The Aftermath

“You okay?” It was my uncle that asked the question.

Uncle Trevor and my father had met me outside the Good Morning America studios. Supposedly the show had set up some exclusive studio in Washington just for our interview.

The blouse I’d been supplied stuck to my skin and felt itchy. “I don’t know. Can we just get out of here? I wanna go home.”

My uncle’s cheeks seemed to flush and I stared at him further. “Something wrong?”

His eyes went from my father to me. We were in a back parking lot not too far from the highway so you could hear the cars whizzing by.

“What’d they say to you in that interview?”

“Does it matter?” I tested him. In the five months I’d been in Washington, I’d learned to read my father and uncle’s gestures near each other. Now, my uncle seemed all knowing and my father was clueless.

“Well, I did ask them not to talk about certain things…”

“You knew!” I blasted. “I can’t freaking believe this!”

“What’d you know Trevor?” My father, Richard, asked. He was the older brother.

“Rich, I did it to protect you guys. I know how you’re rebuilding your lives.”

“What was it about?” My father gritted his teeth, gray golf hat tipping on his head.

“There were some papers. Gladis saying she knew you and…”

“Oh God.” My father’s stomach seemed to drop to his feet.

I swallowed. “Why would she even do that, Dad? Does she just want torture us?”

“How about we all go to dinner and talk about this, you know, just talk?”

My father and I both glared at Uncle Trevor. He had warm, cream colored skin and dark brown eyes. I remembered Uncle Meg always saying that she loved him for being so honest, right now that all seemed to be a lie.

“No. We don’t need to talk to you right now. We just need to…” My father’s eyes drifted to me. “process things.”

The door behind us chimed and out came Ryant, Alex, Rodney, and Kyle.

“Hey kids.” Uncle Trevor half smiled.

“I’m 18. Adult status.” Alex chimed proudly.

It almost seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead of a light hearted joke, it plummeted to the ground like a bag of rocks. My father sort of glared at him. I wasn’t so sure if he liked Alex much.

“Jasmine, do you want to come home with me, to talk about things?” My father asked, his eyes still on Alex.

I shook my head. “Not really.” I hated my answer, but I was being honest. If there was anything I wanted to do, it wasn’t going to be talking about Gladis.

“Are you going to come home with me?” Uncle Trevor asked.

“No.”

“Then, what are you going to do?”

Ryant came up at my side, hooking his arm through mine. “She can stay at my place. My dad and brother will be there and we’ll have some fun.”

It wasn’t anything new for me to spend the night over Ryant’s house. It was actually something common since we were close friends and all.

Both my father and my uncle sighed.

“Well, call if you need anything.” My father said. He and my uncle left in separate cars. Their headlights were smooth as they left. The sky was unusually dark for it being near mid-day.

“When is that show going to air?” I asked.

“Tomorrow morning. That’s what the producers said after you stormed out.” His eyes looked to me. “Are you okay?”

I rolled my eyes as Alex, Kyle, and Rodney walked over, putting all their attention to me. “Can you guys just at least try not to worry about me? It’s getting annoying.”

Kyle frowned when his cell phone went off and it turned out to be Cece. He walked a few feet away to take her call.

“Well, it’s definitely something huge when a TV reporter pulls up your personal life on screen like that.” Alex prodded. “We’re just making sure you’re okay.”

“Look, I’m fine, okay? No need to worry. Gladis is out of my life and apparently, so is Ricky. I’m never going to see any of them ever again so none of this should matter!”

Alex and Ryant didn’t seem convinced. Rodney just stood by a bit tight lipped.

“I wish I could find my mother.” He said.

Ryant sort of cut his eyes at Rodney with no mercy and I sighed. “I wish you could too, Rodney.”

Kyle clapped his cell phone shut. “Alright, that was Cece. She said she’s going to spend the night at a hotel and come back tomorrow morning or something. You ready to go Alex?”

Alex looked back at Kyle, then to me with a torn expression on his face. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? Don’t want me to cancel my plans?”

“No. I’ll be fine. Ashley needs this and I’ll be fine.”

He moved in slowly and planted a passionate kiss on my lips. My feet always felt like they were going to give away when he did that sometimes. When the both of us kissed for a while sometimes, I could even get him to moan if I put myself into the passion hard enough.

His face backed away from me only a few millimeters and he gave a naughty smile. “That’ll hold you until later.”

I punched him in the shoulder, instantly feeling hormonal for him. “Just go! Have fun! Try not to embarrass yourself!” He was already running off to Kyle who was in the van with his parents. I giggled as Ryant and Rodney stood by, eyebrows raised.

“What?” I shrieked at them, my face already heating up. “Never seen me kiss someone before?”

Rodney chuckled. “It’s not that. I just think I saw some tongue action going on there, Bra Girl.”

That got choking laughter out of me in that parking lot and even Ryant joined in. It had become a quick tale of our group how Rodney and I had met. Cece and Kyle liked to make regular jokes about how my boobs were sagging.

“That was funny.” Ryant declared and I could have sworn I saw Rodey’s cheeks flush. “So, Jasmine, we’re hanging out today, right? We can go do some mini golf!”

Ryant did another one of his corny little dances and my eyes drifted to Rodney.

“Rodney, do you wanna join us?” I asked him.

Rodney’s gaze turned up to me, a large smile on his face. Ryant in return stopped his dance and hammered out words before Rodney could even speak.

“No. No. No. No. No.” He blared. “I didn’t invite him! Plus, there’s no room in the car.”

Just then, Lion’s Lexus pulled up with an empty passenger and backseat.

“Looks like plenty of room to me.” Rodney stated.

“Well it still doesn’t mean you’re invited. Who do you think you are anyway?” Ryant crossed his arms.

“I’m the guy who helped bust your sorry ass out of Lexicon and killed my own father before he shot you.” There was a dense tone of defiance in Rodney’s voice I’d never heard before. Actually, I’d never heard him get upset at anyone before.

Ryant’s eyes turned to slits.

“Well, that doesn’t matter now, does it?”

A long silence followed and I grinned. Ryant was a sucker for some honest guilt and this would prove to be a perfect example.

“Alright! You can come and thanks for saving my life, happy?”

Rodney smiled, nodding. “Very.” He climbed into the jet black Lexus and I followed suit behind him. The detailing of the car’s inside was a caramel marble that I just loved. Plus the stereos were moving to U2.

“What’s up, Dad?!” Ryant smiled. He absolutely loved his dad. Their relationship was a lot simpler than my own with mines or even Rodney and his.

“Hey Lion!” I giggled. Did I mention how much I loved his name?

“Hello sir.”

Lion turned around, a sneaky little smile on his perfectly cream toned face. His brown eyes melted at Rodney.

“Ah, you’re the boy who saved our asses. You’re always welcome. Why hasn’t Ryant invited you around before?”

Ryant chose then to roll the windows up and down with much interest.

“I don’t know, sir. Maybe Ryant isn’t as gracious as he seems.”

That got Lion to burst out in laughter that combatted the lyrics of U2 on the radio and even I smiled.

“I am very gracious, FYI.” Ryant stuck in. “I just don’t happen to like you very much.”

I looked to Rodney and a sense of something strange flashed in his eyes that I didn’t quite understand. Did Rodney look hurt?

“Ryant, you know that’s not the way you treat people.” Lion scolded. “I expect you to apologize.”

Ryant just simply sank his head against the window as we drove off.

With Lion concentrating on the road, Ryant sulking with his head against the passenger side window, and Rodney toying with his phone, I guess I had time to think.

My thoughts? Mini golf with these people would sure be interesting.