I'm sitting on the floor, frozen. My eyes are glued to the bag as my dad paces around.
"Look familiar?" He doesn't wait for me to answer. "I mean what were you thinking? Seriously what the hell were you thinking Imani? To bring drugs into my house! The disrespect Imani, the disrespect." He places the backpack on the coffee table.
"Dad I-"
"Shut your mouth!" He opens up the backpack and empties out it's contents. "What were you planning to do with all these packages, huh? Sell them off or something? If you want to make money then you go and find yourself a fucking job, not become a drug dealer."
"I'm not selling anything to anyone." I mumble.
"Then why the hell are these in my house?" He points to the packages wrapped in cling film and sellotape.
"I-im holding them for someone." I stutter.
I glance at Marcus who avoids eye contact. What the hell? Is he not gonna help me out? It's his fault I'm in this situation.
"Who are you holding them for?"
"A friend."
"Why do they even need you to hold them though? Why are you even friends with a drug dealer, have you no damn sense?"
"Mummy what's a drug dealer?" Lexi asks.
"Michael, Lexi, go upstairs." She tells them.
"But-"
"Both of you, go upstairs now I'm not telling you again!" She yells, making me flinch. She watches them go and looks at me. I look away and stare at the carpet.
"What 'friend' is this?" My dad asks. I shrug and he grabs me by my arm and pulls me off the floor. "I said what friend Imani?" He shouts, shaking me.
I can't rat my brother out, I can't. Siblings have each other's backs, I won't tell on him, he has to tell them himself. He's gonna tell them the drugs are his, right?
He better.
I look over at him and he stares back at me this time. I can't read the expression on his face, it's between scared and desperate. My eyebrows knot together and I feel like screaming at him to tell the truth.
"What are you doing with your life,baby? Holding drugs for drug dealers? God what kind of parent am I?" Mum's voice breaks and she starts crying.
My eyes fill with tears as dad squeezes my arm impatiently. "Tell me who this person is! Why do you need to protect them so much?"
"It's just a friend dad." I croak.
"Give me a name."
"I can't!"
"I swear to God Imani if you don't tell me who you're hiding this for-"
"I can't dad, I can't."
"I'm gonna lose it Imani I swear." I can literally see the anger in him rising and know that he's a couple seconds close from beating the crap out of me.
What the hell is Marcus doing just sitting there watching the whole thing like say it's a movie?
"Imani you better talk your dad's not playing." I hear mum's voice as I press my eyes shut.
"I'm sorry mum I can't tell!" I say.
"I've had enough." Dad mutters and I press my eyes shut tighter, anticipating the first blow.
"Wait! Wait wait Marlon it's me." My eyes open and I turn to face him.
"What?" My mum looks at him confused and I furrow my eyebrows.
