Blend

TIMEOUT | the breakdown

AFTER SEVERAL confirmations I'll be okay, Devyn leaves. Supposedly Peewee left too, but I can't shake the feeling I'm being watched until another thirty minutes pass.

I'm too wired for sleep so I stretch out on the couch, playing things back in my mind.

Running away from jail? Can cross that off my bucket list.

Meeting Devyn? A pleasant surprise.

Learning she's a medium? Well, as Grams used to say: the proof is in the pudding. Also, I fuckin' knew ghosts were real!

The three suspects? My money's still on the EyeStalker dude. But exes and parents can do some messed up shit, so who really knows.

I grimace, thinking of Abby.

Still can't believe that girl snitched on me like that. If I'd known she'd use my small crush on Peewee back then to hurt me now, I would've dumped her ass. The signs were there. My boys claimed she was a taker, never a giver. I see it now.

There's a knock on the door and I sit up, every muscle rigid. A lack of air tightens my lungs.

Another knock.

I don't move. An image of me escaping out the back fires up my mind.

"Aye, it's me...Uncle," the voice says quietly.

A surge of oxygen cycles through my lungs as I stand to unlock the door. For good measure, I look out the peephole and see just that: bald Uncle Maurio in an oversized T-shirt, sunglasses high on his head. He's gained more weight since I last saw him. I think I was thirteen.

I open the door and he quickly steps in, locking it behind him. A cloud of spicy citrus cologne engulfs me just like the hug he wraps me in.

"Hey, nephew." His chords are rich and dark, much like my dad's before he passed.

"Hey."

Maurio lets go. "How you doin', lil man?"

I clear my throat, dropping it an octave. "I've seen better days, shit."

He laughs, a long and hearty sound filling the empty room. "No shit!"

I smile. Damn, I missed him. Why was I so afraid to see him again?

"Your cousins and I been busy organizing protests for yuh, callin' people and shit, tryna getchu Black representation. Kaycee says we need someone like Ben Crump. You know who that is?"

I shake my head.

"Well, my girl's college bred like you, so I trust what she doin'." He lifts up the large paper bag in his hand and sets it down on the couch. "I also brought you some things." He removes: a loaf of bread, meat, cheese, Hot Cheetos, mayo, Hot Pockets, Poptarts, bodywash, toothbrush, a thin towel, and an itchy looking blanket. "This all I got for now. I'll bring clothes later."

I'm so overcome, I can only look at the items.

"Oh, wait." Maurio digs into his back pocket and pulls out what looks like a used phone. "This used to belong to Kaliya. It be old, but hey, I figured it was somethin' for you to play games on or to text us with if you need anything."

I crumble into tears. Despite every command in my body to remain tough and firm. His hospitality, his warmth, his belief in my innocence—no questions asked. All of it leads to this breakdown.

For the first time since all this shit went down, I feel like the game clock has agreed to pause. Give me a timeout.

Maurio encompasses me in another hug. "It's alright, nephew. Let it out." His hold tightens around my shoulders as I sob into his chest. "You been through a lot."

I let his words sink in, realizing that I have. Even the toughest dude would break. I'm just glad I didn't do this in front of Devyn (and Peewee).

"Thank you." The words are small and wimpy but I mean them in all their power.