Page 43 of Juliet's Echo

“Loosen up? Ju-Ju, you went out with a nigga who was secretly plotting to trap you for his own financial gain, clowning you at a basketball game with his knucklehead friends. Then I learn this was the same nigga I got word on when he approached you at Flip’d, and I told you no.”

“You don’t even know him, Echo!”

“I don’t need to fucking know him, Juliet! I got people on payroll assigned to know him, and he didn’t get the green light to be in your presence.” He slapped his fist into his hand.

There goes that explosive anger I was looking for.

“Okay, so he popped shit with his friends. You and Uncle Optimus do that shit all the time. So what? And I am not stupid enough to get knocked up and allow a man to live off me. You, Mom, and Dad taught me better than that. I just wanted to date, Echo. Don’t you see? The more you take these choices from me, the more I desire them, become anxious for them. The anxious part is what clouds my judgment because I have to scheme just to have a social life.”

He began stretching his arms and balling his hands into fists repeatedly. Self-regulation. My father said when he was younger, he would throw jabs.

“You don’t understand, Ju-Ju. My devotion to you is bigger than being your big brother.”

“No, you don’t understand. One day you are going to have to let go. Some man is going to come and take me away from you, Choo—”

Before I could get the last of my words out, he was gripping both of my arms. Determination filled his grip, and fear read all through his facial expression.

“No one is ever taking you away from me. I’ll die before I let another nigga take something special away from me again!”

Again?

Terrified at his demeanor, but more regretful that my words brought him pain, I asked, “What does that mean?”

For half a second, something flickered across his face, as if he was reminiscing. He moved his lips as though he was about to tell me, but nothing came. No words. No sound. Just a release of my arms and a heavy sigh.

He shook his head.

“Nothing. It means nothing. Nothing except that I took a lot of losses in life, and my family won’t be one of them. You, Pop, Ma, Zion, and Mylo. No matter where life takes you, we don’t separate ourselves from one another. Ever.”

Normally, I would argue back. But today, I just wanted to hug my brother. To be better for my brother.

I don’t know what past pain Echo was holding onto, but I learned in therapy that regression could result from pushing a person to expose parts of themselves they weren’t ready to. A five-minute triggering conversation could undo years of healing.

And for Echo, the bravest, coolest, calmest, most collected person I had ever come across, to become this distraught at the thought of me leaving, he had to be healing from something.

Or suppressing.

Either way, I would protect him the same way he protected me.

“Look, baby girl, I’ll agree to fall back. You’re right. You are a smart young woman, and I have to allow you to enjoy life. But make this promise to me. No more lying about where you are going and who you are going with. If they don’t check out, you must trust me and leave them alone,” he negotiated.

“And you promise you won’t be so tedious with their background checks just so you can say no?”

He let out a small chuckle, placed his right hand over his heart, and raised his left.

“I, Echo Everette, do solemnly swear to say no within reason, in regards of the company Ju-Ju decides to keep.”

“Pinky swear,” I said, stretching out my right pinky to him.

He connected with his left pinky and then opened his arms.

I immediately stepped into them, and he hugged me so tightly. A kiss landed on the top of my head, and when we finally pulled apart, both of us had tears leaking from our eyes.

“Now that we are one sound again, I should probably work on my assignment,” I said after clearing my throat.

“What assignment?”

“Creative Writing. Professor Hamburger teamed us up to compose an argumentative essay against an opposing team.”