Being inside Carrington Park and witnessing the spectacle of the Theater in the Park event, I have to admit, this is fire. The girls did their thing with all the decorations and other pieces speckled throughout the park. I wonder what other talents my girlfriend has in her tool bag to be able to put something this large together.
I remember the conversations after Zahra and the rest of the girls handled different tasks to get things completed, and I had to do my best to calm her down. Chrisette whittled her nerves raw, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Zahra needed a break from her and, by indirect extension, Ian.
My creator’s eye absorbs every aspect of the location, and I beam with pride over her attention to detail. From the various large movie screens that are showing at least five different movies to the marked rows and the specific spaces that were created to protect each viewer’s line of sight, I couldn’t find anything I would alter to improve the atmosphere. How in the world they pulled this together in such a short period of time, I’ll never know.
Zahra and I stroll arm-in-arm through the park, waving to familiar faces, stopping to speak to others as they’re all jockeying for a position in front of whatever screen shows the movie they want to see. The concession stands have a relative number of people in line, the volunteers coming from Oakwood Grove High, and, in a surprise move, Baytown High also came through to pitch in for the special occasion. The proceeds from the event, as agreed upon by Mayor Lance, will benefit both schools to improve their respective campuses.
All in all, everything is running with an efficiency that keeps the adults quiet and happy.
“So, do you like?” Zahra asks as she wraps her arm around mine, leaning over close enough to sneak a kiss on my cheek. “I know you have something that you would change.”
“Nope, I’m not changing anything at all.” I scan over the entire landscape, smiling at everything they’ve created. “It all looks so good. I could stay here all night.”
Zahra taps my chin to get my undivided attention. “Are you sure you want to be here all night, my handsome one?”
I blush at the not-so-subtle hint. We really haven’t had a moment to ourselves in a while. “Well, not all night, all night, but you get what I mean. We can at least stick around long enough for one movie. This is your pride and joy of an event, you know.”
“Good recovery. Besides, I’ve had enough of people this whole week.” Zahra kisses my cheek again, then we continue our walk-through. “Specific people especially. Ugh.”
“I thought that was supposed to be my thing. You know, not wanting to be around a lot of people?” I chuckle at her smirk.
“After dealing with Chrisette over the past couple of days, I really don’t want to have to deal with her tonight.” Zahra looks more fatigued than usual, and that worries me. Maybe we should head home so we can both recharge. “I almost wanted to choke her out last night because we couldn’t agree on the final movie listing. Between that, getting ambushed into working with her in the first place, and enduring her passive-aggressive shots at me the entire time, if she so much as looks in my direction, it’s gonna be a problem.”
“You said it yourself, baby, all we have to do is stay out of their way, and we can get through the night in one piece.” I return her kiss on my cheek with a kiss across her lips. “Now, let’s find the rest of the crew and camp out so we can have some fun tonight.”
We meander through the crowds, bypassing the screens playing movies we want to watch later, spotting our group in the area where we preplanned to meet up. There are others around them, but I don’t mind the extra company tonight. I feel good about the way things are going, so much so that I tell Gamba to keep a minimal watch over things in the background.
“There are too many people around, and we still have unresolved issues with Ian that have not been handled. I cannot see taking the night off. Having you defenseless is not what is warranted,” Gamba says.
“I understand, but I have to be able to have fun sometimes. I can’t be in a constant state of emergency.”
Gamba moves from the shadows and into my sight. “You can have fun, but I will keep an eye out for other threats. I have a feeling that things are not entirely safe here. There are too many spaces where people can cause problems. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“Okay, old man, I hope you’re wrong, but I can’t tell you to stand down.”
We finally find our spot already laid out for us where we’re greeted by Kendyl and Kyle first, dropping into the space between them and our other friend Taylor and his date, Tania.
“Has anyone been able to track where Ian and his crew has settled?” I ask the group. “We want to stick to the plan to keep things peaceful tonight.”
“I saw them a while ago outside one of the other movies,” Taylor says as he settles back in place with Tania. “They’re chilling out over there, so we have a couple of hours at least to enjoy the rest of this movie before we move to another screen.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.” I welcome Zahra to sit in my lap as the movie continues. “What else have we missed?”
“Thankfully, nothing,” Kendyl tells us. “It’s been pretty smooth for the most part. Even the adults have been relaxed. Kyle’s dad and Mayor Lance, though…they’ve been eyeballing each other all night, but I think that has a lot to do with the constant power struggle.”
“Yeah, they don’t like each other. That’s never been a secret in this town,” Kyle adds as he sneaks a glance in his father’s direction. “It’s like my dad has something on him that he can use at any given moment. I’d love to know what that is so I can hang it over Ian’s head. He’s gotten bolder since we got back from minicamp.”
