•͟U͟N͟D͟E͟R͟S͟T͟A͟N͟D͟ ͟c͟a͟r͟t͟i͟u͟z͟i͟•͟

VI

We sat down beside eachother, across from Travis and Caleb, while Jordan began to talk to them. "Hey, do y'all mind if Symere sits with us today?" Jordan announced to them.

"Shit, Jordan, you already making more friends  after only a week?" Travis asked. Jordan laughed, "So I assume that's a yes?" They both nodded their heads in unison. "What's good, Symere?" Travis said while dapping me up, "It's been a minute."

I laughed, "Yeah, it has." Caleb gave me a confused look, which I exchanged with him, asking, "Everything good?" The confused look left Caleb's face, "Yeah, sorry; you're in my homeroom, right?"

I nodded my head, to which Caleb smiled and also nodded, stating, "Yeah, I knew I had known you from somewhere." I smiled in return, excited I was getting closer to not only Jordan, but his friends also.

I was just engaging in a conversation being entertained by the group, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see Montero scooting along the bench-style seats next to me.

"Hey, Symere." Montero said, while noticeably blushing. "Hey Montero, how are you?" I asked him, giving him a hug. I wasn't interested in dating Montero, but he was just such a lovable person. Not a gay sort of loving, but like, loving as a friend. He was always so sweet, and just so huggable; he always managed to make me smile.

"Nothing really, just school." Montero replied. "That's ok, I guess." I replied, "Those assholes aren't giving you shit again are they?" Before Montero could respond, the rest of the group seemed to cancel their conversation and turned to me and Montero.

"Who's giving who shit?" Travis questioned. Montero looked over to them, and waved. "No way, it can't be," Caleb announced, standing up, "is that Montero Hill?" Montero blushed once again, standing up and giving Caleb a hug. It was heartwarming, I guess. I don't really know, it sorta made me feel like how I felt whenever I saw Amala and Rakim in the mornings together.

"I thought you went to Alabama," Caleb said, "and you're back now?" Montero nodded, "Yeah, finally. This place has always been better than Birmingham will ever be."

"What they giving you shit for Montero?" Travis asked. Montero looked over towards the others. "Hey Travis, and who are you?" he asked, pointing at Jordan. Travis nodded in response, and Jordan looked up from his phone.

"Oh, uh, hey Montero, I'm Caleb's cousin, Jordan. I just uh, um, moved from Charlotte." Jordan stammered. "He's Caleb's cousin?" I thought to myself, "Why didn't I know this? Why does it really matter though?"

"Ayeeeeee, new people gang." Montero said, dapping Jordan up from across the table. Jordan smiled, exchanging quick glances with Caleb. Now I finally understood why I always saw them with one another. "Anyways," Travis continued, interrupting my daydreams, "who's shitting on you, homie?"

"Oh, uh just these people," Montero started, "they're, uh, sort just, ganging on me for certain things." Everyone exchanged concerned looks. "What things, Montero?" Caleb asked. "I-uh, uhm," Montero hesitated, "I'm uh- when I was in Alabama, I kinda found out that I was-er uhm, sorta gay."

Brutal silence followed.

Montero's seemed to shift between everyone, and then to me. He began to seem to shuffle away, until Travis spoke up. "Montero, fuck those homophobic bitches." Caleb got a look of fury in his face, "Who the hell are these fuckers?" Caleb asked, "You've only been here for a motherfuckin' week and they're going off?"

"Uhhh, I think his name is Jonathan?" Montero responded. I became even angrier, knowing that I saw this homophobic asshole everyday in class, and had to work with him for the rest of the semester. I swear to god, homophobia is the stupidest ideology ever. "Uh, yeah, that shits fucked up, bro." Jordan added, albeit later on.

Montero stayed with us throughout the rest of lunch. Just before lunch was over, Travis got extremely pissed after seeing something, pointing at it, and yelling about it extremely loudly.

"Shit, some fucker beat me to her!" Travis exclaimed. My eyes followed where he was pointing towards, where I observed Nayvadius Wilburn sitting down with Summer Walker, both extremely close to one another. They both seemed pretty happy, and from what a gathered, Travis apparently wanted to bang her, or some other shit. She was pretty attractive, not gonna lie, but I wouldn't date her, for, well, obvious reasons.

Jordan seemed to be pretty bored and annoyed through the entirety of the event, staring at his phone and rolling his eyes whenever he got the chance. Noticing this, I leaned over and whispered to him, "Is this some shit he's been talking about for the past week or something?"

Jordan looked up and over at me, smiling, and whispering back, "Yessssssssssss! He hasn't shut up about it nearly at all. Like, not gonna lie, she kinda thick, but we don't need to be reminded every day." I laughed, agreeing with him.

Just as Travis' rant has seemed to have reached its climax, the bell that dismissed the cafeteria rang, creating the amoeba of people to flood into the narrow doorways. We all went our separate ways, with both Jordan and Travis dapping me up, Caleb waving goodbye, and Montero giving me a hug.

I met up with Rakim and Amala at one of the doorways, where they both had this fake, annoyed look on their faces. "I can't believe my son abandoned me." Rakim announced as I walked up. "Same, I truly feel heartbroken." Amala agreed, with her hands upon her hips.

"Calm down, y'all. It was only one day. Besides, maybe you two can distract each other from Miles and Sheyaa's pointless arguments, by myself, I can only tolerate them for so long." I elaborated. "Mhm, and who's the dude you were with in the lunch line? I've never seen him before." Rakim asked.

"I-uh," I began to stammer, "that's-uh, the guy that I was telling you about that night when we went to Dairy Queen."

"Ohhhhhh, I got you." Rakim responded, smirking, and bumping me on the arm. "I'm sorry," Amala began, "but is there something between father and son that I don't know about?" I looked at Rakim's suddenly concerned expression, with a look of assurance. I trusted Amala, and she would have to find out one way or another, so I figured now would be the best opportunity.

"So uh, Amala," I began...