Chapter 15 – Nalia
Fifteen
NALIA
Zuri
Watching a video of one of my favorite YouTubers on my iPad while on FaceTime with Heather, who is away from the screen, talking to her dad, I try to memorize the tricks she uses in the game so that I can try them out and share them with Cooper and Heather later.
Looking at the doorway to my bedroom, I see Nalia walk by with curlers in her hair.
Since we got home from Grandma and Grandpa’s house after spending the day in the pool, she’s been getting ready to go out with Cooper’s dad.
It’s weird, she usually never takes so much time to get ready.
Looking back at my screen, I notice a notification for my e-mail at the top of the screen, and my stomach feels weird when I see it’s from my mom.
Tapping it, the message opens, and that weird feeling in my stomach gets worse.
My mom has e-mailed me a few times since we moved here, but I stopped replying to her a week ago because she keeps asking me to ask Nalia to give her money so that she can get a lawyer.
And her new e-mail is exactly the same as all the other ones she’s sent.
With my stomach in knots, I close the message.
I feel bad that I keep ignoring her because it feels like it’s my fault that she’s stuck where she is, but I don’t want to go back to her.
I like it here; I like hanging out with Cooper, Logan, and even Billie.
I also like my new school and friends. And I really really like living with Nalia.
It feels like I have a real mom now because Nalia helps me with my homework, makes me food, and always tucks me into bed and tells me how much she loves me.
That thought makes me feel worse because I know that she’s not my mom, but I wish she was. I also still love my mom.
“Zuri,” Heather yells, and I jump.
“What?”
“I’ve been calling your name.” She laughs. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I mumble. “Sorry.”
Getting off my bed, I walk down the hall to Nalia’s room and climb onto her bed.
“Hey, kid, you okay?” she asks, walking out of the bathroom with her hair still in rollers. I should tell her about my mom, but I don’t.
“Yeah.” I force a smile, and she studies me for a second before giving me a soft look and walking into her closet. Resting back against her headboard, I look at Heather. “Do you want to play the game now?”
“Totally.” She grins and I smile back even though it doesn’t feel real, then start up my game, forgetting all about Sharon, or mostly anyways.
Nalia
Standing in my closet, wrapped in my robe, I scan through my clothes looking for something to wear tonight.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been downtown, but I still know that most women will be wearing cute country girl dresses that fit into the Nashville aesthetic.
The thing is, that isn’t really my style.
Plus, I want to be comfortable; it’s going to be hot, and I’m sure we’re going to end up doing a lot of walking since parking is usually scarce.
Taking a pair of my favorite light-washed distressed jeans off the hanger, I wrap them over my arm, then sift through my tanks, finding a white racerback one that still has the tags on it.
Walking back into my room, Zuri, who is lying on my bed with her iPad talking to Heather while the two of them play a game, looks at me over the top of it. Her eyes move to my hair that is still not done. “How long before we leave?”
“About thirty minutes.”
“Cool.” She smiles, going back to her friend.
Walking into the bathroom, I take out the curlers that I’ve had in for a couple of hours and run my fingers through the bouncy waves.
They won’t last long, once I’m outside for a few minutes or in a crowded bar, the humidity will dampen my hair enough to cause it to frizz and curl like it naturally wants to.
With my hair done I slip off my robe and get dressed in my jeans and tank then add a layer of necklaces and a few bracelets.
As I study my reflection I start to have second thoughts about it, the outfit is so casual that I wonder if I’ll be underdressed but I’m down to the wire and don’t have time to spend an hour on the phone with my sisters and cousins going over my outfit choices.
Picking up my gloss, I lean towards the mirror above the sink and add a thin coat to my lips, then shove it in the pocket of my jeans before I turn and open the bathroom door. When I step out, Zuri lifts her head to look at me and smiles.
“You look pretty.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“I want to see her,” Heather shouts through the iPad, and Zuri turns the screen around.
“You look pretty, Zuri’s mom.”
“Thanks, Heather.” I offer her a smile that she probably doesn’t see because Zuri turns her iPad back around and I walk back into my closet.
