Chapter Text
A long car ride with your boyfriend, and his grandmother on your way to state prison to visit his incarcerated mother isn’t anyone’s idea of romance. But a relationship requires commitment and being there for your partner or partners for the things that are less than pretty in addition to the pretty.
Bri kept her hand in Curtis’. If Sister Daniels minded, she didn’t say so. Curtis hadn't seen his mother in years, and Bri could practically feel his anxiety rolling off him in waves, she was glad to be able to comfort him through the handholding. She was attempting to read her SAT prep book. Despite the assumption that she was a “hood rat”, she was a hood rat whose grades had never dropped below a 3.8 GPA. She put down her study book and rested her head on his shoulder.
“You good babe?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Of course, I’m with you.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Bri didn’t remember falling asleep, but she woke up when they were parking at the prison. She blinked sleep from her eyes, and saw Curtis’ gazing out the car window, having extricated himself from her at some point during her nap. His body was tense.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, rather than relaxing him, he only seemed to become more anxious.
“It’s okay Curtis,” she promised.
He didn’t reply.
Sister Daniels said, “Listen to your girl Curtis, your mom will be nothing but happy to see you again.”
Curtis mumbled something unintelligible.
“What was that?”
“Nothing Grandma.”
“Hmph.”
They got out of the car. Bri caught up to Curtis and took his hand. “What happened with you mom isn’t your fault, she whispered, and even if it is, she’d forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve her forgiveness.”
“That’s because you didn’t do anything wrong.” He looked at her with watery eyes. “Anyways, you’re talking to the queen of fucking up your relationship with your mom.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Isn’t it?”
Curtis thought on this as they entered the prison, but at least this time he didn’t pull his hand out of hers.