Getting Schooled (The Wright Brothers Book 1) (16 page)

“Well thank you,” I smiled. “And so are you! I like your dress.”

“Thank you. You wanna see my hexbugs?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Umm… sure? If it’s okay with your father.” I glanced up at Justin, who shrugged.

“Fine with me. Take it easy on her please Bri.”

“
Okaaaay
daddy!” Brielle grabbed me by the hand and led me over to a kid-sized table set up in the corner. I kneeled beside her as she showed me a set of tiny robotic bugs, contained by a maze of tubes. I watched as she disassembled and then reassembled the maze with different paths, then started it up, giggling as the “hex bugs” ran through it, bumping and flipping and climbing over each other as they went.

“Did your uncle Jason get these for you?” I asked, and she turned to me with a big smile, and nodded. I smiled back. Of course he’d given her an engineering and robotics toy, nurturing her brain with science instead of just the typical dolls.

A few seconds after that, there was an influx of action as someone else came to the door. Jason’s voice was soothing to my ears, as I heard him apologize to his father for running behind. I turned around just in time to see the shocked expression on his face as Joseph “introduced” him to my mother.

“My professor, Pops? Really?” he asked, but seemed to be unbothered by it. They laughed through the introduction, and Jason expressed his surprise, but approval. And then he looked around, and his eyes fell on me and went wide. I pushed myself up from the floor, and stood.

“Hey Jason.”

“Reese… hey.”

Our eyes connected, and I could tell he was wondering if I knew before now. I gave him a subtle nod, and he frowned a little, then looked away. Suddenly, I felt almost… guilty.

Maybe I should have said something.

I didn’t have time to think about it too hard before we were being ushered into the dining room, seated, and food was being passed around.

Of course I ended up seated next to Jason.

Everybody was talking, laughing, captivated as my mother explained how she and Joseph met. Jason’s brothers asked questions, engaged my mother, and I was happy for her that they seemed to genuinely like her. And I mean… why wouldn’t they? It was obviously that she was completely enamored with their father.  But Jason was quiet, which I hadn’t expected.

Since nobody was paying attention to us anyway, I reached under the table to grab his fingers. He didn’t pull away, so I squeezed them, and he squeezed back, so I looked up at met his eyes. “Is everything okay?” I mouthed, and even though he gave me a subtle nod, his eyes said something a little different.

Squeezing my hand one more time, he leaned toward me, and quietly muttered, “We’ll talk.”

Could he be any more ominous?

From there, the dinner seemed to drag on forever, even though I was willing it to be over, and soon. Internally, I was freaking out, trying to figure out what exactly I’d already done wrong. When everyone was done eating, the party moved back into the kitchen for dessert, and that was when Jason chose to pull me aside, into a small room off the wall.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked, as soon as we were alone, looking up to meet his eyes.

He shook his head. “Nah, not mad. I just… why wouldn’t you tell me if you knew our parents were dating? I remember that day in the professor’s office, when you found out that he was my father. Why didn’t you just say something then?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you and I were talking, connecting… I was more interested in that than discussing our parents. And I didn’t think anything was going to come of me and you, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. And then from there, it just wasn’t on my mind. I didn’t find out about dinner tonight until right before.”

“And you couldn’t shoot me a text?”

I shrugged. “I thought maybe it would be a cute surprise. And… you hadn’t texted or called all day, so I wasn’t sure where your head was anyway. If yesterday was just like… a fluke.”

“What?” he scoffed. “Nah, nothing like that. I’ve just been busy. Babysitting, school work,
work
work. And… a little bit of wondering how to approach things with you.”

I smiled. “Oh, so big, strong, Sgt. Wright… gets a little nervous too?”

He chuckled, swiping a hand over his face before he pushed his hands into his pockets. “I guess. Maybe a little.” He pulled a hand from his pocket, reaching out to tug at one of the coils in my kinky-curly puff ponytail. “I like this,” he said. “I’m surprised, but I like it.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “Why are you surprised?”

“I would’ve thought you wouldn’t let a nap anywhere near you,” he teased. “And yet here you are with a head full of natural hair.”

“I love my naps,” I giggled, running a hand through my puff. “I can be bougie without a relaxer. I thought you of all people would appreciate it.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Your first paper. You complained that none of the women in Corey Jefferson’s book had dark brown skin or natural hair, and that was when I knew I wanted you.”

“It was more of an observation than a complaint. I love black women of all varieties. But back to you wanting me…”

I sucked my teeth. “Well, not
you
, but the author of the paper.”

“So you liked it that much?”

“I did,” I nodded. “That paper was the first thing that attracted me to you, sight unseen.”

“Well shit, I need to write some more papers then,” He mused, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pressed his lips to mine, soft at first, then deeper, slipping his tongue in my mouth as he pulled me closer to him.

“So you’re not mad at me?” I asked, when we ended the kiss.

“Nah,” he shook his head. “Not at all. I would have liked to know that my father and my professor were dating, but neither one of them said anything either, so it’s not like I can be pissed at you. It’s just… weird.”

I shrugged. “It’s really not. Only when you think about it too hard. And even then, it comes back around to
not
weird.”

