Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)(81)

This the part I dread the most. I take the Ziploc bag from my pocket and pass it to King.

He look from it to me. “Where the rest?”

“There was an accident. I dropped it in the toilet.”

King slowly sit up. “It’s too early for April Fool’s ’cause I know—I know—ain’t no goddamn way you flushed my stuff, Mav!”

“I said it was an accident, a’ight? Give me a couple of months, and I’ll pay you back every penny. You got my word.”

“Your word ain’t worth nothing! I did you a favor”—he poke my chest with the Glock—“by bringing you on, and you repay me by flushing my money?”

I eye the gun, then him. “I get that you mad, but you better get that thing off of me.”

King cock it and point it sideways. “Or what? You won’t do nothing! Everybody know you a bitch. I bet Red did kill Dre. You was probably too scared to shoot him.”

“Stop. Pointing. That. Gun. At. Me,” I growl.

A smile slowly form on King’s face. “Chill, Maverick.” He says my name like it’s a joke. “I’m messing with you, homie. Goddamn, you on edge.” He snickers as he put the gun down.

“Don’t you ever point a gun at me again in your goddamn life!”

“Don’t give me a reason to,” he says through his teeth.

I don’t know the person staring at me. It damn sure ain’t my best friend.

If I’m honest with myself, me and King done had a crack between us for a while, ever since the DNA tests proved Seven not his. That crack feel like a canyon now.

I think I’m losing another brother, and this hurt just as bad as putting one in the ground.

I stare ahead. “Don’t worry,” I murmur. “I’ll get your money back.”

King suck his teeth. “It’s all good, Mav. I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. I don’t want no money.”

I look at him. “You don’t?”

“Nah.” King’s lips turn up again with a dark glint in his eyes. “You’ll pay me back another way one day.”

Whatever he got in mind, it ain’t good. That’s real clear now.

I swallow the lump in my throat and get out the car. “See you around, King.”





Thirty


Here’s the thing Mr. Wyatt taught me ’bout gardening:

Flowers, fruits, and vegetables can grow anywhere, among anything. They were made for that. I mean c’mon, when God made that sh—stuff, I gotta stop cussing so much—when he made that stuff, he didn’t put them in garden plots. He put them out in the wild or whatever and gave them everything they needed to survive. I shouldn’t be surprised to see Mr. Wyatt’s roses blossoming before winter even over.

They catch my eye from the walkway as King drive down the street. They so pretty that I go over.

I unlock the gate and let myself in the Wyatts’ backyard. We put chicken wire around a lot of the plots weeks ago and packed them with pine needles to protect them till spring. We left the roses untouched. I expected them to be dead by now, but they got blooms as big as my palm.

I bend down for a closer look. “Dang. Y’all doing real good, huh? I might need to cut these canes. I think they dead. Y’all cool with that?”

Man, here I go, talking to the flowers like—

The Wyatts’ back door squeak open. “Dammit, boy!” Mr. Wyatt says, with a deep breath. “You oughta know you can’t sneak into folks’ yard this early in the morning! I thought you were a burglar.”

I look back over my shoulder. “What would a burglar steal from back here? Plants?”

“Who knows?” he says as he come down the steps. He pull his robe together tighter. “You’re lucky I didn’t have my pistol.”

“Whaaat? Deacon Wyatt pack heat?”

“Heaven yeah!”

I bust out laughing. This man really don’t cuss.

“What you doing in the garden this early?” he asks.

I turn back to the roses. “I was outside and noticed that these starting to bloom. Had to check them out myself.”

Mr. Wyatt grunt as he bend down beside me. “Oooh, these ol’ knees. What I tell you? Roses can bloom in the hardest conditions.”

“No doubt.” I run my finger along some of the petals. “I can prune them if you want. These canes don’t look good.”

He pull his head back a little. “You sound like you know what you’re doing.”

“I should by now, as much as you talk.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I’m surprised you were listening.” He check out the roses himself. “Looks like you’re right. These canes need to be snipped.”

“Because they won’t help them grow, right?”

“Mmm-hmm. It’s kinda like how we have to do with ourselves. Get rid of things that don’t do us any good. If it won’t help the rose grow, you’ve gotta let it go. Hey, hey! Look at me rapping again.”

I snort. “A’ight, MC Wyatt.”

“That’s got a nice ring to it.” He straighten up with another grunt. “The bride and I have been talking, Maverick. You’ve been a big help here in the garden and at the store. Jamal’s heading off to one of them four-year colleges soon, and I’ll need somebody to pick up the slack. What do you think about becoming a full-time employee?”