After spending some real quality time with my little bro Tariq, I figured it was only fair to hang out with Sofia just as much. I mean, sure, we’d thrown some highly sexually charged innuendos at each other when we first met at the door. To be honest, I didn’t know her age outright. But it’s cool—she’s eighteen, eight years younger than me, so I guess I beat any weird-ass allegations for the most part... right?
So why do you feel so pissed off all of a sudden?
the voice in my head asked, and the cold edge was back in full force.
“What?” I thought, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “I’m not pissed off. Why the fuck would I be pissed off that after my mom lost me to the foster system, she turned around and raised other kids while I was gone?”
Oh, really?
the voice sneered.
“Yes, really!” I argued back, my chest tightening as we drove through the Florida night. “I’m definitely not jealous. I’m not jealous that I spent my entire childhood loving an abusive, crazy-ass parent, while Sofia and Tariq got the exact love and affection that I always wanted. The kind I was completely denied. I chose to forgive her for what she did. But goddamn... this shit still hurts when you actually sit down and think about it.”
Of course it still hurts, you dumbass,
the voice in my head scoffed.
No matter how much you heal from the trauma, it’s still going to be in the back of your mind. I’m mostly just surprised you didn’t hate the bitch. Like you’re incapable of hating her, but not Nathan.
“You wouldn’t know either way!” I snapped back. “You’re just that fucking impulsive voice in the back of my head, telling me to go off the very first instinct I feel. If I’d actually listened to you growing up, I would’ve been locked up in a maximum-security cage a long-ass time ago.”
I didn’t tell you to kill the bitch back then,
the voice sneered.
And even when you did stuff that I suggested, all I did was whisper it in your ear. You didn’t have to fucking listen to me. Or better yet, if it wasn’t for me, you’d still be a sobbing mess on the floor next to Juliet's corpse. And stop talking about ME like I’m not YOU. We’re the exact same fucking person. I’m just the voice that everybody hears. I even keep quiet when it’s necessary. So I suggest you get your shit in order, or don’t. I don’t give a shit.
...Fuck me, bro.
“Big brother!”
Sofia’s voice snapped me right out of my head. I looked around, shaking my temples as the storefronts of the local mall passed by outside.
Oh, yeah...
I thought.
I forgot she wanted to go to the mall.
“Big brother,” Sofia said, her brow furrowing as she looked at me from the passenger seat. “You’ve been zoning out most of our entire day together. Is there something on your mind?”
I forced a soft, reassuring smile. “A lot of things are on my mind, Sofia. But it’s my burden, not yours. I just need to pay more attention. Sorry.”
“Rico, come on,” she said, playfully punching my shoulder. “We’re family. You don’t have to keep everything bottled in. What are you, emo? Because you’re acting very white right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know damn well your anemoia-ass is not talking. Over here in 2026, still insisting on going to the mall like it’s the early 2000s and thinking this shit is still cool.”
Sofia blinked. “Anemoia?”
“Anemoia,” I explained, signaling to pull into a parking spot. “It’s basically nostalgia, but further back. Instead of enjoying the era you actually lived through, you’re basically dreaming about a time you weren’t even born in.”
“What do you mean I wasn’t born in that era?!” she argued, crossing her arms defensively. “I’m Gen Z, just like you!”
“Nigga, you’re mid-Gen Z at best,” I scoffed, turning off the ignition. “Gen Z 1.5, at the very least. You don’t even know what a basic Bop It is. You aren’t even as old as a PlayStation 2.”
Sofia pouted, her blue eyes looking up at me. “You’re so mean, Big Brother.”
“And stop calling me that, bro,” I groaned, unbuckling my seatbelt. “That shit is weird.”
“Ohh~? Are you still embarrassed about what we—”
“NAH-UH!” I cut her off, my palms starting to sweat. “Do not bring that shit up again. I’m trying real hard not to just punch somebody in the face, violate my bail, and go straight back to the cage.”
“Well...” Sofia smiled mischievously. “We’re only half.”
“No.”
“And we didn’t grow up together.”
