelligent girl like her ended up like this. She used to have her whole life planned out, she would tell it to me like I was her big brother.

I didn't really know what to say after that so I just told her what I've been meaning to for all these years. "Well look, I really appreciate you helping me pass precal back in high school. A nigga probably woulda failed if it weren't for you-"

"Look I only did it because the teacher asked me to so don't feel special." She shut that down real quick.

Reaching for the stereo, she turned the music all the way up before sitting back. I'm guessing she wasn't really in the talking mood but she gonna have to say something cause I don't know where the hell I'm going.

I turned down the radio and looked over at her who was already staring at me. "Where did you want me to take you?"

Slowly looking down again, she began to anxiously fidget with her fingers and bite at the corners of her lips.

"I don't wanna fuck up and pass any exits on the highway, that's why I'm asking." I added to try to make her feel at least a little more comfortable with telling me where she wanted to go.

"I, uh... I don't have..." She sighed heavily, I could tell she was trying to fight back tears just by her breathing pattern alone. "I don't have anywhere to go. That's why I didn't want a ride. I was kinda hoping I would just stumble across a motel or something."

I looked at her and shook my head. "I'm glad I did pick you up then cause all the hotels are miles from here lil mama. You would have been walking for hours."

"Yeah... thanks." She mumbled out the last part so low that I could barely hear it but a small smile formed on my face anyway. That was the first nice thing she's said to me since she's been in my presence.

"No problem Sim, I-"

"DON'T call me that." She immediately interrupted my sentence causing my head to snap in her direction. She looked traumatized.

Getting silent, I chewed at the inside of my cheeks wondering what to say next. It seemed like everything I said offended or triggered her in some way and the last thing I wanted to do was stress her out more than she already is.

I cleared my throat. "You can stay at my place for tonight and find out where you're headed in the morning. My couch is the type that folds out into a bed." Offering the best thing I could think of, I hoped she wouldn't cuss me out for it. I couldn't read her the way I usually did people so it kind of threw me off.