Shut Up & Listen - Chapter 34: Chapter 34

June 29
Cole
7:58a
After I clocked out, I pulled up to Micky D's for a steak and egg breakfast bagel with an apple juice and hash brown. The apple juice tasted spoiled though, so I poured it out on the street.
About three minutes later, I pulled into the parking structure at my apartment and noticed that Dame's car was still here. I parked and walked up to his car and looked into the window. Dame was laid out on the back seat asleep like he don't have a whole ass house across town. I knocked on the window to wake him up.
He looked up like he was shocked to see me. I rolled my eyes and yelled 'Man getcho ass in the house.'
"No! Leave me alone nigga." It was muffled behind the glass, but I heard him. I started jiggling the door handle and banging on the window until he stopped ignoring me. When he finally unlocked the door. I pulled him out the car and made him come with me. I didn't say anything to him when we were in the elevator, or on the walk from the elevator to the door. When we got in, he went straight to a guest room and locked himself in there. I changed out of my uniform and put on some black joggers and a white tee.
I went to unlock the door and he was sitting on the floor up against the bed with the stuff to roll a blunt spread out in the space between his legs. He was just looking at it.
"What's wrong?"
"Dame."
"Aight fuckit, dont talk to me then." I walked over and sat on the bed looking down at him. Honestly, that line usually works. But, he still isn't talking to me. He must be mad mad.
"Dame!"
"What Cole, damn?"
"You alright?"
"Don't I look alright?" He asked and started playing with the buds.
"Nigga, you spent the night in your car."
"So What? Lots of niggas sleep in the car from time."
"Yeah, homeless niggas."  He didn't even laugh at my joke. The fuck is wrong with him? "Are you mad because I had to go to work?" He ignored me still messing with the weed. I kept looking at it because him playing with it was making me anxious.
"What time is it? I left my phone in the car."
I held my arm up looking at my Apple Watch. "8:43"
"Shit."
"What? You late for something?"
"I was supposed to meet somebody at eight."
"Who?" He ignored me and kept fussing with the weed and papers. "Why you acting like that?" He put his stuff down on the floor and turned his head to me with a big ass attitude as if I was just bothering the fuck out of him.
"I was supposed to meet Maverik this morning."
"What kinda name is Maverik?"
"That's his name. Maverik, it's a family name."
"Who?"
"My father nigga, damn. Catch up."
"Well, call him. Tell him you overslept or sumn."
"Why do you care?"
"Because you do. We still brothers, I don't care how mad you get." I scooted of the bed onto the floor to sit beside him. He passed me the paraphernalia and leaned his head on the side of the bed. He watched me roll up and when I was finished, I held it between my fingers while he held the lighter up to light it. He took the first puff and passed it to me.
"What if he changed his mind."
"Just call him, nigga. I know you ain't scared." He started picking with the rug we were sitting on while staring up at the photo of me and my pops on the wall.
"If he still want you to go, I'll come witchu aight."
"Ok." He wiped the cold out the corner of his eye and got up from the floor walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he came back, he looked me up and down told me, "Come to the car with me."
We walked out of the guest bedroom and I thought we were going down the stairs, but he turned to go into my bedroom instead.
"I wore this when I saw him yesterday, man. I won't have time to go home first."
"Go ahead, man." I sat on my bed checking my phone while Dame raided my closet. Nobody texted me or anything but for some reason my socials were blowing up. I opened a DM my homie sent me and it's a video of me and Jill at the coffee shop from February. I'm not even famous for real yet, so this shit is crazy.
"What's all the noise, nigga?" Dame asked coming out of my closet with a short sleeved white button down, distressed acid wash jeans, and the white air forces he already had on.
"I got fans now nigga, shit is weird. Somebody got a video of me and Jill."
"The fuck was yal doing? Fucking?"
"You would think, right? We was just talking." I showed him the video and he smiled. "What, Nigga?"
"Yo, like I'm ten thousand percent sure she still love you."
"I'm neeever listening to you about Jill again nigga. Shut the fuck up."
"What? What I do?" He questioned, passing the phone back to me.
"She not even with that nigga she posted. Never was."
"Well shit, I only told you how long she was posting him. I ain't say they was together."