“Please!” I put my hands up, begging.
“So I don’t see what’s wrong with—”
“Half is enough for me!” I shouted. “I already got a girlfriend, too. So this brother-and-sister complex is really fucking with our nice little sib-mance. Keep that dirty pleasure to yourself, please! This is not fucking Alabama, and I am definitely not on that Kentucky shit!”
Sofia blinked, genuinely confused. “What do you mean by Kentucky? I don’t think I’ve heard that reference before.”
“You know how people say Alabama is where people kiss their sisters and cousins?” I asked, opening my car door. “Well, Kentucky is basically Alabama on steroids. That’s where they get their sisters and cousins pregnant. It might be normal over there, but it’s definitely not normal to me. So fuck that.”
Sofia giggled, stepping out of the passenger side. “Well, you still think I’m hot, though. So I guess that’s okay.”
I stared at her over the roof of the Jeep, completely done with her games.
“...Hurry up and go on your shopping spree,” I muttered, slamming my door, “before I leave your ass here and you have to Uber your ass back home.”
We spent the next couple of hours hit-running different stores. Since my darknet operations were doing so well, I told her she could get whatever she wanted, regardless of the price tag—just as long as she didn’t try to buy some million-dollar jewelry or something. And of course, in traditional fashion, when you tell a girl she can have whatever she wants, you end up carrying every single package.
Within two hours, I was completely loaded down.
“Yo, sis,” I groaned, trying to balance a stack of shoeboxes. “I’m already paying for all of your stuff. You could at least carry a few of these bags before I literally drown in plastic.”
Sofia looked back at me over her shoulder, a smug little grin on her face. “You’re a man. You can handle a few bags.”
“Nigga, these bags and boxes are stacked past my eyes!” I yelled, peering around the cardboard. “I can’t see shit in front of me! Asking for some help so I can actually see where I’m walking is not too much to ask. You got me out here holding all the bags I just bought like a lil bitch.”
“Okay, geez, all right,“ she said, reaching over to take a few of the shoeboxes from the top of my stack. ”Whatever you say, big bro.”
I glared at her over the remaining boxes. “You must think I’m playing with you.”
“What?!” she asked, her blue eyes wide with mock innocence. “I didn’t say big brother!”
“You know damn well how you said it.”
“Geez, you’re no fun at all,” Sofia sighed, shaking her head. “Matter of fact, I’m hungry. You want to sit down and grab something to eat?”
“Bet,” I said, my arms aching from the weight. “Hurry up and find me somewhere to sit these hoes down.”
I headed over to the food court to grab our lunch. I got her some Raising Cane’s chicken fingers, and I picked up a few Whoppers from Burger King for myself. When I started walking back to our table, I noticed a group of guys crowding around Sofia.
At first, I just stood back and watched, thinking nothing of it. I figured I’d let them shoot their shots. I wasn’t close enough to hear exactly what they were saying, but even from a distance, I could tell she was getting highly annoyed. She was shaking her head and waving them off, but they wouldn’t leave her alone.
Then, the main dude got handsy, grabbing her by both arms.
I started walking closer, my eyes narrowing as their voices carried over the noise of the food court.
“Come on, babe, you can’t do this to me,” the dude pleaded. “We were so happy together.”
“I said no, Derek!” Sofia yelled, trying to twist out of his grip. “I’m not going to be your option-two girl. Go back to that bitch you cheated on me with. Did she leave you, too, because she found out you wasn’t shit either?”
He tightened his grip on her forearms. “Babe, I changed. Just give me another chance—”
“Let go, you’re hurting me!”
Oh, fuck no,
the voice in my head growled, the cold rage instantly locking in.
He’s got her completely fucked up.
I stepped up right behind him.
“Aye!” I said, my voice carrying a heavy, dangerous weight.
They both looked up. I stood towering over them, my face deadpan.
“Get your hands off my little sister, bruh.”
Derek let go of her arms, turning to face me. He looked me up and down, sneering. “Who the fuck is this guy? He looks old as fuck. You dating older men now?”
