With his first week of school coming to a close, Roderick had plans for the weekend that included hanging out with Kel and the twins and having sex with Reece again. However, he first had to get through that school day. Most of the day flowed normally but when it came time for the fifth period calculus class he shared with both Reece and Jacory, he prepared for the worst. He got there early because he didn't need to go by his locker first. Jacory entered the class not long after and sat in his usual seat. After waiting a few seconds to see if Reece was going to walk in, Roderick stood up and approached Jacory's desk.
"Look, I ain't mad about the money," he said to Jacory while squatting beside him. "I ain't mad at you at all. I just wanna know two things."
Jacory rolled his eyes and folded his arms before asking with an attitude, "What?"
"Are you happy? And is Nate good to you?"
"Yes, I'm happy and he's my everything."
"Okay, cool."
"I do all kinds of shit with him, things I never did with you." He moved closer and whispered in Roderick's ear, "I suck his dick from the back and eat his ass. He loves that shit."
Roderick quickly stood up and said, "Don't tell me no shit like that. I don't wanna hear that."
"Then leave me the fuck alone and you won't have to hear it."
"Hold up," said Reece as he entered the classroom. "I know you're not talking to my man!"
"Your man was talking to me," snapped Jacory. "As you can see, I'm sitting in my seat and he's standing there."
"It ain't like that," Roderick assured Reece. "Come on, baby." He grabbed Reece's hand but Reece stood there. "Reece, come on."
"No, I need to make something clear right here and right now." He looked at Jacory and warned, "If you so much as look at Rod with those ugly ass hazel eyes, I will claw them the fuck out."
Jacory stood up and asked, "Is that right?"
"Better believe it, bitch."
"You think you can beat me up? Because while you're scratching, I'll be punching. I will knock you the fuck out, Reece! Do not play with me!"
"Baby, come on," Roderick said while pulling Reece back.
"You better watch it, bitch. I took this nigga from you. I'll take the other one from you, too. He's too fine to be with your ugly ass anyway."
"What the fuck did you just say to me?"
Their teacher Mrs. Tillman entered the classroom and immediately noticed Jacory and Reece in each other's faces. She picked up a ruler on her desk and slammed it down to catch their attention and asked, "What's going on over there?"
"I'm about two seconds from knocking this ho's teeth out," Jacory answered angrily.
"Who are you callin' a ho?"
"You, the cum dumpster that's in my face right now!"
"That's enough!" Mrs. Tillman shouted. "Both of you, sit down now before I get an officer in here."
"At least I've never been cheated on," Reece quipped. "Ugly ass sad ass brokenhearted ass bitch!"
Jacory became infuriated and pushed Reece's forehead with his index finger. That set Reece off into a fury and he tried to hit Jacory back but Roderick wrapped his arms around him and pulled him away. He kicked and tried to break free from Roderick's grasp but couldn't.
"Let me go, Rod! I'ma kill that bitch! You put your fuckin' hands on me? No, let me go!"
"Calm the fuck down, Reece," Roderick demanded. "Chill!"
"Get in my face again and see what happens," said Jacory. "You fucking gutter rat!"
"I'm writing the three of you up," Mrs. Tillman informed them. "After school detention for all three of you!"
"Wait a minute," Roderick said to her while still holding onto Reece. "I'm just tryin' to break this up! Why I gotta get detention?"
Jacory grabbed his backpack and moved to a desk on the other side of the classroom as Reece finally calmed down. After handing them their discipline slips, Mrs. Tillman began teaching that day's lesson. The whole period, Jacory would look over at Reece and Roderick and get angrier. He didn't know what drove him to hitting Reece but he didn't regret it. It was actually a surprise to him that they hadn't gotten into a physical altercation prior to that day. Their feud barely cooled while Roderick was away.
Everyone at school had heard about the altercation and Roderick knew Nate was going to say something to him about it in their gym class. Since it was Friday, the boys in the class did weight training while the girls played volleyball. Roderick was in the middle of changing into his gym clothes when Nate approached him. The other boys had already changed and left the locker room, so it was just the two of them in there.
"I ain't start that shit," he immediately told Nate before Nate could say anything. "Reece started with Jacory and Jacory pushed his head back to get him out his face. All I did was keep it from gettin' worse."
Nate shook his head and said, "It wouldn't have happened if you kept your nasty bitch on a leash."
"Yo, you need to watch your mouth."
"Nigga, you need to handle your shit. What, you not fuckin' that bitch right or somethin'?"
"I said watch your mouth, nigga!"
"Or you'll what?" He got in Roderick's face and dared him, "Hit me."
"I'm not gonna hit you, bruh."
