Leon and DJ ran down the field as they looked back for the ball that was being thrown by Jordan. "Keep your eyes on the ball!" Damien coached DJ from the sideline. "Don't let him beat you!"
It's been two weeks since Deon's funeral and Leon kept his word by looking after his younger siblings. It was currently Saturday and Leon, Damien, Jordan, and DJ were at a public football field. Tierra was at the house with Leanne and Charnae. Leon was going to take them back to Summerville Sunday evening.
The two of them leaped for the ball, but Leon ended up getting the upper hand and got possession of the football. "Damn." DJ said to himself as Leon helped him up.
"Don't beat yourself up. You're doing good." Leon told him. "You got more skills than any other fifteen year old I've seen play."
"Also, keep in mind that he's NFL material and you've been keeping up with him the whole time we were out here." Jordan chimed in as he approached them. "Wanna take a break or go again?"
"A break—please." DJ said, making everyone laugh. They all sat on the bench and DJ didn't waste any time chugging down his water.
"Any colleges showing interest in you?" Damien asked, breaking the silence.
"SC State, VCU, and Florida so far." DJ replied.
"Cool—you trying to stay in Carolina or go somewhere else?"
"Somewhere else. I'm hoping Bama or Georgia notices me. I really wanna play for them." DJ said.
"Just keep working and they will." Jordan assured him.
DJ just smiled and nodded. "Hey, can y'all give me and Leon a minute?" Damien and Jordan agreed before going back to the field. "I really appreciate you doing this considering everything."
"It's not a problem." Leon replied. "I came to the realization that I shouldn't let what Deon did to me get in the way of my relationship with you and Tierra. We share the same blood."
DJ sighed. "Yeah, I understand. You actually got lucky that he left you and your mama."
"What you mean by that, man?" Leon asked.
"He was abusive to my mama. He would put his hands on her every chance he got." DJ revealed. "He was an alcoholic and a crackhead. My mama said he didn't start doing all that until I was three and Tierra was one. He just changed over night. You were lucky, Leon—real lucky."
"I'm sorry y'all had to go through that." Leon said. "Why didn't your mama pack y'all up and leave?"
DJ shrugged. "I don't know. I never questioned her because she would just tell me to stay in a child's place. I called the police once when I was ten, but she decided not to press charges and I got in trouble when I was only protecting her. I don't usually wish death on people, but I'm glad he's gone."
Leon only nodded. He completely understood and did not judge his little brother. "If I knew anything about that, then I definitely would've had my mama take y'all in. Kids don't deserve to go through shit like that."
"Yeah, thanks for understanding. I wish I did grow up knowing about you. I would've been hanging around you all the time."
Leon laughed loudly. "Yeah, no doubt. Let's get back to work though."
-
"It's been a few weeks since I've seen you. How've you been?" Dana asked Charnae.
"I've been good. I'm doing a lot better." Charnae replied. "I'm actually in a situation that will turn into a relationship eventually."
"Oh, I know that's exciting." Dana said with a smile.
Charnae sighed. "Yeah, it is. I'm still a little hesitant on it though."
"Why is that?" Dana asked.
"I trust him and everything, but I know he's very attracted to me and he does have sexual experience. I'm aware that he would want to get intimate with me on that level someday, but I don't know if I'll be ready when that day comes. I don't want to disappoint him or make him feel like I'm not into him. I just don't know what to do." Charnae explained.
Dana nodded. "I completely understand where you're coming from and I think the two of you should have a discussion about this. I'm pretty sure that Leon will be understanding and supportive."
"Damien runs his mouth too much." Charnae said with a laugh.
"He does." Dana laughed back. "Just let Leon know how you feel. He saw you go through the traumatic experience and he helped you through it. I'm sure this conversation would not catch him by surprise."
Charnae nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just a bit worried and it caused me to overthink."
"It's fine. That's completely normal." Dana informed her. "How's everything with your dad?"
"Everything is good. We've smoothed things over. I'm going to save my money so I can spend a few days in St. Louis to see him during the summer." Charnae said.
Dana smiled. "That's great. I'm sure he would love to see your face."
"Yeah, I know he would." Charnae smiled back.
-
"Why do you look so pretty?" Leon asked Charnae as he kissed her cheek. They met up in the cafe for lunch before they had to go to their next classes.
"Umm, I'm wearing sweatpants and a hoodie." Charnae said as she looked down at her outfit. "And my hair's not done."
"You're still fucking gorgeous." Leon told her.
Charnae couldn't help but blush. "Thank you, Leon."
"You're welcome. May I have a kiss, beautiful?" Charnae smiled as she leaned in and kissed his lips a few times. "Thank you, baby. What you in the mood for?"
"I'm not sure." Charnae replied. "But I do want to talk to you about something."
"What's up?" Leon asked.
Charnae sighed. "Things between us are getting pretty serious and I just want to make sure we're on the same page." She stated. "I know you're a man and you have needs. We share a certain level of intimacy with each other, which is great and I like it that way—but I do know you're experienced with sexual intimacy and you crave it, but I don't due to my incident. I just want you to be aware so that way I'm not holding you back from getting something that you crave."
Leon chuckled. "I had a sense that you're not interested in sex right now—especially after what that bastard did to you. What we share is more than enough for me and I'm comfortable with where we are and where we're going. I'm not gonna lie—I do get horny at times, but I know how to control myself. Besides, I enjoy being celibate for the time being. My relationship with Ivy was mainly based on sex, so having someone like you is refreshing. It feels like we're connecting mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and that is the best feeling on earth. I love it here."
Charnae smiled widely. "I love it here too. Thank you for understanding."
"Thank you for expressing. I'm glad we had this conversation." Leon replied.
"Me too."
-
Leon furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his Apple Watch. DJ was calling him for the fifth time within an hour. He was out of school already so Leon wasn't skeptical, but Leon did tell him his class schedule.
Leon stepped out of class and answered his phone. "What's up? You good?" Leon asked.
"My fucking mama!" DJ cried.
Leon began to worry. "What's wrong?"
"Sh—she left this note and all of her things are gone. She abandoned us, man!"
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