Before he could even blink, I reached out, grabbed him by the pressure point on his shoulder, and squeezed.
“AHHH!” he screamed, dropping to one knee as the pain shot straight down his arm. He let her go instantly.
“I’m not her boyfriend, dumbass,” I said, releasing his shoulder. “I’m her brother.”
“Rico!” Sofia breathed, stepping behind me.
“Don’t worry,” I told her, not looking back. “I’m not going to fight these little boys.”
One of Derek’s friends stepped up, his face tight. “Little boys?!”
“Who the fuck you think you’re talking to, twin?!” the other friend barked, backing him up. “We’ll really jump you out here!”
Derek rubbed his shoulder, his teeth gritted. “What we got going on is between me and her. Mind your business, old man.”
“You’re right. It’s not my business,” I said, keeping my hands flat at my sides. “What you guys got going on in your love life is between you two. But it becomes my business when my sister says you’re hurting her and you’re not letting her go. That’s when it becomes my issue.”
“Oh, you think you’re hard, huh?” Derek sneered, trying to save face in front of his boys. “You must take me for pussy.”
“I know for a fact you’re pussy,” I laughed. “I knew you were bitch-made the moment I saw your squad-ass friends. That’s why you have to jump niggas. All I can tell you is that jumping shit is not gonna work on me. But instead of catching a felony charge, I have a challenge for you that doesn’t involve the cops getting called.”
“And what’s that?”
I looked around the mall corridor, my eyes locking on a promotional booth set up near the arcade entrance. It was a slap-boxing table.
“You and all your boys go sign the paperwork at that slap table,” I said, pointing a finger at it. “I bet you guys all the money in my pocket right now that you’re going to beg me to stop hitting you.”
We walked over to the promotional slap-boxing booth near the arcade. The guy running the table looked at us, his eyes scanning my traditional thobe and the group of rowdy teenagers behind me.
“What kind of match are we doing here, fellas?” the booth operator asked, pulling out a stack of clipboards.
“A cash bet,” I said, keeping my face completely blank.
I reached into my front and back pockets, and then reached down into my cargo leg pockets. I started pulling out fat, banded stacks of hundred-dollar bills. I laid them on the table, counting them out right in front of the carny and the kids. It came out to exactly six thousand dollars.
Derek and his boys looked at the cash, their eyes practically popping out of their skulls. Their confidence shot through the roof. They figured they’d just hit the lottery.
“Six grand?” Derek grinned, laughing with his boys. “You’re really trying to lose your life savings today, Unc?”
“Don’t worry about my savings,” I said, resting my hands on the wooden partition. “But if we’re going to do this, we’re doing it my way. One single match. You and your two boys each get to slap me across the face once. No flinching, no dodging. After you’re all done, I get to slap each of you once. Do we have a deal?”
They looked at each other, grinning like idiots. To them, it was the easiest money they’d ever seen. Three free shots on one guy, and then they only had to take one back?
“Bet,” Derek said, stepping up to the line. “Show me where to sign.”
“First, you all need to sign the liability waivers,” the booth guy said, handing over the clipboard. “No lawsuits if someone gets their lights put out.”
They snatched the pen and signed their names without even reading the print.
By the time the paperwork was cleared, a massive crowd had gathered. Word travels fast in a mall corridor. People were pouring out of the shops and the arcade, lining up around the barriers. It felt like almost half the mall was standing there, phones raised, waiting to watch the show.
While the referee was setting up the talcum powder and chalk, Sofia walked over to my side of the table, her face pale.
“Rico, you don’t have to do this,” she whispered, grabbing my sleeve. “That’s a lot of money. You can still back out.”
“No,” I said, looking down at her. “This has to happen. I failed one person before by trying to solve things my way, but this time I have a different approach. Just trust my judgment, okay?”
She looked at me for a second, seeing the quiet, unbreakable resolve in my eyes. “Okay... okay, I trust you…”
I stepped back up to the table. Derek was standing face-to-face with me on the other side. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and his smirk widened.