I still haven’t spoken to Zuri about why she is telling her friends that I’m her mom, and even though I know I should be the adult and just confront the topic head-on, every time I think about bringing it up, I chicken out.
Grabbing my Vans, since the idea of walking downtown for a few hours in heels sounds like torture, I put them on then grab one of my nicer cross body bags and carry it with me out of the bedroom, hearing Zuri following behind me.
I quickly change out the stuff in my purse then grab my cell from the kitchen where it’s been charging and find a message from Logan waiting for me.
Logan
Hey babe, Mom is taking the kids to get Sonic when you girls get here, just a heads up they will probably get ice cream afterwards while they are out.
It’s not the first message he’s sent me today, it’s actually the fourth.
The first one was him just telling me good morning, the next was him letting me know that they had won their game, and the third was him letting me know that his friend Hanson, whom he works with but I haven’t met, was going to be driving the group of us tonight.
Each time I sent him a message back, feeling a little awkward because I’m not used to anyone but my family really messaging me with random texts on a regular basis.
I message him back that I’ll give her some money for Zuri, then add that we are leaving the house in just a few minutes to head over to him. Before I can even put my cell in my bag after pressing send on that text he messages back.
Logan
Good luck trying to give Mom money, baby. See you soon.
I don’t reply, instead I head back down the hall to my room and make sure all the lights are off then walk into the living room where Zuri is now lying on the couch.
“Is your watch charged?” Back when she was living with Sharon, I wanted her to have a way to get in touch with me, even if she didn’t have internet for her iPad, so I got her a watch that she could use to call me and a few other numbers that I programmed into it.
It’s been awesome, especially since I think having a phone is way too much responsibility at her age.
“Yep.”
“Alright, I’m ready if you are.”
“I’m ready.” She gets up, telling Heather that she’ll call her tomorrow, then heads out of the house before me, asking over her shoulder, “Should we walk?”
That’s a good question, we could walk and save the planet and some gas, but I’m not sure what time we’ll be getting home, and I don’t want to be out walking late with her even if it is just a couple of blocks in an area that I know for certain is safe.
“No, we’ll drive.”
“Okay.” She waits for me to lock the front door then jogs over to the Bronco, getting into the front seat, something she does on occasion if we are going short distances.
“Do you think we can go swim at grandma and grandpa’s tomorrow?” She asks as I head down the street towards Logan’s house.
“Maybe,” I glance over at her quickly, the bridge of her nose and cheeks are still pink from the sun today.
“If not tomorrow next weekend for su…” I cut myself off when a group of boys riding their e-bikes comes out of nowhere, cutting in front of me in the middle of the road, scaring the life out of me.
I slam on my brakes so hard my tires screech, my Bronco jerks forward, and my seatbelt digs into my skin.
With my heart pounding, I look over at Zuri who I have pinned to the seat with my hand against her chest, something I must have done without thinking.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she breathes, and I spin my head around and quickly roll down my window.
“Hey!” I call out, and the boys all look back at me.
I notice then that not one of them has on a helmet.
Regardless, it would have been my fault if I hit them.
It’s likely without a helmet on that they wouldn’t be going home to their parents later, and that pisses me off.
“I almost hit you. You need to be careful!”
“Fuck you,” one of them shouts.
“Cunt!” another yells.
“Fuck you, bitch.” The kid at the back of the group turns around and flips me off, his eyes going past me to Zuri and narrowing. I recognize him immediately. He’s the little shit who kicked the ball in Zuri’s friend’s head, the same one who Cooper punched for talking crap.
I glare at his back when he rolls off behind his friends, keeping his hand with his finger up in the air.
“Are you sure that you’re alright?” I ask triple checking the street before I put my foot on the gas.
“Yeah, but maybe we should have walked,” she mumbles.
“Yeah, maybe,” I laugh and she giggles.
With my heart still beating erratically I pull into Logan’s driveway just a couple minutes later and watch his front door open and Cooper run outside.
Opening my door, I hop out at the same time Zuri does then meet her at the end of the sidewalk where Cooper greets us.
“Gigi is taking us to get Sonic and ice cream, then we’re going to watch a movie.” He shouts doing a dance with his hands and body shaking making Zuri laugh.