That part has my attention. “What’s going on, bro? I don’t want it to sound like it’s all about me all the time when it comes to that dude, but I don’t have a choice but to wonder.”
“My uncle is one of the sheriffs working the case of those boys who got assaulted at the game against Beach Creek,” Taylor says. “They’re comparing notes with some claw marks the Oakwood sheriffs found when those Baytown boys got hurt. They still think it’s an animal attack of some sort, but they can’t figure out what type of animal fits the claw marks.”
I tense up, causing Zahra to turn to face me. I give her a subtle shake of my head, silencing her before she can ask a question. “So they still don’t really know what’s going on at this point, got it. What does this have to do with Ian?”
“He’s still on you, thinking that you’re the one responsible for the attacks,” Taylor told him. “The reports from the victims said they saw a flash of light before whatever attacked them showed up. They still don’t know what happened to them. All they know is that when they finally woke up, you were nowhere to be found, and they were in the hospital.”
“Which reminds me, no one’s still not saying much of anything about that night to anyone,” Kyle recalls. “Do you know what happened or what they were talking about? I mean, they were trying to hurt you bad, they were wrong as fuck for that, but something saved your ass.”
Gamba stirs while in his nonhuman form, scratching against my conscious mind. “The less they know, the better, Ya-Ya. This isn’t the time or place to have that conversation. We can sit them down after we have a conversation with Zahra.”
“She deserved to know long before now, Gamba,” I scoff at him, kneeling as I scan over his paws and teeth. I feel the aggression, but it’s not needed. Not tonight. “We need to tell her later tonight. Keeping her and Imara in the dark is a bad move.”
I turn my attention back to Kyle. “The last thing I remember was blacking out. One of them had a lead pipe in his hand, so I can only assume that I got hit over the head or something,” I explain away as much of my appearance as possible, even if it does sound thin as hell. “When I woke up, I saw them on the ground and bugged out of there. You know how this town is, bro. I would have gotten blamed for whatever happened because I was the one standing and they were the ones hurt instead of me.”
“Yo, no need to get defensive, Yasir, for real. We’re on your side.” Kyle holds up his hands. “My dad is repping you against anything they might be trying to pull, so that’s gotta mean something, right?”
I move my gaze from Kyle to Taylor, trying to get a gauge of their expressions, unsure of what to believe. Even the comforting glances from Kendyl and Tania aren’t enough to assure me that I’m not being ganged up on.
Kendyl adds to the supportive voices to keep me calm. “Yasir, look, we know you were the victim. There’s no doubt about that. You’re right, this town is screwed up with the way it treats certain people. We got you, but more importantly, my best friend has you. That’s all that matters right now.”
I’m breathing a bit slower now. I check my watch and then up toward the screen before I tap Zahra’s shoulder. “I’m gonna get some drinks, baby. Do you want anything else while I’m up?”
Zahra grabs my hand, stopping me before I can get to my feet. “Do you think it’s a good idea for you to roll around like nothing has happened? What about what Mr. Channing told you? You’re taking a chance of dealing with Ian and something going wrong.”
The answer to her question comes in the form of a voice I never expected to hear nor faces I expected to see at all. “Don’t worry, Zahra, he’s still got Squad, and Squad takes care of its own.”
Hearing Dante’s voice freezes me in seconds. They couldn’t have possibly dropped into town without a heads-up. “Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot!” I shout more out of reflex than anything, but I have more profane words that threaten to flow out of my mouth.
I rise to my feet so fast it almost makes me dizzy. Kyle and Taylor are on their feet, too, not recognizing the group of people who just pop into our area without much of an invitation.
But my Day One never needs an invitation, not when it comes to his “little brother.”
I stare him down, noticing Malik and Caleb in the background, standing behind Alyssa and Dominique. I notice the formation they’re in, and I don’t know whether to add fuel to the tension or to defuse the situation. I choose the latter, wondering why he’s down here in the first place. “Long time, no hear from, big bro. I thought you were waiting for me to call you when I wanted to talk.”
“That was before Nana told us you were almost murked before we had a chance to make things right.” Dante moves in close enough to tap fists and give me a hug. “I wouldn’t have been good with you being gone and saying what I needed to say to a gravestone.”
Kyle steps in, glaring at Dante, waving a finger at Malik and Caleb when they try to move in to protect him. “Yo, Yasir, are these your folk from the A who turned their backs on you?”
Dante frowns, switching his gaze between me and Kyle. “I have a feeling you’ve been hilariously misinformed. We never turned our backs on him, but there were some things that needed to be cleared up.”
“I’m never misinformed when it comes to my boys,” Kyle barks as he moves closer to Dante. I don’t want to get between them, and I plan to let things play out, but if I need to get a little rough and tumble, neither one of them will be left standing. “And how do you think you know me, playa?”
