His mom turned the car in a wide arc as if angling back toward the road, but stopped short of a complete turn to lower her window and yell, “You better remember what Proverbs 6:20 tells us. ‘My son, observe the—’”

Jameer spun on his heels and stood at attention like a military man. “‘—commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.’” He snapped off a salute paired with an exaggerated smile. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am! Sir, yes, sir!”

“God don’t like ugly, Jameer,” his mother said. “Go in there, let Vanessa knock some of that sin off you, then get your disrespectful butt straight home. You hear?”

He didn’t respond, simply hobbled up the church steps while his parents’ car spit rocks on its way to the road.

I intended to wait until he went inside, embarrassed to have even witnessed whatever the hell that was. But he lingered on the porch landing, rolling his shoulders, as if bracing himself to go in. Was I not the only one having a change of heart?

Suddenly, like he heard my thoughts on the breeze, he turned, eyes pointed my way. I fought the urge to duck.

He quickstepped down the stairs, still limping, and made his way over to the passenger side of my car with the intense purpose of a Terminator; I pawed at the power lock button out of reflex. I actually hit the power window button, and while the glass sailed up, Jameer yanked my door open and flopped into my passenger seat. “Are you a spy now?”

“Man, I was just sitting here.”

“You heard that.” He leaned across the console between our seats, too far in my personal space.

“Maybe. I guess. Yo, you need to relax with that energy right now.” For the second time in as many conversations with Jameer, I wondered if we’d have to fight.

His chest heaved slowly, then he sat back, stared straight ahead. “We should go in.”

Exiting my car, Jameer limped back toward the church. I snatched my bag from the backseat and scrambled after him. “Hey, we’re not going to discuss what happened?”

“Nothing to talk about.”

“Dude, you did like a John Wick roll out of your people’s car and they weren’t even concerned. Your ankle might be broken.”

“It’s not broken.” He climbed the steps gingerly. “Slight sprain at most.”

“Okay. I feel like we’re not addressing the core issue here.”

“How’s your nose, Del?”

“My—?” Crap. He did see me catch that basketball to the grill. Did that mean Kiera saw, too?

“As I thought.” Jameer twisted the knob and let us into the warm church sanctuary. “Let’s discuss something other than our injuries then.”

“Fine.” I chased him down the aisle between all the empty pews. “What’s up with Kiera and Colossus?”

“A lot of him begging. A lot of her not having any of it.”

I felt a rush, and a grin lifted my cheeks. The incident with Jameer and his parents flitted to the back of my mind, when I grabbed his arm and spun him toward me. “You and her are tight, then? Can you put in a word for me?”