《The Glue That Held Us Together》


 Chapter 1: Levi

    ¡°UNO!¡±, the word slips through my mouth as I shout it towards my older brother. His bewildered face was all I needed to see to know that I got him. His head droops as he picks up two more cards from the UNO pile. I hear a laugh coming from my younger brother.


    ¡°Dinners ready,¡± says a pleasantly familiar voice. ¡°Everyone at the table now!¡± the voice a lot louder repeats. My brothers and I drop our cards and hurry to the table. The table was small and rectangular, no table sheet on it due to the one we had having multiple unidentifiable stains on it. It was made of a shiny brown wood, which all I could guess was oak as I¡¯m not really a tree specialist.


    ¡°Where¡¯s D,¡± my younger brother proclaims as he sits at the end of the table. D also known as Demetrius walks into the dining room with a big smile plastered on his face like he and my younger brother staged the entire entrance.


    ¡°Hey Honey,¡± the familiar voice says again as the body connected to it leaves the kitchen. Skye Milda is her name and she¡¯s my mom or should I say the whole family''s mom. Her dark skin radiates against her dark black hair. Her brown eyes shine like pools of honey above her thick black lips. Her whole body accentuating her plentiful of curves. My mom¡¯s an eyecatcher, but the most attractive thing to me about her is her loyalty to D. D has made mistakes in the past, but forgiveness and a long bond shared was enough for both of them to overcome them.


    ¡°DLG stop just sitting there and help your mom set up the table!¡± a stern voice escapes Demetrius¡¯s mouth. DLG is a name that my brothers and I are known for having. The D stands for my older brother Dante, L stands for my name Levi, and G stands for my little brother Genesis.


    ¡°Why do you look so happy dad?¡± I ask while setting out the plates. Out of the corner of my eye I see Genesis raise his head inquisitively. The corner of my father¡¯s mouth go up and form a grin.


    ¡°Your father has become assistant principal of Fluorescence Key High School!¡± He takes my mother around her waist and dips her. I couldn¡¯t help, but feel a bit of euphoria myself. D loves that highschool and will often spend more time than any of their administrative thinking of ways to improve it and actually putting those thoughts into action. All the kids like him even if they haven¡¯t met him due to the good name he made for himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you baby,¡± my mom says before D¡¯s lips are on her own. I roll my eyes and finish setting up the table with my brothers. After a long time of passionate kissing my mom goes into the kitchen and returns with a tray of fried rice. My mom has taken up cooking lately and she¡¯s actually been pretty good at it, usually all she cooked was chicken and the occasional spaghetti. I sit on the right side of my father as he takes his seat at the end of the table. We all get our servings and my father takes a spoonful and raises it to his mouth, but before it could get to his lower lip a hand rest on his shoulder.


    ¡°You know how this works, getting a promotion does not put you above anyone. Dante could you lead us in prayer.¡± Dante prays for us and we begin eating dinner. My mom is a devout christian and will often be seen praying and reading her bible. She¡¯s a very spiritual person that has influenced Dante to be pretty spiritual himself. The rest of the family isn¡¯t as spiritual, but because we love Skye we try to learn more about her beliefs and agree to all the religious stuff she makes us do.


    ¡°So how did the race yesterday go,¡± Skye asks Dante. Dante is the star track runner of Fluorescence Key High School, he¡¯s a sprinter who does the 100m, 200m, and 400m. I don¡¯t know if he likes running or not. Sometimes it feels like he¡¯s forced to do it just due to him performing well during events, he never really likes talking about it and will often change the conversation when it is brought up. Yesterday was his last indoor track race and he already told the coach that he wouldn¡¯t be running for outdoor track this year,


    ¡°Eh it was ok, I¡¯m honestly just glad it¡¯s over,¡± Dante replies. A small relieved smile appears on his face. I know how the race went, he got 1st in each event he did, but that wasn¡¯t uncommon for him.


    ¡°So now you can finally focus on Florina,¡± Genesis coughs.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Florina you never told me about her.¡± Skye¡¯ eyes bright up.


    ¡°N-No one,¡± Dante stutters.


    ¡°She¡¯s definitely someone, like someone that no matter how fast you run, will always be out of your league,¡± Genesis says with a smirk.


    ¡°Then why am I taking her to the movies tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Movies are horrible first dates though.¡± I say, throwing my hat into the ring.


    ¡°What do you know about first dates Levi,¡± Genesis says with a laugh.


    ¡°Just because I don¡¯t date three people a week and can¡¯t go two days without having a girls tongue in my mouth does not mean I don¡¯t know first dates,¡± I shot back. This evokes a laugh from Dante and the conversation bounces around until we¡¯re all done with our dinner. This is a Sunday and Skye was the one who made these conversations possible and I¡¯m actually grateful for them. Our family has been way closer ever since she suggested or should I say pressured us into having these Sunday dinners. After wolfing down our food we all returned to what we were doing before, which for me means schooling my brothers in uno again..


    *


    The bell rings in my ears as I lay back in my desk. The commotion in the hallways still takes a few minutes to die down though as rushing feet can still be heard. One of those pairs of feet belonged to my best friend who raced into the room and took the desk beside me.


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    ¡°Just on time,¡± the femnine voice says.


    ¡°Not really, but Mr.Snead loves you so no damage really done, your gonna be so screwed in the future though,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Your not wrong, but sometimes you need to live in the moment, something that your only taught when your around muah.¡± She flutters her eyes and points to herself,


    The girl I¡¯m talking to is named Ally, short for Allison. Your stereotypical blonde with forest green eyes and a body that makes boys look back when they pass her by. She¡¯s a little different though as she wasn¡¯t just born with looks, but also a brain. We met in fifth grade and grew to become very close friends as we almost have all the same classes due to us being in mostly advanced ones. She can be reckless, but she always seems to know what she¡¯s doing and how to carry herself.


    Our first period class is AP Calculus which is something juniors don¡¯t normally take, but we were able to skip a math level. Calculus is pretty boring though and I would totally be sleeping if Ally wasn¡¯t here gossiping and talking about everything under the sun.


    ¡°Did you know that guy Ty that was in our class got sent to jail for killing someone. I knew he was a deadbeat since 8th grade.¡±


    ¡°That young new teacher Ms.Carver has a nice butt.¡±


    ¡°You know that girl that your older brother likes, rumors has it she might be gay.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, my body¡¯s so sore from basketball yesterday.¡±


    My responses to most of these questions range from ok to that''s cool, but it¡¯s still pretty entertaining to hear her ramble on about everything. Class draws to an end though and I tell her I¡¯ll go over to her house afterschool. I fast walk to my second period class to decrease the time I spend in the halls. I know on TV people make highschool look like a zoo, but they couldn¡¯t be closer to the truth. I never wander the halls between periods after a freshman spit on my backpack last year, since then I just get to my destination as fast as I possibly can through these crowded hallways. I make it to my second period and sit down until I feel something wrap around my neck.


    ¡°Hey Levi.¡± The voice is enticed with a hint of a foreign accent. It comes from a short, chubby girl with raven like short hair. She has glasses and a darker skin tone due to her being from some spanish speaking country, though I couldn¡¯t know which country as I can¡¯t even make a conversation last more than a few minutes without me dying of nervousness.


    ¡°Hey Nina.¡± I shoot out this response way to quickly and turn and give her a smile. I let my body sink into my chair as she bounces to the chair beside me. This period is anatomy for me and the room is set up in 3-seat little black tables. Our third seatmate arrived and we greeted each other with a handshake, which involved hooking our fingers inside one another and a lot of other unnecessary things.


    ¡°We still seeing that movie thursday,¡± he says under his messy dirty blonde hair.


    This mophead of hair is called Jay and he¡¯s a pretty cool guy. One of my only guy friends I have, in my school mostly girls take tough classes so most of my friends I¡¯ve made have been girls. Having Jay as a friend though held back the rumors of me being gay a bit, only a bit though as I can hear mutters around me still suggesting that the rumor still floats about.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± I reply.


    The class settles down and Nina and Jay instantly start having a conversation about the bands there into. A pang of envy shoots into me like a bullet as I hear their conversation. How does he talk to her so cooly. Jay is always so chill and so was I in most cases, but when it came to Nina my usual cool demeanor just evaporates. Their conversation dissolves as Ms.Carter arrives to the classroom panting like a malnutritioned dog spotting food for the first time.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late everyone please open your textbooks to Chapter 14, remember this new chapter we¡¯re learning about the skeletal system.¡± Ms.Carter drops her array of bags around her teacher workstation, if you could even call it that, looks more like a teenage girl¡¯s messy bedroom. You might think this is a first time thing, but no Ms.Carter and tardiness are like mac and cheese at a black persons cookout. Due to me being black not even feel a twinge of guilt or any emotion washes over me for making the comparison.


    ¡°Ms.Carter still looking good as always,¡± Jay mutters.


    Nina kicks his legs under the table and replies with something that I could only make out as pervert. Even though I wouldn¡¯t openly say it, Jay was right. Ms.Carter was young only being the age of twenty two and had a nearly perfect hourglass figure. Though she had an Ally thing going as she was incredibly intelligent as a teacher and gave some of the best life advice, it¡¯s her first year and other teachers are already asking her for teaching tips and examples. She¡¯s one of the teachers I actually talk to about personal things and we have a pretty close bond.


    The class goes on and on until the period ends with the bell¡¯s same monotonous ring. Everyone gets up and I start to develop a cold sweat. Through this whole class all I could think of was a way to ask Nina to hangout. I tend to do this a lot and just chicken out, but I don¡¯t want to today. If I want something I need to go for it. I gulp and stand up and tap Nina¡¯s shoulder. The quick standup makes me a little dizzy though so I stand there for a moment like a complete idiot.


    ¡°You wanna go to the movies with me and Jay tomorrow,¡± I say faster than my last reply to her and way quieter, I¡¯ll be surprised if she can even hear me.


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t that day, but we should definitely hang out soon, wait let me give you my number so we can plan something in the future.¡± She reaches out her hand and joy is the only thing I could feel. Having a somewhat successful talk I return my calm demeanor and take the phone out of my pocket. She types in her number, gives me a heart hammering smile that her cute abundance of freckles makes 10 times more beautiful and walks away.


    *


    School ends and but before I leave I plan to stop by the office to ask D about his first day at his new position. I open the office door and I¡¯m greeted with a smile from the secretary as everyone in this school knows who the three sons of D are. She points me to the administrative rooms and I knock on the door that has the name Demetrius carved in gold plating.


    ¡°Please come in,¡± a gruff voice that could only belong to my father says to me.


    I open the door and look at his new office. It looks exactly the same as his last one except it¡¯s a little more spacious. His office is very well kept, all his papers organized and desk clear of debris. Him and Ms.Carter are complete opposites, but D organization came from my moms constant nagging, maybe when Ms.Carter finds someone instead of her dogs she¡¯ll grow into the trait like him. .


    ¡°How was your first day on the job big man.¡± I plop down on the cushioned seat in front of his desk.


    ¡°Honestly just a few more papers still feels the same, but I do have more of a say in the meetings. My ideas have actually been thought about and not just ignored,¡± he says with a smirk and a small sarcastic laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad, I¡¯ll be at Ally¡¯s afterschool. I¡¯ll probably be home around 11.¡± I get up and sling my backpack back over my arm.


    ¡°You sure you and Ally aren¡¯t dating. She¡¯s very pretty and smart and she seems to be the only person that pulls you out of the house.¡± He laughs, but I can tell by his eyes that he¡¯s hungry for confirmation of his suspicion. I roll my eyes.


