Roderick and Reece climbed out of their Lyft and immediately ran into some of Reece's friends at the Strip. While Reece followed his friends to one of the nearby clothing stores, Roderick met up with Kelvin at Motherboard, a two-story arcade. They bought some tokens and then headed to the air hockey table, which was one of their favorite games.
"Were the twins at the game?" Kelvin asked.
"You know it," replied Roderick. "They had courtside seats. You know they probably pulled off some scam to get them."
Kelvin laughed and said, "It seems like everybody havin' fun except me. You doin' your thing in the streets. Zay with Demetrius most of the time. I don't even know what Tay be up to but he never has time to kick it."
"You think I have fun slangin'? Kel, that shit ain't fun. Do you not remember me gettin' my ass whooped on Halloween?"
"Hold up, that was about you slangin'? I thought you said—"
"Bro, I don't even feel like gettin' into all that. I know you my best friend but there's some shit you don't need to know about. I done got enough people caught up in my shit."
As they began their game, Kelvin asked, "I gotta know somethin', bruh. How come you never let me be a part of your crew? And don't say it's because I'm light skinned."
"Kel, your parents care about everything you do. They give you money every now and then when you need it. You have no reason to be in the streets. Me, on the other hand, I ain't never had shit. I ain't never been shit. Hell, the only time I felt like I was somebody was when I had Jacory beside me. I ain't even got him now. Be glad that you didn't have to be a part of my crew."
Not a second after he'd said that, his phone began ringing. After pulling it out and seeing Escobar was calling him, he quickly told Kelvin, "I'll be right back." He then stepped away and answered the call, "Wassup."
"Where you at, youngin'?" Escobar asked.
"I'm at the Strip. Why?"
"You need to come to The Bottoms. Some shit went down on the southside and them niggas are talkin' about retaliation against us."
"Against us? We ain't do shit to no southside niggas."
"Boy, get yo ass over here now!"
"A'ight. No need to get loud. I'm on my way." He ended the call before stepping back over to Kelvin and telling him, "Yo, I gotta go."
"You just got here."
"I know. Just keep an eye on Reece for me and make sure he gets home."
"Okay, I got you, bro."
They did their special handshake and then Roderick headed out of the arcade. While he was exiting Motherboard, he ran into Jacory, Nate and Montrell. He hadn't said anything past a typical hello to Jacory since Halloween night at the hospital. And he figured everything between Jacory and Nate was fine because Nate hadn't even looked at him in gym class in a long time. Yet, the tension between them was so thick that Montrell immediately picked up on it.
"I'm gonna go to Nia's Bakery," said Montrell. "I want a giant white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Anybody else want one?"
"Nah, we're good," said Nate while grabbing Jacory's hand. "Come on, baby."
Montrell quickly walked away from them towards the bakery. Without saying a word, Roderick passed by Jacory and Nate and walked away. Jacory looked back at him for a second before heading towards a nearby music store with Nate. Before turning the corner, Roderick looked back and watched as Jacory and Nate entered the store. He then pulled out his phone and arranged for a Lyft to take him to where he'd parked his car.
After getting his cookie and exiting the bakery, Montrell received a text message from Saquan asking him to come to the alley between a Citi Trends clothing store and a Subway restaurant. He smiled and immediately made his way to the alley. He spotted Saquan standing near a set of steps that led to the vacant space above the Subway restaurant.
"It's cold as fuck tonight," said Saquan while rubbing his hands together.
"You can say that again. Congratulations on the win, baby."
"You already texted that to me."
"I know but I wanted to say it to you in person."
"If you really want to congratulate me, you'd give me a hug and a bite of that cookie."
Montrell gave him a look and snapped, "Boy, I am not letting you put your lips on my bootyhole out in this cold."
Saquan burst out in laughter and said, "Bae, I'm talkin' about the cookie in your hand."
"Oh, right." He gave Saquan a hug and then let him take a bite out of his giant white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.
