Don't Let Me Fall: The Village Series (Volume 1) by L. Michelle

Author:L. Michelle [Michelle, L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780615615554
Amazon: 0991070801
Publisher: Jack of All Trades Media LLC
Published: 2012-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Jasmine’s offer weighed on his mind the rest of the ride home. He tried to downplay the excitement of finally getting to the level he’d always wanted; ignored the rumblings of doubt and consequences of what came with that level after the pleasure.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I’m great, beautiful. Are you sure?”

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she smiled at him, speaking confidently, “I want you because I love you.”

“Me too.”

The remainder of the family crowded the front yard. Nick’s young cousins ran around shooting water-guns at each other.

He told them not to let Lucille see their playful warfare as she didn’t believe in kids playing with guns of any kind.

A steady stream of smoke from the grill floated from the backyard, making his stomach rumble with hunger.

“I’ll go help Miss Lucille get the food together,” Jasmine said, carrying their groceries inside.

“Who’s this cool cat right here?” a man asked behind him.

Uncle Keith.

As Nick walked towards him sitting on the bed of his red F-150, he showed off big, yellow-stained teeth. Keith only came around every once in a while, but Nick felt closer to him than most of his relatives.

He had been to jail for petty stuff and hadn’t stepped inside a church since Cynthia died.

“Mama cooking up a storm, like you a VIP or something?”

“Hey I learned from the best.”

“How’s it going? I heard Mama put you on the prayer list at church the past two weeks,” he snickered, pointing the cigarette between his fingers.

“I don’t know why. I’m straight.”

“Cynthia would be proud,” he said. “I know I am. Ain’t no jobs here. Nothing to do. I hope you livin’ it up at AGU.”

“I wouldn’t say that. But you only get to go to college once.”

“I still don’t see how you decided to go to that redneck school.”

Although they said they were happy and proud of him, there always was a caveat. Family, friends and teachers expressed reasons for him not to attend AGU when he applied, got accepted, went to orientation and now after enrollment.

It’s too far away. Cost too much money. Not enough black people. Wasn’t Christian enough. It’s a party school.

Those were all the reasons he decided to attend the university.

He didn’t want to stay close enough for Lucille to pop up unannounced or live in a world where all the students were a shade of brown. And he loved to party. It was a win-win-win situation.

Nick lifted his chin. “What you got in that cup, old man?”

“Grown folks drink.” He held his palm over the plastic cup and eyed Nick suspiciously. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“You started drinkin’ yet?”

Nick shrugged the question off. “I might have had a little something.”

Keith poured him a half-full cup of his brown-colored concoction.

“Don’t let Mama see you drink it neither. No liquor. No drugs. No lying.”

He took a sip, it’s cheap, strong flavor made him cough. “I see you had the rules too.”

“We all did. Me and your mama though…we were always outside of ‘em.”

“For real?”

“Yessir. Always in trouble. Mama said we had the same rebellious spirit.

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