Genesis stepped back and Charles dropped to his knees, clutching his throat and gasping for air. “Now, get up, thief. You don’t have long to get the hell outta here. Do we have an understanding?”
Charles struggled to his feet and scurried behind his desk like the measly object would protect him if Genesis attacked again. He was still coughing and straightening his clothes, probably trying to understand how Genesis’ visit went from pleasant to threatening in two point five seconds. “You’re not going to the police if I leave?” Charles asked pitifully.
“Fuck you! Say the words. ‘Yes, I understand. I’m getting the fuck out of town’,” Genesis bit out. This guy was the lowest of the low and he couldn’t stand to be around him anymore.
“Yes, I understand,” Charles said in a hushed, sad tone, but Genesis didn’t care how the man felt; Curtis felt worse all last night.
“When Curtis comes in, you better play it off like we were simply talking about football. Go ahead, put a smile on, and hurry up,” Genesis snapped.
Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead with a Kleenex and plastered on a pained, phony smile that looked like Heath Ledger’s when he played the Joker. Curtis didn’t even look at his boss when he cracked the office door, which was a good thing because Charles wasn’t fooling anyone with that terrified look.
“There were no footballs in the trunk, Genny.” Curtis stared at him and backed out the door.
Genesis rubbed his temple. “Oh, I must’ve run out and didn’t realize.” He turned Curtis to leave and looked back at Charles. His voice said, “Maybe next time.” But his eyes said, “You never wanna see me again.”
Curtis
Lunch at one of his favorite restaurants was tainted. The food had no taste and he had very little to say to Genesis. He didn’t know how he could be so chummy with his boss after everything he’d told him. Disregarding that he hadn’t told him about yesterday, he’d told him plenty over the last few months. Genesis got more upset than he did most nights, yet somehow he wanted to chat up Charles and sign autographs. He was still bristling when Genesis pulled back up to the center. He was glad he only an hour left at work because once again, he was in a shitty mood.
“Hey, baby. I can see you’re not speaking to me. I’m sorry, okay.” Genesis gripped Curtis’ hand before he could get out of the car. “Before you go back inside. Will you please just understand that anything I do, I do it because you mean everything to me?”
Curtis turned and looked at his partner with a perplexed expression. He’d been with Genesis long enough to know he wouldn’t betray him. There had to be a reason for this insanity, but he had no clue what. “I know.”
“Have a good day. I’ll be back to get you at six,” Genesis told him.
Curtis shook his head. “Charles will probably make me work late to make up the extra time he said I could have for lunch.”
Genesis held his chin and kissed him gently. “I’ll see you at six.”
Curtis nodded and climbed out of the car, walking back inside the building. The halls were buzzing with activity. There was a cluster of volunteers standing at the entrance to the lunchroom, talking animatedly with each other. Curtis looked in a few of the rooms, noticing quite a few of the younger students had already been picked up for the day, or left for home, but a lot of the high school kids were still there.
Jamal was the first to hurry up to him. “What did you do?” Jamal’s dark brown eyes were shining with humor, his voice hushed like he had the best secret ever bubbling inside of him, anxious to burst out. “What happened to Mr. Charles? Did you get him canned?”
“What?” Curtis yelled before he realized it.
“Hey, I don’t know. About an hour after you left, a guy comes in here in a suit with about five other official-looking adults and says that he’s going to be our new director and that Mr. Charles had to leave unexpectedly… for good.”
Curtis frowned, looking around. This couldn’t be real.
“It was Genesis, Curtis. I know it. He don’t take no mess. The G-Man pops up for five minutes, next thing we know Mr. Douchebag is packing up a box and high tailing it out of here like his ass was set on fire. That’s wild, Curtis. Your boyfriend is the man!” Jamal yelled.
Curtis shushed him loudly, ordering him to stop cursing. He shoved Jamal back in the rec room. “Be quiet. Let me go see what’s going on. Just stop saying that, Jamal. Genny didn’t tell me anything of the sort.”
Jamal jogged back over to his buddies, all of them huddling around him to see if he’d gotten any answers. Curtis walked back towards the library. Susan would know. She always had the right information. Curtis pushed through the doors and saw Susan talking to a man in a navy blue suit. She pointed at him and the man turned around, plastering a welcoming smile on his face.