"Why not? You scared I'll fuck you up, right?"
"No. I ain't gonna hit you because I love Jacory too much to hurt him again."
"What the fuck did you just say?"
"I said, I love Jacory. I'm always gonna love him, and he's always gonna love me. And somewhere in here"—he poked Nate hard in the chest—"you know it."
Nate pushed him away and told him, "You leave him alone. Do you hear me? Because if you do anything to hurt him again—"
"Nate, you need to fuckin' chill."
"If you do anything to hurt Jacory, I swear to God I will kill you. Just like you deliver death to the people you sell drugs to; I will deliver death to you. You got that?"
Roderick laughed as he asked, "So, you're gonna kill me?"
"With my bare hands if I have to. Because he ain't for you. Jacory is not for you. To be real about it, he shouldn't have ever been with you. You're nothing. You come from nothing and you won't ever be shit. You belong in prison just like your bum ass dad."
Roderick snapped the moment those words exited Nate's mouth and before he could stop himself; he punched Nate as hard as he could, causing Nate to stumble back and almost fall over a nearby bench. In retaliation, Nate tackled Roderick to the floor and the two began scuffling. Outside of the locker room, the coach who instructed their gym class and the other boys heard them fighting. Immediately, everyone hurried into the locker room. The coach and Nate's two track teammates broke up the fight and separated Nate and Roderick.
"I'll kill you!" Nate shouted. "I will fucking kill your sorry ass!"
"Nigga, I'll shoot your whole house up!" Roderick shouted back. "Ask about me, you bitch ass nigga!"
"That's enough!" the coach yelled at them. "Nate, get the fuck out of here!" He watched as Nate's friends pulled him out of the locker room. He then turned his attention back to Roderick and said, "And you, go to the office, now. You don't make threats like that to anyone!"
"Are you fuckin' serious? He just said he'd kill me!"
"Boy, get to that goddamn office before I get an officer involved!"
"Man, fuck this shit!" He kicked a nearby trashcan over and then stormed out of the locker room.
"You good?" one of Nate's friends asked him as they made their way to the weight room.
"Yeah, I'm good," he replied. "Fuck that piece of shit."
Roderick was filled with anger and adrenaline as he made his way to the main office. Before getting there, he physically bumped into Jacory as Jacory exited the men's room. He stopped and offered, "My bad."
"It's okay." He got a good look at Roderick and asked, "Why is your nose bleeding?"
"Your boyfriend tried me just now in gym class."
"What?!"
"Jacory, I told that nigga that I would leave you alone and I have been. What the fuck is his problem?"
"You must have said something to provoke him. Nate doesn't just fight without—"
"He said somethin' about my dad and then he said I come from nothin' and I ain't shit. And he said he'd kill me. What the fuck is wrong with that nigga?"
"Rod—"
"You know what, fuck it! I'm not even gonna talk to you about this because that's your boyfriend and you're gonna defend him no matter what. He started with me and now I'm in trouble."
"Your little power bottom bitch started with me earlier over some bullshit! How is this any different?"
"I blame Reece for that and I said somethin' to him. I can admit when he's in the wrong and I can hold him to that shit. But you...you're so caught up in that wack ass punk ass nigga that you don't even see how fucked up he is!"
"Why would Nate start something with you for no reason? Make it make sense."
"Because somewhere in his head, he believes you still love me. That has to be the reason. He's insecure as fuck and you need to set him straight before I snap his fuckin' neck."
Jacory rolled his eyes and said, "I don't have time for this. I need to get back to my class."
"Yep, that's exactly how I remember you. As soon as somethin' goes wrong, you walk away. You turn your back on people."
"Excuse me? I turn my back on people? You don't get to say that to me after what you did."
"I've already apologized to you about Reece."
"It's not just about you and him. You turned your back on me first! You left me!"
"I got arrested, Jacory! I couldn't help that!"
"Yes, you could have because you could have easily stopped selling that shit! I begged you to stop and you wouldn't." Tears began to fill his eyes as he continued, "I fucking hate you for that shit! You don't just become someone important in my life and then abandon me like I did something to hurt you. You were the only person that I could talk to about everything. I can't believe I let you make a fool out of me. You have no idea how much I hate myself for that."
"Hate yourself? Jacory, I didn't fuck Reece to hurt you. It was the only way I could let you go."
"What?"
"I was into so much shit and Marcus told me I wasn't good enough for you."
Jacory wiped his tears and asked, "When did my brother say that to you?"
