Free Shattered by Kia DuPree Page B

smell pancakes. She threw the food on the long counter with the two chairs, dropped the bags by the door, then went to the couch to take off her shoes. I ran to the window and saw Dizzle driving down the road. She stretched out and fell asleep, though it was morning. Where was she last night, and where was Dizzle going now? Was he still mad at me?
    I opened up the carton and cut off a piece of her pancakes and some of her sausage. I chewed two more bites and then closed it. I hoped she wasn’t gonna be mad, but I ain’t eat since lunch yesterday. Why Dizzle ain’t buy me no food? I sat in the chair and waited for her to wake up, my stomach growling loud. Nausynika needed to wake up and tell me if he was still mad at me. I leaned over and tapped her shoulder. “Nausynika?” I said, but when she ain’t move, I pushed her shoulder again. “Nausy!”
    “What…?” she groaned.
    “Wake up. Tell me what happened when y’all left.”
    She looked up at me and rolled her eyes. “Just leave me alone.”
    I turned my lips to the side. Dag, what was I supposed to do while she was sleeping. “Can I have your food?”
    “No,” she mumbled.
    “But I’m hungry.”
    “Good.”
    “Why you so mad at me?”
    “Cuz of you, I ain’t get no sleep last night!” she screamed angrily.
    I winced at her loud voice. “Where was y’all?”
    She sat up and stared at me so hard I thought my head might explode or something. “Don’t even worry about it. Your turn coming,” she said, lying back down.
    What was she talking about? I chewed the inside of my cheek for a moment, then went to get my bag from the door. I washed up in the bathroom and put some clean clothes on. I was starving like Marvin when I came out. I still ain’t believe Dizzle ain’t get me nothing to eat. Her food was smelling so good, but the last thing I needed was for Nausy to go off on me next. I pulled a chair up in front of the TV and cut it on. Wasn’t no remote control nowhere. I had to push the buttons on the TV. I flipped through until I stopped on Good Morning America . Nothing else was on. I watched Live with Regis and Kathie Lee next. Kathie Lee was talking about how even though she was gonna miss being on the show, she couldn’t wait to spend more time with her family in a few weeks. I bet Mommy wanted us to be together, too, wherever she was. When Nausynika finally woke up, she went straight to the bathroom without saying a word. After she got dressed, she put her carton in the microwave.
    “You ate some?” she asked with an attitude.
    “Nausy, I was starving, okay?”
    “See, that’s what I’m talking about.”
    I sucked my teeth and turned back toward the TV. When the news came on at twelve, Dizzle came in the door with some older dude behind him. Maybe it was his father or something.
    “Hey, y’all. This Clayton. He’s my friend. Say what’s up.”
    I said hi to the man with a stomach shaped like a basketball and a head that was balding, but I couldn’t get over the fact that Dizzle ain’t bring me nothing to eat. Clayton nodded and sat on the couch.
    Nausy said hi, too.
    “Dizzle, I’m starving,” I said.
    “You are? Okay, I’ll go out and get you something to eat. But first I want you to do something for me.”
    My forehead got tight. “What?”
    “Come here real quick. Clayton, give me a second.” Dizzle pulled me down the hall to the room. He shut the door, then sat me on the bed. “I need you to do me a huge favor. You trust me?”
    I nodded.
    “My friend’s wife is in the hospital. She dying. Ovarian cancer and shit.”
    I covered my mouth. I ain’t know what ovarian meant, but I knew the word cancer .
    “He’s good folks. You understand?”
    I nodded.
    “He looked out for me when I was young. Made sure I had food when my father wasn’t around. It hurt me to see him hurting, you dig?”
    I nodded again.
    “KiKi, all I want you to do for me is let him lay with you.”
    I looked at him, confused. “Lay with