"Do you believe him?" Kwame asked James, his voice barely above a whisper.
James shrugged, his expression unreadable. "Just a little, I think your mom's hiding something from you."
Shantel's scream pierced the air, cutting through the tension. "The principal got a call from the hospital, my mom's been in an accident!"
Her eyes were wild with fear as she turned to James. "I have to go there, now!"
James was already moving, his arm wrapping around Shantel's shoulders. "Okay, I'll go with you."
Shantel's gaze flicked to Kwame, her eyes pleading. "Will you come with us?"
Kwame's instinct was to say yes, but his words got stuck in his throat. "I...I have to write some notes."
Shantel's face fell, and James intervened. "Sammy already did that for you, Kwame."
Kwame's face heated with embarrassment. "Yeah, I know, he made some mistakes I want to correct."
Shantel's voice was laced with hurt. "Sammy never makes mistakes, Kwame. I lost my dad recently, and now I might lose my mom too. Do you not care?"
Kwame felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "Shantel, I-"
James cut him off, his voice firm. "Let's go, babe. He's got his own problems."
The hospital corridors were cold and sterile, the smell of disinfectant hanging heavy in the air. Shantel's tears flowed freely as she waited for news about her mom.
As James leaves to get Shantel water,Kwame appeared beside her, his eyes filled with apology.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come with you. I care about you, I just thought it'd be better if you went with James."
Shantel's laughter was bitter. "You're sorry? You're always sorry, Kwame. Leave me alone."
Kwame reached out, his hand brushing against hers. "Shantel, please-"
She pulled away, her eyes flashing with anger. "What did I do to you? Why did you start ignoring me all of a sudden?"
Kwame's words tumbled out, a jumbled mess of apology and regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't know you'd get hurt."
Shantel's tears flowed harder, and Kwame's heart ached. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. "Don't cry, please don't cry."
James walked in on them, his face darkening with anger. "I left my wallet...oh, there it is", he grabbed the wallet and stomped off.
Shantel quickly pulled away, wiping her tears. "I'll go talk to him", Kwame said and left.
"James wait! Let's talk", Kwame said when he got closer to James.
James's voice was cold. "Leave, stay away from my girlfriend."
Kwame's face burned with shame. "It's not what you think, James. I don't like her, I hugged her because she was crying. That's all, I'm not interested in her."
"Is that true?", James said looking behind Kwame. Kwame looked disappointed in himself when he saw Shantel behind him.
Shantel's eyes met Kwame's, a mix of hurt and anger swirling in their depths. "He's telling the truth, James," she said, her voice steady.
The air was thick with tension as James glared at Kwame. "I still want you to leave."
Kwame nodded, his eyes never leaving Shantels face."Okay, it was a bad idea coming here anyways."
The next day, Kwame found Shantel in the school courtyard, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.
"Hey," he said, his voice soft.
Shantel looked up, her expression guarded. "What do you want, Kwame?"
Kwame shifted uncomfortably. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Shantel's laughter was bitter. "You're always saying sorry, Kwame. I'm tired of it."
Kwame's words tumbled out, a jumbled mess of apology and regret. "I didn't mean to say all those things, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea."
Shantel's eyes flashed with anger. "Leave me alone, Kwame."
James appeared beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "Hey, what's going on?"
Kwame's face fell. "Nothing, just leaving."
James's voice was firm. "Kwame, let's talk outside."
As they walked out of the courtyard, James turned to Kwame, his expression serious. "Have you thought about what Mr. Sasu said?"
Kwame nodded, his mind racing. "Yeah, I want to find out the lead he was talking about."
James nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Let's go talk to him."
Kwame hesitated, unsure of how to tell James the truth. "James, about Shantel..."
James clapped him on the back. "I trust you, bro. You'd never hurt me."
Kwame's heart sank, his words dying on his lips.