At 17, Candyce's small worldview is maginifed when her big brother, Ace, invites her into his world as punishment. Ace may have been an overbearing big brother at home, but in the streets he was feared and respected as a young drug dealer, proving h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter 27
It's a Tuesday-- almost a week after my conversation with Simon--when my bladder wakes me out of my sleep. I wipe the crust out of my eyes as I slip on my pink house slippers. I navigate my way through the pitch darkness of my room, feeling for the door handle. The hallway is just as dark, and even more quiet. The only sound travels from the crack in my doorway where the ceiling fan hums lowly.
Lucky for me, the bathroom we all share is wedged between Paryis & I's rooms. I walk the familiar path to the bathroom, careful to lift my feet instead of sliding them in case Paryis or Simon were actually in their beds for once.
I'm on and off the toilet quick enough that if I'm lucky, I might be able to fall into my same dream. I don't remember much about it but I know it wasn't reality and that's good enough for me. Any time my subconscious went on leave was a good night's sleep for me and tonight was one of those nights.
After sluggishly drying my hands with a grey towel hanging by the sink, I'm ready to collapse back into bed. My fingers brush over the light switch while I use my other hand to pull the door open.
I didn't expect to see anyone woke this early in the morning, except maybe Paryis. But the dark figure standing in front of me now isn't my 4ft 5in little sister. There's also no teddy bear in its right hand that would indicate that Paryis had grown a feet and a half over night. The only thing I can make out in the dark is the outline of a gun.
I bite down on the scream rising in my throat. The last thing I need is someone to hear and come running to my defense. That would include more of us getting hurt than it has to. I'm scared silent as I move backwards into the bathroom. My fingers frantically search for the light. The person moves towards me, and in the knick of time, the light from the bathroom switches on.
"What the fuck you doing, Candy?"
It takes a few sharp intakes of breath to pair Simon's voice with his face. There are worry lines etched into his forehead and his bushy eyebrows are pulled together. Also, what I thought was a gun in his hand, turns out to be his iPhone, trapped inside a bulky, black Outerbox case.
"Fuck, Simon!" I huff out.
"Whatchu doing?" He asks again.
I place both hands on my knees.
It's just Simon. It's just Simon, I tell myself. Still, it takes Simon stepping into the bathroom and looking me in my face for me to steady my heart rate. I push his hands off my shoulders, standing up straight.
"I'm okay," I say.
Simon eyes me suspiciously. I roll my eyes at him.
"What the fuck you doing up anyway?" I ask him.
"Calvin called. He said his block was moving slow. They was getting two or three sales an hour but it's been quiet the last thirty minutes. He's on his way to pick me up so I figured I'd wait for him outside so he ain't blowing no horn, waking Mama up and shit," Simon says.
