Jamal West’s life had been completely upended, and he wasn’t even eight years old yet.
He grabbed the headrest in front of him and stared out the window as his aunt LaLa turned onto a street lined with trees and flowers visible beneath the fancy streetlights that lit the road. They crossed over a bridge spanning a lake that looked black in the dark. He wondered if ducks swam in the water. Or maybe alligators. Did they have those in Michigan? That would be so cool—though he didn’t want to get too close in case the gator was hungry. Little boys probably made tasty snacks. He’d seen them on television but never in person or even at a zoo. He’d never been to one before.
Jamal glanced at the buildings that were spaced far apart from each other. They were all made of steel and bricks, with lots of windows. Lala parked in front of one and turned off the engine.
“Where are we?”
“This area is called Rivertown. It’s one of the best places to live in the city. This is your new home.”
“For real?” It was so far beyond the run-down, graffiti-covered apartment complex he’d called home his entire life. “This is great. And it’s so big.”
“It is nice,” she agreed. “But only half the building is mine.”
“You mean someone else lives here?” She hadn’t told him about her roommate, but he’d slept on the short plane ride from Chicago and then again on the drive from the airport. The nightmare in his apartment and subsequent time spent in the hospital had worn him down. Not to mention worry for his friend and guilt that he’d been hurt badly. Thinking about the ordeal made Jamal’s stomach all wobbly. Declan had to be okay.
“Someone does live here, in a manner of speaking,” LaLa explained, snapping him from his dark thoughts. She waved a hand to encompass the area. “All the buildings around here are condominiums.”
His brows scrunched. “Cond-what-ems?” Wasn’t that what his brother Jamarcus called the box of balloon-type thingies Jamal found in his room? Man, Jamarcus had been so mad when he caught him blowing them up. He’d walloped Jamal so hard, his arm hurt for a week.
LaLa smiled. “Condominiums. That basically means it’s an apartment that I own.” She pointed to one side. “Mine is a duplex. That means I live in one side, and someone else lives in the other half.”
His mood brightened. “Do you know them?” Maybe they had a kid his age, and they could play together. Though he wasn’t particularly close with any of them, he would miss his friends from school and the community center back home. He hadn’t even had a chance to tell them goodbye. His mom either, for that matter, but she would’ve been too out of it to notice he was gone. She barely knew he existed anymore.
LaLa sighed. “I knew her. She was a caring woman, but she passed away recently. Her niece is clearing out her things to list the condo for sale. Oh, there she is now. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
Jamal unbuckled his belt and scrambled out of the car, reaching back to grasp his backpack. It was an instinct to grab for Yogi, his most prized possession in the world, but he’d left the stuffed bear with his friend, Declan Elliot. Declan had been hurt protecting Jamal from a bullet fired by Jamarcus. He still couldn’t believe his own brother tried to kill him. If that wasn’t bad enough, his mom hit Declan while he was lying on the ground. Jamal winced, remembering the sound of the bat connecting with his head. He knew he’d have nightmares about that for years. Declan was still in the hospital, and he hadn’t woken up yet. He wanted to beg Declan to forgive him for his family hurting him. Would he want to be his friend anymore, even if he apologized? That made the pain in his belly intensify and tears pool in his eyes.
He wanted to stay with Declan until he woke up, but LaLa came to take him home with her. She’d promised him for years that she’d find a way to get him away from his mother and brother. He’d thought about emailing her and telling her that Jamarcus was forcing him to join his gang, the Eighty-Sixers, but he didn’t get a chance. He didn’t even know she was coming for him until she showed up at the hospital. His swimming teacher from the community center, Peyton Durant, had called her without Jamal knowing. When LaLa heard what happened, she jumped on the first plane to Chicago to get him. As much as he wanted to stay with Declan, he couldn’t turn her down. She was practically the only family he had left. So, in his place, he tucked Yogi against Declan’s side, knowing Declan would take good care of his buddy, and Yogi would comfort him like he did Jamal.
Though it was dark outside, there were plenty of lights around, so it wasn’t scary, like at his old apartment. Sometimes when his mother had boyfriends over or when Jamarcus was looking for him, he’d sneak outside and sleep in the car. There were no lights to guide his path, so he ran as fast as he could and jumped into the back seat. His only source of comfort had been Yogi. He kept Jamal safe.