    ¡°How many times do I have to say, she¡¯s like a sister to me. No romantic feelings whatsoever.¡± I shake my head and out of the corner of my eyes I can see him let out a sigh.


    ¡°Chase your opportunities Levi, this doesn¡¯t just go for this girl, but for everything, sometimes you have to risk things to get your goal. Don¡¯t be afraid to do something different and don''t avoid obstacles. I want the best for you,¡± he says this with a genuine smile full of teeth.


    This promotion may have gone to his head way more than I realized, but it was still a good thing to think about. Maybe I can¡¯t apply it with Ally, but I have another girl in mind.


    ¡°Thanks Dad, but don¡¯t worry so much about me,¡± I say this while rolling my eyes and heading out the door, but I turn just before to give him reassurance that I was actually listening.


    ¡°I love you Dad, thanks.¡± I close the door, but through the crack I see that genuine smile once again.

 Chapter 2: Dante

    The sound of the radio blares in my car as I sit waiting for her. Does she even remember what my car looks like? What if she decided not to come? I start nervously tapping my steering wheel as I feel beads of sweat caress my forehead. I look around my car and notice all the food wrappers and clothes piled up in various places. I made a good effort to clean the front of the car and was hoping she didn¡¯t have the common sense look in the back. Ideas pop in my head as I try to figure out how to cover the disgusting rear scene of the car, until I hear my passenger door swing open.


    ¡°Yo whats up Dante,¡± Florina says as she practically bounces into the car. I turn to face her and my eyes lock onto hers. Instead of my dull dark brown eyes, hers are a radiant turquoise color that reminds me of the ocean. My weak-willed teenage boy mind can¡¯t stop my eyes from traveling her body.


    She had a small lithe build like me, but was reasonably shorter. She used to do track with me, but she quit sophomore year after a decent season from the school. I should of followed suit, but was pressured by the coach to continue running. I¡¯m glad it¡¯s finally over.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare too long.¡± She lets out a small laugh.


    ¡°Ah, sorry my bad. You look good today by the way.¡± I start my engine.


    I start making my way out of the school until I hear a swarm of footsteps coming from behind me. I turn around and see almost the whole track team running towards my car. In the hands of most of them are signs saying ¡°We love you Dante. I stop my car and open the door. The crowd swarms me and suddenly I¡¯m facing the sky and my body is being launched up and down. Shouts and hollers surround me while people apart from the crowd start taking out their phones and recording.


    Eventually I¡¯m put down and the team gives me a group hug, I might not of liked track, but the team still felt like an extended family to me. I didn¡¯t realize it, but tears started falling down as I say goodbye to this family that I was with since freshman year. The team started to disperse giving room room for the coach to come to the middle.


    ¡°So, finally saying goodbye. Out of all these years I have no idea how you felt about track, but I know you loved this team and you were a leader for it ever since sophomore year. No one disputes your skill as you led us to many district and state wins and have more school records than anyone I¡¯ve worked for in my 25 years of experience. The team will miss you, but don¡¯t think just because your gone we¡¯re not going to keep being successful. This team is going to work twice as hard now that there''s a hole in here without you. Your a legend, I hope you find yourself a bright future.¡± The coach walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me after completing that speech. I did the same and the crowd cheered so loud that I thought someone was going to file a noise complaint.


    The crowd died out after that speech and after a few talks between other track members I swung my car door open and returned inside. I glanced at my passengers seat and realize Florina wasn¡¯t there. I waited a few minutes and finally see her running towards the car with a small white box wrapped around with a red bow in her hand. She opens the door and quickly places the box towards her feet. I act like I didn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Can we head to my house before the movies, I want to drop my bag off and check in with my mom,¡± she says.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I start heading towards her house trying my best to make small talk, but none of my attempts are giving me that good of a conversation. Awkward tension filled the car.


    We arrive at her house and she tells me to wait as she goes out to the car. I notice the box with a red bow under the passenger seat. Various parts of my mind conflict with themselves as I decide whether or not to open it. I settle on not going through my crush¡¯s stuff, as that would probably only be viewed as creepy by her. Her front door burst open and slams as she rushes out. Her outfit is different as she now sports a green crop top with jeans that barely scrape her thighs.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little cold to be wearing that, it¡¯s March,¡± I inquire as I reverse out her driveway.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty warm today, what you don¡¯t like it,¡± she replies with a hint of disappointment to her voice.


    ¡°No you look good, I just don¡¯t want you to get a cold or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Your one to talk, your in a tank top.¡±


    ¡°You got me there,¡± I let out with a laugh.


    We continue driving to the movies and arrive at the amc on Euclid Avenue. I park the car in the lot and turn the engine off. We both leave the car and I notice that I have no idea what movie we¡¯re gonna watch. I still lead her into the place and fortunately for us, there is no line for tickets.


    ¡°Let''s do a horror movie,¡± I hear Florina say as she grabs my arm. I know I shouldn¡¯t be taken aback by contact with her, we¡¯ve honestly been flirting with each other since the beginning of the year. Still her touch can¡¯t help but make my heart flutter.


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    ¡°I wonder who''s gonna end up in whose arm today, I¡¯m pretty resilient to these kinda things you know.¡± She gives off a smirk.


    I smile back and roll my eyes. We reach the line and show them our ids and pick our seats. We walk to the concession stand and I look around, movie theaters are always so overpriced and I think its complete bullshit. Levi says that they have to because the movie makers most likely get a big percent of ticket sales and I can¡¯t really argue with that. Still, I know it¡¯s gonna burn through my pockets. I blame my mom for making me think so cheaply.


    ¡°So what are you in the mood for,¡± I ask.


    ¡°I probably won¡¯t eat anything.¡± She pulls down on her crop top while saying this. She¡¯s never really been a big eater so I¡¯ve been used to this response.


    ¡°Ok I¡¯m gonna get an icee.¡± I go to the employee and smile. She smiles back, but takes a glance towards Florina and the smile disappears as fast as it appeared. I ignore the awkward interaction and order a blue raspberry icee. I take the cup and guide Florina to the guard that rips the tickets.


    ¡°I have to use the bathroom, I¡¯ll meet you in the theaters,¡± Florina says this while basically running away towards the restroom.


    I walk up towards the ticker ripper, she was a girl around my age. I reach into my pocket to fish for my ticket.


    ¡°You can just go ahead, I¡¯m pretty sure I saw you get a ticket beforehand.¡± The guard glances to the side. I say my thanks and head towards the hallway where the theaters are lined up. However, I stop before going down to our theater and wait for Florina. I see her skip towards the guard.


    ¡°Ticket please,¡± the guard exclaims.


    ¡°Oh it''s right here..,¡± she trails off while thrashing around her two front pockets. I hear an annoyed sigh from the guard. She finally locates the ticket in her back pocket and gives it to the guard. The guard practically snatches it from her hand. Florina continues pass the guard and towards me, unfazed.


    ¡°Hey do you want me to say something to her, she was being a prick,¡± I ask.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. People are just like that, she probably had a bad day,¡± Florina replies.


    I give her a shrug, it might be a girl thing, I know in my school girls have a tendency of being rude to other girls for no reason. Now that I think about it, that happens to a lot of girls around me. I dismiss thinking about it too much and walk side by side with Florina towards our designated theater. Should I try to hold her hand? That seems like a big first step for a first official date. I drill it into my mind though that during the movie I¡¯ll try to make a move on her, hoping that if I keep thinking about it I¡¯ll actually have the courage to do it.


    We go into the theater and sit on the seats we picked earlier. The theater fills up rather quickly and the movie begins. I hear the music shift for the first time indicating a jump scare was about to come up. I shifted my body to make my posture more straight. She talks a big game, but I know Florina scares fairly easily. 3..2..1..


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHH.¡± I hear a scream escape from Florina¡¯s mouth. I snuck my arm over her shoulder and pull her towards me. She clutches on my shirt like a newborn child and her head rests on my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry,¡± she stutters.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I respond as her chest sinks into my arm.


    The movie continues and a few more scares brings us so close together that I have to lift the armrest between us. I can feel her breathing quicken and slow every time a scary scene passes. I can fill her soft curls grazing the skin of my arm.


    The movie eventually comes to an end and we wait a bit longer so we don¡¯t get trampled as we try to leave. At Least, that''s what I tell myself, even though I know I¡¯m just trying to prolong the situation I¡¯m currently in. Moments pass and I realized the whole theater is empty besides us. I look over to her and notice how relaxed she is. Her eyes are closed and mouth is partly open, she has more of a baby face then I realized.


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m enjoying this we should probably get going.¡± I gently squeeze her face.


    ¡°Yeah, your right.¡± Florina slowly rises to her feet and stretches. She reaches for my hand and helps me up. Not wanting to waste this moment I wrap my hand around hers and start walking out of the theater, our hands still pressed together.


    ¡°Took you long enough, for someone always so calm you were way too shy with me today,¡± Florina says.


    ¡°It¡¯s just first date jitters, I think I¡¯m over it. You don¡¯t know how long I was waiting for this to happen.¡± After the success of the date I spill this information out for reasons unknown to me.


    ¡°Me and you both.¡±


    We exit the amc and arrive back in my car and drive off. Unlike earlier the conversations run rampant between us as we talk about our lives and future. My car makes a stop as I drive into her driveway.


    ¡°I want to go to your house for the next date.¡± She rotates her body to face me.


    ¡°Why is that.¡±


    ¡°It just sounds exciting, all the Mildas in one house.¡±


    ¡°It can get pretty hectic.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I live with one baby brother and one baby sister, I know how it gets. It just sounds fun. What? Are you gonna turn me away.¡± She gives an exaggerated pouting face.


    ¡°No I would never.¡± I clasp my hand over my chest. She gives a full teeth smile and rolls her eyes.


    ¡°I have a surprise for you.¡±


    Reaching below the seat, she retrieves the box she hid there when we left the school. She slowly unravels the red bow and opens the box. The thing that was there startled me, it was a rock. It wasn¡¯t a bad looking rock by any means, it was smooth and was a pretty jade green color.


    ¡°You might not remember this, but the first time we met was both of us discovering this rock at recess. We played with it together until we were called in, I think it was in 1st grade. Anyway, you gave me the rock and I¡¯ve kept it ever since, it was my good luck charm. I want to give it back to you though,¡± the story flows out of her mouth like she practiced it multiple times.


    She put the rock in my hand, the cool touch of it sends sensations down my skin. I don¡¯t remember much of 1st grade, but I do know we were best friends during it, but later drew apart because of her being homeschooled. We met back with each other in middle school and she was one of the few people I could call a true friend.


    ¡°Thank you, but what if you..¡± I begin to say.


    ¡°No. I made up my mind, I used it so now it''s your turn to use it, besides I already have you as my good luck charm anyway.¡± Her face turns a noticeably shade more red as she reaches out and hugs me. She then opens the car door and bolts inside her house waving behind her.


    I laugh and rest in the car a bit, a sigh of relief escapes me. I back away from her house and make my way home as I anxiously wait to tell Skye the news.

 Chapter 3: Genesis

    ¡°Goodbye, see you next week,¡± my manager calls after me as I exit the store. A major chill greets me as I walk outside. I untie my apron and take a second to stare at it. The small target logo stares at me, taunting me. I sigh, crumble the apron into a ball and begin my trek home.


    The stars shine in the sky as my walk home continues. I close my eyes and act like it¡¯s a spotlight as I dance on a stage that I might never be on. Microphone in hand, my mouth moves to the speed of my imaginated beat.


    ¡°Yo Genesis, stop that dancing and hit this blunt with us.¡± A voice tears me away from my daze.