"Mmm, that's good. That's my favorite type of cookie. Well, I love sugar and snickerdoodle, too."
Montrell's eyes widened as he revealed, "Those are my three favorite cookies, too. Wow, we have something else in common."
"How about we go somewhere where we can be warm in common?"
"My momma is home and I don't even feel like explaining to her why I need to spend time in my bedroom with my downlow boyfriend. She's gonna jump to conclusions."
"Who you here with?"
"Jacory and Nate. You?"
"Some of my basketball teammates."
"Well, you should kick it with them tonight. You just won the first game of the season."
"I see them niggas everyday at practice. I wanna spend time with you."
"We don't have anywhere to go that's warm."
"Actually, there's one place we could go. Well, it's more like several places." He pulled out his phone and began arranging for his idea.
Out on the street, Demetrius parked his Honda Civic in a parallel parking space in front of Citi Trends and turned the car off. Tayvon immediately climbed out of the back and walked away while Demetrius and Zayvon stayed in the car.
"What's going on between you and Tay?" Demetrius asked.
Zayvon shrugged his shoulders and replied, "We're good. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. It seems like you two haven't been the same in a while."
"It don't feel like that to me. He's still my annoying twin that's four minutes younger than me."
Demetrius reached over and grabbed Zayvon's hand before saying, "Before we get out, I just want to tell you that I really like the place we're in together. I trust you, Zay. And I love that you write poetry about me." He almost experienced a moment of second thought but brushed it off and continued, "I think tonight should be the night."
"What night you talkin' about?" He noticed the look on Demetrius's face and immediately, his mouth dropped and he said, "Oh, I see what you mean. Baby, are you sure?"
"Let's just say when I suggested that we get tested together this past Tuesday, it wasn't just because it was World AIDS Day."
"Oh, so you've been plannin' plannin'? Shit, I'm glad I didn't eat anything from Checkers like Tay did. It won't take me long to prepare."
"My momma is out of town for her job this weekend. I have the place to myself all weekend and I want you to spend it with me."
"You want me to spend tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at your place? Shit, let's go back to my house now so I can pack a bag."
Demetrius laughed and said, "Boy, we can't leave your brother here like that."
"Damn him! He'll find a way home."
"Zay!" He playfully shoved Zayvon and said, "I wanna talk to Jacory and Montrell before leaving. Come on."
"Hold up, baby. Before we get out, I got somethin' to give you."
"Really? And what's that?"
Zayvon leaned over and kissed Demetrius's lips. While they were kissing, Montrell and Saquan walked out of the alley and when Montrell saw Demetrius and Zayvon kissing, he took advantage of them being distracted to hurry across the front of Demetrius's car with Saquan so that he and Saquan could climb into the Lyft ride that was waiting for them. The car pulled off just as Demetrius and Zayvon stopped kissing.
"Damn," said Demetrius while licking his lips. "That kiss was so good that I feel like I just missed something."
"I got better kisses for you when we're naked in your room later tonight. Come on, let's go talk to your friends so we can get this weekend started off right."
They climbed out of the car and held hands while walking up the sidewalk. When Demetrius spotted Jacory dancing with Nate in the music store, he pulled Zayvon into the store with him. Jacory and Nate had on Beats wireless headphones so they didn't notice Demetrius and Zayvon approaching them until Demetrius tapped on Jacory's shoulder.
"Hey!" Jacory said loudly before taking off the headphones. "Where's Trell?"
"Bitch, he's your cousin," said Demetrius with a laugh. "And he rode here with you. How am I supposed to know?"
"Wassup, Jacory," said Zayvon.
"Hey, Zay." He lightly nudged Nate so that Nate would take off his headphones.
"Demetrius, Zay," Nate said nonchalantly before putting his headphones back on.
"Don't mind his rude ass," said Jacory. "What are you two getting into tonight?"
"Just feelin' the vibes," Zayvon answered.
"Yeah," agreed Demetrius.
