“Who do you think could’ve done this to her?” Toki asked, sprinkling a bit of salt over his fries.

Odion took a bite out of his spicy chicken sandwich before shaking his head. “I don’t know,” he said, looking a few tables down at the red-haired serving waitress. Odion appreciated the way she gracefully rollerbladed from customer to customer, looking thicker than a Snickers bar. Not bad.

“You think it was Donovan?” Malachi asked, brushing away his napkins, burger paper, and fry cup into the garbage.

“Could be.” Odion shrugged. “If it is, though, I’m gonna have to whoop his ass. And real bad too.”

“Why would you want to mess with that guy?” Toki looked at him like he was crazy.

“You think I’m just gonna let him continue abusing Serenity like that?” Odion asked.

Toki shook his head. “I never said that, bro, but you might want to make sure before you go doing anything crazy. That’s all I’m saying.”

“I know this is off-topic, but we need to come to Joe’s Burgers ‘N’ Fries more often. The amount of baddies that’s floating about this place is off the chain,” he said, staring at the red-haired waitress.

“You ain’t never lied,” Odion said with a wry smile. Even though his mind was focused on Serenity, he’d be a liar if he said he hadn’t taken a few glances at the number of hot girls working at this restaurant.

“You have something up your sleeve, don’t you?” Toki wiped his hands on one of the napkins on the table.

“With who?” Odion asked.

“You’re not fooling anyone. We know that look anywhere,” Toki said.

“What look, this is my face.” Odion pointed to it. “I don’t know what you’re getting at right now.”

“Bullshit,” Toki said. “You wouldn’t have accepted Malachi’s bet this morning unless there was something in it for yourself.”

Odion looked at the both of them for a moment before breaking into a laugh. “Okay, we’re gonna get married and have beautiful children together,” he said before pressing a carton of chocolate milk to his lips.

Toki and Malachi exchanged glances as if they were thinking the same thing.

“Damn,” Malachi said. “It’s like that, huh?”

“I’ve told you many times I like her. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Ah, I get it.” Toki nodded his head. “It all makes sense now.”

“Does it?” Odion looked at him thoughtfully, finishing the rest of his chocolate milk.

“You’re going to size her up just in time for the end of the year dance.” Toki smiled, nibbling on his fries.

Odion tilted his head into a half nod. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“I bet you were looking at them titties when you were speaking to her up close, huh?” Malachi chuckled, snagging a few sheets of art paper and colored pencils from his backpack.

“Nah, it ain’t like that,” Odion said. It was fucking annoying how Malachi always talked about her cup size. “I actually value her as a human being. You, on the other hand, treat all your women like they’re your meals. That’s why you fucked up in the cafeteria this morning.”

“Not even, fam,” Malachi said. “What about all those times you told us about Raquel and Soraya giving you brains in the woods.” He raised his eyebrows as if he’d made a great point.

“Was I dating any of ’em?” Odion stuck out his head, his face serious. “Besides, they offered.” He shrugged. “I wasn’t gonna say ‘no’ to getting head.”

“Yeah, whatever, bruh.” Malachi laughed, assorting the pieces of art paper in front of him.

“But if Serenity and Donovan are still dating, you think it’s wise to interfere with that?” Toki asked, dipping a couple of fries into his ketchup cup.

Odion shrugged his shoulders. “Why you so obsessed with Donovan?”

“Because the guy’s a fucking maniac and—”

“I don’t give a flying fuck who she’s with,” Odion said. “I ain’t playing second fiddle to nobody.” He took the last bite out of his sandwich and threw the paper into the garbage.

Another waitress rollerbladed past their table.

“I’d like to stick it in her if you know what I mean,” Malachi whispered, nudging Toki with his elbow.

“See what I mean?” Odion pointed to Malachi. “You only think with your dick. It’s gonna get you into a lot of trouble one of these days. Don’t be one of ’em dudes who end up slaying all these girls, then run away when you get ’em pregnant.”

“You do realize Donovan is close with Patrick and Jasper, right?” Toki said, bringing the conversation back on topic. “That’s probably why they were looking at you so tough because they saw you chatting with Serenity.”

“Yooo!” Malachi said, eyes wide. “I didn’t even think of that fam, but you’re right! Money says they went back and told Donovan what you did.”

“Don’t give a shit.” Odion shook his head. There wasn’t a damn thing Pat, Jasper, or Donovan could do to him. “If any of ’em wanna come try me, I’ll be ready.”