    I look at where the voice came from and I¡¯m met with the gaze of Jay. Jay is the leader of a small wannabe gang in our neighborhood called Nitro Crush or NC for short. They don¡¯t really do anything but smoke, but one of their members is a semi-accomplished rapper which is the only reason I even associate with them.


    ¡°Nah, I promised my mom I¡¯d stop,¡± I say.


    ¡°Oh, what a mama''s boy, sounds like your being a pussy to me,¡± Jay says.


    ¡°Well I am what I eat, but you wouldn¡¯t know anything about that would you,¡± I reply. The group of four around Jay snickers.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always just been talk Genesis, but how about you stop talking and run the ones.¡± Jay gets up and strolls towards me until he appears right in front of me.


    ¡°Just stop, I do-,¡± I try to say until I¡¯m pushed to the ground. Jay stands over me, laughing. Knowing it was a bad idea I stagger up and tackle him to the floor. Without thinking I start to pummel him with my fist. Right. Left. Right. Left. Suddenly, I¡¯m rammed to the floor. I push the body off me and jump up. My arms move into a boxing stance, as I get ready for the fight ahead of me.


    Jay gets up as the whole group starts to surround me. Two of them stand in front of me while I can only guess the other three are behind me. I hear cars pass us, but due to the darkness of the night, I doubt any of them can see what''s going on. I lunge out in front and land a fist on one of the guys and knock him down. I whip around and kick down the person behind me. I attempt to face the other way and see what the people behind me were up to, but before I could two sets of hands grab my arms and restrain them. I flail around to no avail. Jay raises my head up and punches me straight in the jaw.


    ¡°Now what nigga, now what,¡± Jays says as he punches me in the stomach. He continues with two more hits in the same area. Suddenly a beep of a car horn fills the air. Not even a second passes and you can see Jay and his gang run off into a random house¡¯s backyard, jumping the fence. The driver¡¯s door of the car swings open as a familiar face runs towards me.


    ¡°Get up bro, what are you doing trying to fight those losers.¡± The voice belongs to my brother, not my actual brother, but a friend so close to me that brother is the only thing I can think of calling him. His name was Kian.


    ¡°Come on bro, get up.¡± He continuously snaps in my face and all I could do was let out a laugh of relief.


    ¡°Bro I¡¯m fine, they barely touched me,¡± I say as I let him pull me up.


    ¡°What happened bro.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, I just talked a little to much.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, you probably got mad and initiated an unnecessary fight like usual.¡±


    I grin, he rolls his eyes and we both enter into his car. He takes a U-turn and exits my neighborhood.


    ¡°Where we going,¡± I ask.


    ¡°We going out to eat and chill a bit before I drop you off.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta bro, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Look at how you look right now, if Skye ssees you like that, she would flip. Probably call the police and go on a full manhunt for NC. We gonna get you cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I don¡¯t want to stress her too, I feel like I do that so much.already¡± I let out a sigh.


    We carry on on our adventure and I take a glance out the window. The same stars that earlier put me in the spotlight look even more far away. The buildings pass in a blur, bored, I take out my phone and check the time, it¡¯s 10:30 p.m. Unsurprisingly a text from Skye pops up.


    Baby are you ok, the latest you get out of work is 10.


    I¡¯m ok mom, I¡¯m just going out with Kian for some dinner, be back soon.


    Ok, be careful sweetie.


    I rest my phone in the cupholder between Kian and I. I look around and due to certain events I didn¡¯t notice Kian was in his mom¡¯s car. This sudden realization leads to multiple questions flooding my head on why Kian was even in my neighborhood, he lives in a different street. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Yo Kian, why were you out over here anyway, I know I¡¯m lucky, but you had no reason being here, especially in your moms car.¡±


    ¡°I was actual driving to pick you up. I got good news, that I had to tell you in person. My cars in the shop so my mom let me drive hers.¡±


    ¡°What news bro.¡±


    ¡°While we¡¯re eating I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Kians face stretches into one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. I can¡¯t help but feel excited my self. This has to be near amazing if he wanted to tell me in person instead of a call like a normal person.


    Kian pulls the car into our favorite place to eat and hangout, the Wendy¡¯s on Euclid Avenue. We come here so often we know almost every worker and they know us. We¡¯re on a first name basis, like a middle-aged mom at a Kroger.


    Kian and I exit the car. Kian marches forward with a pep in his step towards the door. I follow him and we head to the counter to order. A girl named Olivia beams as she sees us and relaxes her straight-edge posture.


    ¡°Hey Kian,¡± she says.


    ¡°Hey Olivia, can we get the usual,¡± Kian says while handing her a 10 dollar bill. The ¡°usual¡± for us is two junior bacon cheeseburger four for fours which comes with a bacon cheeseburger, drink, fries and a four piece chicken nugget.


    ¡°We have some leftovers, you guys want any before we split it all out between us,¡± Olivia says while giving the two dollar change back to Kian.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re fine,¡± I say.


    Kian winks at her as we head to our favorite booth near the window. I can¡¯t tell if Kian likes her or not as he¡¯s often mistaken of having feelings for a girl when in reality, he¡¯s just flirty kind of guy. We sit across from each other and I trace his eyes back to Olivia.


    ¡°Do you actually like her or just looking to fuck and leave,¡± I say.


    ¡°Why do you act like I do that.¡± He rolls his eyes.


    ¡°A lot of girls can testify against the claim.¡±


    ¡°Oh whatever, you ready for the news.¡±


    ¡°Yeah hit me.¡±


    ¡°You know Helios, the guy that has that studio in Ohio that made multiple famous rappers have the fame they have today. I sent him some of your stuff and he said he wants you to make a song in his Studio for free.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± I shout these words as I jump from my seat..


    ¡°Chill out you two,¡± a manager by the name of Zoey calls out.


    I apologize and sit back down. I really could not find any other way to express my mix of emotions, thankfully each emotion is positive. A song in Helio¡¯s pad has made multiple rappers take the step from the unknown to nationwide fame.


    ¡°How did you make this happen,¡± I say to him trying my best to control my voice.


    ¡°I just reached out to him and sent him some of your best songs. He digged it and thinks you have potential. He says your unique. Anyway, he wants you in his studio, free of charge. I told you that your good.¡±


    Not to sound overconfident, but I knew I was good. However, I never dreamed I was good enough for an exclusive studio session with Helios. This was the best news I received in a very long time.


    ¡°When, when,¡± I say.


    ¡°He said he¡¯s open next week. I replied with we¡¯d be there and he sent me the address.¡±


    In my possession was the address of the famous Helios pad, I couldn¡¯t imagine this in a million years. I could be the next big star. I could have my stage sold out and perform for millions of fans with the same passion as mine.


    During my excitement our order was called and we went and got our food, due to it being late we decided to go outside and enjoy it in the car. Usually I would be downing the food, but I was already filled up with joy from the news earlier. I look over and Kian has already finished his chicken nuggets and now has a handful of fries in his mouth.


    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think you would of been that excited, never seen you jump up like that,¡± Kian muffled as he swallows his fires.


    ¡°This is Helios we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m one step closer to a goal I¡¯ve had since forever. Bro, I forgot to say thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I told you I would always support you and social networking is one of my best traits.¡±


    ¡°It just feels so surreal. I even got the perfect song I¡¯ve been working on to showcase to him.¡±


    ¡°Good, but I hope your not on NC¡¯s bad list for the stunt you pulled today.¡±


    ¡°They ain¡¯t gonna do nothing, honestly I¡¯ll avoid them after I tell Mo the news.¡±


    ¡°Good choice, good choice, even though Mo¡¯s not even well known enough for that to be the reason your hanging with that group anyway.¡±


    ¡°I was desperate, you hear all these rappers being famous at 16. I¡¯ve been doing it for almost two years with some success, but nothing major.¡±


    ¡°Your 16 yourself, you shouldn¡¯t be in that big of a rush.¡±


    I nod my head to agree just because I know he wouldn¡¯t understand. Being so passionate about something you dream about it almost every night and having minimal success on it can be soul-crushing. Now it¡¯s finally different though. I knew I was improving and honestly I think I¡¯m better than all these famous rappers right now, but I didn¡¯t expect anyone to recognize that.


    Kian takes the car and rides it back to my house. I tell him thank you again and he drives off after we do our handshake, which is so complicated that I¡¯m surprised we always remember how to do it. I use my phone to look at myself, I don¡¯t look like I¡¯ve just been jumped by anyone, but I mess with my hair a little to make it appear more tamed. I go up to my front door and ring the doorbell.


    Levi opens the door and stares at me for a few seconds too long. I smile, but with Levi I knew there was no avoiding the truth. I still  make the sad attempt to do so.


    ¡°Welcome, mom is asleep and dads doing paperwork, you going to tell me what happened,¡± Levi says.


    ¡°What do you mean what happened.¡± I try to conform my face to be as surprised as possible. Levi rolls his eyes and lifts my shirt exposing the faint bruises of the punches I was delivered.


    ¡°I thought you got out of your fighting phase.¡±


    ¡°NC was just being reckless today.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling you were the one being reckless today. But do we need to do something about them.¡±


    ¡°No, everything''s good I can deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Dante and I can talk to them and if it escalates to something else we can take them. You don¡¯t have to do everything alone G.¡± Levi¡¯s the only person who calls me G, but I always liked that he was the only one with that right.


    ¡°It¡¯s really fine, I¡¯m bouta head to bed though. Goodnight.¡±


    I sneak pass him and go up the stairs. If Levi and Dante got involved it would be way too much trouble. Levi might not look like much, but he can be very violent towards any invoncevenice that happened to fall onto the people he cares about. I shudder as I remember how disgusting the guy who robbed Ally looked after Levi figured out who he was.


    I enter my room and lay down with a flop. All the events that transpired has made me more tired than I realized, adrenaline was hiding it before, but now it all sunk in. I reach under my bed and take out a ragged purple notebook that has all my lyrics in it. I look over it and the image of me rapping in front of a stage of people reappears in my mind as I slowly fall into slumber.

 Chapter 4: Levi

    My phone lights up, alerting me of a notification of which I can only hope is from Nina. It¡¯s been a week since she gave me her number and though we haven¡¯t made any plans to see each other outside of school, I¡¯ve gotten to know a lot about her and my feelings of her  just seem to exponentially increase.


    Nina is from Venezuela and was actually born there. She moved to America when she was four years old. She¡¯s an only child which explains why she doesn¡¯t talk to that many people outside of school, apparently her parents are really protective which is common for only children. Her mom and dad are both lawyers at the same office so she¡¯s very affluent, which surprised me and made me question why she attends our high school and not some pricey private school. Her explanation insisted on her parents believing public school is a great place to develop social skills, which I have to agree that I learned some social cues due to me attending public schools.


    Her hobbies include reading and singing. To most people¡¯s surprise, and to hers, I¡¯ve never really been into music. Like some people need to listen to it to do any activity, but with my family I just got used to white noise being what I listen to. I do listen to my little brother¡¯s music though, but that''s just to give him unbiased criticisms. The main music artist NIna enjoys is Beyonc¨¦. In a late night conversation she revealed that her career goal was to be a musical actor, which at first I thought was kind of childish, but she had the bubbly personality to make it sound believable.


    I put down my book and grab my phone. My phone illuminates and shows the time as 6 p.m. The notification of a message from Nina¡¯s contact name, which is Nina with the black glasses emoji, stares at me. I click on the screen and it takes me to our messages.


    Omg, my dad just surprised my mom with reservation dinner tonight, I swear their goals.


