𝐍𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞

8. Family Ties

I just wanted to see em..

Me, momma, daddy and Mr Green all sat out at the jail, sitting in the waiting area as the sheriff paid us no mind.

"He ain't supposed to be in thea'." I spoke up, my voice shaking just like my nerves and momma nodded, holding on to me a bit tighter.

She sighed as Mr Green came back over to us, he'd went to ask the sheriff for some kind of information and now he's gone tell it to us. "Uh.. they trying to build a case on em.." Mr Green plopped down, removing his hat and looking down into his hands.

Daddy looked down, shaking his head as momma held her chest, trying to keep from crying.

"B- but Alex shoved him first, how they gone have him in thea' and not Alex! He needs to be in a hospital! He could be seriously hurt!" I protested and the sheriff looked at me with cold eyes.

"You best be quiet girl!" He pointed and daddy went to step up but momma quickly rested her hand on his chest.

Daddy shook his head. "You don't speak to my daughter." He told the sheriff and the sheriff looked up again. "You Terry Rose, inmate eight seventy-one don't get beside yoself boy, the year of nineteen, arrested for armed robbery and assault." He called out daddy's no good deeds from his past and he glared at em, ready to spit something back but momma wouldn't let 'em.

"Terry let's just go.. we can come back in the morning. Let's just go.." She looked into daddy's eyes while daddy kept in a stare down with the sheriff.

Mr Green stood to his feet, grabbing daddy's arm and bringing him along. "Let's go man."

As daddy finally began to walk, he stopped in front of me, gently taking hold of my hand and standing me to my feet, kissing my forehead.

"Let's go baby girl.."

I didn't want to leave 'em.

***

I didn't have nothing to say to him. I don't even know how he found out where we live but he was hea, in my face all bruised up, but it was nothing like them cops did to J'...

"I'm going to tell the police what happened." He spoke up, and I began to listen. "I don't know if it'll help much.. but I know he doesn't deserve to be in there." Alex looked into my eyes, and I looked back, seeing he was sincere.

Nodding my head, that was all he was getting from me as he turned around to walk away, but then he stopped, turning back around and my eyebrow rose.

"He beat me up because he knows I like you... when we used to go back and forth in class, and you'd get in trouble, he'd come threatening me..." He explained and I only listened, eyebrows raising more. "He'd shove me or something, give me that menacing look... he only means good for you." He finally let out.

I looked down at my bare feet, standing on my porch as he continued to speak.

"He loves you... everybody knows that. Even Lisa.. that's why she tries to hard.. that's why her father had those machines come out here, it was all apart of their plan... Mr Greens lumber yard isn't running out of money, the bank, which Lisa's father is over, is holding his money.." He revealed and I looked back up, shocked.

"Yea." He nodded. "That man would do anything to get Lisa what she wants, and I know, because that man is my father... and Lisa is my sister."

I was dumbfounded.

"We have different mothers.." he added.

I didn't know what I was talking about when I said all that stuff to J... damn it.

"Thank you.. but I gotta go somewhea'." I looked back to Alex before rushing in the house to find a pair of shoes, as momma watched me with confusion, preparing dinner.

***

As I came up on the lumber yard, I was breathing heavy and my legs were shaky but I wasn't gonna stop until I found my daddy and Mr Green.

I had to tell them about this.

Maybe they could do something about it.

"Daddy—" As I burst into Mr Green's office, my sentence was cut short as my breathing got caught in my throat at my sight.

Turning around from his seat, looking at me with the brown of his own eyes, Jerome didn't waist one second, not caring about the sling his arm was him, he stood to his feet, wrapping me up in his arms and holding on to me for dear life.

"I'm so sorry J!" I held on to him as well, hoping I wasn't paining his body more as I cried right along with him. "I'm so sorry for not listening to you.. I'm so sorry for being so jealous!"

He rubbed my back, his way of assuring me, and letting me know that he heard me.

He's always heard me,
even when I couldn't hear him.

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Thoughts?