“Because my Day One told me about all of you,” Dante announces. “He told me that you’ve been his aces down here. On the real, you’ve had his back, and I appreciate you looking out.”
“It’s obvi we’ve been looking out better than you have.” Kyle focuses on Malik and Caleb the whole time. “Enough with the pleasantries. Why are you here?”
“I wanted to come and apologize,” Alyssa steps in front of Dante, causing Zahra to stand up to slow her approach into my personal space. “I was so pissed at you, and when I saw Zahra, I saw red. That’s not fair to you when you tried to do everything in your power to keep things as friends between us. And after we heard what happened with the boat—I just couldn’t have that on my conscience.”
Is she serious right now? Things have been icy for weeks, and now she wants to clear things up? A piece of me considers hauling off and cracking all three boys’ jaws for playing me like I allowed Alyssa or myself to be compromised. The other pieces of me are relieved that they even took the effort to come down here and find me.
“I appreciate that, real talk. I’m still salty that it took y’all this long to get at me.” I sigh, battling my conflicted emotions, badly wanting to choose violence. Doing it in public, though…not a good look at all. “You’re still like family to me, and I’d never turn my back on family. But since you’re here, you might as well have a seat and get to know my folk down here.”
“You’re right, Ya-Ya. And yeah, we’re cool with doing that, if your people don’t mind?”
“Yeah, have a seat. If Yasir says you’re cool, then you’re good with us.” Kyle and Taylor make some space for them to sit down. “This is my girl, Kendyl, and TK’s girl, Tania.”
“Okay, so now that that’s settled, I’m going to go grab those drinks.”
“Baby, I’d feel better if one of us was with you.” Zahra presses the issue. “For real, we don’t know what to expect right now.”
“I’ll be okay, I promise,” I repeat, pointing at the concession stand. “See, direct line to the spot and back. You can keep an eye on me the entire time, but Ian’s not stupid enough to start something with all these witnesses around.”
I kiss Zahra’s lips and hop up before she can offer up another protest. In the next minute, I’m already in line to grab the bottled drinks.
“You know, she was right. We are taking a risk without backup.” Gamba peeks through my eyes, scanning through to ensure no continuous threats surround us.
“We’re good, godfather. I made sure to keep things on a swivel the entire way here. There are two other people in front of us, and we’ll be back before we know it.” I wonder why my nyxwraith insists on creating trouble where none exists. “What’s with the heightened alarms all of a sudden? Besides, my Squad is here, too. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Because you were right; things got out of hand during that incident in the parking lot. We have to be more careful and keep a cooler head.”
“Well, we can keep the cooler head, starting Monday. We still have other events to attend, and things will be okay.” I approach the window to place the drink order and pay. I turn for a minute to check on Zahra and the rest of the crew before I circle back to get the bottles, realizing they’re back to the movie. “Which reminds me, I’ll probably need you to make yourself scarce later tonight. I’ll need privacy until morning, once we’re safe at home.”
I turn to walk back to the movie when I bump into someone and drop the bottles to the ground. I frown as the person I collided with remains in my personal space. Anger radiates through me. “Yo, you didn’t see me… Damn, I’m not in the mood for you or any of your clique, my boy.”
When I look up, I take in his school colors and realize I’m in trouble. Jordin stands mere inches from my face with his hands balled tight. “Well, whether you’re in the mood or not, you’re about to deal. You can bet that, playa.”
Before I can find a way around Jordin and clear out, the other boys from that first encounter, Mark and Reggie, show up quick and close out my escape routes. I size up yet another potential situation that I’m probably not gonna get out of, and the only option I have available would expose me.
Gamba springs to life, trying to get through to me. “Don’t let them bait you, kiddo. We have to find a way out of this mess ASAP before something bad happens.”
“I’m open to ideas, and I don’t wanna hear, ‘I told you so,’ either.” I don’t even bother to pick up the bottles I dropped. I can’t afford to have either of them get the drop on me. If anything, I’m doing my level best to get anyone’s attention. “If we don’t, I’m gonna have to make a scene.”
“Well, well, well, I didn’t think you’d have been stupid enough to roll out in public knowing what you have over your head, Yasir,” Jordin utters. “I guess you aren’t as smart as I thought you were.”
“What in the hell do you want now, my boy?” I keep my tone as even as possible, but I can’t avoid the adrenaline spiking. It won’t be long before Gamba makes his presence known to everyone around us. “Am I making you nervous now? You got all this backup like you’re worried I might get the best of you…again.”
“Don’t antagonize them, Yasir. They may trigger something we can’t control. We need to get your friends’ attention.”
