84th floor.

Chapter 33

Zade

I was so pissed off I couldnt sit still after a while in my office. I cant remember the last time I was this angry. Probably before Veronica stabbed me in my organs.

I got up and paced around my office before grabbing my phone and keys.

I admit. I have had contact with my parents over the years. Just like Zara wanted some form of understanding of how the fuck our parents let us down, I did my research at 16. I found them and they were a huge fucking disappointment. At first they werent, sucked me in and made me belief fhat the system was the bad guy for taking us away. Then I saw their habits, their relationship was toxic, they were literally living to get high and nothing else. Barely able to keep a roof over their heads.

A huge fucking disappointment to say the least?  So I didnt tell Zara...

Zara and I were separated a bunch of times in foster care home. However, it never stopped me from finding her and taking care of her as much as I could. Even if it meant getting on the subway and travelling from Queens to Brooklyn.

My best foster care placement was with an old lady called Teri. She was neighbours with Chanel's mother and we always hung out on the street. She helped me prepare for adulthood and how I could get Zara out of foster care. She even let me rent one of her homes, gave me a job at her store when I turned 18 and I had a stable home to bring Zara back to. Ill never forget her face when I picked her up from foster care.

A few months in our parents retained a lawyer and he reached out. I didnt have money like that to fight them so I quickly found ways to make money even if it was illegal. Unfortunately, I realized that I didnt need money for this. I could literally scare them off and a few threats and my friends took it too far and set their shit on fire. I never heard from them again.

I just wanted to keep Zara safe.. I was just not realizing at the time I slipped away from being the safe parent as the hussle got me sucked in and like father and son, the drugs came easily to me as an escape.

It burnt to think that what I hated my parents for, I became.. maybe she was fucking right and she was better off with them? Fuck. That was a hard pill to swallow. What I do know is that what Zara said cut deep and I didnt want to speak to her ever again.

"Where you going?" Hannah says as she sees me walk out the office.

"Need to go do something. Can I leave you in charge tonight?"

"Yeah. Sure. Where is Zara?"

"I dont know." I tell her and she just nods as I walk off. I know she didnt deserve vague me right now but something I had to explain myself to Hannah... and I didnt have the energy. A lot of my life Veronica just understood what I was thinking or exactly what was happening without me vocalizing it and I think thats what made me so attached to her.

As she was in my mind, she popped up and was walking up. She didnt see me as she was in her own thoughts. "Can we pause for one night." I tell Veronica. "I dont have time for your games today Vee."

She looks at me and rolled her eyes.

"I came to talk to you actually. I got a job in Queens. I will be doing bartending. I cant be at two places at the same time especially where your girlfriend sneaks jumps people."

"Sorry about that." I say running my fingers through my hair.

"Whats wrong with you?" She asks as if she read my mind how distracted I was.

"Zara found our parents." I say. "She spoke to Nick."

"Oh." She says. "Shes pissed isnt she."

"She is." I say and she sighs. "You did what you could with the cards dealt." She says validating me. "Sorry Zade. I know that must suck."