I hated that man. My knuckles itched to smash into his face.
I took Zuri to get a present for Miss Okolo and I told her I’d drop her off there so she could give it to her. I asked if she wanted me to take her home afterward but she declined. She didn’t want us being spotted driving around together.
She was right. We were already risking it driving to her mother’s house in broad daylight. “Let’s try to get together for New Year’s.” She held my hand in hers and I looked at the beautiful necklace I gave her on Christmas morning.
“Let me know the second you’re alone, okay?” I told her, tucking a lock of curls behind her ear.
“I will. Tell River I love him.”
“Okay.” I stared at her for a few beats before pulling her close to me so I could kiss her lips. Saying goodbye was hardest when I didn’t know when I’d see her again. She hurried to get out because she didn’t want to cry even though I saw the tears in her eyes.
Those pretty brown eyes.
We said I love you, and then I watched until her mother opened the door. From what I could see, she looked exactly like Zuri. It was striking. They looked like sisters. I pulled off when I saw her look around Zuri to see who’d dropped her off.
Since River was with my parents, I decided to go see Matt. We’d both been occupied with relationships even though he wasn’t in a space where he could say that he was with Eve. We decided to hang out at the bar since it had been so long.
The bartender with the chestnut hair and copper eyes served us our usual drinks, and I made sure to tip her. Matt made sure to stare at her. She was beautiful.
“You better not let Eve see you staring at the bartender like that,” I chuckled.
“Eve isn’t my girlfriend though. She’s a married woman.”
“Uh huh…whatever you say, Matt. Hey, did you know her maiden name was Moreau?”
“I did. All that money Palmer is so adamant about flaunting around is hers. Her family owns the entire neighborhood and a lot of others in town. That’s how come we’re able to sneak around the Moreau Estates when we can’t meet at her place.”
“Wow.” I shook my head and downed my drink. I needed it to wash away the sad look I saw in Zuri’s eyes once we said goodbye.
“Yeah, wow. How’s Zuri?”
“I just dropped her off at her mother’s house. She’s okay. We’re both ready for this shit to be over. I hate being away from her. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t know she was living with a verbally abusive asshole. I worry about her every fucking minute.” I waved over the bartender and motioned for another drink.
“Yeah, her dad is a dick.”
“You have no idea. He wasn’t even upset with me for possibly fucking his daughter. He was more upset that I refused to bend to his will and pass Zuri because her last name is Okolo.”
“I commend Zuri for not turning out to be an entitled little brat like her father. That’s all he is. He’s a brat in an adult’s body.”
“You’re right about that shit.”
“Man, it’s gonna be strange when the break is over and you’re not there anymore.”
“It is,” I nodded.
“What are you going to do? Do you have another job lined up?”
“Not exactly but Zuri posted one of my drawings on Instagram and it’s gone viral. I have commissions lined up for the next year. It’s amazing. There are some famous names on that list too. I’ll be good for a while. I’m not worried about money.”
“That’s amazing, Rome. I’m treating you to the next round of drinks.” He smiled and called over our bartender. “Can we have a round of whiskey sours? Keep them coming.”
“Whiskey sour? My kind of guys,” she winked at him and he grinned even harder, leaning forward a bit.
“Well, you sound like my kind of girl.” His eyes slid along her body and I shook my head. “What’s your name?”
“She’s married.” A deep voice rumbled from the other end of the bar. A huge tree of a man stood behind the bar, serving drinks with a grimace that could probably snap Matt in half. The smile dropped from his face and he cleared his throat.
“Oh…sorry, sir,” he stammered and I refused to let my laughter sit silently in my head. Matt frowned at me and I shrugged.
“Stop chasing married women, Matt.”
“How was I supposed to know she was married?” He whispered.
“The ring on her finger was a pretty clear indicator.” He ran a hand down his face when he realized the girl did indeed have on a ring. She was a good sport though. She brushed it off and continued serving us.
“Stick with Eve and stop trying to downplay your relationship by fucking other women.”
“Who said I was fucking other women?” He quizzed.
“I know you. I’ve been watching you. You don’t want to commit to Eve because she’s married…right?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“So how else are you supposed to push your feelings for her away?”
“By putting my dick where it doesn’t belong.”
“Yeah. Exactly.” His green eyes looked far away. Something else was on his mind.
“I saw Krissy over the break.” He knocked back the rest of his drink and I knitted my brows together while I listened.
“O…kay. How is she?”
“Fine. Perfect. She’s going through her own shit. We talked and went our separate ways. It’s crazy how the world works,” he looked at me and shook his head.
“How does the world work, Matt? I feel like you have something to get off your chest.”
“When I figure it all out, I’ll tell you, Rome. Right now though? Shit is too confusing to even begin.” I had to respect that even though I had a sneaking suspicion he was leaving out a huge chunk of his story. It was too disjointed. I let it go though.
We hung out at the bar, letting our buzz die down before driving anywhere. I think we both needed that. It was a release. Nobody else would understand the things we were dealing with. Even though I didn’t know everything Matt was dealing with sometimes being there helped people work through things.
