90s Love

Chapter 2

The last thing I would ever want to admit to someone was that I was scared.

Scared of the environment I was in and the stories I heard through the streets. No, I didn't live in the worst area. But lately, it was like our whole city was getting polluted with the latest problems of the times.

Girls getting pregnant, cop chases through the streets, shootings, fighting. Everything was just so different when the sun went down around these parts.

And I wasn't tryna catch myself in no parts of it. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time was such a common story.

When I walked out of the store and saw it was almost dark, I let out an upset breath. Rashad was lucky it was his birthday, and I was still able to find what Mama needed to cook him his favorite meal. By the time I would get home, I already knew it would be full-on night time.

Walking along the sidewalk, I went the familiar way back to my house, being cautious of my surroundings, knowing that anything could pop off at any second, and I had to be careful.

"Nae!" I heard, making me turn, seeing a couple guys from school sitting on somebody's porch stairs.

"Hey." I greeted them. "Why y'all just sitting around here?"

"There's a nice breeze out here," John replied. "You just went to the store?"

"Yeah, it's Shad's birthday, had to pick up a couple things."

"Oh, word? Tell him I said happy birthday." Rodney told me from his position sitting on the railing.

"Okay, see y'all tomorrow," I said before starting to walk again, the boys shouting their goodbyes after me, making me smile.

"Nae! Wait up." A voice spoke, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing behind me, making me turn around as I was about to cross the street, seeing Quincy. "Maybe I can walk you home?" He suggested, catching me by surprise. "It's kinda late, and we thought one of us should offer."

In any other case I would've been skeptical, but knowing where he was coming from, I agreed. The streetlights already started to come on.

"Look, I hope you ain't mad about what I said the other week." He brought up as we walked. "It wasn't my place to say all that."

I'd been sending him dirty looks every time I saw him just to be petty. But besides the childishness in me, I wasn't trippin' over it. "It's okay," I assured him. "I'm not mad or anything."

"You're really smart, Janae."

Something about his tone made me feel his seriousness. He wasn't bullshitting me, he actually thought highly of me. It was unexpected. I didn't think much about what others thought of me, and even though calling me smart was something simple, it meant something.

Nevertheless the compliment was a bit awkward for me to take. "I just do my work, and actually listen in class."

He just smiled at me. "Yeah, I guess that's how it works."

Our talking came to a stop once I had to lead the way to my house, seeing he didn't know where I lived.

"You live near my Grandma." He commented as we walked down my block.

Everyone knew everyone, our side of the city was small enough, and no one really knew how to stay in their own house anyway. I had at least ten people tell me to tell Rashad 'happy birthday', and he already graduated high school by the time I got in it.

You would always find someone you knew anywhere. And I was more than familiar with the elderly woman that lived a couple houses down.

"Yeah, Mrs. Walker, right?"