“Hey, Kenzie.”
He trotted to catch up with LaLa as she waved at a woman climbing out of a silver car. Whoa, she was almost as pretty as Peyton. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that swished back and forth as she walked. She stopped in front of them and smiled. Her eyes looked like the color of the sky in Chicago right before it snowed.
“Hi, LaTonya. Who’s this handsome fella?”
Jamal giggled and ducked his head. Handsome. Him? He could feel his cheeks heating.
LaLa clutched his shoulder. “This is my nephew Jamal. He’s going to be living with me now. Jamal, this is Kenzie Bryant.”
Kenzie held out a hand, and he shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Jamal. You’re lucky to be living with your aunt. She’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”
“I could say the same thing about you,” LaLa responded. “How’s the packing going?”
Kenzie blew out a breath, stirring the hair around her face. “Slow. My aunt was quite the pack rat.”
“Your aunt had rats, too? We had them at my apartment. Lots of them.” Some were as big as his shoe. They used to scare him, but he got used to them. He learned never to leave food in his room, and he always checked his sheets before climbing into bed. He’d even named a couple. They were the only pets he’d ever had.
His aunt and Kenzie looked at each other without saying anything. His head ping-ponged between them. “What?”
Kenzie shook her head. “What I meant was that my aunt liked to collect things, but she never got rid of them. We call someone like that a pack rat or a hoarder.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that television show. Some of those people are weird.”
“They are,” Kenzie agreed. “But my aunt wasn’t quite that bad.”
“I need to get Jamal settled into his new room, but you should come to dinner later this week,” LaLa told her.
“I’d love to. I’ll bring dessert.” With a wave, Kenzie walked up the sidewalk and entered through the door on the left side of the building.
“This is your new home.” LaLa guided him to the door and opened it with a key.
He stepped inside, his eyes rounding in awe. LaLa rambled on about ten-foot ceilings, private balconies, oak floors, and other things, but his attention was focused on the size. It looked huge. If he had a bicycle, he could ride around for hours. He’d always wanted a bike, and Peyton promised to buy him one, but then LaLa came for him. Maybe after he’d been with her for a few weeks, he’d ask her for one. Oh, and a puppy. He really wanted a dog.
The kitchen looked like one you’d find in a fancy restaurant with huge silver appliances. In the living room, the leather couch was shaped in an L, and the television was ginormous. Good grief, Spongebob Squarepants would be way bigger than him. There was even a fireplace. One Christmas, when his mother wasn’t completely out of it, she’d turned the television to a channel that showed a crackling fire for them to watch while they opened their few gifts, most of them from LaLa. This one was the real deal.
Sliding doors led to a back patio he couldn’t see in the dark. Would it be big enough for a dog to run around and play?
“I’ll show you the rest of the condo in the morning. It’s late, and you need to sleep.” LaLa guided him to a set of steps that looked like they were suspended in the air. “My room is over there.” She pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “And this is yours.” She stopped in front of another door and opened it.
Jamal dropped his backpack and turned in a circle. The room was as big as his entire apartment in Chicago. A bed that was easily three times the size of his old one looked super-comfy. The closet was massive.
“Your private bathroom is there.” She pointed to an open door where he could see a sink and shower. He had his own bathroom.
“I didn’t get a chance to do any special decorating for you yet, so after you rest up, we’ll go shopping, and you can pick out whatever you want.”
“All this is mine?” His voice came out in a whisper, and he wasn’t sure she’d hear him.
“It sure is,” LaLa confirmed.
Jamal couldn’t help it—he burst into noisy tears. He hadn’t wanted to leave Declan and Peyton and Noah and Ethan. They were his friends, and being around them was the only time he felt safe and happy. But LaLa was his family.
She hugged him tight as he bawled. “I’m not a baby,” he sobbed.
“I know you’re not. You’re tired, and you’ve been through an ordeal.” She leaned back to wipe the wetness from his cheeks. “Why don’t you lie down and get some sleep? Things will be better in the morning. I promise. After breakfast, we’ll shop.”
More tears flooded his cheeks. “I don’t have any money.”
“You do now.”
