Roderick noticed a major change in Nate during their gym class and assumed Nate was on his best behavior since that day was Jacory's birthday. Just the day before, he received several angry stares from Nate but they hadn't exchanged words since their fight the previous week. Roderick had gotten Jacory a gift but didn't want to add fuel to the fire between him and Nate, so he wanted to get Nate's permission before giving the gift to Jacory. After their shower following their gym session, he stopped thinking about it and made the effort.
"Yo," he said while approaching Nate, who was in the middle of drying off his naked body. "Can we talk for a second?"
"Needs to be quick," Nate said without making eye contact.
"I know shit ain't been good between us but today is Jacory's birthday and I think we need to put the bullshit aside for him. I got him a gift and I wanted to know if that's okay. I mean, if you don't want me to give it to him then you can and I'll just—"
"You can give him the gift. I don't mind."
"You sure? Because I know—"
"I really don't mind, Rod. All I ask is that you don't come to the party I'm throwing for him on Saturday. I know you've already heard about it. It's invite-only and I can't risk Reece coming and causing a problem."
"It's all good. I understand. I actually got other things to do this weekend. Thanks for bein' cool about the birthday gift."
Nate began putting on lotion as he said, "No problem, man."
Roderick headed back to his gym locker and finished getting dressed. When the bell rang, he quickly hurried out of the locker room and ran to where his hallway locker was. He grabbed some books he'd need for homework and Jacory's birthday gift and then ran to catch Jacory before he could exit the school building with his friends.
"Yo, Mookie," he called out. "Hold up!"
Jacory and his friends stopped and turned to see Roderick running towards them. Montrell jokingly said to Jacory, "Here comes your side piece."
"Trell, shut up," Jacory said while rolling his eyes. When Roderick made it to them, Jacory folded his arms and asked, "What do you want, Rod?"
He handed Jacory the gift and said, "This is for you. I already talked to Nate about it and he's cool with it. Happy birthday, Mookie. I hope you like it." He smiled and then ran through the exit doors to leave.
"Don't just stand there, bitch," Demetrius said to Jacory. "Open it."
Jacory untied the ribbon that was wrapped around the box and then lifted the top off of the box. Inside was a framed enlarged photo of him and Roderick from the night of the freshman end of the school year dance in 2013. They were wearing matching outfits and Roderick had his arm around Jacory as they both smiled for the camera. That night was the night the young couple lost their virginities to one another, an experience that Jacory deemed the best night of his life. Tears immediately filled his eyes as he stared at the photo.
"Aw, y'all look so adorable," said Montrell. "I remember that night."
"Me, too," said Demetrius. "That was the night miss thang got her cherry popped!" He began laughing but stopped when he noticed the tears in Jacory's eyes. "J, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Jacory managed to say. "I just...wasn't expecting this from him. I don't even know what happened to my copy of this photo. I haven't seen this in a while. He kept the original photo and had it enlarged?"
"That's a really nice frame, too," said Montrell.
"Look at me. I was so happy back then. I was always so nice and sweet to everyone. Now, I'm bitter half the time and stressed out about everything." He shook his head and shrugged off the nostalgia before saying, "The past is the past. And today is my birthday, so I am not gonna waste any more of my time crying about nonsense. Let's go to the mall so I can find something fly to wear to my birthday party at Apollo's Secret this weekend."
While the three of them were heading to the mall in Demetrius's car, Roderick walked to a nearby grocery store where he'd parked the midnight blue 2005 Honda Accord Escobar had gotten for him to make his runs. The car was registered in one of Escobar's babymamas' name and Roderick was careful not to park it any areas where anyone would notice him driving it. He'd already worked out a deal with Escobar and the Dominicans and was about to pick up his first package from them when Reece called.
"Reece, make it quick," he said after answering the call. "I'm busy, baby."
"Busy with what?" asked Reece on the other end. "Buyin' that bitch another gift? I saw you put the gift in your locker this morning and it's the hazel-eyed monster's birthday."
"So, what? Reece, it's just a fuckin' gift. I don't have time for this shit!"
"Nigga, I don't want you gettin' gifts for him! You are my boyfriend and I hate the bitch, so you're supposed to hate his ass, too. He fuckin' dumped you!"
"Yeah, I know. Are you done? Because you're holdin' me up from somethin' important."
