Faye's POV
We should have never come back to Oakland. This was a stupid idea, not mine, but his.
I looked at my brother as we stood in front of the bus station. Buses pulled in and out. Engines roared. People brushed past us like we were just another set of bodies waiting to leave or arrive somewhere better. He finished making his call, slid his phone into his pocket, and walked up to me.
"He is going to be here in a few minutes. He said he's stuck in traffic," my brother said as he touched my shoulder.
I shrugged his hand off. He probably knows by now that I'm already pissed. I have been pissed since early this morning when he woke me and Kaye up. No warning. Not even a day's notice. Just, "Pack up, sister. We're returning to Oakland."
Just like that. Like Redwood meant nothing.
I couldn't believe my ears. At first, I thought it was a prank or a joke. Maybe he was just pulling my leg. He has done worse before. But then I saw him dragging our suitcases outside. I heard the zip of the bags. The scrape of wheels against the floor. He had already called a cab. Kaye was still half asleep, rubbing his eyes, asking questions nobody answered.
That was when it hit me, this was fucking real.
"I still don't understand why we are here. No fucking notice."
My voice came out sharper than I planned. A woman walking past glanced at me. I didn't lower it.
"Faye, you have to understand. Oakland is our home. We were born here, so we have to live here."
I laughed under my breath. It wasn't funny.
"Home? Redwood is my home. My friends are there. My school. My entire life is in Redwood."
My chest felt tight saying it. My entire life. Everything I built. Everything I liked. Gone in one morning. People passing by slowed down. I could feel their eyes. I didn't care. Let them look.
"This is your home. You're going to make new friends. Your new school is going to welcome you with open arms. This is a friendly place. Everyone here is nice. Trust me…"
Trust me. He keeps saying that like it fixes things.
"You should have just left me behind. My life was better there," I muttered, folding my arms.
The words tasted bitter, but I meant them. There was nothing he could say that would change my mind.
I pressed my lips together and stared at the road. Cars moved. Horns sounded. The air felt heavier here. Or maybe that was just me.
I was so angry I wished I was dreaming. I wished someone would just pinch me or slap me so I could wake up in my bed in Redwood.
"Your life will be better here. Trust me, this is our home," Paye said.
I didn't answer.
Little Kaye stood up from the bench and walked to him, his small shoes scraping against the floor.
"Nanna, I want to pee," he said, holding his pants, shifting from one foot to another.
Of course.
"Faye, take him to the restroom," my brother ordered.
I let out a small groan, not loud enough for Kaye to hear, and grabbed his hand. His fingers were warm and small in mine. He looked up at me with sleepy eyes like nothing in the world was wrong.
We walked into a nearby shopping mall.
I stood in front of the restroom inside the mall, waiting for Kaye to finish. The door swung open and shut. Voices echoed. Shoes tapped against the tiled floor.
I leaned against the wall and checked my phone. WhatsApp opened. Unread messages flooded the screen. My friends.
Where are you?
I haven't seen you today.
Are you coming for a ride?
Did you oversleep?
Call me.
My thumb hovered over the screen.
I just couldn't gather myself to open them one by one and type that I had moved away. That I wasn't coming back. That everything changed overnight. They were going to freak the fuck out. And I didn't have the strength to deal with that.
Ding.
Another message popped up.
Guru.
My heart gave a small jump before I could stop it. I stared at his name longer than I should have. I wanted to click it. I wanted to reply. I wanted something normal in this messed up morning.
Before I could move, something slammed into me. A boy came running past and bumped into me so hard that my shoulder jerked back and my phone slipped from my hand.
It hit the ground.
"What the fuck!" I screamed, bending down.
People kept walking. Shoes moved around me. Someone almost stepped on my fingers. I tried to grab it but someone's sneaker kicked it farther away.
My chest tightened.
"Wait, wait!"
I reached again. Then it happened. A sharp heel came down directly on my phone.
Crack. The sound was clear. Clean. Final. Everything slowed for a second. The heel lifted.
I grabbed my phone and stood up. The screen was shattered, lines spreading across it like veins. The display flickered once.
Then it went blank. I stared at it. Pressed the side button, again, again.... dead.
I looked up.
The girl in the heels was walking away, laughing with two other girls like nothing happened. Like she didn't just crush the only thing connecting me to Redwood.
I squeezed my broken phone in my hand. My jaw tightened. My heart was already raw from this morning. This was just too much.
After everything that had happened today, and now this?
My phone was fucking broken.
"Hey, you bitch!" I shouted.
My voice echoed louder than I expected.
People stopped as heads turned. The laughter ahead paused for half a second. Then continued. They kept walking.
Pretending not to hear me. I felt heat crawl up my neck.
I stormed toward them and stood in front of the three girls, blocking their path.
"You need to pay for my phone," I said, staring straight at the girl in the middle. The one in the heels. Long hair. Black shades.
She slowly removed her shades.
Her eyes scanned me from head to toe.
She let out a short laugh.
"Who the fuck are you?"
My grip tightened around my phone.
"You broke my phone, and you need to pay for it… bitch."
The short blonde girl beside her stepped forward.
"Hey, watch who you're calling bitch. Do you know who you're talking to?"
I didn't blink.
"I don't give a damn who you are. My phone is broken, and it's your fault. You need to pay for it."
A few people had formed a loose circle around us. Not close enough to interfere. Close enough to watch.
"How is it my fault?" the girl in the middle said. "I don't even know what your phone looks like. If you want a new one, I'll get it for you, but don't blame me for something I didn't do."
She laughed again.
I knew the type. Money braggers. The kind that think throwing cash fixes everything.
I raised my cracked phone to her face.
"Look at it. Your heels cracked my phone. It went blank. I need you to repair it."
She glanced at it for half a second like it bored her.
"We have somewhere to be right now, and you're our my way. Find the nearest store, get a new one, and put it on my name, okay, sweetie?"
She tried to step around me. I moved with her. I wasn't going to let her. She wouldn't just play me like that. I grabbed her wrist and tightened my fingers.
"I'm not letting you leave until you fix my phone. Stop trying to dupe me."
For a moment, I thought she would flinch.
In Redwood, that look worked. That tone worked. People backed down. But this wasn't Redwood. A hand wrapped around my wrist, strong kind, pain shot up my arm. I looked at who held me. The third girl.
She hadn't spoken before. Dark hair falling past her shoulders. Her grip tightened slightly. I felt it. Not normal strength. I tried to pull back. Nothing, my efforts were useless.
She stepped forward, now standing between us. The air around her felt heavier. I couldn't explain it. My stomach flipped. My breathing changed without me noticing.
I slowly let go of the other girl. She released me just enough for me to step back.
"You should learn where your class is… Omega," she said.
Her voice was quiet. Controlled. The word hit harder than her grip.I heard whispers around us.
Omega.
My ears burned.
"What is a phone we can't afford? The fucking phone is cheap anyway."
She snapped her fingers. The blonde handed her a Chanel bag. She didn't even look at it before throwing it at me. It hit my face before dropped to the ground at my feet.
"That will buy a dozen. Come on, girls. We have places to be."
They walked past me. Just like that. Like I was nothing.
I stood there, my wrist still throbbing. My phone cold in my hand. The bag on the floor.
People slowly went back to whatever they were doing.
For the first time in my life, I couldn't fight back. I was overpowered by some brat.
Those bratty bitches.
The next time I set my eyes on them, I won't let them go.