“Wait…” he laughed, pointing a finger at my chest. “Oh! I know who you are! I saw your video on WorldStar not too long ago! You’re the guy who got knocked out cold at that backyard party a few years ago! HAHA! This dude got his ass beat by a pro fighter and slept in front of everybody, and now he thinks he’s big and scary all of a sudden. HA!”
No...
the voice in my head whispered, and the growl was replaced by a cold, hollow silence.
Not yet. His spirit needs to be broken first. Then... then we’ll take his soul.
The referee stepped between us, holding up his hands to quiet the roaring crowd. He explained the rules, making sure everyone understood that since this was a cash match, whoever surrendered or got knocked out forfeited the six thousand dollars to the winner.
We tossed a coin, and I let them have the first turn. Since it was three against one, they each got one free slap.
Derek’s first buddy stepped up to the line, powdered his hand, and wound up.
SMACK!
He hit me with everything he had. I could hear Sofia flinching from the sidelines, but I didn’t even budge. My head barely turned. I didn’t even close my eyes on reflex. I just stared right back at him, looking dead into his soul.
The second friend stepped up, looked at his buddy’s red hand, and shook out his shoulders. He wound up and let it rip.
BAM!
The slap echoed off the mall walls, but I stood there like a statue. My feet didn’t move. My eyes never blinked.
Finally, Derek stepped up, his smug grin completely gone as he stared at my unbothered, stone-cold face. He powdered his palm, gritted his teeth, and swung with his entire body weight.
CRACK!
It was a solid hit, but my chin didn’t give an inch. I didn’t shake, and I didn’t stumble. I just slowly leaned back over the table, keeping my dead, unblinking eyes locked onto his.
Now, it was my turn.
But even though it was my turn to strike, I didn’t raise my hand. I just looked over at the referee.
“Ref,” I said, my voice calm and completely unbothered. “Let them all go again.”
A collective gasp ran through the crowd. Derek and his boys stared at me, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
“Huh?” the referee blinked, confused.
I turned my head and looked the first friend dead in his eyes. “I know your hands must have slipped, bro. This can’t be your guys' full power.”
“Uh... hold on, bro,” the kid stammered, taking a step back. “It
was
my full-power swing—”
“Shh…” I pressed my finger gently against his lip, shushing him right in front of the crowd. “Try again. Try again.”
The kid looked over at the referee, panic rising in his chest. “Ummm—”
“Don’t look at the referee now,” I said, my voice dropping. “You said you weren’t pussy, right? Don’t try to play pussy now when you realize you just fucked up in front of all these people. You were talking all that tough, loud-ass shit to me and my sister when it was just us. But now that you’re surrounded by a crowd, you’re turning pussy? You know you have to pay me my six thousand dollars back if you walk away now, right?”
“Nah... nah, bro,” Derek's second friend whispered, shaking his head. “We can’t.”
The booth operator stepped up, tapping the clipboard. “Actually, if you refuse to play out the match, we have to pay him the bet. And since you signed those legal waivers, we have direct authorization to access your bank accounts to get our money back. So you’re paying either way.”
Derek looked at the stacks of hundreds on the table, his chest heaving as the walls closed in on him.
“Let’s just slap him again,” Derek muttered to his boys, his voice trembling. “Because our slaps must have been weak... I gave it everything I had. Cheeks clenched, muscles flexed, jaw tight—we did everything by the book.”
“I just want this to be a fair match,” I shrugged, adjusting my thobe. “I’ve been doing martial arts for years, and I know for a fact that it’s not going to be fair when I strike back. Under physical law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. And my reaction is not going to be nearly as equal to that weak-ass shit you guys just did.”
Derek stared at me, his eyes wide with genuine terror. His legs were shaking.
“Aye, man…” he whispered, his head dropping in front of the entire crowd. “Look... I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” I said, looking down at him. “You’re just sorry that you fucked up. And what are you apologizing to me for? You didn’t wrong me. Tell it to the person you actually wronged. If she chooses to accept your apology, I’ll let you guys walk away and you won’t have to pay me a dime. I’ll just take my six grand and leave.”
