Chapter 81
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“Cedrick, you’re top of the grade! How come your folks didn’t come?”
“If I had your scores, my whole family of seven would fight to attend!”
a boy asked curiously.
Lucille found it odd and countered, “Your parents, grandparents, and maternal grandparents -that’s six people. Where did seven come from?”
“And my dog!”
That classmate’s answer made Lucille forget her sadness. Others chimed in, “Yeah, Cedrick, with your grades, why didn’t your parents come?”
Cedrick only said coldly, “Don’t ask. They’re dead.”
?
The other boys fell silent, too stunned to speak. But only Lucille knew–if his parents were truly dead, he wouldn’t have said it like that.
And that afternoon after class, she witnessed something she shouldn’t have seen, catching a glimpse of the answer.
He stood in an inconspicuous corner behind the school when a luxury car stopped before him. The window rolled down, and a wad of cash was flung out, striking his face. Bills scattered everywhere as a finger jabbed viciously from inside the car. “Money, money, money!
That’s all you care about!
You little leech!
Take it!”
Lucille was stunned, never imagining his family situation was like this.
He stood defiantly, refusing to pick up the money.
She heard his icy voice cut through the air, “Keep it. From today on, I’ll never take a cent from you!”
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Chapter 81
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With that, he turned and walked away.
The car door flew open as Cedrick stormed after him. “Fine! See if I care! Let’s see how long you last without my money!”
The sunset that day blazed fiercely, gilding him like gold. A rebellious smile touched his lips as he called back without turning, “Relax! I’d rather be a kept man than crawl back to you!”
What kind of talk was that!
Lucille, still in high school, was utterly shocked!
Though, if she was honest, she’d heard worse.
When her mother lashed out, she’d often scream that raising Lucille wasted food, that she should just sell herself…
Each time those words struck, shame and pain would flood Lucille until she wished she’d never been born. Only by biting her lip hard enough to draw blood could she hold back the tears. But how could he say such a thing about himself?
How much must it hurt him to speak those words…
The same sunset bathed both their heads, illuminating a similar darkness within their hearts.
Driven by sudden courage, Lucille stepped before him, eyes wide. “Cedrick,” she pleaded, “Promise me you won’t… find someone to keep you!”
She wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light, but for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw something glisten in his eyes under the dying sun.
It vanished instantly. He looked away, a cold laugh escaping him. “What? You offering to keep me instead?”
Lucille fell silent.
It was the most vulnerable moment Cedrick had ever shown. Even now, over a decade later, he’d never been that exposed again.
He brushed past her after speaking. The breeze he stirred carried nothing but the fresh, raw scent of adolescence.
The next day, she approached him with a math problem. “I don’t get this one,” she mumbled, head bowed low, bracing for rejection. “How do I solve it?”
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Chapter 81
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He glanced at her, silent for a long moment.
Just as she thought he’d refuse, he snatched her scratch paper. He drew diagrams, explained step–by–step, using the entire break. Finally, he asked, “Got it now?”
She nodded quickly. “Yes!”
Then she threw down five dollars and bolted,
It was five dollars she’d pinched from her own meager living expenses.