| ROSCOE |
I glanced at Aria who was wringing her hands like a nervous raccoon. She loped beside me, her long ass legs easily matching my pace. I considered doing an extra lap around the block just to see if I could shake her, it was unnerving.
I scoped out the area as we crossed the street —taking in every car, person, or house within sight. Aria thought I was lost, as we'd circled back twice, but I knew this neighborhood like the back of my hand. I'd lived just three houses down until a few years ago.
Zaire, or one of the other Kweli brothers, threw a block party every summer. I used to look forward to it back in the day. This party was so illustrious, that even the "kids with a view" tried to get in. Now I was one of those kids and it just didn't hit the same way.
I wasn't exactly welcome here, either. Not anymore.
Biting my lower lip, I scanned the Kweli house one more time before approaching. I couldn't let anything pop off tonight, the stakes were too high — Coach Brown was grinning about my moves again and that was something I couldn't risk.
DeLang was apparently more potent than I thought — one day on the job and she was already getting results.
Coach didn't invite Aria to run with us out of the goodness of his heart, nah... On day one, I knew exactly why she was there. So that's exactly what I gave him. She was here to bring me to heel. Whether or not she was complicit in his schemes was yet to be determined.
"Will you chill?" I asked, as I hopped up the steps. Trap music was blaring from the speakers out back, but the volume was loud enough to rattle the windows and door.
Aria made a face at me, but dropped her hands.
There were a few of people gathered on the front lawn, more at the entryway, but the main party would be in the backyard, as their property butted against an old baseball park.
"Roscoe?" A familiar voice called.
My muscles relaxed when the owner of the voice pushed out onto the porch. He dapped me up. "What's good my man? I didn't know you were planning on coming through."
"Well, when I heard you'd be here, you know..." I said, eliciting a laugh from the big fella. He slapped me on the back and stepped aside so we could pass.
I ducked through the doorway and stepped into the narrow hallway. I pushed through the mess of bodies, red solo cups, and the layered scent of weed and incense. Part of me missed this place, or at least, missed feeling like I belonged here.
Someone — he looked vaguely familiar — eagerly pushed a drink into my hand as I passed through the kitchen. I navigated through the house with ease, but I tight as a bow string on the inside. I didn't even hesitate. I downed the contents in one gulp.
Aria rammed her knuckles into my spine just as I finished the dregs. I sputtered, eyes flashing in annoyance.
"What are you doing?" She demanded, eying the cup with a furrowed brow.
I gritted my teeth. If this was going to work, she needed to believe that I was a changed man. Then she could run to Coach, clear my name, and I could cut her loose.
With reluctance, I handed Aria the cup and gave a little bow. "Happy?" I groused.
She just looked at me. She was such a peach.
"Aye, time for you to run along to your real friends. Come find me when you want to go." I said, leaning down to speak into her ear.
She peered up at me with an emotion I couldn't read — I thought I saw fear in those big green eyes, enough so that I paused. But whatever it was, vanished so fast, that I felt dumb for even thinking it. She was a nervous ninny at baseline, but she wasn't afraid of anything.
She flicked her eyebrows at me, like I were the odd one. Then she side-stepped me and headed out back.
I considered following her outside. My guard was up and it made me uneasy not being able to keep an eye on her. Not that I cared, I just felt responsible for her.
Yeesh. She was dead weight. The sooner I cut her loose, the better.
"What the hell dude?" Taylor shouted, diverting my attention. "I thought you said you weren't coming?"
He jostled my shoulders so violently it rattled my skull. Grinning, I elbowed him off and spun around. Preston and his friend, Aziz, were there too. I greeted them both.
"For real though, why all the secrets?" Taylor asked with a laugh. He snatched two cups from a passerby, winked at her to soothe her outrage, then passed one to me. "Anything we should know about?"
I eyed the cup longingly, but waved it off. The last thing I needed was for Aria to come flying out of no where to karate chop that cup out of my hand. Taylor eyed me suspiciously when I refused the cup.
I lifted up my baseball hat and scratched the back of my head, casting my eyes about the room and the deck that overlooked the backyard. "Remember that thing I told you about?"
Taylor's eyes narrowed, but there was not an ounce of recognition there.
I exhaled and dropped my hands, "... Remember? Aria DeLang is my baby sitter, until Coach trusts me again..."
Understanding dawned on Taylor's face and he nodded. "Oh yeah..."
"Damn that sucks, man. She's weird AF." Aziz blurted with a grimace.
My muscles tensed.
I blinked at him for a long moment, caught off guard by the irrational flare of anger that sparked inside my chest.
Aria was weird AF. So why did that bother me?
"Nah, Aria's the homie, A-Z. She's hilarious." Preston said, folding his arms, and shaking his head knowingly. "You just have to understand her sense of humor."
The irritation pooling in my chest grew. I didn't know Preston and Aria were cool like that.
Since when?
"Sometimes I think she's kind of hot, you ever get those vibes? Like she's a banger we've all been sleeping on?" Taylor asked, his face contorted in thought as he pictured her.
Aziz snorted in disgust.
Preston rolled his lips into his mouth and bobbled his head in consideration. They looked at me for my opinion.
Easy.
No.
Except...
The image of her pressed between me and the wall rammed through my thoughts like a bull in a china shop.
I'd never thought of Aria as... well, anything but grating as hell. Until today, when her body was close enough that her breath misted on my collar bones, when I couldn't help but notice the appetizing shape of her lips, the tiny flecks of gold in those fiery green eyes, and the heat between us. It was scathing, raw, wild... intoxicating.
Hot damn.
I cleared my throat. What the hell...
"Can't say I have." I said hoarsely. I dropped my eyes, lest any residual heat still linger in my gaze.
Taylor scrunched his nose. "More for me then." They all laughed. "How far do you think she'd go? Second base? Third? Girls like her are hard to read. They're either prudes or freaks, no in-between."
I bit down on the inside of my cheek, oddly uncomfortable with the question. We did this all the time, why was this time any different?
Preston hit Taylor in the chest with the back of his hand, "Aria is my friend. You wanna hit it? That's cool, do you, bro, but I don't want to hear about it."
"Respect." Taylor inclined his head, then winked at me. No doubt implying that we'd continue this conversation later.
My stomach turned. Must've been something in the alcohol.
"Who knew Roscoe Tate still liked to party with us plebeians. I guess you can remember where you come from when it's convenient, ay?" A low voice drawled.
Taylor's jovial expression fell and Preston clenched his jaw.
I didn't need eyes on the back of my head to know who spoke. I curled my hands into fists.
So much for staying out of trouble.