BROKEN

Ice Cream Run

"I came over to look for you and she saw me out here." said Faisal.

"Why didn't you just text me?"

"I don't know. I was driving around the neighborhood and I popped in to wish you luck for tonight."

"You're coming right?" he asked.

"I don't think I can make it, sorry. I'll be at the next one though."

I had completely forgot that there was a slam that night. Hakeem looked at us back and forth, he knew that there was something we weren't telling him.

"I have to go though, I'll catch both of you later." Faisal waved at both of us and ran down the stairs.

"What was that about?" Hakeem asked me.

"I don't know I just found him out here and I told him that you weren't home."

"I don't believe that."

"Why not?" I asked.

"You know how I feel about you hanging out with guys."

If only he knew that Faisal was my brother. I definitely wasn't about to tell him. It would be too hard to explain.

"I wasn't hanging out with him." I insisted.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Are you still coming tonight?"

"I have to ask my mom but I think she'll be fine with it. Let me go inside and ask her."

I went inside and my mom was sitting on the couch.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Overwhelmed." I sighed. "So is Faisal."

"Faisal seems like a really nice boy. We should invite him and his family over some time."

"I don't think his mother can come over." I said.

"Why not?"

"She's sick and in the hospital."

"What do you mean she's sick?" she asked.

"I don't know how she's sick but I just know that she is."

"That poor boy." she said. "Just tell him that he's welcome in our house whenever."

"I will. Hooyo can I go to a slam at school tonight?" I asked.

"I really think that you should spend time with your family tonight. I want all of us to get together and talk about everything."

"I understand." I said. "That's probably what's best."

I took out my phone and texted Hakeem.

"She said no."

"Why?"

"Family stuff."

"It's funny how you and Faisal both cancelled on me at the same time."

"How is that funny?" I asked.

I waited for a reply and never got one. Usually I would be stressed trying to figure out a way to make things right with him. But now I had much bigger problems on my plate than Hakeem. I had just met my biological father and I found out that I had three brothers. I could always deal with Hakeem later, but this was something I had to deal with now.

---

The next day, we decided to all meet at Faisal's place. He lived in an apartment building not very far from ours. My mother knocked on the door and we waited. Faisal finally opened the door with a smile.