Jacory smiled as he looked at them and asked, "Why are y'all acting so weird right now?"
"Weird?" asked Demetrius. "Bitch, do not call me weird when you're standing there in that outfit."
"Wait a minute; there is nothing wrong with my outfit. Wide leg pants are making a comeback."
"They might be but they don't look that good on you, boo-boo."
Zayvon chortled a little before telling Demetrius, "I'm gonna go over to Motherboard and see if Rod and Kel are over there."
"Alright, baby. Just text me when you're ready to go." He watched as Zayvon left before telling Jacory, "Bitch, tonight is the night."
Jacory's eyes widened as he asked, "So, you're finally gonna do it after over a month of dating? I'm happy for you, D."
"Here you go. Bitch, don't even try to play me."
"I'm serious, Demetrius. You said you'd wait until the time was right and you waited. I really hope it works out for you."
"Thanks, bestie." He smiled for a second but stopped when he glanced over at Nate. He then looked back at Jacory and asked, "Is everything good?"
"Yeah, it's all good."
"So, no arguments? No fights?"
"Demetrius, I'm good. We're good. Now, are you sure you didn't see Trell outside anywhere?"
"Nope. Did you text him?"
"I'm about to now." He pulled out his phone and unlocked it so that he could text Montrell.
Meanwhile, Montrell and Saquan kissed while their Lyft driver took them on a ride throughout the whole city. The Ford Expedition was big enough for both of them to be comfortable while making out and touching each other. Their make out session was interrupted when Montrell received a text message from Jacory asking him where he was. After texting Jacory back that he was with number twenty-three, he put his phone away in his coat pocket and resumed kissing Saquan while softly caressing Saquan's massive erection through his jeans.
"Oh, he's busy," Jacory said to Demetrius back at the music store.
"Doing what?" Demetrius asked.
Jacory put his phone away and lied, "My aunt Eileen needed him for something."
"Oh, okay."
Nate removed his headphones and told Jacory, "I gotta take a leak, boo. You still gonna be here or what?"
"No, I'll probably be in Citi Trends."
"Alright."
He left the store and headed across the street to where there was a small building with a men's restroom on one side and a women's restroom on the other side. He was about to pull out his phone and text Tayvon to find out where he was but noticed the last stall door was open and someone wearing white Nikes was in it. He smiled as he headed to the stall and was surprised to see Tayvon inside it with his sweatpants and underwear pulled down and his hard dick in his hand.
"Get yo ass in here so you can return the favor, bruh," he whispered to Nate.
"What the fuck are you doin' to me?" Nate asked as he entered the stall and closed the door.
Back in Motherboard, Zayvon found Kelvin playing Mortal Kombat on an arcade machine and asked, "Where's Rod?"
"He had to go handle somethin'," Kelvin replied. He glanced at Zayvon before putting his attention back on the game and asked, "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know. He walked off after gettin' out of Demetrius's car."
"He's probably somewhere with Nate."
"Yo, what? Why you say that?"
"I saw them go upstairs together at your birthday party. And I saw them go into the bathroom together last week at school during lunch. I was late to lunch that day because I got in trouble during my fourth period class. Looks like your brother and Nate are doin' Jacory dirty."
"Man, don't tell anybody about that shit."
"You know I won't. If it ain't about a fine ass bitch, I don't care anyways."
"You said Rod left, right? So, where's Reece?"
"He somewhere with his friends. Rod told me to make sure he gets home safe."
"Rod been on some weird shit lately. What's that all about? He ain't slangin' again, is he?"
Kelvin shrugged his shoulders and lied, "Hell, I wouldn't know. He don't tell me everything anymore either."
Zayvon shrugged his own shoulders before saying, "Hurry up and lose so I can make it to a higher level than you."
Kelvin laughed and jokingly replied, "Fuck you, nigga."
