Between the Lines

14

Kennedy shook her head, tears welling up again. "I'm not. But he kept pressing and asking me who is it that I'm sleeping with. I couldn't lie."

"I told him it was Sebastian. He be dragging shit, I don't care." She wiped her tears. "We argued and I of course talked back. He was trying to go over to Sebastian house but Kairo and mom stopped him."

Kimora exhaled slowly, the weight of the situation finally hitting her. She expected it to be bad, but not this bad.

"We just get going back and forth. Like I yelled at him and all, and walked out before shit could even get worse." She sniffled. "And what got me even more tight Kairo yelled at me too, saying I have no business sleeping around."

"It's okay" Kimora whispered, her voice steady even though she was panicking inside. "We'll handle this. Okay?"

Kennedy nodded, the tears falling freely now. Kimora leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her sister, pulling her into a tight hug.

Darius stood a few feet away, watching quietly, the usual smirk absent from his face. He wasn't sure how to help, but he could see Kimora trying her best to keep it together. He wasn't sure what had happened between her and Kennedy, but whatever it was, it was clear that it meant a lot to Kimora.

Kimora pulled away from the hug after a long moment, wiping her sister's tears away. "We need to get you home. We'll figure it out, okay? We'll talk to Dad, but we're doing it together."

She turned to Darius, who had quietly been standing by, unsure of what to do but still offering a silent presence of support. Kimora gave him a brief nod of gratitude. He gave her a quiet, reassuring look, though his eyes were still full of questions.

Kennedy shook her head quickly, wiping at her tear-streaked face. "I can't go back home right now. I just—I can't."

Kimora felt her heart sink further. She knew their dad could be strict, but if Kennedy was this scared to go back, it had to be bad. She tightened her grip on her sister's arm, thinking fast. "Okay, okay. We'll figure something out."

Darius, who had been standing back and letting them talk, finally spoke up. "Y'all can stay at my place for the night."

Kimora turned to look at him, a little surprised. "Darius, you don't have to—"

"I know I don't," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "But it's late, and I don't think she should be alone right now." His voice was calm, but there was a seriousness behind it. "A hotel's just gonna be a hassle this time of night, and I doubt you wanna leave her by herself."

Kimora hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to be an inconvenience, but Kennedy was still sniffling beside her, looking too fragile to be left alone in a hotel.

"It's fine, really," Kimora tried again. "I'll get us a room somewhere. We don't wanna—"

Darius exhaled, shaking his head. "Kimora, stop being difficult. It's not that deep. Just stay at my spot for the night."

Kimora opened her mouth to argue again, but Darius gave her a look, one that told her he wasn't about to go back and forth on this.

"Fine," she muttered, shifting her attention back to Kennedy. "You okay with that?"

Kennedy nodded weakly, still shaken but grateful for the offer. "Yeah... thank you.""

Darius just shrugged, turning back toward the car. "Ain't nothing. Let's go."

Kimora sighed, placing a hand on Kennedy's back as they followed him. She wasn't sure what the rest of the night or morning would look like, but at least, for now, they had a place to go.