    Honestly, having a relationship last that long in our modern age is something we need to all strive for. People don¡¯t want anything to do with marriage nowadays.


    Omg Ikr, couldn¡¯t be me though. One of my main goals is to find a good guy to settle down with and have a nice family


    I smile when I see this message, though I wasn¡¯t surprised by it. Based on all her mannerisms she seems like the type that would be in it for the long haul and I¡¯m not opposed to that mindset. I take another look at the book I just put down. The title says Broken Road to Easton, it was about a kid¡¯s lack of self confidence pulling him away from his dream job as a comic illustrator. It¡¯d by one of my favorite authors named Elise Gem. She has a way of bringing different stories to life with her detailed descriptions. The book seems to be emitting some kind of confident aura, because instead of thinking what I¡¯m going to type like I usually do, I choose to just type what''s on my mind.


    Hopefully I can be that good guy, better to look now before they''re all taken. </img>.


    I click the send button and stare at the message I just sent. I furrow my brow and the confident demeanor I had turned to fear. What is the world did I just do? I spring up and instantly start pacing around my room. Patience was one of the things I pride myself in, why did I try to rush pass the friendzone like that. Confidence sneaks back into my mind coming from seemingly nowhere. You like her, so why are you mad you just went for it? Don¡¯t be such a bitch. Fear fights back. Ok, it''s called making small moves towards your goals. Not just thrusting yourself at everything, it doesn¡¯t make you a bitch, just makes you not dumb. The emotions struggle with each other until the sound of the same phone alert stops them dead in their tracks.


    I let out a sigh and twist my head towards the sound. I try to will my body to move, but it stays frozen like a deer in headlights. I take a deep breathe. Are you really stressing so much about a girl, your better than that bro. After much arguing with myself I build up the courage and snatch my phone up. I press my screen a bit too hard, but I¡¯m still brought to the same messages.


    Haha you are a catch, give it more time hotstuff and we might be able to make something work.


    I send out a silent prayer of thanks to God and just like that my confidence is brought back with even more of a vengeance.


    Honestly that¡¯s actually pretty good to hear, but we can make something happen tonight, your parents aren¡¯t home and I know your an only child and all, but your 17. Maybe I can come over?


    Oh la la, but I don¡¯t know. I hate to do something behind their back.


    Life is really too short to be thinking about that. Even if they found out, they won¡¯t be too mad.


    Your crazy if you think that they wouldn¡¯t freak out, but honestly we can make it look like you were never here. I can be very sneaky :).If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Exactly, but I don¡¯t want to force you to do anything. So it¡¯s your choice, but it would be amazing if we could.


    They¡¯re getting dressed up, they should be out in like 15 minutes. You can come over. I¡¯ll send over my address.


    I look over her address and I¡¯ve never heard of the street before. I don¡¯t think too much of it, but I don¡¯t really have time to think about it as someone barges into my room. I peek up and see Skye staring at me.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that smile on your face, you texting a girl? Oh I bet it¡¯s Nina,¡± she says.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even like that, but I¡¯m about to leave in like 15 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to that girls house?¡±


    ¡°You would find out even if I say no, so yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I feel good about you going to the girl¡¯s house as your first out of school interaction, is her parents ok with it, you told me they were protective.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine with it.¡±


    She stares more intensely at me.


    ¡°Your so lucky I trust you so much. Be careful, if her parents find out call me. Don¡¯t do anything stupid, even though I know you won¡¯t. Your not like that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You think I don¡¯t have the knowledge to make something happen?.¡±


    ¡°Oh stop it, that''s a compliment sweetie. But your not one to take unnecessary risks, you like to stay in your bubble, that just makes your smart. Which also means I trust you not to get caught, the consequences can be more than you can imagine, especially since your y¡¯know.¡± She points at her arm.


    I roll my eyes. My mom thinks our race is such a big problem, but I¡¯ve never encountered anything too extreme except walks on the opposite side of the street and one time when I was younger I got called a racial slur by a schoolmate¡¯s parents. I didn¡¯t really mind too much and still hung out with him, I have a childlike mentality that believes there''s good in everyone which my mom also brought me up believing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get caught. I¡¯ve snuck plenty of things pass you.¡±


    ¡°You wish, but let me get out of you way, be home by 12,¡± she says, sternly.


    I grab my deodorant and gently rub a layer on both armpits. I put on shoes and grab my keys and rush out the door before anyone else can delay me.


    *


    When I arrived at the street Nina texted me I was surprised, when I turned into the neighborhood I was stunned by these huge houses that I had no idea existed in this part of Ohio. I come up to Nina¡¯s house and the house number of 825 greets me. I park beside a very expensive looking mercedes. I open the door and realize I created probably too much space between my car and what I have to assume is one of Nina¡¯s parents cars, but I do not want to take a chance in even scraping that car, it looks as expensive as all of our cars combined.


    I walk past the huge front yard and up the two concrete steps. I take my time and survey the house, it matches every house in the area with it¡¯s grand structure. It¡¯s made up of blue wood with a mix of gray stone. Multiple relatively big windows sprinkle the house. At the base of the house is a white garage which looks to be very spacious. I shake my head and realize the main reason why I¡¯m here. I go up to the door keeping my back erect to try to look as confident as my body build allows me to be. I raise my hand and slam my fist on the door two times.


    The door opens and Nina appears. She¡¯s wearing a tight, black cold shoulder dress which exposes the little bit of belly fat she has, but brings out her already decently sized chest. The top  matches the black leggings she has on. Unexpectedly she lunges on me and her arms cling around me. I can feel her shaking as she stays latched on to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I never did something this crazy,¡± she says.


    I never realized how sheltered she was, but then again there''s not much I would of realized basically stalking her in some of my periods. However, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m particularly upset about the situation I¡¯m in.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine take your time,¡± I say as I use one of my arms and press her closer to me. A bold move for our first out of school meeting, but I think is necessary in our current predicament.


    We stay in this position for a few minutes and eventually she let¡¯s go of me. Without saying a word she takes my hand and guides me into her house which feels like it would be impossible, but looks bigger inside than out. It¡¯s very intellectually decorated with its spread of paintings and wood decor. Surprisingly it has more family pictures then I could have ever predicted of the Nina family in different locations ranging from pyramids to what I can only guess can be the arctic. She continues to escort me up the house, leading me up spiraling black marble steps and into a room.


    I inspect the room and the first thing I noticed was a big orange king size bed in the center. The room is filled with beyonc¨¦ and musical posters including Heathers and The Wizard of Oz. She has a big flatscreen floating over us facing her bed. She unhooks her hand from mine and jumps on the bed, the bed sinks, but then seemed to envelop her as it came back up. She pats down a place beside her and I follow her and take a seat.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe this, but this is the first time I brought someone from our highschool here,¡± she says with a smile plastered on her face.


    ¡°Your house is amazing, I haven¡¯t seen anything like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s big, but it¡¯s nothing special, next time I want to come over to your house.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, it won¡¯t be as impressive as yours.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, with your big family I¡¯m sure it would feel like much more of a home.¡±


    ¡°Ok, next time my parents are out we¡¯ll sneak into my house.¡±


    She laughs and pulls a remote from under one of three pillows. She extends her arm forward and clicks the power button. The TV comes to life and the channel it was left on was disney. She quickly changes it to netflix and ask what I want to watch.


    ¡°We can watch anything, but honestly you should show me your favorite musical.¡± I swear I don¡¯t know what my brothers mean that I have no game, this feels like a killer move in my book, but maybe I¡¯m overhyping myself over a basic formality for someone in the set of circumstances I¡¯m in.


    ¡°Oh then we have to watch heathers.¡± She shifts through a lot of apps and finds the musical. She plays it and lays down, enticed by her posture I follow suit and lay beside her. The musicals proceeds and I¡¯m actually captivated the whole time. The songs are amazing and catchy, the story is well thought out and the love struggle of the two characters is unique.


    After the musical ends I look towards Nina and I see that her eyes are closed. A soft snore is released periodically from her as she makes a faint movement. I didn¡¯t realize, but she was clutching on my shirt. She looks so calm, I can¡¯t help but repricoate her action and fall into slumber myself right beside her.


    ¡°NINA WHO IS THAT!¡±


    A yell comes out of nowhere and without me realizing it, I¡¯m face to face with a two angry Venezuelan parents.

 Chapter 5: Dante

    Florina laughs as she continues to look at all the baby photos my family has sprawled across the house.


    ¡°You were always so cute back then, what happened,¡± she teases.


    I roll my eyes and trail behind her as she scurries around my house, inspecting everything. Our house is pretty small, but my mom made sure that it was decorated from head to toe with pictures of the family. She always took pictures and even has a special small light red camera she takes everywhere she goes. I¡¯ve never been a picture person, but I can¡¯t deny the grateful feeling I have looking at the journey of our family painted in photographs. It keeps me at ease and makes the home have a comfy feeling.


    Florina carries on rushing around my house and pointing out certain photos of me, bringing out a different side of her compared to her usually very calm and composed nature. She stops abruptly and looks at me with a quizzical expression on.


    ¡°Are you going to answer that,¡± she says.


    Now I match her quizzical look, but then I noticed the soft ringtone of my phone filling the air. I laugh, reach into my pocket and pulled out my phone, I must have been distracted. My eyes adjust to the bright phone screen and Mom is shown in white bold letters. I slide my finger and put the phone to my ear.


    ¡°Hello, sorry for picking up late.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine honey, are you busy right now?¡±


    I look at Florina and she smiles like a kid trying to hide the vase they just broke. Innocent and heartwarming.


    ¡°It depends, do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m about to send you the address to where Levi currently is, can you come?¡±


    I look back and Florina¡¯s doing the same goofy smile. She should be fine with a pit stop to what I can assume is picking up Levi, his car probably broke down or something.


    ¡°I can do that, but are you gonna tell me the reason why.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out honey, I¡¯ll see you there, love you.¡± I hear the tone of an ended call and move the phone away from my ear into my line of view. I see the text notification which shows the address, which I strangely have never seen before.


    ¡°I think Levi¡¯s car broke down or something, you want to follow me to pick him up,¡± I ask Florina.


    She nods her head and we both walk towards my front door after I check in with my dad and show him the address, which even he had never heard of before. I open the door for Florina and before I make my escape I hear a dash of steps come from below me. I look at where the noise is coming from and see Genesis bolting towards me.


    ¡°Where are you going,¡± Genesis says, breathing quite heavily due to the amount of distance covered in such a little time.


    ¡°I¡¯m picking up Levi, something might be wrong with his car. When are you going to Helios¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°In two days.¡±


    ¡°You got this bro, your passionate and one of the most creative in the rap game. Just do you and don¡¯t freak out, sometimes you drop the ball.¡± Genesis replies to this statement with an eye roll.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m gonna need you and Levi to read these lyrics when you come back today, cya.¡± Genesis heads back downstairs.


    I continue outside and survey around me. Florina seems to be nowhere in sight. I go towards my beat up honda and look inside the window. All that sticks out to me is the extra dirtiness of the car.


    ¡°RAHHH.¡±


    I jump back and put my arms over my head, shutting my eyes as tight as I can. After the moment passes, I unglue my eyes from each other and that¡¯s when I hear Florina¡¯s laugh. Not wanting to hear her laugh continue to echo in my head I quickly launch at her and flip her body over my shoulder.


    ¡°No STOP,¡± she screams. I ignore the warning and carry her towards my front lawn. I gently slam her on the ground and pounce on top of her, holding her arms down.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Still laughing, she tries to wriggle out of my grasp, but I lock down my hold even tighter. She admits defeat by letting out a sigh and stopping her struggle to reliqunish my control of her body. She grins showing a full mouth of strangely pearly white teeth. Her lips look as plump as ever and her ocean-like eyes seem to put me into a trance.