While his friends were having fun on that cold night, Roderick was driving out to The Bottoms. He was a little anxious because he didn't know what Escobar and Don Don knew. Had one of the men from the southside made him out from when they jumped him back on Halloween night? Did he slip up somewhere and accidentally reveal his identity? Without letting the situation drive him insane, he parked his car a couple of blocks away from the housing project and walked the rest of the way there.
"Where were you tonight?" Escobar asked him the moment he entered apartment D515.
"Before I went to the Strip," Roderick began to explain, "I was at the Braxton-Jacobs High basketball game."
"Bullshit," said Don Don while standing up from his chair.
Roderick pulled out his ticket stub to show Escobar, saying, "This is my ticket stub. I was at the game tonight. And I got there early to spend time with my boyfriend. You remember him don't you, Don Don? He got jumped with me on Halloween night."
"He had to be on the southside tonight, Escobar," said Don Don. "Who else would put my name out like that in some shit I ain't had nothin' to do with?"
"If I did do somethin' to some niggas on the southside," said Roderick, "then what would be the point of me sayin' your name? You ain't doin' shit for them southside niggas, are you?"
When he asked that, Escobar looked at Don Don and said, "Hmm, that's a good point. Why would somebody use your name? Of all the niggas around the way, why use your name and not mine or Scar or somebody with more to lose in a fuckin' war?"
"I don't know," said Don Don. He gave Roderick a look and suggested, "Maybe the nigga who put my name out there has beef with me."
"Sounds like they tryin' to get yo ass got," Roderick joked, making Don Don become angry.
"Look here lil' nigga—"
"Yo, chill the fuck out," said Escobar. "Both of you need to fuckin' chill. This is what they want. They want us to turn on each other so if we go to war, we'll slip up and not be ready. Now, I'm thinkin' about doin' a meet with Fat Moe. I can't stand that mothafucka but I can't let a war fuck up business right now. Business has been runnin' too smooth and I'm makin' too much money to stop for a fuckin' war!"
"With all due respect," Roderick said to Escobar, "this shit ain't got nothin' to do with me. I've been keepin' track of how much money I've turned into you and after another ten racks, you'll be paid in full, bruh. I didn't sign up for a war."
"That's how you're gonna do me? Huh? After all the shit I've done for you over the years, you're gonna just bounce the fuck out when shit gets rough?"
"He's the one who fucked up and robbed them southside niggas," said Don Don. "I bet my life on that shit."
Roderick stared at him and asked, "Oh, you bet your life? Be very careful of the shit you say around me, dawg."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means don't project shit out into the universe if you don't want it comin' back on yo ass, nigga!"
"Would you mothafuckas chill?" Escobar asked. "Shit! I can't have two of my soldiers at each other's necks like this! Youngin', I believe you. You have proof that you were at that basketball game. It makes sense that you went to the Strip right after since it ain't that far from the school. You couldn't make it back here from the southside that fast."
"Unless him and his crew attacked them southside niggas with a quick plan," suggested Don Don.
Escobar looked at him and said, "Nigga, I said I believe Rod. He ain't in this."
"Bullshit."
"Why are you so sure Rod and his homeboys did it? What would make him even wanna do the shit? And then; if he did, what would make him drop your name so them niggas would think you were involved?" When Don Don didn't reply, Escobar nodded and said, "Yeah, like I thought. You have no answer."
"Man, fuck this shit," said Don Don as he grabbed his jacket. He gave Roderick a look and then exited the abandoned apartment.
Roderick waited a few seconds before going over to the door and opening it to make sure Don Don was gone. He then closed the door and turned back to Escobar, warning him, "You need to keep your eye on him."
"Why? It seems like both of y'all are warning me about the other without sayin' much."
"Well, I guess it's up to who you believe."
"Rod, why can't you just tell me what the fuck is goin' on? You and your lil' nigga got jumped on the same night somebody fucked Don Don up. What the fuck happened on Halloween night?"