"Where are you goin'?"
"To handle some business."
"You takin' an Uber or Lyft? I'll be home in a few minutes, come get me."
"Reece, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Oh my God, why are you bein' like this? Over a fuckin' birthday gift for Jacory?"
"What was the gift?"
"Look, I ain't got time for this shit. I'll hit you up later." He ended the call and not a second after he started the car, Reece called him again. He turned his phone off and then pulled out of the parking space.
He honestly wasn't trying to cause any trouble between him and Reece or between him and Nate by giving Jacory the birthday gift. The truth was that he didn't have much money and since he had several photos of him and Jacory from their five-year relationship, he thought it would be cool to give Jacory something that would remind him of a simpler and happier time. He remembered Jacory telling him that that night was perfect and that their first time making love was special. Their relationship was over but it didn't mean they were barred from reminiscing.
Blocking everything nonbusiness related from his mind, he drove to the westside to a neighborhood known as La Tierra Prometida, or The Promised Land. He parked two blocks away from the rowhouse that Nico and Juan Santiago used as their stash house. He walked to the rowhouse and did the special handshake with the man standing below the stoop for security. The man let him go up and he pressed the buzzer.
"¿Quién es?" asked Juan through the speaker.
"Déjame entrar, es Rod," replied Roderick.
The automated lock unlatched and Roderick opened the door and entered the house. The strong smell of weed hit him harder and harder the deeper he went into the house. He found the two Dominican brothers smoking weed and sorting pills. Although he'd had problems in the past with some of the guys in the game, Roderick never had a problem with the Dominicans and they never had a problem with him. They preferred to work with Escobar's lieutenants instead of with Escobar directly because he denied his Dominican heritage and only embraced his African American heritage. They especially preferred to work with Roderick because of his loyalty and respect for detail.
"Pills?" Roderick asked as Nico began packing a duffle bag with multiple packages of drugs. "I don't move pills."
"Man, we don't get many shipments of heroin anymore," said Juan. "OxyContin and fentanyl sell almost as good as heroin."
Roderick shook his head and pulled the money Escobar had given him out of his backpack. He gave the money to Nico and Nico gave him the duffle bag with the drugs in it. He gave them a head nod and said, "Nice doin' business with you again, fellas."
"Welcome back, Rod," said Juan. "Buena suerte con el juego."
Roderick looked at him and said, "Yeah, good luck to you, too, bruh." He made sure he had everything before exiting the house and hurrying back to his car. When he turned his phone back on and saw that he had thirty text messages and five voicemail messages from Reece, he sighed and said to himself, "I need to give this bitch some dick so he'll calm the fuck down."
"Why the door gotta be open?" Nate asked Jacory while sitting down at Jacory's computer desk.
"Because my dad is home," Jacory replied with a laugh. "So, you gotta be on your best behavior."
"Your pops is cool with me. He gotta know we be fuckin', especially whenever I have you walking like you're bowlegged and shit."
Jacory playfully hit him and said, "Shut up before my parents hear you."
"I just wanna hug and kiss on you right now. Shit, let's cuddle before your momma is done with dinner."
"Nate, no. You're gonna get me in trouble."
"Alright, I don't want that. I'd hate to have secured a whole nightclub for your birthday party Saturday and then you get in trouble and can't go."
"Exactly."
"So, when is Marcus..." He looked over at Jacory's tall dresser and noticed a framed photo of Jacory and Roderick sitting up on it. He immediately stood up from the bed and asked, "Where the fuck did that come from?"
"Baby, lower your voice. My parents—"
"Jacory, what the fuck is that doing on your dresser?!"
"Rod gave it to me for my birthday. He said he talked to you about it."
"He told me he was gonna give you a gift. He didn't say it was a picture of him with his arms around you."
"Nate, that was years ago. We were in ninth grade. Baby—"
"Take it down."
"What?"
"Jacory, take it the fuck down!"
"Okay, you really need to calm down and watch how you talk to me in my house."
Nate calmed down and took a deep breath before demanding again, "Take the picture down, Jacory."
"Why? I have photos of me and you all over this room. What difference does it make that I have a photo from when I was younger? I lost my copy of that photo and I think it's a sweet gift from Rod."
"So, you like him again?"