"Valentine's Day. Remember when I drove us to the Strip that night? Marcus was sittin' on the porch when I came to pick you up. He was mad about that fight I got in with them niggas from the Bottoms and said I was gonna do nothin' but fuck your life up. I'd already been feelin' like that and when he said it, it made me want to step back and keep you out of trouble. You know it would kill me if anything ever happened to you."
"Why in the hell would you think cheating on me would be best for me?"
"It wasn't like that. The way I looked at it, Reece was easy and I knew he wanted me so...I used him. It was the only way I could break up with you without havin' to feel like shit. But it did still make me feel like shit and now that I'm out the game and can't have you—"
He got choked up and turned away because he felt like he was going to cry and didn't want Jacory to see.
Jacory took a second to process what he'd just learned and then said, "My brother never told me he said anything to you. I know he was mad you got in a fight with them boys and you pulled that gun but I told him you did that because they tried to jump you. He kept saying he didn't want me with someone with a gun but he didn't tell me he said anything to you. How do I know you're not making that up?"
Roderick turned back around with tears in his eyes and managed to say, "Ask him about it." He proceeded to the office, leaving Jacory standing there wondering if Marcus really got in Roderick's head and helped cause their breakup.
"It sounds like he was provoked," Mr. Washington said later to the assistant principal. "Nate clearly provoked Roderick."
Assistant Principal Jameson sighed and began, "Coach Holland told me—"
"Coach Holland gives Nate special treatment because he runs track," Roderick cut in. "Nate said he'd kill me and then he said somethin' about my dad. My dad is in prison and is the reason I had to grow up in foster care but I'm not gonna let somebody talk shit about him. He's still my dad. I only punched Nate when he disrespected my dad."
The final bell rang and Assistant Principal Jameson said, "Since you were provoked, I won't count this incident towards your record. However, you and Nate Robinson need to find a way to coexist while you're in this school."
"Thank you, Mr. Jameson. I really appreciate it." He gave Mr. Washington a look and then headed out of the office.
"Roderick," called out Mr. Washington while following him out of the office. "Our session is still—"
"I have after school detention."
"How much trouble did you get into today?"
"Mrs. Tillman wrote me up over some bullshit earlier and gave me after school detention. All I did was break up a fight."
"I thought you were going to stay out of trouble. What happened to that?"
"I've been tryin' but I can't help it if people start shit with me. I gotta go back to the gym locker room and change my clothes and get my stuff before I go to detention."
"Fine, but we're gonna have to have back-to-back sessions Monday and Tuesday now."
"Okay, whatever." He took off running down the hall towards the direction of the gym. When he made it back to the locker room and saw that all of his stuff was exactly how he left it, he let out a sigh of relief and then began taking off his gym clothes.
The moment he entered after school detention in the school auditorium and saw both Jacory and Reece already in there, he tensed up. Jacory was sitting in one section and Reece was all the way in another section. So, he took a seat in the middle section and ignored both of them. He simply pulled out a book he had to read over the weekend for English class and began reading where he last left off. When the detention ended, he tried to hurry out of the auditorium without talking to Reece or Jacory but Reece called out his name before he could reach the doors.
"I gotta hurry and catch the bus, Reece," he said, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Why are you actin' like that? You act like you're mad at me or somethin'."
"You got us all in trouble. Why did you have to say anything to Jacory?"
"Because he's jealous of me," said Jacory as he passed by them. "Always has been and always will be."
Reece tried to get to him but Roderick put an arm around his waist to keep him back. Realizing he couldn't break away from Roderick's grasp, he shouted as Jacory walked away, "You wish you looked half as good as me, bitch!"
Jacory exited the building and Roderick finally let go of Reece and said, "See, that shit is dumb."
"So, you didn't hear what that bitch just said about me?"
"Ignore him! Shit! After what I did, he has a right to be mad."
"No, he doesn't. You wanted me so you dumped him. He has a boyfriend and needs to move on. You're mine."
"Jacory don't want me so you're gettin' yourself upset for nothin'. Come on, let's go catch the next bus."
"I'm not catching the bus to go near downtown."
"Me neither. I'll catch the one goin' to your street."
Reece smiled and asked, "Does that mean what I think it means? Because if it does, you're gonna have to give me like an hour before we can do anything."
"Shit, it's the weekend. I got nothin' but time, baby." He smiled as he threw his arm around Reece and the two of them headed to the exit doors.
Outside, Jacory walked up to his brother Marcus's Jeep and climbed in. After putting on his seatbelt, he looked at his brother and asked bluntly, "Did you tell Rod to break up with me?"
"Whoa," said Marcus with a laugh. "I don't get a hug or a 'hey big brother' or nothin'? I haven't seen you since I got that money from you for Nate's Jordans."