    I dip down my face and put it closer to hers. The light brown curls of her hair are sprawled all behind her, her small nose twitches as I keep closing the distance between us. Her pure childlike face sustains my enticement towards her and before I can think my lips are pressed upon hers.


    Surprisingly, she presses her lips harder to mine. I move my hands to caress her soft face and continue pressing my lips on hers, our tongues interlocking. I pull my face from our exchange. She looks up at me in a daze, but the daze is soon replaced with her same goofy smile.


    ¡°Oh Romeo, why have you stopped,¡± she says.


    ¡°Because I still got someone to pick up remember.¡± I stand up and wipe the grass off my clothes. I reach my hand towards her.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, just promise me that won¡¯t be the last,¡± she says still trying to pull off a shakespeare accent.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    She takes my hand and springs up. Our hands still together, we travel to my car and I start the engine. I take out my phone and type the address into google maps. After another irresistible makeout session in my car, we headed off to the address.


    *


    I make the turn to neighborhood the mysterious address lead me to and was bewildered by the size of the houses. I shouldn¡¯t even call them houses, they were definitely more like mansions, each one bringing out an aura of wealth.


    ¡°Woah, the people living here must be filthy rich,¡± Florina says, face glued to the car window.


    I couldn¡¯t disagree with her, the only question I really had was why Levi would be here. I suddenly become worried and when I arrive at the house with the address, I realize that the worry feeling was justified.


    Two cop cars are stationed around the house, one in the driveway and one in the street in front of the house. Not knowing where to park I take a minute to take in exactly where I am. While observing my surroundings, my mom¡¯s car caught my eye. I look closer and see that my mom is still in the car. Our eyes lock onto each other and she motions me to park on the side of the road. Not having any reason to not trust my mom, I obey.


    ¡°Is everything ok,¡± Florina asks. I look at my mom and she makes a stop sign with her hand and points at her watch.


    ¡°Yeah, I think we just have to wait here.¡±


    We wait for what feels like an hour. Impatience runs through me and just as I¡¯m about to get out of the car, the front door of the house swings open. Levi with his hands up slowly walks out, the most terrified look on his face. My instinct as an older brother makes me reach for the door, but when my hand touches the handle, my phone rings. I pick up,


    ¡°I know this might sound weird, but don¡¯t do anything. I¡¯ll handle it when I know the right time is, I need you to learn from this, don¡¯t be reckless,¡± my mom calmly speaks the words through the phone then hangs up. I look back at the situation unfolding and reflect about my mom¡¯s words.


    Two police officers follow Levi out, one of them goes and grabs onto his shoulder tightly. The police offer then proceeds to what looks like yell right in his face, you can tell by Levi¡¯s expression that he wasn¡¯t listening. His eyes were shut tight and you can see the slight shake of his body. After more yelling, the police officer pushes Levi to his car and slams him on his door. I must have been visibly angry, because suddenly Florina¡¯s hand hovers slightly above my lap.


    I take my eyes off the horrible state of affairs Levi is in and look at Florina. She has a determined look in her eye and has one hand holding her phone towards the event, recording it.


    ¡°I think we should trust Skye, you just running towards him right now won¡¯t solve anything and you might just find yourself in the same situation as him,¡± Florina orders. I¡¯m taken aback by the seriousness of her voice and decide to listen to her.


    A spanish looking girl tries to run out of the front door, but what looks like her father and mother is holding her back. Tears flow from the girl¡¯s face and by the movement of her mouth it looks like she¡¯s screaming.


    The officer force handcuffs onto Levi¡¯s hands. Looking at Levi¡¯s eyes it still looks like his soul is out of his body as the cops continue to manhandle him. I hear a door open and catch sight of my mom leaving her car.


    My mom walks up the driveway and the police officer handling Levi motions the other one to confront the strange woman walking up to them. The officer confronts my mom and they enter a conversation.


    The conversation seems to be going well, if you ignore the annoyed expressions the officer gives occasionally. In the middle of the talking though, my mom nonchalantly walks past the officer and towards what looked like the family who owned the house. With a smile she speaks to them.


    A lot of nodding, and surprisingly what I can guess is laughter fills the air between my mom and the family. After a little while the daughter has a smile on her face and my mom gives the other mom an embrace. The police officer¡¯s faces let me know that their as confused as me. The father of the family strolls towards them and a few exchanges of words end with Levi getting his handcuffs, still rather forcefully, removed from his wrist.


    Levi seemed to regain his composure as he rubbed his bruised wrists and stands by the side of my mom. Everyone inches towards a huddle as the conversation reaches the whole group that the event transpired amongst.


    ¡°That went so well, your mom¡¯s amazing,¡± Florina says while shoving her phone back into her pocket.


    ¡°Thank you for not going out, honestly I wouldn¡¯t know how I would react seeing you just like Levi.¡± Florina scoots closer to me and rest her head on my shoulder. I¡¯m glad that she ended up coming because I really couldn¡¯t predict the actions I would of taken if she wasn¡¯t there to reassure me.


    Levi and my mom returned to her car and drive off after calling me and making sure I was ok. I trailed behind her car as the situation that I just encountered plays back in my mind over and over. I can¡¯t say it put the cops in the same positive light that I used to shove them in due to what I was told in school. I can¡¯t help but have now instilled fear of them and I can¡¯t put it pass Levi to have the same feeling.


    I drop Florina off and seal her goodbye with a kiss, our relationship has seemed to get closer day by day. I¡¯ve had girlfriends in the past, but this was a girl I feel like I could share anything with, our friendship already built our trust. However, there are still things that I feel like I know nothing about, but she was always mysterious like that.


    When I enter the door in my house I can already hear my mom and Levi talking. There was no anger in her voice however, only a kind of serene tone. I go up the stairs and enter the living room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you trusted me and I am disappointed you, I wasn¡¯t smart. I¡¯m just not smart, my stupid hormones got the best of me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok baby, the police can scare anyone and everyone makes mistakes, just don¡¯t make them again. Honestly even I got lucky, their family was nice even if you might not think they were,¡± Skye lets out a hearty laugh when she says this. When she sees me enter she gestures me over and weaves her arms around me.


    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you for not letting your emotions get the best of you. I wanted you to be there to show you how to act when facing the police, make sure you know your rights, don¡¯t let them walk over you. Don¡¯t be aggressive however, I don¡¯t want to turn on the news and see that my son¡¯s were shot by an officer and the officer won¡¯t be receiving any punishment. That¡¯s one of my worst fears,¡± my mom says this solemnly.


    I nod and sit on the opposite side of Levi. I, quite awkwardly, put my hand on his shoulder just to let him know of my presence. Levi though intelligent can get pretty sensitive. We continue in this position as the night fades away.

 Chapter 6: Genesis

    I feel the eyes of students bore into me as I stroll through the hallways. I can¡¯t pretend that I have no idea why, it was the two days after Levi¡¯s incident occurred and due to Florina¡¯s recording the whole school was on fire about it. Levi decided not to come today which I can understand why. Everyone in school would have pounced on him like wild hyenas at their prey. The presence of my headphones help me avoid awkward conversations as I enter my first period class.


    I see Kian wave at me as I take my seat in the desk next to him. I look at the clock, it seems like I have five minutes left before class starts.


    ¡°So are you ready,¡± Kian says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know bro, I didn¡¯t have time for Levi or Dante to listen to the lyrics I made.¡±


    ¡°Stop stressing bro, you got this.¡±


    His usually encouraging words goes into one ear and out the other. I knew he was right, but something about this whole thing has me nervous, especially since Levi or Dante hasn¡¯t approved yet. Each song I¡¯ve put out has always gone through them first and even though they don¡¯t have a clue about music, it¡¯s always just been reassuring. The bell rings and signals the start of the school day which indicates for me to turn up my music and drown this boring institution out.


    The class drags on as it always does, math just has a way of making even the most simplest things as boring as watching paint dry. Scratch that, even more boring. The teacher keeps talking and talking and without thinking I turn up the volume of the song playing in my ears. I close my eyes and when I reopen them I¡¯m on a stage. I look around and about a thousand people surround me each one of them chanting my name. I jump and crowd follows. I start screaming the lyrics of the new song I wrote and dance around the stage as the crowd roars at me.


    ¡°Mr.Milda...Genesis...GENESIS,¡± a scream rips me from my dream.


    ¡°YES,¡± I yell back while sitting up straight in my chair. I hear laughs surround me and my eyes can¡¯t help but roll.


    ¡°Maybe try to stay awake for class,¡± the teacher named Mrs.Jules scoffs. Hatred builds inside me, but I just answer back with a nod so she can just continues lecturing about numbers like we actually care. Mrs.Jules and I don¡¯t really have a good relationship, but that¡¯s just because she can¡¯t stop feeling so entitled for one second. Thinking just because she has a degree she¡¯s so much smarter than us. I turn towards Kian and I hear him stifle a laugh. I playfully punch him in his shoulder.


    ¡°In her defense, you were sleeping in class and you do have a habit of doing that. I¡¯d get annoyed too,¡± Kian says.


    I repeated what I did earlier and let his words bounce off me. I look at the clock and was surprised that the period was almost over, how long was I asleep? The bell rings moments after my encounter with Mrs.Jules. Kian and I get up and walk out the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up afterschool in my normal parking spot,¡± he says while we do our handshake, which was much too fancy then it needed to be. As I walk down towards the opposite end of the hallway I hear the multiple ¡°Kians¡± as more of his friends practically surround him. Kian was one of the popular kids in our school and he always gets shit for hanging out with an underclassmen, but that never stopped him from spending time with me which I¡¯m grateful for. I reach into my pocket and turn my music volume up once again as I take on the rest of the school day.


    *


    Kians old car sputters into the driveway of the address sent by Helios. To my surprise, it looked like a normal suburban household, it had a wood makeup and was painted a pretty sky blue. Kian faces me and gives me a reassuring smile.


    ¡°This is it bro, you ready,¡± he says, his hand up awaiting a fist bump. I nod and fist bump him back. I gained a little confidence looking over my lyrics in the car, but was still nervous. What if he hates the song? What if he wants me to freestyle? I¡¯m a good freestyler, but I do admit my written stuff is abundantly better.


    As more questions flow into my head, Kian opens his car door and jogs towards mine to do the same. I slide out the car and trail behind Kian until we¡¯re in front of the door. I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up a little. Kian makes a stupid face towards me and I break out in a smile, I hate him so much. He takes this chance and gives the door three sturdy knocks.


    Time passes, but the door is eventually opened by an old yet attractive woman. Her hazelnut eyes gives us each warm look.


    ¡°Oh come in come in, you must be who Helios was talking about,¡± the woman says as she gestures us inside. I look around and instead of the wild look I was expecting, the house seems as normal inside as it is outside. The living room has a table, two couches and a flatscreen TV. Pictures are sprawled out everywhere, all of them showing just a mother and daughter.


    ¡°Oh before you do your little music thing, do you guys want anything to drink,¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°Yeah I could go for a sprite,¡± Kian says. Kian never turns down a free drink or meal. He turns at me raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same,¡± I say, my voice cracking. The woman laughs and roams into the kitchen. I try to stare at her one last time before she leaves and I can¡¯t really put an age to her face. She has one of those faces that could be twenty-five or forty.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°She¡¯s hot,¡± Kian says right when she disappears into the kitchen.


    ¡°Do you ever look at something besides looks,¡± I reply.