**
“He’s home for New Year’s Eve.” Zuri’s eyes were wet with tears but not the sad, beautiful kind. The angry, fiery kind. Her expression matched my emotion. If I didn’t see her now, I had no idea when I would see her next. School started the day after New Year’s Day.
“Fuck,” I grumbled. “Why the hell is he home now? He’s never home with you.” The man was the most neglectful father I’d ever seen. It turned my stomach.
“I don’t know.” Zuri wiped her wet eyes with a frustrated growl. “When am I going to see you, Roman?” Her voice wobbled and I knew it killed her to be home alone with him and not with me and River.
My chest was tight. So tight it was hard for me to breathe. Like my mother said, Zuri was my peace. If she was miserable then I was no longer at peace. I was raging.
“We’ll find a way, princess. I swear. You trust me?” I asked her.
“Of course. I trust you with every breath I take, Roman.”
“Good. We’ll see each other, okay?” She nodded her head and then rushed off the phone because her father was coming. We didn’t even get to say I love you.
I didn’t know how, but I’d find a way to her…even if it was for a second. It was better than nothing at all.
**
Zuri
I spent New Year’s Eve in bed, curled up under my blankets, hating my father. Why did he have to be home? He wasn’t even doing anything. I heard a few people downstairs but I didn’t bother going down to socialize.
The only thing I wanted was to be with Roman and River, ringing in a new year. My father crumpled those plans like a piece of tissue paper though. I did get to blow Roman a kiss via Facetime but it wasn’t the same.
I stared at myself in the mirror once I was dressed in my uniform, ready for school. I hated going back to Aspen Grove. I didn’t want to look at the new
teacher or pretend to smile my way through the day.
Fuck the day.
The day sucked ass.
My father’s heavy fist pounded my bedroom door. He knocked like he was the cops until I swung it open in a flurry of anger. “What?” I snapped.
“Excuse me?” He chuckled bitterly. “Have you lost what little feeble mind you have?” I was so sick of my father and the way he talked to me.
“I’m not stupid. I’m just not in a good mood,” I said.
“I don’t care what kind of mood you’re in. You will respect me.”
“Why? What have you given me to respect?” I scoffed, grabbing my book bag. I was done bending to him. I was done letting him use me as a verbal punching bag.
“I am your father !” His face shook with anger. I rolled my eyes at him and tried to walk by but he snatched my hair in his fist and swung me back around to face him. “You will watch your goddamn mouth in my home!” His hand crashed into my face and I felt my lip split. The swelling started immediately. “Good. Your lip is busted. Go to school like that and show everyone how ugly and worthless you are. I was coming to tell you that you’d get your diploma today and I’d be there to take pictures with you this morning.
Well now, look at you,” he laughed. “Now your pictures will forever be a reminder of how fucking stupid you are. Go get in the truck go to school.”
“I can’t go to school like this!” I screamed. The pain in my lip was unbelievable.
“You can and you will.” He grabbed my neck and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe. Fear and rage pumped through me. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t fight my father. He was twice my size.
He shoved me along down the steps and pushed me out of the front door. Duke was waiting in the driveway, standing with the door open. When he saw me, his eyes grew wide and he rushed to my father. “What have you done, Adam?”
“Duke, don’t start. Do your goddamn job and stop with all your compassion for Zuri.” I crawled into the backseat, sobbing.
“You struck her and for what? This child has never done anything to deserve being treated the way you treat her! You said you would take it easy.”
“She infuriates me.”
“She is your child! I thought you were changing.” Duke’s voice softened and my tears dried up as I watched him step closer to my father. I ignored the stinging in my lip to stare at the two men in front of me.
“I can’t. Not when it comes to Zuri.”
“I can’t stand by and watch you hurt her. All I asked was for you to change. Maybe if you were honest about who you were then you wouldn’t have to hold in so much anger. It’s destroying you. It’s destroying us , Adam.” He turned away from my father and got in the truck, slamming the door behind himself.
I watched in the rearview mirror as my father jogged after the Escalade, calling out Duke’s name. “Duke…” I almost whispered. My lip throbbed every time I spoke. “Is my father the…situation you told me about?” He came to a red light and let his head drop.
“Yes, Zuri. I’ve been with Adam for four years now. It took three of those years for him to divorce your mother and I thought he was finally changing but…” He shook his head and continued to drive. My mind was reeling.
My father and Duke were lovers ?
What the actual fuck?
“I…I don’t understand,” I stammered. “How?”
“It’s not for you to understand. Just know that I do care very much about you and I’ve tried my best to help behind the scenes but I think you’re going to have to stay away from Adam. He’s not stable. He can’t do things like that. Hitting you is abuse and it’s wrong, Zuri.”
“I know,” I sniffled. While I listened to his kind words, I put out the SOS to Krissy.
“Do you want to go to school or would you like me to take you somewhere else. Maybe to see your art teacher?”
“No, Duke. Drop me off at school. I want to see Krissy first.” He gave me an earnest nod and told me he’d wait for me in the parking lot.
Luckily, there weren’t many students at the school yet. It was mostly teachers scarcely around. Krissy pulled up as I walked inside the school. I saw her park in the student parking lot. I held the door open for her as she ran over.