"What did you tell Rod after he got into with them boys from the SB Projects?"
"Mookie, where is this comin' from?"
"Tell me, Marcus. I'm not playing with you."
Marcus sighed and admitted, "I told the lil' nigga about himself. He ain't shit, Mookie."
"I told you to stay out of my business."
"Hold up, I think you done forgot who the big brother is and who the lil' brother is in this. Your business is my business. I'm not gonna let you run the streets with a nigga that reckless. That shit had to end."
"You never liked him. Even when we were younger, you never liked him. You judged him all the time and made him feel like he wasn't good enough for me. Half of this shit is your fault."
"Half of what? That y'all broke up? That shit was bound to happen. He's trash, Mookie. Just another project nigga but gay. I want better for you and you have gotten better. Nate has my respect. He's got momma's respect."
"Momma didn't disrespect Rod. Her and dad let him sleep on our sofa plenty of times."
When Jacory referred to Reginald as his dad, Marcus shook his head and said, "I don't give a fuck what they were cool with. I never approved of him and eventually, Rod himself realized he wasn't good enough for you. End of story." He started the Jeep and pulled away from the school.
"It's funny how you talk so much shit about him but here you are riding around in a Jeep Cherokee that some older woman pays for."
"Yo, you talkin' a lot of shit for somebody who needed a ride home because he got after school detention for the first time ever. What did you do to get detention for anyway?"
He rolled his eyes and lied, "I was late to first period too many times."
"And why is that?"
"Marcus, just leave me alone. I'm mad at you right now."
"What the fuck did I do?"
"You should've stayed out of my business. You don't see me going around the city telling all the women you fuck that you're just using them for money to spend on younger hoes who don't have shit."
"Where is all this animosity comin' from? And the language?" He laughed and asked, "Who hurt you, little brother?"
Jacory couldn't help but laugh as he said, "Fuck you. I mean it."
"You wanna get somethin' to eat?"
"Not if I have to pay for it."
"When have you ever had to pay for my food?"
"Fool, I paid the last time we ate at Cassandra's, remember?"
"See, that was different. I left my wallet at home that night."
Jacory laughed and said, "Whatever."
They went to Cassandra's, a popular soul food restaurant in eastside Calhoun Heights. After placing their orders, they grabbed a booth near the window with the big neon Cassandra's sign flashing outside. After drinking some of his sweet tea, Jacory immediately began thinking about all of the times he'd eaten with Roderick in that same booth. He even thought about the final time they ate there together on Valentine's Day. Not long after, he learned that Roderick cheated with Reece.
"You all quiet now," said Marcus before taking a bite from one of his chicken wings. "What you thinkin' about?"
Jacory finished eating some of his macaroni and cheese and replied honestly, "I'm thinking about Roderick. And before you start, I do love Nate. He's perfect in almost every way I could think of."
"Uh-oh, I feel like there's a but about to come up."
"Marcus, how do you turn off your feelings for someone? Roderick did me wrong. He did the ultimate no-no. Yet, I do still think about him; especially since he's been back. I just keep thinking about everything I went through with him. I mean, that middle school stuff was just cute puppy love. But when we got older," he paused to keep himself from getting upset and then continued, "When we got older, it just turned into something different."
"I don't know about all that but I do know I wasn't gonna let him bring you down with him. Jacory, you know I never had a problem with you bein' gay. I've always been your number one supporter since you were born. I never let anyone bully you or any of that shit. And it's not because I didn't think you could hold your own, I know you can. I've just always wanted better for you and I want you to go beyond what anybody in our family has ever accomplished. Niggas like Rod, they don't get that."
"Besides that mess with Reece, he never caused me to lose out on any opportunities, Marcus."
"He would have though. That's my point. What would've happened if you were with him when he got busted with all that coke? Your future would've been over, Jacory. Just like that."
Jacory set his fork down and after drinking more of his sweet tea, began, "I know I never told you this but I got robbed around Christmas in 2013 while walking to that bando Rod was staying in."
"What? Jacory—"
"It's okay. I only had like ten bucks on me and the dude didn't hurt me or anything. I was scared as hell at the time. I ran to Rod's place and he automatically knew something had happened. I told him about it and I remembered the robber had a lightning bolt tattoo on his neck. When I told Rod about the tattoo, he grabbed his pistol and made me stay at his place while he left. Well, like thirty minutes later, Rod came back and had blood on his hands but he wasn't hurt. He put his pistol away and pulled the ten dollars that I'd given to that robber out of his back pocket. It was the wildest shit I'd ever seen him do."
"He found dude and beat his ass for ten dollars?"