"Just know that even now, I'm the only one who has your back. Even though you're makin' me work to pay off that fifty thousand, I still got your back. I want you to remember that when the time comes for it to be important."
He exited the apartment and then took the stairwell back down to the ground level. When he made it back to his car, he started it but didn't drive away immediately. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Nico.
"¿Qué está pasando hermano?" Nico asked after answering the call.
"¿Dónde estás?" Roderick asked.
"The club, bro."
"A westside club?"
"Sí, hermano."
"Which one? I need to meet up with you and Juan tonight."
"We're at El Caballo Negro. You know where that club is?"
"Nah, but I can use Google Maps to find it."
"They ain't gonna let you in without ID, fool. You're under twenty-one. Just text me or Juan when you get here."
"A'ight." He ended the call and after finding the club's location on Google Maps, finally drove away.
Back at the Strip, Nate hurried out of the men's restroom and Tayvon waited a few seconds before walking out, too. The moment Tayvon stepped out of the restroom, Zayvon angrily pushed him.
"What the fuck you push me for?"
"Because you're suckin' dick in a bathroom like a ho!"
"Shows how much you know. He gave me head. I sucked him at the basketball game."
"Tay, you gotta stop this shit. Man, I'm gettin' serious with Demetrius and—"
"That ain't got shit to do with me."
"Nigga, I don't wanna keep lyin' to him."
"I'm your twin. Your loyalty is with me."
"Wow. I can't believe you just said that. You always do this shit to me."
"Man, I ain't got time for this shit."
"No, don't even think about walkin' away right now. Bro, why can't I ever have shit but when you want somethin' special, I gotta be cool with whatever you're doin'? I'm tired of this one-sided shit, Tay. It's selfish and it's fucked up. Like you just said, we're twins. You should want me to be happy when I find somebody I really care about like I'd do for you."
"I really like Nate, yet here you are standin' in the way."
"That's because Nate is with Jacory. He loves Jacory, Tay. You're nothin' but some easy mouth and ass to that nigga. He ain't gonna leave his boyfriend for you."
"Damn, and you're the one comin' at me about bein' fucked up. I can't believe you would say that to me."
"Look, this nigga Nate is fuckin' with our bond now. We can't have that. Nate is not serious with you. Demetrius is my boyfriend. Tay, I'm fallin' for him. Out of respect for me, your twin brother, can you please stop?"
Tayvon thought about it before shaking his head and saying, "No. You can be mad at me all you want but at the end of the day, you're always gonna be my twin. This thing with Nate, I view it differently than how you view it. Sorry, bro." He patted Zayvon on the shoulder and then walked away, leaving Zayvon standing there with a look of anger on his face.
In Citi Trends, Jacory held up a pair of ripped skinny jeans and asked Demetrius, "You think these would look cute for the party I'm throwing for Nate's birthday next week?"
"You'd wear jeans from Citi Trends to your boyfriend's birthday party?" Demetrius asked with a laugh. "Damn, I guess you and Nate aren't as good as you say."
"What's wrong with jeans from here?"
"Jacory, you haven't worn any clothes from here in a while."
"They have good stuff here. Besides, with the money I'm spending for Nate's party and his gifts, I can't afford anything from the mall."
"You're spending money on him again? Didn't you buy him Jordans for your anniversary back in October?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Jacory, I know he's your boo but maybe you shouldn't spend up all your money on him like that. I thought we were gonna save money for when we go to college?"
"D, I worked those hours at Buffalo Wild Wings so if I want to spend some money on my boyfriend then I'm gonna do it. Why are you acting like this?"
"Because I don't want you to waste your money on Nate."
"Waste? Demetrius, Nate has been good to me lately. We haven't argued or gotten into any fights or anything in a while."
"Yeah, because you took that picture of you and Rod down from your dresser. And you haven't said two words to Rod since we found him and Reece beaten up on Halloween night. Nate is only cool now because he's controlling you."
"Damn, I knew you'd eventually get jealous but I didn't think you'd come at me like this."
