I. Lost. It.
“Don’t tell me to calm down. My ex-boyfriend came here and threatened my boyfriend and his family with a gun. A gun, Miss Hampstead. Mrs. Bennet was shot and everything is falling apart around me and I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to deal with that.” My chest heaved as I purged all the frustration and anger and fear and heartache.
Asher didn’t need to tell me what, deep down, I already knew.
Regardless of what happened to his mom, we were over.
There would always be a part of him that would blame me, just like there would always be a part of myself that blamed me. We couldn’t move on from that. Even if we did work through it and find our way back to one another, it would always be there. Festering in the background like a wound that refused to heal. Spreading bigger over time. Its poison slowly bleeding into everything around it.
“Here.” She pushed the tissue box toward me. “Feel better?”
“A little, I guess.” I gave her a half-hearted shrug, surprised at how much lighter my chest felt.
“You need to talk, Mya. If not to me, then a friend or your aunt. You’ve been through a lot, and it isn’t over yet.”
“I know.”
The police would want me to testify against Jermaine. I was a crucial witness. But testifying against him could make me a target again. Especially if the police used his gang affiliations to build their case.
“My door is always open, whatever you decide. And try to remember that when people judge you, Mya, it says more about their character than yours.”
“Is that your way of saying we’re done?” I managed a tentative smile, and Miss Hampstead chuckled.
“I have a feeling we’ve dug deep enough today. I know this is hard and things feel like they’ll never fix themselves right now, but you will get through this.”
“Thanks.” Grabbing my bag, I stood up and steeled myself for class. Because something told me if I wanted to survive the next few weeks at school, I was going to need all the strength I could get.
“Hey, Mya,” Cameron jogged up beside me as I was heading out of school. It had been a relief when the final bell rang and I could escape the constant whispers and stares.
“Hey.” This wasn’t awkward, at all.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“I was going to walk home but I wouldn’t say no to a ride.” It was cold out and thanks to a diet of saltine crackers and milk, my energy levels were low.
“Come on.” Cameron smiled, leading the way to his car. “Ladies first.” The passenger door swung open and he motioned for me to get in.
“I can see why Hailee loves you.”
“I try.” He chuckled, moving around to the driver’s side
. “How are you holding up?” Cameron asked as he drove out of the parking lot.
“I’m not going to lie; it’s been a tough few days.”
“You know, I talked to him, tried to make him see this is not your fault.”
“You didn’t need to do that.” My voice quivered but I forced down the tears. I’d cried enough.
“Yeah, I did. Asher needs you, Mya. More than he knows right now. Something’s different with him this semester. He’s... distant and closed off and I sense this building tension between him and his dad. At first, I thought it was just about you. But then he told us he wasn’t going to commit to the Panthers and something didn’t fit. Jason’s right, football was always the dream. Maybe me and Ash don’t stand a chance of going pro like Jase but it’s still in our blood.”
“Why are you telling me all this, Cameron?”
“Because I know he’s pushing you away and I know you’re probably going to let him. And I get it, I do. But what the two of you have, it deserves to be fought for.”
“I can’t be the only one fighting though.” My head dropped back against the seat, a harsh breath leaving my lips. “You know everyone told me he’d hurt me. My aunt, my friends back home, even Miss Hampstead warned me about getting involved with a Raider.”
“You’re talking like you’ve already given up.” His heavy gaze burned into the side of my face but I didn’t look at him.