    ¡°When it¡¯s just shoved in my face, I would be sinning if I didn¡¯t comment on it,¡± he says while plopping on the couch. Kian and nerves have never met each other, honestly I get can¡¯t help being a little envious of that. As I continue to look around I start to wonder where Helios is, throughout this whole experience he hasn¡¯t shown up.


    To calm my nerves I start pacing around the room and notice that I wasn¡¯t going crazy earlier, there is no man in any of the pictures they have out. It¡¯s all the woman and a daughter that looks very much like her. Maybe Helios uses another person¡¯s house for his studio?


    The woman re-enters the living room, holding two sprites in her hand. She walks up to Kian and hands him on, then she walks towards me. I nervously retrieve the sprite from her grasp. I peek at Kian and he¡¯s already glugging down the drink, seemingly unaware of the whole reason that we¡¯re at this place. I realize that I have to make the first move.


    ¡°So where''s Helios,¡± I ask. The woman experience a brief look of confusion and than points in front of her, my eyes follow her finger to a garage door. I signal Kian to follow me as I saunter towards the door. Kian jumps up and accompanies me. I stretch my hand out towards the door and pause. After I work up the courage, I thrust the door open.


    The first thing I noticed was the massive size of the garage from the inside compared to outside. Soundproof fluff covered all the walls of the huge space, there was a large booth with matching fluff encompassing it. Speakers and instruments were scattered around the room, all seeming to be connected to computers by the multiple cords slithering around the floor. Now this is what I was waiting for.


    I stand there, glorifying all the equipment until I hear the swivel of a chair wheel. My eyes check where the sound comes from and I can¡¯t believe what I see. The same girl in the pictures upstairs is seated in the center of all this beauty. She has matching traits with her mom, including her dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes.


    ¡°Yo, do you know where Helios is,¡± Kian says breaking the weird atmosphere the room was starting to form.


    ¡°Your looking at her,¡± the girl, apparently named Helios, smiles. Honestly the first thought that crosses my mind is that she¡¯s joking, but looking at how comfortable she¡¯s sitting in the chair and the swagger she emits, I know I¡¯m wrong. She¡¯s wearing a bright yellow and black jacket opened up to display a simple white T-shirt. She¡¯s rocking matching yellow and black shoes with simple jeans. A small nose ring give off the same shine as her stud earrings.


    She pushes her arms against the sit and vaults off the chair. Wearing the same smile she takes a few steps towards me until she¡¯s only about a half a foot away from me. She extends her hand, I extend mine to match her and give her a firm handshake.


    ¡°My real name isn¡¯t Helios. It¡¯s Elise. My last name is Helios,¡± she says with a wild grin.


    ¡°My name is Genesis,¡± I say after we untangle our hands from each other. I point to Kian who has the same lost expression that I had a few seconds ago. ¡°This is Kian.¡±


    ¡°Hello Kian, your the one who reached out to me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you could say I¡¯m the manager,¡± Kian replies trying to find a cool, relaxed posture. I let out a sigh and step deeper into the studio. It had everything a home studio would need and then some. I make my way into the booth, walking as though I was in a trance.


    ¡°You don¡¯t waste time,¡± Elise says as she returns to her chair and rolls towards her computer setup. ¡°I¡¯ve been making a beat that matches what you usually rap to. Come out here and hear it first before barging into the booth.¡±


    I apologize and go to face the screens with her. Kian makes his way towards me as we both hover over her. She types and clicks multiple things at an insane speed, showing her experience with operating this technology. After a few seconds of her doing that, the room comes to life and a soothing beat enters my ears. I listen to it and was astonished on how it matched my usual style, but had unique differences that made the beat sound much more lively. I caught her eyes looking at me, hungering for approval.


    ¡°This is amazing, the rumors about you are true, you are the best,¡± I say.


    ¡°Well some of them anyway,¡± she looks solemn as she says it. She quickly recovers though as if I was just imagining it. ¡°Your rap style is so cool and doesn¡¯t appear that often, the beat isn¡¯t as abrupt as most are and your mix of singing makes it sound like a poem, which is refreshing in the current rap scene.¡±


    I mull over her words for a second. That is exactly how I would describe my style. She might of looked the same age as Kian, but I feel like I can¡¯t even compare to her. Under the childish face and hairstyle was a girl with far more wisdom than me. Even though she seems to be in an unattainable realm, I knew I could learn from her and become better. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.


    ¡°This is magnificent, I think my client really appreciates it,¡± Kian says, still trying to act like he¡¯s the manager of a famous musician instead of a sophmore in highschool. Though Elise and I can clearly see through the act, we can¡¯t help but laugh in response.


    ¡°So are we making a whole song, or do you have a song already in¡­,¡± Elise starts to say, but before she finishes I already reach into my pocket and eagerly push the scraps of paper that the song was scribbled on in her direction. She seizes the paper and her expression turns into that of someone in deep thought. She scans through the lyrics and goes through a whole range of emotions, but settles with a knowing look.


    ¡°If I¡¯m amazing, your amazing. What is your inspiration,¡± Elise says. I¡¯m at a loss of words, my life was not that hard compared to most music artists, but I think that¡¯s why my music is so fresh.


    ¡°Honestly, I think my middle-ground upbringing is the cause. I wasn¡¯t born with too much, but I had enough from my parents and family to take me through a lot of experiences and with their support I became able to express them through rap,¡± I say, noticing that I kind of rambled on. Elise stares deeply at me.


    ¡°I can see by your eyes your stubborn, but I can also tell you have what it takes to become great. I didn¡¯t make a mistake giving you this offer.¡± Elise hands the paper back to me and waves me towards the booth. I slowly walk into it and take my spot behind the microphone. I close my eyes and breath as I patiently wait for the signal to start. I gaze behind Elise and see Kian give me a thumbs up, trying to keep me calm.


    ¡°Are you ready,¡± Elise asks. I nod my head.


    I start rapping my song, focusing and spitting out raps in my own style. Perspiration slides down my forehead as I keep going. The studio I¡¯m in turns not to the normal stage that usually occupies my mind, but to the experiences my family and I have been through. Each word I emphasize, each space between words I perfectly time. I can feel the smile spread across my face. Elise stops me and reviews the track and I¡¯m back in the booth again. This goes on for a while, until it¡¯s finally time for us to leave.


    ¡°I hope I get to see you guys soon,¡± Elise says as she hugs me. I take out my phone and get her number.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone who I am and where I am, I built myself with this mysterious vibe for a reason, it helps me,¡± Elise says.


    ¡°We promise not to tell anyone, thank you for seeing my clientele,¡± Kian says as he clasped his hand onto my shoulder. I glance at Elise and match her eye roll. Kian and I make our way towards his car.


    ¡°Do you think the song was good,¡± I say getting in the car.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what the people think tomorrow at school,¡± Kian says. I sit there in silence as we drive off into the road.


    ¡°Thanks for being here Kian."


    ¡°You know I got your back. Always.¡±

 Chapter 7: Levi

    Right as I open the door I see a girl running bolting me and notice it was Ally as she launches at me and even though I kind of expected this reaction from her, it still takes me by surprise. Her arms wrap around me and pull me into an embrace. I returned the hug, but I¡¯m forced to pry her off me as she stays attached to me for way too long. Ever since the incident she¡¯s been texting me nonstop which I found annoying at first, but ended up being very grateful for. I got a lot of different messages from kids that never talked to me, but the only people that I didn¡¯t just reply with ¡°thanks¡± were Ally, Nina, and Jay.


    ¡°Are you ok,¡± she says as she plops herself on the desk next to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just hope I can have a normal school day,¡± I say to her, but also partially to myself. Although the murmurs and shifts of eyes around me say that things aren¡¯t gonna run as smoothly as I hoped.


    ¡°Ok, you know I¡¯m here if you need anything, do you want to come over today,¡± Ally asks. I look at her in surprise. Ally hates having people over due to her living situation. Ally is lower class and lives with her mother, but honestly she might as well live alone. Her mother is never there as she chooses to make money through prostitution, leading to conflicts with Ally and guys her mom brings over perdioically. Her apartment doesn¡¯t have much space, but I enjoy going over there to just be alone with her and talk about whatever is on our minds. Her room is also heavily decorated and a huge contrast to the apartment itself. It always pleases me to see the difference, see how Ally is taking her situation and solving it her own way. She might be an airhead at times, but she¡¯s also a fighter.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine Ally and thank you, I¡¯m always here for you too,¡± I reply.


    She gives me a smile and stays unordinary silent as the class begins. The teacher clears her throat and starts class as normal, but about ten minutes into the class she starts showing us different statistics. She moves through a lot of them fairly quickly until she starts describing one with the title ¡°Police Brutality towards African-americans compared to other races¡±. I see her eyes flash towards me as she tries to spark a discussion asking questions like ¡°Is this Statistic true¡± and ¡°Why is this prominent in our culture¡±. I can feel my stomach churn as I put my head down, burying my face in my arms.


    The discussion doesn¡¯t get completely out of control, but I hear Duncan, one of those people who think their a class clown even though no one else does,  make a few remarks about how black people are more aggressive leading to police having to be more brutal. Ally makes a remark back at him about how racial stigma is still in society and that¡¯s the real reason the police brutality rate is so high. They argue for a bit, but Ally swiftly shuts him down. Ally is an amazing debater that not many people can actually win an argument with. I even find myself losing a lot of arguments with her when it¡¯s a topic I¡¯m not super passionate about.


    The class continues on with the brutality rate discussion and all I can do is sit at my desk hoping it stops. I¡¯m know their trying to be understanding, but the one thing I really want is for people to stop making me the center of their discussions. However, the class does eventually come to an end.


    ¡°Thanks for taking it to Duncan, Ally.¡±


    She smiles at me and gives me another hug before running to her second period class. Normally I would follow suit and speed walk to my class, but this is the first time I would see Nina in person after the whole predicament at her house. I slowly drag myself across the hallways, dreading the meet up. Some students walk up to me to tell me how messed up my situation is, which I would hate normally but since their stalling my encounter with Nina, I respond to them more enthusiastically.


    In the end I make it to my second period class. I stare at the closed door, the bell has rung so now if I enter I¡¯ll bring even more attention to myself. While I stand there, blanky gazing, I hear hurried footsteps to my right. I face the sound and see Ms.Carter as usual, running to class. When she reaches me she drops her belongings and clasp her arms around my torso.


    ¡°I saw the video, Levi I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you,¡± she says while still holding me.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m honestly over it. I just want to move on,¡± I say. She looked into my eyes for a few seconds, discerning if there was a lie in the statement.


    ¡°Ok well I actually have something really cool I was going to show to the class today. Don¡¯t worry it isn¡¯t about your situation.¡± She gives me a knowing look and enters the door and out of my two options of continuing standing outside or growing some balls and heading towards my problems, I choose the latter.


    While Ms.Carter says sorry to the class about her late arrival, I slip in and take my usual seat next to Nina and Jay. Jay and I stretch out our hands and greet with our handshake.


    ¡°You ok,¡± Jay says.


    ¡°More ok than your haircut,¡± I replied, trying to lighten the mood. It seem to work for Jay as he laughs and shakes his head, Nina has no reaction.


    ¡°The ladies love my hair, isn¡¯t that right Nina.¡± Nina stares at him and gives an exaggerated eye roll.