“Didn’t Donovan get suspended for kicking Cindy in the face during the cafeteria blackout two months ago?” Toki asked.

“I think so.” Malachi laughed, shading in some detail around the Monroe Towers of Sauga’s skyline. “Donovan’s hilarious, but mad crazy. He’s always been like that, though. I remember when he threw Mrs. Bellerino’s hot coffee in her face and left the whole class speechless. Talk about a guy who doesn’t give a fuck.”

“I don’t like that guy.” Toki wrinkled his face. “My sister told me one time he and his friends followed her to class, trying to see if they could bribe her to come to the woods and give them a sloppy blower.”

“So did you confront him?” Odion asked, already knowing what his answer would be. Toki was never the type of person to confront someone and challenge them to a fight. Possibly a debate, but not a fistfight.

“I should’ve but …” Toki hung his head toward the ground.

“You were scared,” Odion said. “That’s your sister man, don’t let Donovan bully Eureka like that, or else he’s gonna keep doing it.”

“Yeah, but look at who he hangs around with, and he knows a shitload of people that would kick my ass if I tried. Plus, I heard his brother, Damien, got locked up for domestic violence.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Malachi nodded. “Another crazy nigga.”

“I mean, I’m not going to let him force my sister into giving him head, but at the same time, if he hasn’t done it to her in a while, I’m not going to go out of my way and start problems with the guy. I have a bright future ahead of me.”

Odion smiled. “Donovan’s only tough when he’s around his friends. Catch him alone, he’s as soft as my dick.”

Malachi smiled and packed his artwork into his bag before excusing himself for a cigarette break.

“That’s why I keep asking you if it was him. He seems like the kind of guy who hits girls and believes he can get away with it because of who he hangs with,” Toki said.

Odion took a casual glance outside the window beside him, thinking back to the scratches he saw around Serenity’s neck. “If that’s the case, then I might have to kill the motherfucker.”

Toki sighed. “Damn. I want you to help Serenity, but at the same time, I don’t—”

“Toki,” Odion took off his hoodie and shoved it into his backpack, “don’t worry about it. I’m not asking for your help, and I’m probably not gonna need it either.” Toki opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but was cut short before he could respond. “If it was Donovan who scratched her up like that, I’ll prevent it from happening again. It’s that simple.”

“I knew you told us you liked Serenity, but it seems to me it’s much more than that.” Toki looked at him as if he were studying for a test. “I get the feeling you love her.”

Odion sat back in his seat, wiggling his mouth. Love was a strong word. “I’ve known her since I was four years old. Technically speaking, she’s the first girl I’ve ever invited to my house.” Toki dropped his mouth open. “Not like that.” Odion gestured with his hands to clarify. “My biological mom was close with her parents, so sometimes she’d come to our house, and we’d play video games together. Other times Apollo and I would go to her house and have dinner. When my mom died, she was the only one who stuck by me after her funeral. As a matter of fact, Apollo and I lived with her for a short period of time before children’s aid placed us in foster care as they searched for a new home.” Odion had no intention of getting into the events that happened afterward with Apollo, Margaret, and Hubert. Even though Toki was one of his best friends, the less information given, the better, especially of that magnitude. “So yeah, that’s why I have strong feelings toward her. I wouldn’t say I love her, though. Not yet.” Odion smiled.

“Damn man, I never knew that,” Toki said, nodding. “How did your biological mom pass away … if you don’t mind my asking?”

Odion stared at the table for a moment, tapping his fingernails against it. “Heart attack.”

“Damn, sorry bro,” Toki said. “It’s never easy losing a loved one. I lost one of my aunts to pancreatic cancer a couple years ago, so I know how it feels.”

Malachi returned from his cigarette break and grabbed his belongings. “Y’all ready?”

Toki grabbed his tray and dusted the remains of his meal into the garbage. “Well, bro, if you do end up getting into some shit with Donovan, just be careful. I’ll do my best to cover your back if anything goes down.”

“You plan on scrapping with Donovan?” Malachi asked.

“If I find out he was the one who scratched up Serenity’s neck like that, you damn right I plan on scrapping with him.” Odion stood up and threw his backpack over his shoulder.

Malachi smiled as if he enjoyed the idea. “Word. Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll see if I can hook you up with some knives and shit.”

“I really don’t like where this is going, but I also know there’s nothing I can do to sway your decision otherwise,” Toki said, holding the door open for them to exit.

Odion smiled and nodded at Toki’s realization. Donovan, Patrick, or Jasper posed no threat to him whatsoever.

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