Page 152 of K.I.N.: Karma Is Near

He put his hands up.

“Aight.”

I grabbed my shit.

I was done for the fucking day.

By the time I got home, my whole body had stiffened up. My lip was busted, side of my face swollen, ribs hurting every time I took too deep of a breath.

I opened the apartment door.

The house was wild.

TV going.

One of the kids running through the hallway.

Michael yelling about something.

Serenity crying.

Regular fucking chaos.

“Zion! I said put your shoes on!”

Sam’s voice came from the bedroom.

I shut the door behind me.

“Amari, leave your brother alone!”

“I’m not doing nothing!”

“Yes, you are!”

I walked toward the bedroom.

Sam was standing in front of the mirror in her scrubs, putting lip gloss on. Her work bag was sitting on the bed, hair already done, badge clipped to her top.

She saw me through the mirror.

Her hand stopped.

Then she turned around.

“Nigga, what happened to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

I walked toward the dresser.

“Just ran into some shit at work.”

Sam slowly lowered the lip gloss.

“Nigga, what?”