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The following evening, Sonjay left her classroom after staying late to prepare the quiz for the next day.
She went downstairs and reached the double-doors that led to the parking lot when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Someone there?” She glanced around, seeing no one. “Elias?” she called the janitor’s name. “Elias, is that you?”
“Nope.” Zayden slumped from around the corner, smoking a cigarette.
Sonjay dropped her arms, her purse and book bag slipping on her shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the wall, his stare moving from her face to her toes. “It sure is hot tonight, isn’t it?” He smirked. “When is it not hot in Thompsonville? Lived here my whole life and still ain’t used to this heat.”
“What do you want, Zayden? How did you get in here?”
“Same as you.” His eyes turned into slits. “I walked in.”
She straightened her bags on her arm. “You have no right to be here.”
He pulled the cigarette from his lips. “What are you doing here so late?”
“I’m giving a test tomorrow and I wanted to get it ready.” She turned to the door. “Bye, Zayden—”
“Hold on.” He skipped up behind her. “Just gonna leave in the middle of a conversation? That’s not polite.”
“Get out of my face.”
He slipped in between her and the door.
She swallowed, moving back.
“My best friend is gone forever because of your sister.”
“You mean Nate?” She scoffed. “I’m glad he’s dead.”
He grimaced, taking another hit of his cigarette. “That’s a fucked up thing to say.”
“It’s true. He did a horrible thing then took the easy way out. Now get out of my way. I need to get home.”
“You ain’t going nowhere.” He laid against the door, crossing his arms. “Nate was like a brother. We grew up together.”
“And?”
“He’d be here if it weren’t for your troublemaking sister.”
“What the hell did Channing do? He hit her daughter. What about that are you missing or are you that dumb?”
He licked his lips. “You’re pretty.”
She took restrained breaths. “Move.”
“Nope.” He grabbed her wrist. “We need to talk.”
“Let go of me.” She jerked her hand, her bags falling off her shoulder again. “Let me go, Zayden.”
“My buddy is dead and Channing’s just walking around like she owns the place. I don’t like that shit.”
“Let...me...go.”
“She has to pay.” He grinned, clawing at her wrist. “I’ll make her.”
“You better not. You even look at my sister the wrong way and I’ll kill you.”
He laughed, stomping out his cigarette on the floor. “I love it. That fire.”
“Get out of my way.”
He grabbed her other wrist, and she screamed. “Bet you’re something in the sack, huh? Klein’s a lucky man.”
“Zayden.” She tried to fight him off as he pushed her against the wall. “Are you crazy?” She panted. “There are cameras all over this place.”
He pressed against her, blowing his breath in her face.
She turned her head, and he snatched her chin, forcing her eyes on his.
“What do you want?”
“I could hurt Channing but that’s too obvious.” His menthol breath filled the space between them. “I learned a long time ago that to get the point across to someone, you go through people they care about.” He touched her hair.
“There’s a store across the street and a bus stop right outside that stays crowded. If I scream, everyone will hear me.”
He breathed harder, stroking her arms. “You’re something for a nigger. Anyone ever tell you that?”
She raised her hand to hit him but he grabbed it, bending her arm.
“Ow!”
“Hit me, Sonjay?” He made that tapping sound with his teeth. “I don’t think you wanna do that.”
“If you hurt me, your ass won’t get away with it.”
He thrust his chin out, biting the corner of his lip. “Is that right?”
“It’s damn right. If you’re dumb enough to fuck with a woman who is engaged to the mayor’s chief of staff, then go ahead.”
He let her go, frowning.
“Guess I was wrong.” Sonjay fixed her bags on her shoulder. “Maybe you have brains after all.”
“You and your family should be careful.” He shrugged, walking to the doors. “Wouldn’t want what happened to Presley to happen to any of you too.”
****
“I can’t believe he’s gone.” Jimmy Lou sat on the cooler on Zayden’s porch the next day. “How could he do it, man? Why wouldn’t he come to us and tell us how he was feeling?”
“Had no fight left in him.” Tilly smoked his joint. “We can’t judge. I mean, if we’d gone through what he did, we might’ve done the same thing.”
“We gotta do something.” Zayden rocked on the porch swing, dragging his feet against the planks. “Nate was our brother. He didn’t have to go out like that and for what? Because Channing Mills started a race war? They make me sick. Always whining about race but using it as an excuse every time you turn around.”
“They call us racists because we call it like we see it.” Morris nodded. “But, the blacks are the ones always playing the victim. Shit, Nate didn’t mean to hit that girl; but they’d never admit they’ve been wrong the whole time.”
“My aunt’s a mess.” Jimmy Lou scratched through his beard. “Nate was her baby. The only thing she lived for and now she got nothing.”
“It’s time,” Zayden said. “What happens next won’t be an accident.”
Morris gestured for Jimmy Lou to get off the cooler and pass him a beer. “What are you talking about?”
“If the Mills want a war we’ll give them one,” Zayden said. “Nate’s death won’t be in vain. We gotta fight in his memory.” His jaws swelled as he fought the urge to let loose. “Nate deserves justice and we’ll show everyone how wrong those arrogant niggers are.”
Tilly sucked the joint, squinting. “What’s on your mind, Z?”
As he leaned forward to explain, Dex’s gleaming black Porsche cruised up the dusty driveway, stopping behind Zayden’s truck.
“Aw, fuck.” Zayden sighed. “What the hell does he want?”