Page 34 of Stay Dangerous

A shrill left me as my lungs deflated. Dad was a fucking idiot.

I grabbed the phone off the receiver and dialed Mom’s number.

Disconnected.

I dialed Dad’s number.

Straight to voicemail.

I opened the drawer underneath the phone and grabbed the notepad that had Nana’s number.

Dialing it, I squeezed the phone with both hands, praying she’d answer and tell me it was true, that she was getting on a plane. That Mom and Dad did decide to work on themselves, but it was okay, because we’d have her. And even if she did lie to Dad, that Nana would send for us anyway.

“Hello?” a tired voice answered.

“H-hi. May I please speak to Ms. Adaline Shaw?”

The voice waited for a beat. “May I ask who’s calling?”

“Yes. It’s Wynter Shaw, her granddaughter. I know it’s late there, but it’s really urgent that I speak with her.”

“Oh, honey,” she sighed, a little accent in her voice, “Ms. Ada has been in the hospital for the past month now. She had a bad fall. I passed the message along to her daughter-in-law, but she never got back to me.”

I leaned onto the counter as tears fell over my lids. “O-okay. When she gets better, could you call this number, ma’am?”

“Yes, sweetie, I will. And I’m Miss Abbie, her housekeeper. As soon as she’s home I’ll have her call you.”

“Thank you.” We said our goodbyes before we hung up the phone.

I stapled my lips together with my teeth, not caring that my braces were cutting into them.

I had to hold in my scream.

What could I do? Where could we go?

Dad had only said it would be “awhile.” What was “awhile” supposed to be?!

Then, the stack of money. I knew it was real, it had a sticker indicating how much.

What kind of parents leave forty-thousand dollars with two thirteen year-olds?!

The same parents that would punish one child for the death of another.

My hands itched to call Rico. He’d know what to do. I couldn’t tell any adult. They’d call the police, and Auty and I would be separated. We had no aunts or uncles, and Mom’s parents were dead. It was only Nana, across the country, laid up in the hospital.

Pops was rarely home, and Turkey’s sisters were having kids like it was the thing to do.

Frankie was the only other adult I trusted, and still, I didn’t think she’d take in both me and Auty.

It didn’t matter that we weren't talking. It didn’t matter that she hated me. I needed her, and I refused to be without her.

My hand flew into my cheek, and my tears stopped immediately.

Summy’s voice filtered into my head. It had been awhile since I thought about her, but her words came on time. Her promise to do what’s best for me and Auty.

I couldn’t let her down. Either of them.

There were bills on the counter by the phone. The phone bill, light bill, gas and water. Their cars were paid off, that I knew, and I’d heard Dad gripe about paying their car insurance for the year recently.