    ¡°Your hair looks like a sad willow tree,¡± she squeaks out. Jay and I snicker, all of Nina¡¯s insults are so random and with her slight accent, it makes them even more hilarious.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hey Nina, I¡¯m sorry about everything,¡± I say to her, using the laughter to build up my confidence a bit. She turns at me and moves her head back and forth furiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one that should be sorry, we took a risk and got punished...honestly though, it was worth it spending time with you,¡± Nina says as she scoots her seat closer towards me until we¡¯re shoulder to shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah, even the police part,¡± I say. Her face gets red.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, but my parents says we could hang out more. They kind of looked into you and realize how stupid they were being,¡± she says with a smile. ¡°They want you over for dinner anytime you''re available.¡±


    ¡°Woah, what is happening here. Did Levi finally admit he¡¯s been major crushing on you,¡± Jay interrupts. Normally I would stare daggers into him, but ever since that incident I don¡¯t want to be scared of anything anymore. When the police were throwing me around, I couldn¡¯t do anything, I was weak. My mom had to put herself in danger just to come help me, I don¡¯t want something like that to ever happen again.


    ¡°Yeah maybe I did.¡± I raise my arms over Nina¡¯s shoulder and tuck her into my side, I can feel her body shaking faintly, but it stopped after a few seconds past.


    ¡°Dang, did that police officer beat actual courage into you.¡± The whole table chuckles as Ms.Carter shushes at us.


    Ms.Carter goes on and teaches the class. The big ¡°surprise¡± she was talking about was a video of her college roommate and her recreating a Game of Thrones parody about the skeletal system. Even though it was kind of cringy, it¡¯s always enjoyable glimpsing into the past of teachers. The group didn¡¯t have much time to talk as Ms.Carter was going over notes particularly fast today, the bell rang and we all rose up.


    ¡°Maybe you can come over today, you know if you want,¡± Nina asks me as we move towards the door.


    ¡°That actually sounds like a great idea, do you want me to pick you up,¡± I reply.


    Nina nods and a big grin appears on her face. She then skips towards her class like she normally does. I watch her back going up and down as she makes her way down the hall, I haven¡¯t seen her skip like that in a while. Then out of nowhere, I feel a soft punch at my rib cage.


    ¡°Ow, what the hell.¡± I whip around to try to lock eyes with my assaulter and see Jay with a sad smirk on his face.


    ¡°When were you gonna tell me you two were a thing,¡± he says with a unexpecting hint of anger in his voice.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t a thing, but we had gotten really close. Sorry with the whole incident and everything that happened I forgot to tell you,¡± I say. His expression instantly shifts to regret.


    ¡°My bad...fuck, I¡¯m sorry again about what happened,¡± he says. I tell him no worries and salute him while I rush towards my 3rd period class, which is all the way across the school. Was I imagining the frustration in his voice? Jay never gets angry, so why would he react like that towards something this dumb? I ponder the thoughts as I duck and weave pass the crowd of students, hoping to not be tardy to two classes in a row.


    *


    The school day ends and it wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought. Rumors spread chaoticly throughout this school so I was worried, but everyone seemed to sympathize with me. Fluorescence Key is a very diverse school, so the actions that the police did were shunned by almost everyone. Honestly, after the second period school was better than usual.


    In a happy mood, I stroll into our school office and make my way to my dad¡¯s room, a smile extinguishing the raised suspicions of the staff. When I reach my dad¡¯s door I pull out my phone and text Nina.


    We still down for afterschool? I wait a moment and sure enough she texts back.


    Yeah of course, I¡¯ll be outside in a bit.


    Relief rushes through me and I confidently open the door. I make sure to softly close the door behind me. My dad¡¯s head shot up, then went back to the paperwork he was filling out.


    ¡°What did I say about knocking, what if I¡¯m talking to another student and they want their privacy,¡± he says.


    ¡°My bad,¡± I reply.


    ¡°Anyway, how was school. Are you ok,¡± he says as he scanned me from top to bottom.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine, people were nice. I came here to say I would be having dinner with Nina¡¯s family afterschool today.¡±


    He lets out a small chuckle and rolls his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction,¡± I say.


    ¡°Oh nice joke, you know your mom¡¯s driving to her prayer retreat today. She wants us all to be together throughout the day,¡± he says.


    I furrow my brow and take out my phone. Sure enough it reads that the date is March 15th, mom¡¯s prayer retreat day. How could I have forgotten? My dad seems to sense my distress.


    ¡°You actually forgot? That¡¯s not like you, you must really like this Nina girl, but you know the rules, no exceptions.¡±


    A slight annoyance builds inside me, but I hold my tongue before it gets expressed into something awful. I can just go to Nina¡¯s another day, it¡¯s not that big of a deal. I nod my head, say bye to my dad, and head towards my car. I spot Nina standing by it with her phone out. I unlock my car door, the sound makes her turn her head towards me and she gives off a huge smile that look perfect with her freckles. A part of my heart shatters as I sadly look at her. She senses my sad looks and shoves her fingers at my face, rearranging my malleable face to from a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, don¡¯t tell your nervous. Their really sorry, I promise nothing like last time will happen again,¡± Nina says in a sing song voice. I find myself pulling her body close to mine as I grasp it tightly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go today, a family situation came up.¡± I don¡¯t have the bravery to look at her face as the words spill from my mouth. I feel the movement of her body as she buries herself deeper into me, not even trying to push away.


    ¡°We can do it soon though right? Or does your family not like me.¡± Her voice cracks. I gently push her away from me and take her in. I¡¯ve had crushes in the past, but I never went for them. This is my first time liking someone and them showing signs of having the same feelings as I do. You could say this was my first love and everything about her seemed perfect.


    ¡°Of course not, my mom is going away on this retreat and we always spend the whole day together so her last day away from us can be with the whole family. I know it sounds made up and kind of dumb, but it¡¯s true,¡± I say.


    ¡°That sounds so nice, but don¡¯t worry I believe you.¡±


    I release my grip on her body and out of nowhere she jumps onto me, her soft lips meet my skin and she releases. My hand instinctively shoots up and touches the spot where her lips were placed. It takes a moment for me to be released from my shock.


    ¡°I can still drive you home,¡± I say as my heart thumps harder and harder, driving itself into my chest.


    ¡°I was expecting that, you weren¡¯t just gonna leave me stranded,¡± she says.


    ¡°Maybe I would of,¡± I reply.


    She puffs out her cheeks as she enters my car door.

 Chapter 8: Dante

    I swing at the lightning bugs zooming around me as I stand on the curb with my family. The street lights illuminate the massive van parked in front of our house. The mysterious atmosphere the whole prayer retreat gives off made me nervous ever since the first one seven years ago when I was only eleven. We have no idea where the retreat is, but by the research I put into it, I know it changes every year.


    ¡°Thank you all for being here. I love you guys, don¡¯t get crazy without me,¡± she says.


    We all smile in response, knowing that right when she leaves it¡¯s going to turn into World War 3. We love our mom, but her rules can be kind of unforgiving and constraining even for Demetrius. So every year that she¡¯s gone we as a group turn into animals.


    ¡°The latest I¡¯ll be back is this Friday. So if you do something stupid, I can fix it then. Remember I can¡¯t use my phone until then,¡± she says.


    She takes turns hugging us individually and when she reaches my dad, they passionately kiss each other.


    ¡°I love you guys again. Thank you so much for everything, I¡¯ll pray for you guys and even though I¡¯m not here, my spirit will always be there for you.¡± Skye¡¯s eyes well up as she finishes her departing speech.


    Skye cries every time she¡¯s about to leave and though I do think it is a little much for not being around for three measly days, the ending speeches usually prod at my feelings a bit. I turn to look at Genesis and sure enough I see a tear run does his face. He¡¯s such a big baby, even if most people think the opposite. We all gather for a group hug and then she enters the car, revealing a group of people. The van then sputters off and we¡¯re left alone, basking in the gleam of the moon.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan for today,¡± Levi asks while rubbing his hands.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s late as hell, I¡¯ll be busy these days so you guys can go rule-breaking without me, but let me know in advance. Text me,¡± my dad says.


    We all nod and go into the house. I stroll into my room and jump into my bed. I pleasantly smile at myself as I remember the call I made to my job to get the next three days off. My first plan of action tomorrow is spending the night at Florina¡¯s. I love messing with her little siblings.


    I opened my drawer and pull out my bible. I open to where my bookmark is placed and surprised how close I am to completing it, I promised myself to read at least a chapter a day and I can¡¯t help but be proud of how fast I¡¯m flying through it. Giddy with excitement, I only get a chapter done without losing focus. I spend the rest of the night picturing how I¡¯m going to spend my three free days until I¡¯m fast asleep.


    *


    Florina takes my hand and opens her front door. I hear multiple screams and a group of kids suddenly surrounds us. Florina has three younger siblings, from youngest to oldest their names are Flo, Francine, and Fili. I pick up Francine and fling her over my shoulder.


    ¡°Wheeee,¡± Francine says. I continue playing with the little ones as Florina walks into her kitchen to greet her mom and dad.


    ¡°I beat Fili in a race just yesterday,¡± Flo boasts, his eyes looking directly into mine hoping for a reaction. Florina must of told them about my trackstar history recently.


    ¡°Woah you must be really fast, tell you what, later on today I¡¯ll race you to see how fast you really are,¡± I say. His little face lights up as he grabs Fili and pulls him towards the television they have set up in the living room. With Francine still on my shoulder I walk into the kitchen to greet Florina¡¯s parents myself.


    ¡°If there''s something wrong you can tell us sweetie,¡± I hear Florina¡¯s mom says as she waves a paper in front of Florina¡¯s face. ¡°This is serious, I think I might have to take you to see your thera..,¡± her words cut off as she notices me. Florina and her father follow the mom¡¯s gaze until they both spot me.


    ¡°Oh welcome Dante,¡± her father says, walking up to me and giving me a firm handshake. His face seems paler than usual. I look over his shoulder at Florina and find an angry expression plastered onto her face. She scurries over to me, grabs my hand and guides me out the kitchen. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Dante and I will be in my room, remember he¡¯s staying the night,¡± Florina says before we exit the room.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this tomorrow,¡± Florina¡¯s mom calls after us, but we¡¯re already bounding up the steps towards Florina¡¯s bedroom.


    When we reach our destination I squat down so Francine can hop down onto the floor.


    ¡°Can I go in to, I don¡¯t want to play with Fili and Flo, their dumb and gross,¡± Francine says. I laugh and tell her that Florina and I need our alone time and that we can hang out with her later today. She smiles at me and runs back down the stairs.


    Florina shoves open her bedroom door and shuts it behind me as I make my way in. I grab ahold of her before she gets too far.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± I ask.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. They were just overreacting to something,¡± she says. She weaves out of my grip and sits on her bed, her usually bright eyes are as cold as ice. ¡°Anyway, do you want to play some games,¡± she says.


    I let out a sigh, I want to press her more, but whenever I ask her too much she just stops talking. I jump in the middle of the bed and move her in between my legs. I put my lips on the top of her head and give her a kiss.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m here if you need anything, you can talk to me,¡± I say.


    ¡°I know, I know, I promise everything is fine. What¡¯s not fine is you kissing me on the head like I¡¯m some sort of baby,¡± she says, grinning, as she turns her head and presses her lips against mine. We continue making out and I reach towards her stomach in an attempt to lift up her shirt, her hands reach out to mine and stops them from pulling her shirt up any further.


    ¡°No, you promise we¡¯d take things slow,¡± she says as she pulls away from me. I look down at the floor, ashamed. It¡¯s getting harder and harder to take control of my teen hormones and though I agreed to take things slow, sometimes I find myself subconsciously going against her wishes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she says as she reaches over my lap and grabs the two controller and a remote from under her pillow. She hands me one and turns on the TV. ¡°I¡¯m in the mood for the game Cuphead today,¡± she says.


