Read Online Black and Blue by Paige Notaro - Free Book Online

reputation. I hadn’t exactly told my parents about him, but it’d kinda slipped out. I wanted to be annoyed, but I couldn’t be much more than that.
    “And who is this young gentleman?” my dad asked. He had that calm Huxtable air about him, even with just a t-shirt on.
    “Just a customer at the restaurant.”
    “An older man then?” Mom said.
    “I said white boy, not old man,” Gina thoughtfully pointed out.
    I wasn’t sure which sounded worse. The truth didn’t feel all that shameful after my reading though. “He’s young. He’d just won a sports championship.”
    “Oh, that’s nice,” my mom said. “What sport?”
    “Well, actually, he’s a fighter.”
    “A fighter?” My dad’s brow lay crinkled.
    “You know, like MMA.”
    “Hmph.”
    “What Clay?” my mom asked.
    My father shot me a look I’d seen many times before and my stomach sank. He didn’t approve.
    “Mixed Martial Arts is a gladiator blood sport, not a collegiate activity.”
    “Alright, so he came from a rough place,” I said. “This was his way out. He lives in the financial district now.”
    I don’t know what caused me to spill all that, but Dad saw right through it. “So he profits in more ways than the fight?”
    I could only shrug. Even Gina looked deflated. To give the little snitch credit, she’d only wanted a little teasing.
    Dad reached over and placed his hand on my arm. “You’re an adult. I can’t control you. But please, take this family into account. Your mom and I have worked so hard to get you girls the privilege we could never have. Don’t throw it away.”
    “I’m not.” I felt like I was back in high school, whining. This seemed overly dramatic, even for him.
    “It’s not a matter of what you want, sweetheart. Don’t forget how easy it is to lose your position. All it takes is one slip up. One association with the wrong person at the wrong time. You’ll fall into a system that does not forgive people like us.”
    He was referring to our skin, I knew. “I’ll be careful.”
    “I trust you, baby. I know you’re safe. I’m just not sure this boy is as comfortable following the law as we are.”
    I felt a chill, even not knowing what he could be referring to. I’d seen my privilege today. I’d seen what happened when you had not even an ounce of it. Some people that had no good options chose bad ones. Sean’s skills would be just as useful out of the ring for darker purposes. It would explain his wealth.
    My dad smiled warmly and the dinner went on. His words echoed in my head like a salve for the crack Sean had opened up. I had barely scratched the surface of his world. Would it suck me in if I went deeper?
    Later, when my phone rang with a familiar number, I let it keep ringing.
    A text popped up after: When do you feel like meeting, Cadbury?
    I looked at it a long while, simply wrote “Not sure” and set it aside.
     

CHAPTER TEN
    Sean
    Three days without her and I was still sore. No fight had ever done this to me.
    I’d gotten the hint that things had gone sour after a full day went by without a response to any of my texts. It had taken every ounce of my training discipline not to ring her up every half hour like some thirteen year old in love. I was infatuated.
    By the second night, I was thinking about showing up on her front lawn. I did know where she lived. Luckily, I remembered that a guy from my part of town showing up in her neighborhood would count as breaking and entering, not a sweet gesture.
    I’d visited the restaurant and left another message. When that didn’t get an immediate response, I’d gone back and handed off a poster with details for my next fight. Later, I realized what a dumb move that was. It wouldn’t get me sympathy; it’d just be another reminder to stay far away.
    Another morning dawned and I sat at my kitchen table, chewing on oatmeal with protein powder. Normally, I’d burn through this in minutes and be already on my way out: to the gym, to hang