Free Tyrell by Coe Booth Page B

told him I don’t need or want his help. Then he said he likes the way I look in my gym shorts, but I don’t have gym with boys. It’s like he’s spying on me or something.”
    I try to stay calm while she telling me this shit, but it’s hard. If I get mad, I know Novisha gonna stop talking, and she gonna stop telling me when this guy do something else. But his shit gotta stop. “Look, Novisha, you tell me who this guy is, and I’ma take care of it. Then you don’t gotta worry ‘bout him no more.”
    She whisper, “You don’t have to protect me, Ty. I’m in high school now. I can take care of this myself.”
    â€œThen what you need me for? What kinda man I’ma be if I can’t take care of my girl?”
    She just shake her head. “Let me handle this, Ty. I’m a big girl.”
    Man, that shit just frustrate the hell outta me. What she want from me, to just sit here while she going through all this and not do nothing? ‘Cause if that’s what she want, I don’t know if I can do that. That ain’t who I am. Shit, my pops ain’t raise me to be no pussy.
    I close my eyes for a couple seconds trying not to get mad. I love this girl, but, man, I don’t like what she saying to me. She trying to be all grown and shit, but the truth is, she real innocent. How she gonna protect herself from some guy that’s so bold he calling her house in the middle of the fuckin’ day? To me, that’s a nigga that don’t care.
    When I open my eyes, it take me a while to focus ‘cause that weed is still fucking with my head. Damn, man, how I let Ms. Jenkins talk me into coming up here? And how I’ma act like I ain’t high through dinner when I can’t hardly see straight?
    â€œAre you okay?” Novisha ask me. I know she can tell I’m high.
    â€œYeah, I’m a’ight.”
    â€œSo, are we done talking about this?”
    I look over at Ms. Jenkins in the kitchen, but she ain’t paying us no mind. “We done with this for now,” I say, “but I got something I wanna ask you, ‘cause I don’t understand something. Why you tell your moms I’m getting good grades when we both knowI ain’t stepped foot in that school for like a month now? What, you lying now?”
    Novisha look like what she is—cold busted. “I’m sorry,” she say. “You know my mother. If she finds out you’re not going to school, she’s not gonna let me go out with you anymore. She’s gonna think you’re a bad influence on me or something.”
    â€œSo, you go and lie to her?”
    She don’t say nothing.
    â€œThat ain’t cool, Novisha. I’m talking to your moms on the phone, and she telling me all this crap ‘bout how proud she is that I’m doing good in school, and I’m like, why Novisha gotta lie like that?” Maybe it’s the weed, but all of a sudden I’m just telling her what I really think ‘bout what she did. “You ain’t had to say nothing to your moms ‘bout me, you know. You just making stuff up ‘cause you don’t think I’m good enough for you the way I am. How you think that make me feel?”
    â€œI’m sorry,” she say again. “I just wanted to be able to see you.”
    â€œWhat you two whispering about in there?” Ms. Jenkins ask from the kitchen. She got her hands on her hips and shit, and she got this suspicious look on her face like we planning a bank robbery or something.
    â€œNothing,” Novisha say.
    â€œYou do all your homework, girl?”
    â€œNot yet.”
    â€œThen let Tyrell watch TV, and get to it. I don’t want you up all night.”
    â€œThey’re probably gonna cancel school tomorrow with all that snow out there.”
    â€œYou don’t know that yet. So get to work ‘til I finish cooking dinner.” She start to turn ‘round,