8. Kingsley
KINGSLEY
When my phone chimed, I almost threw it in the water.
I was sick of hearing it make noise. I got messages and calls from everyone except the one person I wanted to hear from.
It seemed I was fishing enough these days to supply my aunts’ diner with all the fresh fish they needed.
My freezer was practically full, so I started bringing it to them for their catch of the day.
They didn’t open until ten, so they had plenty of time to do with it what they needed, since I would get it to them by six the next morning.
Every morning at four, I would spend a few hours at the creek, catching what I could catch, then cleaning it.
When I wasn’t fishing, I was at the truck stop or the rice and grass fields.
I was literally doing whatever I could to stay busy.
Which was why I was fishing for the second time today.
I hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Kane about what PJ told me, because I didn’t want to bring it up in front of Shaydon and Shymir.
I didn’t want him to think I was trying to embarrass him.
Instead, we talked about Treasure and me and how she ended up in the hospital.
I didn’t know what all Kane and Crew were involved in, but fucking a girl together was crazy as fuck.
I would never think of doing no shit like that with Royal, Seven, Ace, or PJ.
I wondered if Ryder J was in on that bullshit.
He was only in town for an extended amount of time during the summer, so I would hope not.
He was a couple of years younger than them and needed to be focused on football and finishing up his bachelor’s degree.
Uncle Ryder would fuck him up if he found out he was in Liberty, fucking around with those niggas.
Just as I was about to head in, I saw a gator just casually walking, heading to the water.
Today was his unlucky day. I grabbed my rifle from the ground and shot him right in the head.
Had he made it to the water, I was just going to let him be.
I wasn’t in the mood to be fighting no gator today. I would get ate the fuck up.
After dragging it to the truck, then getting my coolers and shit on the back of the truck as well, I got in and heard my phone chiming again.
I rolled my eyes and pulled it from my pocket to see a message from Kane.
However, when I went to my text messages and saw the message from Treasure, I nearly dropped the phone.
I quickly opened it and read it in its entirety.
Then, I had to read it again to make sure it was real.
After a week of not hearing a peep from her, she’d finally responded.
I was so damn happy. Although she said she wanted to wait to see me, I didn’t care about that.
She was communicating with me and saying she still wanted to be with me.
I literally set my phone on the console and cried.
I missed her so damn much. Every morning and night, I prayed for her, prayed that God would bring her back to me. He’d answered my prayers.
I wiped my face and picked up my phone.
Jesus. God is good. I’m so happy to hear from you.
I’m glad you’re doing better. Of course, I want you.
There’s no one else that I desire. You’re it for me, Treasure.
I love you, and I’ll be here whenever you’re ready to talk or see me.
This message was a ray of sunshine in my day.
Knowing that you still want to be with me was the icing on the sweet ass cake. Thank God.
I hit the send button and cried some more. We were going to make it through this. Now I could focus on Kane’s message.
Bro, can we talk? I need to sit on your couch.
I shook my head and took a deep breath. I responded with, Yeah. On my way home now.
After cranking up, I made my way back up Nome Spur Road to go home.
Karima’s words came back to me as I drove.
She said that God would bring her back, and He did.
My sister was truly a gift to us. Although she treated me like I was her baby instead of her brother at times, I was beyond grateful for her.
Now I could spend time with my goddaughter since I was in a better mood.
Roselynn was my baby, and she loved her Unc King.
She knew she could have her way with me.
When I turned in my driveway, Kane was already sitting there, on the cement, by the garage door.
I frowned slightly. Whatever he wanted to talk about had to be serious for him to be sitting on the ground waiting for me.
Before I could get out, Treasure texted back.
Can I call you tomorrow?
Hell yeah! You never have to ask permission, baby. Whatever you want, you got it.
I got out of my truck, then went to the back to get my shit out. When Kane saw how much I had, he came over to help.
“Damn! You shot a gator? I can’t wait to eat this shit.”
I chuckled as we went to the garage with it. I threw his ass in a cooler and grabbed ice from the freezer and poured it over him until I could get to him later. I would call my dad to come help me clean him up.
After getting my rods, nets, and shit put away, we went inside the house. “Let me take a shower right quick. I don’t want to sit on my furniture smelling like fish.”
“Okay.”
He flopped on the couch as I turned to leave. Before I could go too far, I turned to him and asked, “What’s the talk gonna be about?”
“Liberty.”
I frowned, knowing he was probably about to spill some shit PJ didn’t even know. I didn’t know if I would be able to handle everything he needed to say. I felt like I already knew more than enough.
“So you telling me y’all were fucking Kambel together?”
Kane slid his hand down his face. “Yeah. I’m not proud of that.”
I rolled my eyes, pretending I didn’t already know, since he wanted to tell me. “She don’t even seem like the type to be down for something like that.”
He lowered his head, making my mind work overtime. “What the fuck? She wasn’t down for that, was she?”
“Not initially. She and I had fucked first. I messed around and told Crew how good it was. So, one time he told me he had some shit to do out there . . . which was when I found out he was snorting that shit. I told him I would ride with him and to drop me off to meet Kambel, since she was house sitting for a friend. When we got there, he said he wanted to come in to speak to her. I thought that shit was strange, but I was like, okay.”
“Did he force himself on her?” I asked, my eyes still wide.
“Naw, but he talked her into being cool with it while pulling his dick out. I was already deep in her pussy by that time. He was supposed to have left. That nigga walked back in stroking his dick.”