"Man whatever. You ready?"He nodded his head looking down at his clothes, putting his hands out as to ask 'how do I look?'. I looked him over and nodded my head back. "You not hungry?"
"Man, I'm too nervous to eat. We gotta go so I can call him right quick."
In the elevator, I watched Dame. He's still, but I can tell his mind is on ten right now. His eyes are locked on the doors the same way they were locked on the weed in the room. I can't even lie, I don't know what to do or say to him. It's always been the other way around, Dame has never needed me before. I feel like I don't support him enough as it is, I really hope that he can tell that I'm trying.
9:38a
About thirty minutes later, we are walking up the stairs to the bleachers at the baseball field at our old high school, Cass Tech. I looked around and saw a few parents watching their kids play baseball from the bleachers, it must be Detroit PAL or something. I looked onto the field while Dame greeted a man who I assume is Maverik and noticed that Cobe was here. I know he works at the school, but it's summer break, so what is he doing here? Dame tapped my arm and I turned around for him to introduce me.
"This is my brother, Cole."
"Nice to meet you, bruh. You can call me Mav."
"What up, Mav." We sat down on the bleachers while Dame and Mav caught up. We've been here for a good hour and a half. I tried to be in the moment with them, but my eyes kept drifting to the field. It looks like Cobe might be coaching or something. He's wearing a Cass Tech tee and hat with Black Adidas joggers. All I've been doing is watching him do his thing and I didn't even notice that Dame was talking to me.
"...ain't that right Cole?" I turned around with my brows crossed because I'd missed the whole convo. "Huh?"
"Mav played Football here at Cass Tech. His team went to the championships and everything, like us. I was telling him that me you and Cobe played together when we went here."
"Oh yeah, best part of my high school experience, hands down. And that's Cobe down there with the kids. They called us three the dream team cuz we worked so well together. Team ain't been the same since we graduated, I swear."
"Man, you sound like an old head for real." Mav chuckled moving his eyes from me to Cobe on the field. "Can I meet Cobe? He grew up with you too Dame?"
"Yeah he did. Me and Cole met him around like age what, ten?"
"Probably like eleven, twelve?"
"Yeah, yeah! He was in Mrs.Green homeroom with me. You 'member her?"
"Hell yeah." We dapped and nodded at the image of the fine ass Mrs.Green that popped up in our heads simultaneously.
Dame rose first, he led Mav toward the field with me following behind the both of them. The closer we got to the bottom of the bleachers, the louder my heartbeat became. Me and Cole still haven't talked since he kicked me out of his apartment in February. And the fact that we fucked yesterday makes it worse. Once we stepped onto the field, I tapped Dame on his arm with the back of my hand to get his attention. I was going to tell him that I was gonna go to the car, but, Cobe had already seen us and was walking towards us. I didn't want Dame to think something was going on, so I had to keep cool and be cordial.
"Yo! What up College Graduate! Nigga, I use you as an example for my kids all the time, man. I'm proud of you, boy!" Cobe yelled taking Dame into a hug. "Good shit, man. For real."
"Ion know what to say. Thank you, thank you. That means a lot for real Cobe."  Dame clapped his hands together the way you do when you pray and put them up to the tip of his nose. "I appreciate you, bruh. You doing big things around here."
"It's all for the kids, man. All for them." He told Dame while pointing at the youth training on the field. "A lot of them got similar stories to you and Cole. I be telling them that if they really want to, they can do good shit, you know. I would love it if you could talk to them sometime."
He looked down at the dirt, then reluctantly up at me. "Y-you too Cole. I-if you wouldn't mind. Some of them interested in music t-too." He didn't make eye contact when he spoke to me, instead he turned his head to watch the kids.
"Yeah... no doubt Cobe. I can do that for you." What the fuck Cole?? I cAn Do THat fOr yOU... dumb ass. My mouth fell ajar at my stupidity a lil bit and I rubbed my the back of my head looking everywhere but in the direction of Cobe or Dame.
Dame leaned down and whispered, "we gone talk about that later." I let out an exaggerated sigh that unintentionally caught the attention of both Cobe and Maverik. This shit awkward as hell. Maverik finally spoke up, taking the spotlight off of me.
