Agora Hills

sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

October 30, 2024

Jacob sat on the worn couch in his living room, the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the half-drawn curtains. He absently picked at a loose thread on the upholstery, his mind wandering as he listened to his cousin Zilla recount the events of the previous night's Halloween party.

The room was filled with the scent of leftover pizza and the faint echo of laughter from outside, where kids were trick-or-treating.

"Kayla said Reeva almost snatched some girl's face off," Zilla said, leaning forward, his eyes wide with excitement. "You know, for talking bad about you and the kids. Kayla had to stop her, man! Kayla thought she was gonna go for it."

Jacob felt his heart rate spike at Zilla's words. Reeva? Almost fighting someone over him? The idea both warmed and troubled him. "Wait, what?" Jacob's voice was incredulous, and he sat up straighter, trying to process the implications of Zilla's revelation. "When did this happen?"

Zilla shrugged. "During the party, they went to last night, I guess. Kayla saw the whole thing. She said Reeva was ready to throw down, and Kayla had to grab her before anything happened. She was worried that girl was gonna sue her if it got physical."

Jacob's stomach twisted into knots. The image of Reeva nearly engaging in a fight over him unsettled him. "That doesn't sound like her," he muttered, though he felt the tension in his chest tightening. When he'd spoken to Reeva that morning, she hadn't mentioned anything about a confrontation. "Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"Looks like Reeva ain't playing about you, uce," Lance chimed in, leaning against the wall with an amused grin. Jacob appreciated Lance's light-hearted take, but it only made his frustration grow.

"Man, she didn't say a word when I asked her how the party was last night. You'd think she would mention something like that," Jacob replied, shaking his head.

It felt like a betrayal of sorts; why wouldn't Reeva confide in him?

"Probably didn't want you to worry," Zilla interjected, his tone shifting to something more serious. "She knows how you get. You care too much, and she didn't want you stressing over some girl's dumb comments."

"I don't care," Jacob snapped, the irritation bubbling over. "She should have told me. I don't need her out here fighting over what people think about me."

"Jacob, you can't control how she chooses to react to a situation," Lance said, trying to keep the mood light.

But Jacob could feel the weight of the conversation pulling him down. Reeva's loyalty and willingness to defend him were touching, but the thought of her getting into trouble—or worse, hurting someone—over it made him uneasy.

"Still..." Jacob started, but Zilla cut him off, his voice firm.

"Kayla already told me that Reeva feels bad about almost fighting last night," Zilla said, a note of warning creeping into his tone. "Don't go back to her and make her feel worse about it. She didn't mean for it to go that far."

Jacob sighed, the fight leaving his body. "I won't," he said, though the uncertainty lingered.

He appreciated Reeva's fierce loyalty, but he wished she could find other ways to express it. Jacob didn't want her to get hurt because of him.

As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, Jacob found it difficult to shake the image of Reeva in his mind. The thought of her ready to defend his honor felt noble, yet he was also aware of how reckless it could be. He admired her spirit but wished she could see that not every battle was worth fighting, especially not for his sake.