I took a slow breath and raised my right hand, aligning my stance at the table. I flexed my forearm. My arm was so tight, so full of tension, that you could literally see a heavy, rhythmic pulse pounding under my skin.
His hand has a whole-ass heartbeat,
the voice in my head whispered, getting excited.
His forearm is alive! There is a whole nigga trapped inside.
Derek looked at my arm, and his face filled with pure, unadulterated panic.
“Sofia, I’m sorry!” Derek shrieked, looking wildly over at her on the sidelines. “Please! Tell him to stand down! Look at his hand...!”
I didn’t answer him. I just reached across the table and placed my flat palm directly over his face, measuring the target area. I tapped his cheek once, checking my distance.
Derek completely broke down. He started crying right there in front of the entire crowd, tears spilling over my fingers.
“Sofia!” he sobbed, his voice cracking hysterically. “Do something, Sofia! Do something!”
Sofia pretended to think about his plea, a cold, unbothered look on her face.
“I swear to God I’ll never speak to you again!” Derek wept, his knees shaking as my hand hovered over his face. “Just please call him off!”
“No,” Sofia said, her voice completely flat. “I have to make sure you actually learn your lesson.”
I didn’t even hesitate. I pulled my hand back, rotated my hips, and let it fly.
SMACK!
His body went limp instantly. He leaned so far back that the referee had to jump in and catch him before he crashed onto the floor.
“Put that nigga to bed,” I said, shaking some chalk dust off my hand.
I looked up at his two friends who were still standing there, frozen with fear. I waved my finger, beckoning them closer.
“Come here. Come on, Mr. Tough Guys. You said you were gonna jump me, right? I need to make sure you guys can’t jump me after this.”
I didn’t waste any time.
SMACK!
SMACK!
Back in the Jeep, Sofia was cracking up, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Oh my God, Rico! You literally had those boys crying! I am so dead!”
“I put the fear of God in them, yes,” I grinned, keeping my eyes on the road. “But at the end of the day, it was your call. You didn’t want me to spare them, so I didn’t.”
“Yeah,” she sighed, her laughter finally dying down. “He was a controlling bastard anyway. He wanted to have his cake and eat it, too, but you can’t have both.”
“Well, I’m just glad I could get some closure for you,” I said.
She leaned over and hugged my right arm while I was driving. “I love you, Rico.”
“I love you too, Sofia,” I said, giving her a soft nod.
She looked up at me, her blue eyes shining. “Really?”
“Platonically.”
“Boo.”
“Boo my ass,” I scoffed, keeping my grip steady on the steering wheel. “I just slept three grown-ass guys for you. At least be a little more grateful.”
We kept driving down the highway, the interior of the Jeep packed with her new shopping bags. Sofia rested her chin on her hand, giving me that same mischievous, blue-eyed look from the passenger seat.
“So, big bro,” she murmured, her voice dripping with playfulness. “If your girlfriend ever makes you mad, you know where to find me. I’m only a phone call away.”
“Sofia, I swear to God, shut your crazy ass up,” I groaned, keeping my eyes locked on the road. “I am not going to jail for some weird-ass family drama.”
“I’m just saying,” she giggled, leaning back. “I wouldn’t mind if you came to 'fix my plumbing' again sometime.”
Oh, this girl has been spending way too much time on the internet,
my second voice sighed, sounding completely exasperated.
Either that, or we’ve read way too many of those weird-ass Japanese mangas.
“You’re sick,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’m turning on some Quran recitation to purify this Jeep, because you’re possessed by some real-life demons right now.”
She just laughed, her face lit up by the dashboard lights. It was a stupid, awkward, totally messed-up situation. But as I looked at her smiling and finally being happy after everything she’d gone through with her ex, I couldn’t help but smile, too.
I had a pending murder trial, a million-dollar cartel debt, and my hands were currently full of dark-web transactions. My life was still a complete, chaotic mess. But as we pulled into the driveway, I knew one thing for certain.
I was going to protect this family. Even if my little sister’s internet-poisoned brain was going to drive me completely insane in the process.