Chapter 5

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They hit a snag with the morning traffic and Lamar cursed under his breath. “You couldn’t wait a few hours,” he grumbled, squealing tires as he took a curve too fast just to get away from everyone else. “Chilled until eleven at least? Then I could’ve swung by for you on the way to the shop.”

“You have to work today?” Stacy asked, disappointed. Just what was he skipping school for anyway, on his birthdayof all days, if all he had to do was hang around Lamar’s apartment by himself? Glaring at the window, he watched his reflection ghost across the street outside and muttered, “If I’d’ve known that, I would’ve called Ange.”

“Fuck you,” Lamar spat—that touched a nerve. He slammed on the brakes, hard enough to send Stacy into the dashboard, arms out to absorb the impact. “You can get out now, Stace. I ain’t stopping you. Walk your birthday ass to the nearest bus stop and catch a ride home—”