The Queen's Game

Chapter 17: Lines Crossed

(Soleil's POV)

A warm, late-summer breeze floated through the open kitchen window as my mom, Aurora, hummed along to old R&B, moving rhythmically as she braided Azalea's hair. The other girls, Ivy and Dahlia, sprawled out across the living room floor, flicking through magazines and talking over each other. Meanwhile, Orion and River were outside in the yard, bickering over a football play while Dad shouted, "Keep that form tight!" Every so often, the faint scent of my mom's favorite hair oil would drift over, mingling with the smells of Sunday breakfast.

Life around here was usually loud and messy, but it was a good kind of chaos. I was used to it. Still, I couldn't ignore the weight that'd been sitting on my shoulders lately. My mind kept circling back to what had gone down at Kailani’s party last night. The face-offs, the tension... and Kehlani's name thrown around like some kind of unspoken threat. I couldn’t shake it, this pull toward her—the way people seemed to fear her and, at the same time, follow her lead.

"Hey, Soleil, you planning on staring into space all morning?" Dad’s voice broke through my thoughts, his eyes twinkling as he smirked at me from across the kitchen. "You better eat up before these locusts leave nothing for you."

"Yeah, you know Ivy and Dahlia are about to clean up," Orion chimed in, leaning against the doorframe with a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes, shooting a look at Ivy, who stuck her tongue out before grabbing a handful of bacon strips and plopping them onto her plate. Typical.

"Chill, y’all," I said, shaking my head as I reached for some eggs, even though my stomach still felt twisted.

Mom noticed, pausing with her hands in Azalea’s hair. "What’s up with you today, Sol? You look like you got something heavy on your mind."

I bit my lip, hesitating. It was one thing to talk to my friends about what’d happened, but Mom and Dad? They wouldn’t understand—not like the crew would.

"It’s nothing serious. Just… you know, people talking about drama that went down at Kailani’s party last night." I kept it vague, but Mom’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Drama? What kind of drama?" She didn’t miss a beat. If there was one thing about my mom, it was that she could sense when any of us were holding back.

I glanced down, pretending to focus on my food. "Some people got into it. Couple of rival groups, almost threw hands."

"A fight at that girl’s house? You mean Kailani, that sweet little girl from church?" she asked, brow raised.

My sisters were all ears now, while my dad just shook his head, muttering something under his breath about "these damn kids." Orion and River looked like they’d suddenly discovered this conversation was way more interesting than any breakfast.

"Yeah, sweet Kailani got a whole lot more intense than y’all think," I replied with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway, it didn’t go down all the way, but…"

I stopped, feeling my mouth go dry. How was I supposed to explain what hearing Kehlani’s name like that did to me? How it only fueled this strange, magnetic pull I felt towards her, even though I’d only seen her a few times around the neighborhood?

"Kehlani? Who’s that?" Mom’s tone was casual, but I caught the curious glint in her eye.

My heart raced, and I shrugged, trying to play it off. "Just some girl people know around here. She’s got… I don’t know, a reputation."

Dad huffed, pushing his chair back. "Reputation for what? Some high school gang mess?"

"No, no, nothing like that,” I lied, fidgeting with my fork. “I mean, she’s older. Runs things around here… kind of.”