    As she sets everything up I check on my phone and text Levi and Genesis to see what they¡¯re up to. With Skye not here, I just think it¡¯s normal as the older brother to be put in charge of taking care of them and checking if their going too crazy. I start off with Levi.


    Yo Levi, what are your plans for this week


    Dinner with Nina¡¯s family and I was planning with going with Ally to an amusement park, but she had a vacation with her mom and one of her boyfriends to go too. So I¡¯ll probably just work.


    Ok bro, if you need anything, let me know.


    Now it¡¯s Genesis¡¯s turn.


    Yo G, what are you doing this week besides making absolute bangers in the studio


    Lmao, stop it, but Kian and I are deciding to go on a road trip.


    You sure you can afford missing school bro?


    Hey Skye¡¯s gone, doesn''t mean you have to be Skye 2.0. Besides my grades are fine, I¡¯ll be good.


    Ok, text me and keep me informed.


    yEs siR.


    I put away my phone and let my eyes rest of Florina¡¯s back. She moves quickly attaching cords to other cords, her radiant brown hair flinging all around her. Once she¡¯s done her body springs up and she takes her position next to me. Her TV lights up and we start to play the game. Due to our competitive nature, a lot of screaming and shouting occurs as we try to one up each other. Laughter also fills the air as the hours roll one after another.


    When we got to the level we both agreed to stop on I look around and take into account how dark it is. I glance to the right and a dark night sky stares back at me. Before I can wonder where the time went, a rasp of knocks on Florina¡¯s bedroom door startles me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it,¡± I say while I shift myself into position to leave the bed. She responds by giving me a playful look and scrambles out of the bed.


    ¡°Not if I get it first,¡± she shrieks. However, before she moves even an inch I grab a hold of her small frame and pulled her towards the bed. She kicks and squirms and we end up wrestling off the bed. She ends up on top of me, her wild eyes and unkempt hair dance as she makes another attempt for the door and this time finds her destination.


    ¡°You promised you¡¯d play with me and it¡¯s almost my bedtime,¡± I hear a small voice, obviously belonging to Francine, say. Fiorina''s response is a loud sigh.


    I get up and brush the dust off myself. I crawl in a doglike position towards both of them, trying to make as little noise as possible. When they notice me I lunge forward and lift both of them in the air. I hear screams and giggles as I march deeper into Florina¡¯s room, but I can¡¯t make it two steps before I fall over due to the weight.


    Francine sinks her chubby little arms around my neck. This cues me to stagger to my two feet and jog around the room. I feel her body thrust up and down as I continue around the room and when I make it to the door, I find her parents smiling at each other, they seemed to be watching the whole time. My face burns with embarrassment.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for bed, Francine,¡± her mother says as she walks closer to me, arms outstretched.


    It contest to the reluctant Hmph coming from Francine, I grab a hold of her and place her into her mother¡¯s waiting arms. She takes Francine and exits the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too loud, kids are sleeping, but have a good night you two,¡± Florina¡¯s mom says before closing the door after her.


    Florina lets out a sigh as I lift her up from the floor. I felt her slightly panting body on my fingertips, by her eye flutter I could tell she was tired.


    ¡°We should go to bed,¡± I say already preparing for some sort of resistance. To my surprise, all she does is nods and slides into bed. I hover over her and use the back of my hand to feel her forehead, she was blazing hot.


    ¡°You seem sick, you want me to go get you some water,¡± I say. She faintly shakes her head and grabs my shirt. I can feel her pulling me towards her with the strength comparable to a sick mouse.


    Even though I felt bad, I relished the thought of how weak she was right now. Florina as always been a bit more independent and seeing her so needy fills me with joy. I let her pull me towards her and wrap myself behind her. I gently kiss her forehead as we both fall asleep to the nights rhythmic hum.

 Chapter 9: Levi

    I rip my sweaty work clothes off and thrust them on the floor. A sigh escapes me as I glance around my room, piles of clothes and books are chaotically spread everywhere, but the mess makes the room somehow comforting. While I was looking over my room it dawned on me that I was home alone even though I was expecting to meet Skye. I take my phone from my pocket and the digital clock reads 9 pm.


    A worried pang flows through me, though I know it¡¯s unnecessary. Skye always comes back at around midnight without fail, but for some reason I can''t shake this feeling away. I nervously send her a text, hoping that it would calm me down, but it didn¡¯t. I leave my room and explore my house, trying to keep my mind off the whole situation. I stop to look at a picture of my family. We all have smiles on except for my dad, who hates pictures. I look at my brothers and I laugh, we all looked so similar when we were young. I gently move my hand towards the glass frame and suddenly the picture drops.


    I brace myself at what I thought would be a loud noise, but was only greeted by a gentle thud. I look down and was surprised to see that the picture as well as the frame was still intact. I bend down and place the picture back on it¡¯s stand. Relief and disappointment swirl inside me, I wish I wasn¡¯t so clumsy. I explore the house a bit more until I forgot why I started walking around in the first place and return to my room.


    I place my phone onto my ear and call Nina. She picks up by the second ring.


    ¡°Hey Levi, what¡¯s up,¡± she says.


    ¡°Nothing really, I¡¯m just home alone and kind of bored, what are you up to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being responsible and completing the English paper that¡¯s due Monday, maybe something that you should be doing.¡±


    ¡°Woah, it¡¯s only Friday, I got two whole days left.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,  you procrastinate too much, I don¡¯t know how you have straight A¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter as long as I¡¯m getting it done, but the real reason I called was that I was curious about something.¡±


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not what my parents think of you, I told you the dinner was perfect and they seem to really like you.¡±


    ¡°No, not that, I just want to know if you noticed anything weird about Jay the day I got back from the whole police incident.¡±


    ¡°No, not that I saw, why, is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...yeah, well anyway I¡¯ll talk to you later so you can finish your paper.¡±


    ¡°Awh, ok, I¡¯ll see you Monday.¡±


    I end the call and insert myself into my bed. The scene of Jay and I after anatomy played in my head. He was definitely angry and Jay being angry for some reason doesn¡¯t sit well with me, I¡¯ve known him for years and we¡¯ve done some pretty messed up things to each other and I still have not seen him change from his usual calm demeanor. A headache started to inch itself into my brain, I know sometimes I worry too much about stuff, but I just can¡¯t help it. I find myself getting tied up into my emotions more often than not, but I always found that to be a good characteristic of mine, though other people would say differently.


    I decide that wallowing in my stress is not how I want to spend my night and I grab my laptop. It¡¯s a small black window seven that¡¯s filled with a multitude of cracks and scratches. I probably have enough saved to get a newer one, but I¡¯ve had too many memories with it that the thought doesn¡¯t even seem like an option. I press the power button and after a few moments the screen comes to life. I navigate through the apps and windows and bring up Netflix. I scrolled through the shows and ended up on the old cartoon Teen Titans. I sit back and watch episode after episode as the hours rush by.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As I¡¯m about to click play for the fourth consecutive episode the creak of my front door startles me. A breath catches in my throat and I wearily slip out out of bed.


    ¡°WHOS THERE,¡± I shout from inside my room.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, jeez what got you so worked up.¡± My dad¡¯s thunderous voice rumbles the air.


    ¡°Nothing, just been a weird few days,¡± I say to him as he enters my room.


    ¡°The only thing weird is how dirty your room is, seriously you have got to clean up.¡±


    His words make my eyes roll, but a stench pulls at my nostrils that stops my annoyed expression midway.


    ¡°Where have you been? You reek,¡± I say.


    Instead of answering me, he suddenly jolts back and covers the back of his neck with his hand. However, he regains his composure rather quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been out and about just doing Dad things, anyway let me get out of your hair.¡± With this phrase he ends our conversation. Though when he leaves I spot a faint wetness covering his shoes and the lower part of his jeans. Out of everyone in the house, my dad is the most mysterious, I just can¡¯t seem to get a read on him sometimes. Though I do have to admit, my curiosity and attachment to him diminished after I spotted him try to cheat on Skye back when I was in elementary school, he said it was just a mistake due to primal urge, but I still view him less after the whole incident.


    After out conversation came to a close, the door opened once more and by the faint footsteps I can tell it came from Dante¡¯s lithe body. I sauntered out to the living room and saw him, he was smiling, but when was he ever not smiling. His tiny dreads of hair were flung around wildly and he had a certain swagger to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing Florina¡¯s was a success,¡± I say to him.


    ¡°Of course, it always is.¡± He closed his eyes like he was trying to relive the moment again.


    ¡°Florina¡¯s was always so independent and cool, she¡¯s way out of your league.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as leagues, if you want something you just gotta go take it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing, if only that was true. Dante is what you call an oblivious optimist, he doesn¡¯t know that some people are just born with not that much going for them. His looks and athletic abilities made him super popular throughout school so he¡¯s used to getting anything he wants, I just hope he learns soon enough that their are just roadblocks for people like us, but his optimism does have a way of motivating you.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, but I don¡¯t want to argue tonight. Anyway, do you know where Genesis is,¡± I say.


    ¡°No, I called him like thirty minutes ago and he said he was on his way home, but still pretty far away.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, Kian and him are closer than I thought, I wouldn¡¯t go on a road trip even with Ally,¡± I say.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t do anything out of your comfort zone, your always letting your talents go to waste.¡±


    I can¡¯t fault him for thinking that, I like to keep to myself most of the time and though I still do well in high school, one of my fears is my mediocre social skills and academic laziness is going to make my college a living hell. I still have a year left in highschool as I¡¯m only a junior, so I just hope I can grow more before that sudden shift into adulthood.


    ¡°Anyways, goodnight, I¡¯m tired,cya tomorrow,¡± Dante yells while dashing down the stairs towards his room. I take his lead and head back to my bedroom for about the fifth time today. I turn off the lights and snuggled into my bed, but even though I feel exhausted I can¡¯t stop thinking about Skye.


    I restlessly toss and turn in my bed until my eyelids finally start to droop, but just before they do I hear the click of my front door once again. My attention again comes to it¡¯s peek, but this time I stay in bed. I try to just ignore the door, but sharp, hushed whispers keep me from my lovely slumber.


    ¡°When are you going to tell them,¡± I hear a voice that sounds recognizable, but I can¡¯t seem to guess who it is.


    ¡°When I¡¯m ready, you told me you¡¯d be fine waiting.¡± This time I knew that voice belonged to my little brother.


    ¡°It¡¯s not for me, their going to be pissed though if you keep waiting, even if it was an accident."


    ¡°Whatever, just let me think about it more, love you,¡± Genesis says. The closing of the door pushes the conversation to a halt and a scurrie of steps takes place after.


    My already feeble mind starts going in circles, my thoughts mixing like an old blender. I close my eyes and try to get a grip on what just occurred. Who was Genesis talking to? Why was the voice so familiar? I ponder about the events even more. Was it Skye? Maybe she was tired and decided to go downstairs and sleep, she¡¯s slept down there before. It would explain why he said ¡°love you¡±. My mind rest on this thought and forces me to view it as the truth, most likely trying to avoid more hours of constant abuse.


    For the first time in the day, I start to feel relieved. I don¡¯t let the feeling go to waste and I snuggle deeper into my cover and get into an optimal resting position. My ears pick up on a conversation coming from downstairs, but it¡¯s too late as I¡¯m already in the world of dreams.


    However, my ideal sleep doesn¡¯t last long as my eyes shoot open once again, but this time it¡¯s not to the sound of our front door, but to the sight of two pairs of shining blue and red lights.