"No, he found him and beat his ass for robbing me. He knew exactly who the guy was and where to find him because Rod knows the streets. As angry at him as I was, I knew in that moment that he would do anything for me. Marcus, all he ever wanted to do was love me. I know Nate loves me but sometimes I do wonder if his love is unconditional. I never had a single doubt in my mind about Rod's love for me." He laughed a little and continued, "I sit and listen to my friends' problems and all the shit they put up with trying to navigate being black and gay, and here I am with a supportive family and thinking about a guy who cheated on me when I have another who wants to give me the world."
"I know you can't control how you feel but I wish you'd stop thinkin' about Rod. It's over. No matter how you slice it, that shit is over, Jacory. You've moved on. And Nate looked me in my eye and promised me he wouldn't hurt you or get you caught up in some shit. I trust him."
"I trust him, too. I just don't know if I fully trust myself anymore." He looked out of the window and noticed that the day was turning into night.
At the apartment Reece shared with his mother, Roderick relaxed while Reece was sleeping. They'd had sex and were both worn out from it as well as from the long school day. Although he was in bed naked with Reece, his mind was on Jacory. Jacory remained the only person he'd ever cried in front of so he wasn't ashamed of getting choked up earlier while talking to him after his locker room fight with Nate. He'd done a lot of things with Jacory that he'd never done with anyone else, including telling someone he loved them.
"Baby, I gotta go," he whispered to Reece while Reece was still sleeping. "Reece? I gotta go, it's dark."
Reece turned over and sleepily replied, "Okay, baby. I love you."
"Later, Reese's Pieces." He kissed Reece's cheek and then climbed out of bed and got dressed.
As he was about to leave, Reece's mother unlocked the front door and entered the apartment. She was slightly startled but immediately calmed down when she saw it was Roderick, telling him, "You damn near scared the shit out of me. Hey, Roderick."
"Hey, Ms. Carter."
"Reece told me you were out. It's good to see you again." She closed the door and then asked, "So, are you back dealin' because...you know, I could use a little pick-me-up. The nigga I get my shit from now is hella shifty and I don't like that shit when tryin' to cop some blow."
"Uh...nah, I ain't been dealin' since I've been out."
"Well, can you point me to anybody? I just need a connect."
"Uh...I don't know if he still be around the way, but Don Don will hook you up. His crew usually be at the corner of Fayette and MLK Boulevard. Just tell him Black sent you and he'll hook you up."
"Thank you, Rod. Thank you so much."
"Just make sure you don't tell Reece that. He's been off that shit for a while and I'm tryin' to keep it that way. He don't need to be doin' all that."
"Aw, look at you. Tryin' to be good to my baby. That's cute. You sure are better than the others he had coming around. Disrespectful horny bastards. My baby knows how to pick 'em though. Fine and dark skinned. He gets that shit from me. You got an older brother that's straight, right?"
"Yeah, but he's with somebody."
"Shit, one ho's husband is another ho's man." She pulled a cigarette from her purse and added, "Dick is communal."
Becoming nervous, Roderick quickly told her, "Yo, I gotta go. Tell Reece I'll call him later when he wakes up."
"Alright, baby. Get home safe."
Roderick hurried out of the apartment and took the stairs instead of the elevator. He had no major problems with Reece's mother but he did get nervous around her because he used to sell cocaine to her often. He'd always thought she was a very beautiful woman but knew she wasn't a responsible parent. He felt he had no right to judge but he didn't like the fact that she was okay with Reece taking drugs. They were more like roommates and friends than mother and son, and that never really sat right with him. Still, the situation was what it was and he was okay with it as long as it worked.
While walking home, he thought about Jacory again. For some reason, he found himself thinking about the last time they made love. It was literally the day before he cheated with Reece. He remembered everything about it, like how cold it was on that mid-February day. He remembered Jacory lying on his bed in nothing but a pair of The Simpsons shin-high socks. He even remembered the old school R&B song playing on Jacory's radio, a song by TLC called "Red Light Special." He could barely remember all the details about the sex he'd just had with Reece less than an hour ago, but remembered every single detail about his last time making love to Jacory over a year ago. He was so caught up in the memory that he didn't even notice who was waiting on the steps of his brother's townhouse.
"About damn time," said Escobar, bringing Roderick back into reality. He stood up from the steps and smiled while saying, "Boy, I've been out here for a minute and you know it's dangerous for a man in my profession to be this close to the upscale side of downtown."
Roderick stopped walking and froze in fear. Carefully, he remained still and said, "Wassup, Escobar. What you doin' here?"
"Me and you need to have a lil' talk."
"About what?"
"Business, youngin'." He rubbed his hands together as he repeated, "Business."