We were two days away from a long holiday break; time away from everyone’s drama might be enough to get me back to some kind of social equilibrium. I could become New Year’s Del. Put all of my mess behind me.

So, one might imagine exiting school the Thursday before break, and finding Jameer sitting inside my car, being both unexpected and unwanted.

I considered an about-face. Hell, I turned all the way around, but spotted Shianne inside the school entrance. I’d successfully avoided her, too, and given the very real work I apparently needed to do processing my feelings toward all the women in my life, Jameer became the better option.

Climbing behind the wheel, I keyed the ignition, turned on the heat because winter had come, and said, “Did I leave the door unlocked, or did you break in? If you broke in, I’m going to have way more questions.”

“The door was unlocked.” He sniffed hard, like he might have a cold. But, his eyes were also red, puffy. He’d been crying. A lot.

“What’s wrong, Jameer?”

“I messed up, Del. I’m sorry. I messed up.”

“Messed up what?”

He cupped his face in his hands, folded himself almost in half. “If I tell you, promise you won’t get mad.”

“I promise I’ll try.”

“I told Pastor about our road trip, Del. It was me.”

He didn’t look at me. I was glad, because I’m sure my face would’ve betrayed my promise to try holding back my anger. “You? Why?”

“I overdid the wine that night. My parents knew I’d been drinking. They were so angry, they called Pastor—woke him up—to ask for prayer and guidance. They actually took me to his house, eleven o’clock at night, Del. And he drilled me. Who, what, when, where. I didn’t say anything, though. Not at first. I swear. Then my parents said if I wouldn’t confess to the three of them, maybe I’d do it for the whole church, and I couldn’t go through that humiliation again. So, I told them about the trip. Not everything. Not that the wine came from Ralph and Bobby, because who knows what would’ve happened to them. I—”

“Told about my part in it.”

He raised his face from his hands. Tears puddling in his palms. “You’re not like the rest of us, Del. I knew Pastor couldn’t crack you. I knew you could take it.”

My anger siphoned off quickly because that wasn’t true. Pastor did crack me, and Healthy Living went away. I’d been where Jameer was, and I’d broken, too. The difference, I never confessed my role to MJ. Let him think it was anyone else but me. Jameer was the bravest person in my car.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezed gently. “It’s cool. That’s all behind us now and everyone’s fine.”

“No, Del. They’re not.” He choked up into fresh sobs, unable to speak through them. Gave me time to think and get worried.

I said, “Something else happened.”