I huffed, not believing the shit he was saying. “So what you want me to say? Crew is gone. Ain’t shit we can do about it.”
“Kambel hates me. She won’t even hear me out.
When she went with him to Royal’s house before Liyah had the babies, he practically forced her.
Told her he was gonna tell Missus Lacey she was a ho.
You know they in the church real heavy. She didn’t want them to be disappointed in her, so she went along with it.
She felt like I should have put a stop to it. ”
“Nigga, you should have!” I yelled. “If you feeling her, how you let another nigga fuck her? Your cousin and at the same time you fucking her? You tryna tell me something?”
He frowned. “Something like what?”
“Are you gay? I mean, I ain’t trippin’ if you are, but I want to know.”
“Naw. Man, Crew just always knew how to get his way, even when we were little. That was why I always wanted to be around y’all, even though he and Ryder J were even younger than me.
We should have been in our own crew. He was a bully, man.
I loved my cousin, and I always thought something was wrong with him, but I didn’t want to approach him with that, especially since he was bigger than me. ”
“I really wish you would have said something a long time ago, bruh.”
“Yeah, me too. After I got shot, I wasn’t as laid-back as I used to be.
I knew I had to be tougher, so people didn’t take me for an easy target, like they did when they shot me.
Crew had already established how our relationship would be.
I honestly believed he was bisexual. He wasn’t a bottom though.
He was way more aggressive than he showed y’all. It only got worse as we got older.”
“Were you afraid of him?”
He huffed. “Somewhat. When we were younger, I had spent the night at their house. I slept in the room with him. We got into an argument about something, and that nigga told me he would slice my throat. I didn’t pay it any attention and just blew him off.
I literally woke up to that nigga holding a knife at my throat.
Real shit. It was like the devil had embodied his ass.
I was around thirteen, and he was eleven or twelve. ”
“The fuck.”
That was all I could say. I had no idea my brother was going through all that shit with that nigga. The crazy part was that he was able to hide that behavior from us. He didn’t get in trouble at all when we were younger.
“That was the last time I stayed at their house.”
I was at a loss for words. Kane was sitting next to me trembling.
Just as I was about to hug him, he said, “Part of me is glad he’s gone.
That shit is eating me alive though. I loved him.
He was my cousin, but that nigga was crazy as fuck and tortured me.
Me and Kambel know the real him. That was why I kept my mouth closed.
I knew a while ago he was on that shit, longer than I originally told you.
Had I said something, that nigga would have killed me. ”
I scooted closer to him and put my arm around my brother. “Man, don’t ever suffer in silence like that. You hear me? What we all here for? You ain’t never gotta fight alone, even if it’s against family. It’s you and me against the world, nigga. I always got yo’ back. You my bro.”
“Thanks, man. I really needed to get that off my chest. Everyone was expecting me to be torn up about his death. I mean, I was, but not as torn up as everyone thinks I was.”
“He ever fucked with Ryder J?” I asked.
He nodded. “He used to bully him too until he got older. He got taller and bigger than Crew. That nigga hit those weights at school and started playing football. I honestly think it was so he could handle Crew. He pinched that nigga ass one time and fell out laughing like it was a joke. That’s why I think he went both ways.
Ryder almost snapped that nigga neck. That was the last time he fucked with him like that.
That’s why Ryder J just watched him and Royal go at it outside the diner. He wanted that nigga to get fucked up.”
I slowly shook my head. “Maybe you should take my appointment to see Missus Gardener.”
“Naw. Don’t put your mental health to the side to appease me.
I talked to Karima, like you originally suggested.
She’s the only one other than you that knows about this.
I told her I was going to tell you so you could understand why I started behaving the way I did after I got shot.
I honestly think Crew had something to do with that too. ”
I stood from the couch. “Why you think that?”
“We had got into it. I was sick of his shit, man. I told him to go fuck himself with a broomstick. He told me I was gon’ regret that shit. The same night, I got shot.”
The shit he was saying was blowing my fucking mind.
What PJ told me was minor compared to all this shit.
I had no idea all this shit was going on.
“Man . . . I’m starting to feel like you.
If he was doing all that shit to you, I’m glad his ass gone too.
I hate to feel that way, so I know how you’re feeling now.
You’re probably feeling worse about it though. Are you gonna tell Dad?”
“I thought about it, but I don’t want him to say anything to Uncle Jasper about it.
The way Karima pulled that shit out of me was unbelievable.
I always looked at her like a second mom, so I would have never scheduled an appointment with her.
She was crying almost the entire time I talked about it. ”
“Yeah. That’s a lot, man. Fuck.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask how you were doing, bro.”
“I’m cool. I was really good right before I got here.”
“You heard from Treasure?”
“Yeah. She messaged me and apologized for everything and asked me if I still wanted her. Man, ain’t no way in hell I could ever choose to be without her. She’s gonna call me tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear her voice.”
“I’m happy for you, man. I know there’s nothing you want more than to be the man in her life.”
“Thanks, man. So you umm . . . want me to talk to Kambel?”
“No. I don’t think it’s meant to be. I don’t think we can come back from what we both went through with Crew. She doesn’t trust me to stand up for her. I wouldn’t trust me after that either. I’m just focused on getting myself together to re-enroll in school.”
I nodded. We were quiet for a moment. “You staying here tonight?”
“Do you mind?” he asked.
I twisted my lips to the side as he chuckled. He knew he didn’t even have to ask no shit like that. I was my brother’s keeper. I always would be.