"Jealous?"
"Yes, jealous!"
"Now, why would I be jealous? I don't want a crazy boyfriend who puts his hands on me."
"Wow, I cannot believe you would bring that up like that. What kind of a best friend are you?"
"I'm the kind of best friend who knows when you're not truly happy anymore."
"What?!"
"Jacory, you can lie to me all you want but I know you're not happy anymore with him. I know you know he won't change, and I know you're worrying when he'll snap on you again." Tears filled his eyes as he further explained, "I was jealous of your relationship once. Nate used to treat you like you were the only person who ever mattered in the world. And then the real him came out. That's when my jealousy turned to worry."
"Oh, I don't want to hear this."
"Jacory, if you don't dump him, something bad might happen to you. And I don't wanna see that shit! Rod might have done you wrong but at least he'd never physically hurt you."
"I told you, Nate has been good to me lately."
"And how long is that going to last? You know what, I can't get through to you." He wiped his tears and said, "I will never get through to you. I'm out of here."
"Demetrius, you're overreacting."
"Bye, Jacory." He turned and as he was leaving the store, bumped into Nate.
"Whoa," said Nate. "Are you okay, Demetrius? Why are you crying?"
"Go to hell, Nate." He maneuvered around Nate and hurried out of the store.
Nate looked back at him and then shrugged his shoulders as he proceeded through the store to where Jacory was. When he made it to Jacory, he asked, "What's wrong with Demetrius?"
"I don't know," Jacory lied. "He just flipped out on me over nonsense and then left. Let me go buy these jeans and then we can go to your house and do some X-rated shit."
"Oh, baby, I'm not really in the mood."
"Really? You were all over me before the game."
"I know but...I just wanna go home and get some sleep. Track practice was brutal today after school."
"Wait, you don't want me to spend the night with you now? You said your parents were out of town."
"They are. But I just wanna take a hot bath and get some sleep tonight. I'm sorry. I can give you and Montrell a ride home though."
"Montrell is already gone, and I can catch a Lyft home."
"Jacory—"
"No, because when you want sex, I'm supposed to be a taco shell waiting to be stuffed with your meat and cheese."
Nate chuckled a little and asked, "What?"
"Sorry, my Aunt Eileen just jumped out for some reason. Nate, I'll find my own way home."
"You're mad at me because I'm tired?"
"I'm mad at you because I wanted some dick and now I'm not gonna get it."
"I got you tomorrow, boo. We can make love and then I'll cook for you."
"Cook? Boy, you can't cook."
"Okay, I'll order a pizza." He hugged and kissed Jacory, telling him, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"I love you more."
Jacory laughed and said, "Nate, goodnight. I'm gonna look for something to go with these jeans and then I'm gonna get me a footlong Spicy Italian on Italian herbs and cheese bread from Subway, since I'm not getting fucked tonight."
"Alright, goodnight." He turned and began exiting the store as Jacory rolled his eyes and resumed shopping.
Outside, Demetrius found Zayvon and asked, "Are you ready to go?"
"Baby, what's wrong?" Zayvon asked after noticing that Demetrius was crying.
"I just want to go. Can you find Tay?"
"Tay will find a ride home. Come on, let's go."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, he'll find a ride home." He grabbed Demetrius's hand and led him to his car. They climbed inside and as Demetrius started the car and turned on the heat, Zayvon asked him, "What happened?"
"I got into an argument with Jacory about Nate. You were right, baby. Jacory just won't see it. I have to let him see it for himself and decide that he wants better. He's just so sure that Nate has changed."
Zayvon stopped Demetrius from pulling out of the parallel parking space and revealed, "Nate's cheating on Jacory."
Demetrius put the gearshift back in park and asked, "What?"
"He's been cheating on Jacory since Halloween night."
"With who, Zay?"
"With my brother."
