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“But something was off,” I said. “I felt it.”

Destiny shrugged. “Then watch.”

I looked at her.

“Don’t ask Xay again. Don’t ask Avery. Don’t start acting weird around Samantha. Just shut the fuck up and watch.”

That actually made sense.

Because if nothing was going on, eventually I’d realize I was reaching.

But if something was?

People always fucked up when they thought nobody was paying attention.

4

AVERY, LEVIN & SAMANTHA

AVERY

Thursday morning, me and Ebony were sitting inside Parkway Grill on Central Ave eating breakfast like neither one of us had somewhere we were supposed to be.

Everybody came to Parkway.

The food was good, the prices were low, and the old man who owned the place only took cash, which everybody joked was because that nigga hadn’t paid taxes since Obama first got elected.

Whatever.

As long as my breakfast stayed under twenty dollars, that was between him and the IRS.

I scooped some cheese grits onto my fork, broke off a piece of fried fish and shoved both into my mouth.

Ebony sat across from me eating home fries covered in hot sauce.

“Bitch, you need to leave that scrub-ass nigga alone and get back with Keith.”

I scoffed.

Eb couldn’t stand Xay.

At all.

Not because he’d ever done anything to her personally.

She couldn’t stand his ass because he was married to my fucking sister.

And fucking me.

Simple.

“Bitch, please. Keith ain’t shit.”

Ebony’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

She looked at me like I’d leaned across the table and spit directly into her food.

“And XAVIER IS?”