“And I know you’re damn good at thinking about shit too hard, so I’ll take your word for it,” he laughed. “As far as I’m concerned though, we’re good. Just got some more learning and figuring out to do with each other.”

I smiled, then pushed myself up onto my toes for another kiss.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

thirteen.

“
Shit!
”

I stopped what I was doing to grin at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t sure what Jason was cursing about from my bathroom, but it was still a good feeling to have him there.

It was a Thursday morning, and we actually both had class today, so we were navigating the small space of my room to get ready. We’d been dating for a month now, but this was the first intentional overnight stay during the week.

It was interesting.

In a good way.

Jason was very,
very
organized. I’d peeked into his bag, saw how neatly it was packed, and smiled. He packed better than
I
did.

“What’s wrong?” I called, carefully tying a pretty scarf around the edges of my hair. I was fluffing out my fro when Jason peeked into the bedroom, still shirtless from his shower.

“Uhhh…”

I turned around. Something about the look on his face made a bubble of anxiety spike in my chest. “Jason,
what
?”

“That little dish on your bathroom counter…there was something in it, wasn’t there?”

“The purple one?”

He cringed. “Yeah.”

I swallowed hard, trying to get my heart out of my throat. “Yes. Yes, my chain that I always wear. Why?”

“Don’t freak out…”

I got up so fast I almost flipped over the bench at my vanity. “What do you mean don’t freak out?! What happened!?”

Jason sighed, swiping a hand over his face. “I… accidentally knocked it into the sink, and I thought I heard something in it, but the sink was empty, so I was hoping—”

“What?!”

I crossed the room while he was still talking, but I didn’t hear anything he said as I pushed him aside to get into the bathroom. Sure enough, the dish was empty, and my heart started to gallop as I looked over the counter, on the floor, in the trashcan, and didn’t see my chain.

Tightness seized my throat, and tears sprang to my eyes as I turned back to Jason. “What the fuck happened?! The dish was on the other side of the counter, not even close to the sink!”

“Reese, chill. I put my towel down on the counter to put on my boxers. When I picked it back up, the dish and a couple of other things slid in there.”

“What kind of sense does it even make to put your towel on the counter, when there’s a damned rack right behind the door? That wasn’t just any necklace, Jason! It’s important to me!”

He scowled. “Why are you acting like I did the shit on purpose?!”

“Because it’s lost either way!”

I scanned the bathroom one last time with bleary eyes, tuning out whatever the hell Jason was trying to say as I rummaged through the trash, dropped to my knees to check the corners, under the cabinet, everywhere. By the time I stood again, I was sobbing, and Jason was sitting on the edge of my bed, putting his prosthetic on.

“Reese,” he called as I stormed past him, wiping my face with the back of my hand. I ignored him still, going to my vanity to look around there. I distinctly remembered taking it off the in the bathroom to shower, and not immediately putting it back on because I was rushing to give Jason time. But still… maybe I’d picked it up and just didn’t remember.

“
Reese
.”

Jason grabbed my arms, stopping my movements. I struggled to get away from him because I didn’t want to look at him right now, because that necklace was—“I can get it, princess. Calm down. Let me get my toolbox out of my trunk. Aiight?”

I let out a deep, shuddering breath as I tried to stop crying, but still didn’t look at him. I sat down at the vanity as he grabbed his keys and left the room. A few moments later, he was back, and went right into the bathroom.

Ten years.

That’s how long I’d had that necklace and never,
ever
lost it. My father had presented me with a delicate white box at my Sweet Sixteen, and I’d been in complete awe. My first real piece of jewelry, with a tiny plaque engraved with my name, and I felt
so
grown up. More than his record player, more than his vinyls, more than my
memories
… that necklace a real, touchable thing. Given in love, in warmth, attached to one of those beautiful memories. It was a tangible connection between my father and me, and the thought of losing it… I felt like my chest had been split in half. What if it was—

“Hey.”

I sniffled as I looked up from my hands, and wiped my eyes. Jason was standing in front of me, still shirtless – had he gone outside like that? – holding out a dainty gold chain to me.

An unsteady breath flooded out of my lungs, and my shoulders sank in relief. I took it from him, covered in whatever gunk hung out at the bottom of the drain, and practically sprinted into the kitchen, my hands shaking as I washed it underneath the hottest water I could stand.

My fingers trembled as I grabbed both ends of tiny clasp, and lifted them around my neck. I tried and tried to make the two pieces connect, but my hands were quivering too bad.

“I’ve got you,” I heard from behind me, and the ends of the necklace were gently pulled from my fingers. I dropped my hands to my sides, and a moment later, my little plaque was hanging in its rightful place at the base of my throat.

I closed my eyes, not bothering to stem the flow of tears that escaped my eyelids as Jason wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me to him as tightly as he could. “I’m sorry,” he muttered against my ear, and I shook my head.

“It was an accident. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, I just—”

“
Shhh.
You don’t have to explain.”