“What the fuck happened to your lip, Riri?” She pulled me into her arms and gave me a hug.
“My father lost his fucking mind and slapped me this morning. Krissy, I’m supposed to get my diploma today and take pictures. I look like shit.”
“Come on, let’s go into Matt’s room. I’ll clean you up.” We raced down the hallways until we reached the Universal Room and then we ducked inside. Krissy cleaned me up and dug through Matt’s first aid kit to put some ointment on the split.
“You look much better. Let’s put some lip gloss on.” She was so gentle while she tended to me and I couldn’t have appreciated her more. We finished up just in time because more kids were coming into the building.
Matt walked into his classroom and paused, looking from me to Krissy. “Um, what the hell is going on?” He walked over and Krissy put her hand on his chest. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
“Matt, her father busted her lip. I brought her in here to clean her up.”
“What the fuck?” He fumed. “I’m calling Rome.”
“Calling me for what?” Roman’s voice made everyone fall silent. Anxiety prickled my skin and heat flushed my cheeks, making my face warm and my lip pulse.
“Look at her face,” Matt said. He was pissed. Krissy moved him off to the side and talked in hushed tones while he flared his nostrils and nodded, listening.
Roman came over to me and tipped my head up. The minute his eyes fell to my lip, a storm cloud consumed him. It wasn’t sad and raining. It was violent and full of thunder and lightning.
Everything was happening so damn fast I could barely register one event after the other. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I felt the need to check it. “Zuri what the fuck happened to your lip?” Roman demanded, the veins in his neck bulging.
“My father…” I stopped when I read the text on my phone.
Duke: Your father is here. He’s coming in now. Do you need a ride?
“Your father what?” Roman asked, studying my lip. That entire moment was one huge cluster-fuck. I needed a second to breathe. To calm down. To assess everything.
Students were coming into the classroom though and Matt had to turn on his teacher face. Roman yanked me out of there so fast it made my head spin. In the rush of students, he stood face to face with me. He didn’t care anymore and I saw the look of an unhinged man in his eyes.
“Zuri, tell me what happened?”
“Roman, we’re in the middle of the hallway,” I whispered.
“I don’t give a fuck. Your lip is busted. You’re nearly in tears and you think I care about being in this goddamn hallway?” He cupped my face in his hands and I saw hurt swimming in his brown pools. I was hurting so he was hurting too. It was beautiful and it twisted my stomach into knots.
There was no way to avoid the shit hitting the fan. The more I realized how staunchly Roman didn’t care…the less I cared too.
“Hi, Mr. Clermont. I thought you were gone.” Brittany’s voice was the last one I wanted to hear. I watched her take in the scene in front of her. Roman’s hands cupping my face and his eyes locked fiercely on to mine. He didn’t even bother acknowledging her.
“Um…is everything okay?” She spoke slowly, dragging her eyes to my face.
“Not now, Brittany,” Roman spoke through clenched teeth. “Come with me, Zuri.” He pulled me across the hall to his old classroom and my eyes felt assaulted when I realized the new teacher had taken down all of Roman’s monarch decorations in lieu of rainbows and clouds.
The Monarch Room was no more.
Big bold letters across the smart board read: Welcome to the Rainbow Room! How could things crumble so fast?
“May I help you?” The new teacher was s
hort with a cherry red pixie cut. She frowned at Roman and me while the entire class watched. They saw Roman’s hand holding mine, they saw my busted lip, they saw the scared look in my eyes, and the furious look in his. They saw the protective way Roman slid me behind him so he could talk to the teacher then they watched her step outside and Roman further examine my face.
“Zuri, he hit you?”
“Yes. It was awful,” I cracked open and tears poured from my eyes. A murmur broke out when he hugged me.
“Where is he?”
“Roman no,” I bolted out of the class after him and grabbed his hand in the hallway.
“Zuri, I don’t give a fuck about anything right now. He hit you so hard he busted your fucking lip. You think I care about this school and what people think of me right now? I’d go to jail defending you. I don’t care. He can’t put his hands on you. Now, where is he?” He growled.
“Zuri Okolo to Principal Palmer’s office. Zuri Okolo to Principal Palmer’s office.” My name sounded mechanical being called over the loudspeaker. Roman and I shared a look and I knew he wasn’t letting me go to the office alone.
My heart knocked violently when he pushed through the doors and headed to Palmer’s office. I rubbed my itchy palms together and tried to stand in front of him but he moved too fast. The moment he walked into the principal’s office, he stood face to face with my father.
“W—what is the meaning of this? Roman, why are you here? You’re no longer employed here. Dr. Okolo, I can ensure you that we got rid of him,” Palmer stammered, making his way around the desk.
“Roman, please…” I begged, tugging on his hand. I didn’t want him to do anything that would get him thrown in jail. My father stood to his feet and stared Roman down. The energy in that office was stained with anger.
“Zuri, step away from this man,” my father said, his accent thick.
“You had the audacity to put your hands on her? You busted her lip?” Roman took another step and pulled his hand from mine. Palmer was too scared to stand in between the two men. He stood off the side, watching with wide eyes.
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