"I'm Maverik, Dame's father." He reached a hand out for Cobe to shake. Cobe's eyes shot open while his hand went out to shake Mav's. "Nice to meet you, bruh."
"Y-yeah. I- I didn't know-"  Dame gave Cobe a look and he stopped mid sentence. "Yeah, I mean, it's nice to meet you, man."
"I heard a lot about you, Cobe. My son, Maurice is on your team. He goes by Reece though."
He raised his brows while looking over at me and Dame. The look on Dame's face said he was hearing about his son for the first time too. "O-oh yes. Reece. He's a star on the team, man. Awesome pitcher." I thought before was awkward, but this shit takes the muh fucking cake.
Cobe put his hands out to his front, telling us he has to get back to work. He's lucky he has a way out. I couldn't help but watch him walk away. Shit, I gotta get him out of my head. I got a girl now.
"So... Reece? How old is he?" Dame spoke, interrupting my thoughts.
"He's sixteen."
"He live with you?"
"Yeah. I'm married to his mother." Mav said in a 'duh' tone. Oh shit, i'mma have to drag Dame out of here ain't I?
"So you couldn't take care of me because you wasn't married to my moms? Is that what you saying?"
"Nah, man. That's not what I meant."
"What you mean then Maverik?"
"I mea-"
"Yo, pops. I ain't know you was coming up here today. Who's this?" Dame threw his hand up dismissing the situation and turned to walk away. I followed him, but in the distance, I could faintly hear the conversation between Mav and Reece.
"You saying that's my brother?"
"Yeah, he's your brother. Damon." He was speaking as if nothing was a big deal at all. Shit, he was starting to piss me off. I could hear the irritation in Maurice's voice too. Seem like this Mav nigga don't have a sense of right and wrong or something man.
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Maurice 'Reece' George
Portrayed by Davincii
Age: 16
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As soon as we got into the car, Dame skrrted out of the parking lot. He was pissed and I didn't blame him. I knew not to speak to him when he got this angry, especially if he's driving, that's a muh fucking death sentence. I had to wait at least ten minutes to let him calm down. By then, we'd be at Culver's or Coney Island depending on his level of mad. Dame likes to eat when he's mad, extra mad means a good ass steak house and kinda mad mostly disappointed meant a simple place like Coney Island or Shwarma Express. Shit, I could go for either right now, I'm bout hungry as hell.
11:52a
"Cole. You and Kwabena fucking?" My neck jerked so fast I could've given myself whiplash.
"The fuck you just ask me?"
"You hear me. Is yal fucking or not, cuz yal been weird ever since you told me what happened with Jill. So spill it, bruh."
"Nah. I ain't gay. It was just a lil thing Dame. Nothing even happened since then."
"You bet not be lying to me." I scrunched my face up and looked at Dame because last time I checked, he is not my father.
"The fuck? Who the fuck are you?"
He smacked his lips, "man, whatever nigga. I ain't stupid. You ain't gotta tell me shit." I just waved him off and opened a text I just got from Jemaika.
Dame looked over being nosey and shit. "She know you like niggas?"
"I'm bout to rock yo shit Dame. Quit fucking playing for real."
"All I know is you can't hold water. So whatever the fuck you hiding gone come out eventually. And imma be there with a big ass tub of popcorn and a 24oz."
"Since you in a talking mood, let's talk about why the fuck Evan texting me about a damn weekend trip? Yal planning shit at my crib without asking me?"
"Nigga. You surprised for what? Founders Day is coming up and my newly inducted Frat Brother wanna celebrate. I said, hell, why not make it into a lil bro bro reunion. We ain't all been under one roof in a minute."
"You just got a house nigga!"
"Exactly, JUST is the key word. I ain't got shit yet, Cole. Your loft is easy. Ain't shit to do but buy food and maybe a few air mattresses."
"Yal fucking kill me, yo. Everybody act like me casa es su casa when I never said that shit to nan one of you niggas."
"You mad for real?"
"I'm just saying, can y'all ask first? Damn."
"Baby ass. Whatchu pouting for? We bouta stop at Culver's and I'm paying so fix ya face negro."