"What? No, it's not about that. Nate, I look at that photo and I think about who I was back then. It's just nostalgia, baby. It doesn't mean anything beyond that."
"I don't want that picture up there. I don't want to see him with his arms wrapped around you like that."
"Baby, I understand if it makes you uncomfortable but you've had exes that—"
"Nope, you're not gonna sweettalk me into allowing this shit! If you don't take it down, I will." He tried to get to the dresser but Jacory stood in his way. "Jacory, move."
"No. This is my bedroom and I'm leaving it up."
"So, fuck my feelings?" When Jacory just stood there looking at him, he became angrier and said, "Well, fuck you then."
"What?"
"Fuck you! If you don't wanna consider my feelings then I'm not gonna consider yours!"
Shocked by Nate's behavior, he shook his head and said, "Don't talk to me like that in my house!"
Nate balled his fist and raised it, causing Jacory to flinch. Just as quickly as he had raised his fist to Jacory, he quickly lowered and unclenched it. He calmed himself and offered, "I'm sorry for saying that, I didn't mean it."
"You need to drop this because it's my birthday and my momma invited you out of kindness. Don't make me dismiss your ass outta here."
"All I'm saying is—"
"You lost any argument you had the moment you raised both your voice and fist at me. You can't intimidate me into doing what you want, Nate. That's not the relationship we have. Do you understand me?"
Nate stared at him coldly and affirmed, "Yeah, I understand. That's why I'm leaving."
"What?"
"As much as I love your momma's cooking, I'm not gonna let you disrespect me by having that bastard's photo on your dresser. I'm out."
"I can't believe you're being like this over a birthday gift someone gave to me."
"Rod isn't just someone. He's the nigga you lost your virginity to. You've done things—probably in this room—with him and I'm okay with that. You probably told him you loved him a million times and he's probably said it right back to you. Again, I'm okay with that. Baby, I'm not okay with that picture sitting on your dresser." He moved closer to Jacory again and kissed his lips before saying, "Happy birthday, boo. I love you."
Before Jacory could say it back, Nate hurried out of the bedroom. Jacory collapsed onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Outside, Nate angrily rushed to his car and slammed the door once he was inside. He was about to start the car and leave but broke out into a rage and began punching his steering wheel and dashboard repeatedly. It took him a few seconds to realize he was on the verge of damaging his car and immediately stopped once lucidity regained control over his brain. He finally started the car and pulled away from the house just as Marcus was pulling up to the house.
"Mookie," Marcus called out as he entered the house.
Jacory appeared in the hallway and asked, "What?"
"Why did Nate just leave? I saw him drivin' off in his Mustang while I pulled up."
"We had an argument." He retreated back into his bedroom and Marcus followed him inside.
"About what?"
Jacory pointed to the framed photograph of him and Roderick on the top of his dresser and Marcus shook his head.
In a downtown parking garage, Roderick locked up his Honda Accord and took the cement stairs down to the street. While walking to his brother's townhouse, Reece called him twice. When Reece called a third time, he answered, "I thought I told you to stop callin' me so much."
"I was just makin' sure you made it home," Reece snapped. "You don't have to be a fuckin' rude ass piece of shit!"
"I'm sorry. I'm just...tired, baby. I had a lot of shit to do and goin' by your place fucked my routine up. Now my brother is gonna be askin' all kinds of questions and shit."
"What has you so busy anyway? I thought you'd be spendin' more time with me now that you're out. We barely had time to be together before you got locked up."
Roderick sighed and lied, "I'm still on probation, Reece. I gotta do all kinds of community service and shit."
"Well, I'm sorry that I'm such an inconvenience."
"It ain't like that. I wanna spend time with you. I just need you to work with me and understand I can't be with you all day every day. You're still my Reese's Pieces."
Reece laughed as he asked, "So, what did you get Jacory for his birthday?"
"I thought we were done talkin' about that. Ain't that what you said before I gave you some dick? You said you were over it."
"I am but I wanna know what you bought for him? Was it more expensive than things you've bought for me?"
Roderick sighed and revealed, "I bought him a picture frame."
"What? That's it?"
"I had an old pic of me and him enlarged and had it framed. Before you trip, let me explain that I didn't—"
"It's cool. I guess it's like a goodbye type of gift, like you're tellin' him it was good when it was good but now it's over."