I turned in his arms, futilely attempting to dry my face. “But I do. It was a gift from my father, and… it means a lot to me. Maybe more than it should, but—”

“
Shh
,” he repeated, using his thumbs to wipe my cheeks as I stared up into his eyes. “I get it. Trust me I do. My mother cried for days over losing an earring
her
mother gave her. I thought about that as soon as I saw your eyes well up.”

“I didn’t have to yell and curse at you.”

He shrugged. “You didn’t. And I started to make your mean ass wait, too.” I poked out my bottom lip, and he chuckled, shaking his head. “Uh-uh, put that thing away. When I realized it was about your dad though, I knew I had to go ahead and get it for you.”

“And I appreciate it. Thank you.”

He wiped my face again, then pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry for knocking it down in the first place. I probably could’ve been paying more attention to what I was doing.

“Ya think?”

Jason laughed, then swatted me on the butt. “So we’re good?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “We’re good.”

“Good. You want to hit up Refill tonight?”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you asking me out on a date, Sgt. Wright?”

“I think I might be.”

“On a Thursday night… don’t you have classes tomorrow morning?”

He shrugged. “It’s the only night Dani Renee is gonna be there, so…”

My eyes wide. “She’s back!?”

“She’s back,” he grinned. “And since you missed her last time…”

Jason couldn’t even get the rest of his words out before I launched into him for a hug. “Yess!” I exclaimed. “What time?!”

“Eight,” he managed to say through my hair.

I had a big grin on my face as I pulled away, then entwined my fingers with his. “You are…”

“The most handsome, intelligent, funny, flat out
best
nigga you’ve ever dealt with?”

I rolled my eyes. “Well… you aiight, I guess.”

“Ah, well. You probably don’t want some little “aiight” chump taking you out then, huh?” Jason grinned as I squeezed his fingers a little tighter.

“
Fiiine.
You’re… a little more than aiight.”

“Oh, I’ma show you
“aiight.”

I squealed as he picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder to carry back into my room. We still had a little time before either of us had class, to have a little morning fun.

And then I’d call and find out if I was even
allowed
at Refill.

- & -

“So what exactly are your intentions with my friend?”

Oh God, here we go.

Jason looked taken aback by Devyn’s question, and I couldn’t blame him. She was sitting across for him at our booth style table, not cracking a smile as she stared at him, with an expression that was just barely neutral enough to not be a scowl.

“Um… I hadn’t really thought about that much. We’re taking it easy right now.”

She sucked her teeth. “Oh, so this is just casual to you? You’re using my friend for your little freak-nasty needs, and when you tired, you’re just gonna move on?”

“I…
what
?”

“
Devyn
,” I hissed, kicking her under the table. “
Chill!”

She kicked me right back. “Answer the question, Sgt. Wright.
If
you’re even actually a Sergeant. What was your commanding officers name? In case I need to make some phone calls.”

Jason turned to me, eyes wide. “Is she serious?”

“I’m asking the questions here,” Devyn snipped, patting her hand on the table for attention. “Don’t try to deflect.”

Jason narrowed his eyes, and she narrowed hers too, lifting an eyebrow.

“Captain Derek Ingram was my commander at the time I accepted an honorary discharge. No, I don’t intend to
use
your friend. And I don’t think what we’re doing is casual, it’s just still relatively new. Ask me in six months what my intentions are, and I’ll be able to give you a real answer.”

Devyn’s expression slowly softened. “Oh. So you plan to be around for the next six months, at least.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Exclusive to her? Do you fuck your girlfriend’s friends?”

Jason curled his lip. “What?
No.
I don’t get down like that, and I don’t make a habit of sleeping around.”

“Mmmhmmm. Why do you like Reesie?”

I dropped my head onto the table, thinking about how thoroughly I was going to cuss her ass out later.

“She already knows the answer to that.”

I kicked Devyn under the table again.

“I wanna hear you say it.”

Jason let out a heavy sigh, and even though my head was down, I could feel him sit back. “I like Reese because she’s smart, funny, sexy, and not afraid to speak her mind. She’s not afraid to be absolutely herself, and be open and honest. And I feel like I can be myself with her.”

I lifted my head, just enough to turn to him. “Really?” I asked, just above a whisper.

He lifted an eyebrow, giving me a look like I was insane. “Uh… yeah. Duh.”

“Welll,” Devyn said, her voice returning to the perky tone I was used to. “Congrats, Jay! As far as I’m concerned, you’ve passed the bestie-twin test… for now. Y’all cute or whateva’.” When I lifted my head, Devyn was smiling, and she winked at me as she stood up. “I’m going to get a drink.”

Jason turned to me as soon as she walked away from our table at Refill, heading toward the bar. I’d called her to sweet talk big brother Eric into taking me off the banned list at the club – he never could say no to his baby sister – and she’d finagled her way into me agreeing to let her meet Jason.

Finally
. – her word.

It wasn’t that I was trying to keep them away from each other, or anything like that. I was trying, desperately, not to be a weirdo. Because of our unique circumstances, he’d already met my mother, which usually wouldn’t happen until months into a relationship. I didn’t want him thinking I was trying to integrate him into my whole family, especially after the way I’d had a mini freak-out over him possibly moving. The very last thing I needed was to sabotage this by making him think I was getting too attached.