143 A friendship

After sometimes he says “Wish I could have seen that. She’s a fireball when she’s mad.” Jackson grits his teeth, not liking the familiarity he was expressing about Monica.

He notices and grins. “She handed both of us our asses when we got out of hand after the basketball game?” The reminder settles him a bit. He’s not talking about Monica in that hallway. Jackson nods slowly and chuckle. “Yeah. She’s amazing.” Jamaica is quiet for a long time, so long that he tries to find something else to say. “You are about to age-out here, and I know you are scared about what’s out there for you. But I’m here to help you navigate that. A job, a place to live, school? Whatever you want, I will help you research, find resources, fill out applications. That’s what friends do for each other.” “You would still do that for me?” he asks quietly. There’s a hitch in his voice, and it hits Jackson full in the chest that Monica was so right.

Jamaica is still, in some ways, a boy . . . a scared one who onc