"See, me and you got the same mind, baby. I always say that because it's the truth. You get me, Reece. You always get me." He laughed as he sat down on a nearby bench and continued talking to Reece on the phone.
Meanwhile, Jacory was trying to enjoy his birthday dinner but couldn't help but think about his argument with Nate. In their year of being together, Nate had never raised his hand as if he were about to hit him. They had many arguments but it was usually over small things and they would immediately make up. Although he understood Nate's discomfort with the photo, Jacory felt that he was in the right because his sole reason for accepting and displaying the photo was for the way it made him feel. It had absolutely nothing to do with his feelings—or lack thereof—for Roderick. The photo brought him joy and made him feel nostalgic. As his boyfriend, was it not Nate's obligation to share in his joy or to at least want to see him happy about something?
"...just trying to make conversation," Reginald said angrily to Marcus, catching Jacory off-guard. "But I see you're still gonna be an ungrateful asshole!"
"Wait," said Jacory. "What's going on?"
"How am I ungrateful?" asked Marcus, banging his fist on the table. "Huh? You ain't never did shit for me, mothafucka!"
"That's enough," said Evelyn while pulling four-year-old Raven closer to her. "Both of you need to stop it. Raven doesn't need to hear this. And it's Mookie's birthday."
"Yeah," agreed Jacory. "I think I'm ready for some birthday cake."
"We can't ever enjoy anything because of him," said Reginald, standing up from his chair. "I work fifteen hours a day and can't even enjoy a family dinner on my son's birthday."
"He is not your son," said Marcus, standing up from his chair. "That is my brother and we got the same dad. He might call you dad, but that's because he was too young to remember our real dad."
"You mean the man who ran out on y'all?" asked Reginald. "That's who you mean? The fucking bum who did nothing but drink and treat your mother like shit?! I am more of a father than that loser ever will be! And don't you dare come up in here and disrespect me in front of my children! You hear me?"
"I'll say whatever the fuck I wanna say. This is my momma's house! I don't give a fuck how many bills you pay up in here, you don't own shit! And if you wanna take this outside, we can scrap right now. I don't give a fuck!"
"Boy," Reginald said while shaking his head, "you ain't worth the skin off my knuckles."
"Stop it," said Jacory as he stood up from his chair. "Marcus, what is wrong with you?"
Angry that Jacory blamed him, Marcus asked, "How come every time this mothafucka start with me, you and momma take his side? He can't ever be in the wrong? He disrespected me first by bringin' up how my Jeep is bein' paid for. How the fuck is that his business? He ain't fuckin' payin' for it!"
"And that warrants you to get this upset? I can't believe you can't just tolerate being here for a couple of hours for my birthday. All I wanted was to have dinner with my family and my boyfriend but I guess that's just too much to ask." Tears filled his eyes as he turned away from them and began sobbing.
"Mookie, I'm sorry. Don't cry."
"See what you did?" Reginald asked Marcus. "You just come here and you ruin everything!"
"Man, fuck you!"
"I can't do this," Jacory said while wiping his tears. "I need to get out of here!"
"Jacory, wait," called out Evelyn as Jacory ran out of the kitchen. She turned back towards her husband and her son and said, "I hope you're happy. This night is ruined. My baby's eighteenth birthday dinner is ruined! Come on, Raven. Momma's gonna get you ready for bed." She picked Raven up and hurried out of the kitchen with her.
"It's time for you to leave," Reginald said to Marcus.
Marcus put on his coat and said, "I need to go find my brother anyway." He hurried outside and called out, "Mookie! Mookie, where you at?"
Jacory ran even harder upon hearing his brother call out for him. He ran out of the neighborhood and stopped at a convenience store on the corner to catch his breath. After catching his breath, he pulled out his phone and arranged for a Lyft driver to pick him up and take him downtown. When the driver arrived, he hopped in the car and cried during the ten-minute ride. The driver dropped him off in front of the city hall building and from there he walked to Calhoun Heights Central Park. The pedestrian walkway bridge over the pond in the middle of the park was one of Jacory's favorite places in the city.
"Jacory?" asked a familiar voice.
He turned around to see Roderick standing there. Without saying a word, he began to cry.
