BETWEEN WORLDS: BEHIND THE SCENES (CHAPTER 6)
Taking a look back at Chapter 6
Each chapter has a purpose of some sort. Whether it's to introduce you to our characters (Chapter 1 - Azeil, Chapter 2 - Rashaad) or to focus on the tension that is evident in our story (Chapter 4 - Raffiel/Azeil, Chapter 5 - Zahair/Azeil). Chapter 6 is focused on the latter as you have the tension between Jackson and Azeil front and center.
As the novel unfolds, you will get more and more insight into how Jackson operates and why he is the way he is. Jackson and Azeil don't have much of a relationship and that was deliberate on Elise's part. Not because Jackson isn't necessarily a good guy or anything, but just because what the two wanted were polar opposites. As a result, Azeil and Jackson have to navigate this relationship with their new normal. It's awkward, it's painful, it's tense. Azeil would be okay not really interacting with his father. Jackson had accepted his lot in life. Unfortunately, life has dictated the terms and they have to figure it out now.
In this chapter, we see that Jackson knows more than he's let on. He's aware of the basketball team at Langston Hughes, he's got a hoop in the backyard, he clearly has more insight on what's happening as evident when he talks about Zahair. He's kept an eye on things and maybe more so over the past weeks because he knows what his father is walking into. However, he's also keen to not simply support Azeil in everything, but highlight that his upbringing is very different than those he now goes to school with and that is going to require a deft hand from Jackson.
Azeil obviously bristles at this and coming from someone like Jackson, a white man, it probably stings even though in some ways it is the truth. He had a fairly stable upbringing, Elise worked to get him everything he could possibly want and was actively involved in his son's life. That is not going to be the case for everyone he goes to school with at Langston Hughes or the people on the basketball team he is going to rub up against.
It's a hard reality for Azeil, who felt ostracized at Highland Prep and is now feeling the same at Langston Hughes through no fault of his own. Jackson's perspective helps frame it though so Azeil can use the analytical brain his mother gave him so he can figure out how to navigate it. Still, Jackson is thoughtful, placing the basketball in Azeil's room and offering some tidbits about Elise, but still guarding her because she doesn't want to tell her story for him. Though, there is no one else around able to tell it.
See you Monday for Chapter 7.
Hope you enjoyed this insight into Chapter 6. If you want to catch-up on BETWEEN WORLDS please check out the chapter index. In addition, be notified on the next post by subscribing below.