Gamba’s right, and I know it. While no one is looking, I press the preset button on my phone to call Zahra and pray she hears what’s going on so she can get my boys over here ASAP. As soon as I hear her say hello through my ear buds, I’m back to being the eye of a storm that I didn’t create. I know she’ll sense my agitation. I just hope it’s not too late.
“Man, you’re really feeling yourself these days, I see.” Jordin’s smirk widens to a sinister smile. “That’s okay, I actually want you to act up a bit tonight. All these people around, they’ll get to see who you really are.”
“Do us all a favor, bro, and split with your crew.” I cut my eyes toward Zahra, and I see something that gives me the chance to stall these boys out just long enough to make things very interesting. “Oh, I get it, you want me to throw the first punch so you can say it was self-defense, right? Not gonna happen. I got better things to do than to get arrested over something else I didn’t do.”
Ian shows up with Eric and some of their teammates. Great. It’s a party now, for real. “Yo, Yasir, what seems to be the trouble?”
I let out a growl that slows everyone down for a moment. My attention remains fixed on Ian. “Step away now. This one doesn’t concern you.”
“Nah, bro, these Baytown boys need to understand they’re in hostile territory,” Ian balks at my request. He’s making things worse, and he doesn’t even know it. “If these boys need to be reminded, we have no problems knocking it up across their heads.”
“What, my guy? You’re running your mouth when he had to bail your ass out. What are you gonna do?” Jordin taunts us as he moves into my personal space, close enough to point a finger in my face. “What can you do? You lay a finger on me and you’re going to jail for assault.”
I close my eyes, feeling the heat resonating through me, and I allow every ounce of fury to rise to the surface. I no longer care what happens; all I want is for everything to burn. When I open them, everything I see has a dark crimson hue. “I’ll give you one last warning. Walk away. Go and enjoy the night. What happens next will be on your heads.”
“Put this man out of his misery, boys,” Jordin commands the other boys around him. “He wants the smoke.”
“If you know Diablo like we know Diablo, you’d be thanking God for your life, playa. If he really wanted to choose violence, you wouldn’t be standing right now,” Dante chimes in as he, Kyle, Taylor, Caleb, and Malik all surround the Baytown crew. “Since you swear you know him as well as the information your plug provided, then you should know that you need to raise up before something bad happens to you.”
When I say I’m grinning like I just won the light heavyweight boxing title right now?
I take a step in their direction, baring my teeth long enough to allow my fangs to jut out, watching as the group takes a collective step away from me. “I’d listen to my brother if I were you. He doesn’t like repeating himself, and neither do I.”
Jordin looks around him, realizing that the odds are no longer in his favor, along with the commotion that the scene has attracted, and he sneers at me with every bit of malice in his heart. He backs away from the rest of us. “Sooner or later, you’re gonna get caught slipping, and I’m gonna be there when it happens.”
They slink away before any of the security officers or the OGPD can come through and break things up. Not that there would be anything left for them to break up. Just saying.
I don’t bother with a response. They’re not worth it.
“You good, bro?” Dante taps fists with me as I nod toward the rest of the boys. “Do we need to do a sweep and make sure the place is sanitized?”
“Nah, I think they’ll stay away from us for the rest of the night.” I’m still trying to calm down. My body is vibrating and in fight mode, even though there is no threat. I quickly turn inward, assuring Gamba that I’m okay and that we’ll talk about things once we get home. “They honestly thought they had the numbers on us. That’s the only reason they came at me.”
“Yeah, nah, something’s off with them, and I’m not entirely sure Ian was there to have your back, either,” Kyle says to me. “I’m really starting to wonder if we need to keep a sharper eye on things the rest of the weekend.”
Before I can respond to Kyle’s concerns, Zahra jumps into my arms, with the rest of the girls following her into the middle of the group. In the next minute, she punches my arm. “That’s for not listening to me and almost getting yourself caught up and scaring me.”
I rub the spot, even though she didn’t hit me hard. “I promise, it wasn’t on me this time. I didn’t even know they were going to be here.”
“I’m not worrying about that right now. We’re still here to have fun for the rest of the night,” Kendyl announces. She takes Kyle’s hand and pulls him back in the direction of our area. “Get whatever you gotta get so we can make sure that happens, and the next time your girl says you need backup, listen to her, okay?”
Ugh, I’m not gonna live this one down at all. I turn my attention to Zahra, and I can’t resist kissing her forehead and hugging her tight. “I’ll do my best to keep something like this from happening any time soon. Forgive me?”
She kisses my lips a few times, caressing the spot she just hit with every bit of care she can muster. “You’re forgiven. Now, can we get back to our spot so we can finish the movie? I was kinda enjoying Kraven the Hunter before you decided to get into trouble.”