"Yo, what is it? What's wrong?" Realizing that Jacory was too upset to even talk, he simply moved closer to him and wrapped his arms around him. After hugging Jacory for a while, he pulled back and said, "Come on, it's gettin' late and I should get you back home."
"No," Jacory finally said while wiping his tears away. "I don't want to go back there right now. Can we just walk or something?"
"I can do you one better. Let's go for a ride."
They walked alongside each other in silence back to the parking garage where Roderick had parked his car. When Roderick unlocked the doors with his keychain alarm remote, Jacory looked at him and asked, "Who got you another car?"
Roderick calmly lied, answering, "My brother."
They quickly climbed inside and Roderick started the car up and turned on the heater. As he drove them out of the parking garage, Jacory revealed, "Your birthday gift pissed Nate off."
"What? Are you serious? But I asked him if it was okay to give you the gift and he told me he was cool with it. What the fuck?"
"Did you tell him what the gift was?"
"No. I didn't think it would matter. The fuck does it have to do with him?"
"He got angry about it and he yelled at me and"—he stopped himself from bringing up Nate raising his fist—"ran out of my house."
"He yelled at you over it? Mookie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have given you that as a gift. I didn't think—"
"You did nothing wrong, Rod. I actually love the gift. I love that photo. It reminds me of how happy I was. Everything was so simple back then."
Roderick smiled as he agreed, "It sure was."
"It's like everything is so serious and changing fast now. Pretty soon, high school will be over. I'm stressed about college and taking the SAT again."
"Again? You already took that long ass test and you're gonna take it again? For what?"
"I like my score but I feel like I can get it a little higher."
"Shit, forget that. I'ma take that bitch once and whatever happens happens."
Jacory smiled and asked, "You're taking the SAT?"
"Yeah. Mr. Washington gave me this brochure on it and I guess I can give it a try. He thinks I should apply to college."
"Wow."
"What? You surprised that a hood nigga is thinkin' about college?"
"Rod, I always thought you were intelligent. I mean, we had many classes together before and have one together this year. I can see you going to college."
"You never told me that."
"Because I knew you wouldn't listen to me." He laughed and admitted, "I judged you after you got arrested and continued to judge you when you came back this year. I thought you'd fall right back into your old habits but it seems like you've gotten yourself together. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks."
"I still think you could do a lot better than Reece but I'll hold my tongue. I wouldn't want to call that nasty bitch out of his name."
"Um, you just did."
"Oops, my bad." He laughed a little and then turned on the radio. Faith Evans' "Soon as I Get Home" was playing and Jacory's mouth dropped when he heard it. He turned it up and said, "Ooh, you know I am a nineties R&B junkie! This is my jam."
Roderick laughed and said, "I never understood that. How are you a nineties R&B junkie and you were born in '97? You were only goin' on three when the decade ended."
"Yeah, but I grew up listening to these songs because my momma always plays them. I love Faith so much. Just listen to them vocals." He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the head rest of the passenger seat.
Roderick glanced over at him and smiled before putting his eyes back on the road. They rode in the car for a little over an hour listening to quiet storm music before Roderick gave Jacory a ride home. When they arrived at Jacory's house, Roderick requested, "I need you to keep the fact that I got another car between us. I'm tryin' to keep it on the low so nobody will ask me for rides all the time."
"I'll keep it between us as long as you don't tell anyone about me and Nate's argument."
"Deal."
"Well, thanks for listening to my bullshit and for giving me a ride home. I meant what I said; Rod, I'm happy for you." He opened the passenger side door to climb out but Roderick grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Happy birthday, Mookie." He let go of Jacory's wrist and added, "And sweet dreams."
Jacory stared into his eyes and smiled before proceeding to get out of the car and closing the door behind him. He walked through his yard up to the porch and then to the front door. When he unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, Roderick pulled off. He grabbed his birthday presents from his momma, his dad, and Marcus from the living room coffee table and took them into his bedroom to open them.
Roderick drove the car back to the parking garage and parked it before finally walking all the way home. Deven had gone to bed but left some Pizza Hut for him on the stove. He heated it up in the microwave and then took it up to his room to eat it while watching TV. After doing the little bit of homework he had, he took off all of his clothes and put on a pair of pajama pants and climbed into bed. He went to sleep thinking about the sex he had with Reece earlier that day; however, he dreamed about riding around in his car with Jacory after he fell asleep.