Mahogany Tales
Page 6
“It’s not your fault. You had to look out for yourself, and that’s what you did.” Briana reached over and gently touched his hand to comfort him. This made Jamal feel better, he looked into Briana’s eyes and she gazed into his.
“Thank you.” He said softly. Briana was beginning to feel awkward again, and quickly snatched her hand away. She wanted to change the subject but also wanted to know more about him. She got a good look at the scar on his face. She wasn’t sure if it was impolite to ask but felt confident that he was nice enough to not mind if she did.
“What happened to your face?” Briana asked cautiously. This caught Jamal off guard. He was quiet for a few seconds before he answered.
“I was thirteen. Walking home from school, and these gang members tried to rob me. I tried to fight them off, but one of them had a knife. He got me right in the face. I had to get fifteen stitches.” Briana was horrified by the details of his trauma. She had her hands covering her mouth, with her eyes wide. She felt horrible. He paused before he could finish. “I was so ugly, I couldn’t go back to school, so I dropped out. The guys you saw me hanging with, they’ve been my only friends since. That’s why I stick around. They’re the only people besides my parents who don’t look at me like I’m a monster.”
“I don’t think of you like that. You’re not a monster to me.”
A slight smile formed across Jamal’s face. “You’re the first girl in four years to ever be this nice to me Briana.”
“Well, you’re the only guy I’ve come across lately under the age of forty who doesn’t treat me like a piece of ass.”
“I would never treat you like that.” He said, admiring her beauty from across the table. Briana blushed, covering her face with her book. She knew that Jamal was someone that she wanted to keep around. He was sweet, and loved to read. She didn’t come across too many guys like him in her neighborhood.
They stayed at the library for about two hours, talking, laughing, and reading. They realized that they had more in common with each other than they realized. Jamal offered to walk her home, and she kindly accepted. When they arrived at her house, Jamal didn’t hesitate to ask her out. “Maybe we can meet up at the library tomorrow? Check out some audiobooks together?”
“I’d like that. Three-thirty?” She recommended.
“Cool. I’ll be there. See ya.”
“See ya.” Briana smirked. Before she could go inside, Jamal stopped her. “Briana, wait.” She turned around, and he walked up to her door. She looked up at him, and he looked down on her, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He leaned down, and kissed her softly. She didn’t budge, and embraced his kiss. After a few seconds of being entranced by his soft lips, she pushed him away.
“I gotta go. See you tomorrow.” She turned to go inside and quickly closed the door. Jamal sprinted away, his face full of Joy. All he could think about, was her.
***
The next day, Briana didn’t waste any time hurrying to the Library to meet Jamal. She walked around the corner and noticed a crowd and some police vehicles outside of the library. The chaos made her uneasy but curious, so she ran over to see what was going on. Pushing through the crowd, she saw Jamal in handcuffs. She also saw Gerard. Standing nearby with a sinister but satisfied look on his face.
“Jamal! What’s going on?” She yelled for him while she ran closer.
“What are you doing here Briana? You know this thug?” Asked Gerard.
“He’s not a thug!”
“Well the authorities and several witnesses disagree. Him and his thug friends tried to rob the market across the street. MY market! My family owns that place, the whole building!”
“He didn’t do anything!” Briana pleaded.
An officer stood between Briana and Gerard. “Miss, I’m gonna need you to step back.” He told her.
“No! He’s innocent!” She tried to reason with the officer but knew it wouldn’t work.
“Briana it’s okay, just go home.” Jamal told her calmly. She ran over to hug him. Gerard became disgusted.
“So, this is why you won’t go out with me? You like these criminals. Can’t say I’m surprised. Trash attracts trash.”
This made Briana so angry, she spit on Gerard. He became furious, and smacked her across the face, sending her stumbling to the ground. Still handcuffed, Jamal ran straight for Gerard, tackling him to the ground. An officer had to break up the scuffle, placing Jamal and Gerard both inside separate vehicles. The officers hauled Jamal to the station, and Briana hurried home, to change and go to the station in Jamal’s defense.
***
When she arrived at the station, a clerk told her that Jamal was being questioned, and they would provide her with any information once it became available. She took a seat and waited. About twenty minutes later, Jamal was released. He was so happy to see Briana, that he immediately ran to hug her.
“They let you go? How? Why?” She asked
“My friend confessed to everything. Told them I wasn’t involved, and they let me go.” Briana was so happy, she hugged him again. An officer who was at the scene earlier, had asked Briana if she wanted to press charges against Gerard for assaulting her. She didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“After all this is done and over, I want to take you on a real date. Books are optional” Jamal laughed.
Briana smiled and grabbed his hand. “I’d love that.”