When he’d cried himself out, she stood and helped him to his feet. “Brush your teeth and climb into bed. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
LaLa bid him goodnight and closed the door behind her. He experienced a burst of panic. Even though she was just across the hall, he felt alone and afraid. He’d learned to hide when he heard his brother come home, either in his tiny closet or in the car. Maybe he could sleep on the floor of the big closet. Just for tonight…or until he got used to living in a new place.
After he washed his face and brushed his teeth, he carried his backpack inside the closet, turned the light on, and kicked off his shoes. He didn’t have many clothes. He found his Cars pajamas that LaLa sent him for his birthday and put them on. After stripping the bed of the comforter and a pillow, he curled up on the floor.
He fell asleep quickly, but his dreams were filled with images of Jamarcus coming after him, first with a gun and then a bat, and Declan getting hurt and covered in blood. Jamal gasped awake when he heard someone calling his name and shot up. He was tangled in the blanket and confused. For a moment, he forgot where he was and started to scream when LaLa stopped in the doorway.
“There you are.”
Air rushed from his lungs, and he felt his cheeks heat again. He didn’t want his aunt to think he was a scaredy-cat crybaby. She might send him back to live with his mom.
“Do you feel safe in here?” she asked kindly.
He almost lied, but he always felt terrible telling a fib, so he answered truthfully. “Yes. I used to hide from Jamarcus when he came looking for me or from my mom’s male friends.”
LaLa’s face clenched for a moment, and he was afraid she was mad at him. He almost apologized when she asked, “Are you hungry? I made pancakes.”
“Pancakes are only my most favorite breakfast.”
“It’s a good thing I made a bunch, then. Get dressed and come on down so I can feed you.”
He used the bathroom and threw on his clothes as quickly as possible. His stomach growled the entire time, and he couldn’t get downstairs fast enough. LaLa loaded his plate with golden brown pancakes and crispy bacon. She poured him a glass of chocolate milk, and he was in Heaven. He couldn’t remember the last time his mom made him pancakes. She didn’t use to be so bad, but she kept getting worse. He wasn’t stupid and knew she used drugs. She always had, but now she barely functioned. He tried to help her, but she yelled at him, and one of the men who came around threatened him and said to mind his own business. Jamal kinda thought his mom was his business, but what did he know? He was just a kid.
LaLa made phone calls while he scarfed down the food. He barely remembered chewing. He practically inhaled everything she put in front of him. Then they loaded in her car and drove to a shopping mall. He tried to protest at all the clothes and items she bought for him, but she insisted. She purchased a television for his room and a computer. He’d never had one of his own before. He had to either use ones at school or the community center or sneak into Jamarcus’ room when he was gone. They stopped in a phone store, and she added him to her plan and bought him an iPhone. She’d even let him have a Chicago Cubs comforter set. He was already floating on air when she guided him to a sporting goods store and led him to the bicycles section.
“Peyton wanted to make sure you had your own bike, so she asked me to let you pick out the one you want. She’s buying it for you.”
There were so many to choose from, and wow, he had a hard time deciding. He finally found the one he wanted and didn’t even care that it came with training wheels. The man from the store wheeled it out to LaLa’s car and helped her load it inside.
It felt like his birthday and Christmas, but times a gazillion.
When they returned home, Kenzie was waiting for them. She helped carry his new purchases to his room and set up his computer while LaLa stripped the bedding and replaced them with Cubby sheets. He couldn’t stop smiling.
“Why don’t you check out your closet,” LaLa said.
He opened the door, and his face scrunched. “What happened to it? It shrank.”
Kenzie slid around him. “This happened.” She did something that made a small opening appear as if by magic.
“Wow, that’s cool.” He glanced over at LaLa. “What is it?”
“Crawl inside and see for yourself.”
He dropped to his hands and knees and maneuvered through the opening to find a secret hidey-hole. There was a beanbag chair for him to sit on, a small bookshelf with a Lightning McQueen lamp, and even a tiny television. He had two TVs!
“There’s a light switch here.” Kenzie flicked it on to illuminate the space.
LaLa stuck her head beside Kenzie. “When you get scared, you have a place to hide that no one but you, me, and Kenzie know about.”
Tears burned his eyes. They’d made him a secret fort.
Now, if Declan would recover and still want to be his friend, his life would be perfect.