After meeting up with his Dominican suppliers, Roderick drove downtown and parked his car in its usual space in a parking garage. As he walked to Deven's townhouse, he thought about the deal he'd made with Juan and Nico. He hoped that it would be enough to destroy both the business and personal relationship between Escobar and Don Don. If it didn't, he was going to have to make another play to separate Don Don from his southside connections.
When he made it to Deven's townhouse, he put it all out of his mind and quietly entered the home. After locking the door, he ascended the first set of steps but stopped midway when he came upon a conversation Deven was having with Jazmine in the living room.
"I can't tell him," said Deven. "Baby, I know I have to tell him but I just can't."
"You can't keep it a secret forever," said Jazmine. "Just because he doesn't remember it doesn't mean he shouldn't know. I know it's going to be difficult, but he has a right to know what happened to him."
"How do I even go about bringing it up? This shit has been on my mind nonstop since the day I picked him up from juvie. And before then, it was always in the back of my mind. I feel so guilty. I cry about it whenever I'm alone."
"It's not your fault, Deven."
"I'm his big brother. I was supposed to protect him."
"Protect me from what?" Roderick asked as he finally ascended the stairs, startling both Deven and Jazmine.
"How long have you been home?" Deven asked.
"Long enough to hear that you've been keepin' somethin' from me. Dev, what's goin' on?"
Jazmine stood up from the sofa and said to Deven, "I'm going to go up to your bedroom, baby. I'll let you two talk." Before going up the second set of stairs, she looked at Roderick and said, "It's good to see you again, Rod."
He waited until she was gone before he turned his attention back to Deven and asked, "What were you talkin' to her about?"
"Rod, I don't think—"
"No, don't even think about changing the subject. You said you were supposed to protect me. What's going on?"
Deven stood up and suggested, "You might wanna sit down."
"Nah, I'm good. I just wanna know what you were talkin' about. Somethin' happened to me? When? And why don't I remember it?"
"Rod, I really need you to—"
"Stop givin' me the runaround and tell me, Dev! If you're keepin' a secret from me then I need to know what it is. You don't have the right to keep anything from me."
Deven stood in silence for a while before finally beginning by asking, "Do you remember when we lived in The Bottoms?"
"Yeah, I remember a little."
"I'm talking about before momma overdosed on heroin. Do you remember anything before then?"
"Before I turned six? Not really."
Tears began to form in Deven's eyes as he said, "Momma used to have these parties where she'd play music and get high with her junkie friends. Dad would be out in the streets slangin' and shit, and I'd have to watch you. Well, one day I left you in the apartment with momma and her friends so that I could hang out with this girl I liked at school. I was eleven and you were four."
"Dev, why are you cryin' right now?"
"Because I have relived that day ever since it happened. I can't get it out of my mind. And I fuckin' hate myself for it!"
Realizing how distraught his brother was becoming, Roderick began to feel uneasy and asked, "What happened?"
"When I came home, momma and some of her junkie friends were passed out in the living room. I went into the room I shared with you but you weren't in there. You used to hide in momma and dad's closet whenever something scared you, so I figured that's where you were. But when I got to momma and dad's room..." He stopped and began sobbing.
"Dev, what happened?! Tell me!"
Deven pulled himself together and revealed, "You and one of momma's junkie friends, the one named Bobby, were naked in momma and dad's bed."
"What?!"
"Bobby had passed out and you were crying. You told me he hurt you."
"Dev, stop!"
"I'm so sorry, Roderick. It's all my fault." He collapsed back onto the sofa and cried, saying loudly, "It's all my fault!"
As if the wind had been knocked out of him, Roderick grabbed his chest with one hand and covered his mouth with the other as tears rushed to his eyes. He couldn't believe what his brother had just told him. How could he have forgotten something so horrible? Even though it happened when he was only four years old, how could he not remember it? He remembered nothing about the situation Deven described. Still, he knew by how hard his brother was crying that it was the truth. It was a truth that neither one knew how to properly process on that cold and snowy December night.