Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)(72)

Lisa hug my neck.

I wrap my arms around her. Damn, I missed holding her. She smell better than any fresh air I’ve ever breathed.

“Thank you,” she murmurs.

“You’re welcome,” I say as she pull back. “Plain-Ass Connor never surprised you like this, huh?”

Lisa roll her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

She take off her bonnet, letting her braids fall around her shoulders. She grab a toothbrush and some hair gel outta her backpack and use them to comb down her baby hairs. She slide lip gloss across her lips. Then she press them together and make a pop sound. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Girls.

We supposed to meet our tour guide at the fountain in the quad. I follow the directions I wrote down and lead Lisa there. She can barely walk for looking around. “Holy shit, this campus is gorgeous.”

“I can definitely imagine you here, with your backpack on and your kicks, all fly.”

“You know how I do,” she says matter-of-factly. “I can imagine you here, too.”

I ain’t had the guts to tell her I can’t graduate yet either. “Today not ’bout me. This your tour of your school.”

“It may not even be my school. I’d obviously take the first semester off and enroll in the winter, but I don’t know how I’ll manage a two-hour drive every day when we have a baby—”

“Ay, don’t stress. Enjoy being here. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

A Black girl in a Markham hoodie greet us with a smile in the quad. She introduce herself as Deja McAllister. She a senior here at Markham. She also pregnant.

I didn’t plan that; I swear I didn’t. Ay, maybe it’s a good thing for Lisa to see somebody like her doing what she wanna do.

“You know what you’re having yet?” Lisa ask her as we walk around the quad.

“A boy in June. My husband and I are naming him Justyce with a y,” Deja says. “You would think we’re prelaw students, but no. I’m studying biology. What do you have in mind?”

“For my baby or my major?” Lisa asks.

Deja chuckles. “Your major.”

“Oh. I don’t know. I wanna go in the medical field, but the whole doctor thing? Med school and a toddler would be a lot.”

“I will say that Markham has a fantastic nursing program. They offer courses here as well as at our satellite campus back in the city. It would allow you to work in the medical field without all of the years of med school.”

Lisa go, “Huh. Hadn’t thought about that.”

“See?” I say. “You don’t know everything.”

She elbow the shit outta me.

Going on a campus tour with two pregnant girls is a trip. They both need a lot of restroom breaks, and when they not talking ’bout the school, they complain ’bout aching backs, swollen ankles, and how bullshit it is that men don’t deal with none of that. I’m smart enough to keep my mouth closed.

It’s wild to see only Black people at a place like this—Black people who ain’t that much older than me. We pass some guys in matching letterman jackets and that could be me, King, Junie, and Rico.

Stupid as it is, I imagine myself here. I’d join a fraternity, fa’sho. We pass the Omega Psi Phi house—dudes got their own house!—and a couple say whaddup to us. They tell me I oughta pledge in the fall. I nearly psych myself into thinking I will.

Until King page me three numbers during the tour—132. I got it.

Markham ain’t meant for drug dealers who flunk outta high school and plot to kill people. I didn’t come here to dream no way. I need to talk to Keisha.

Deja wrap up the tour a little after noon, around the time Red headed on his lunch break. Deja give Lisa her phone number, and they promise to keep in touch.

I drive me and Lisa a couple of blocks from campus to a Chinese restaurant. The hostess wanna seat us, but I tell her we’re meeting somebody. I start to look for Keisha and Andreanna when a tiny voice go, “Mavy!”

Andreanna rush toward us. The bobos on her ponytails clink and clack. I catch her and swing her around. When I put her down, she fold her arms with a pout. “Where’s my Sevy?”

I pretend to gasp. “I ain’t enough?”

Andreanna shake her head. Lisa bust out laughing.

“That’s right, baby girl.” Lisa give her a high five.

“Haters!” I say, and tickle Andreanna. She giggle and run back into the restaurant.

We follow her to a table in a corner. Keisha meet us with hugs. Of course she gotta check out Lisa’s belly. Everybody do that.

“So, how was the tour?” she asks.

“You knew about it?” Lisa says.

I hold her chair out for her. “Yep. Who you think helped me plan it?”

Keisha raise her hand. “Guilty as charged. I thought it was a sweet surprise. I didn’t realize y’all were back together till Mav called me.”

“We not. I can do something special for my friend, can’t I?” I look at Lisa. “I’ll do whatever she want.”

That’s whatever-ever, if you get what I mean. Yeah, I went there. Can’t knock your boy for trying.

Lisa fumble for the menu and clear her throat. “Um, what dish you recommend, Keisha?”