Juke Jam | ✍︎

𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

𝖏𝖚𝖐𝖊 𝖏𝖆𝖒
❝ 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒 ❞
𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔

        𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄 absently wiped the bar table, as her gaze remained fixed on Reggie Coleman heavily sighing at Naomi Beaumont's endless complaints at the glossy, purple table. "So, what exactly happened?" she quizzed the remainder of the crew that had been exiled from their usual seating for this serious conversation.

"They've been bickering all week." James lowly explained, rubbing a hand over his face and leaning down on the table beside Shontelle. He promised that that day after school he would help her run the bar at Rollacity—it was normal, considering he always liked to offer to take some weight off her shoulders—but after a long week of nothing but basketball training, he was beyond burnt out like a match.

"Bickering 'bout what?" Shontelle continued to question, Renee shrugged, taking a quick glance over her shoulder.

"At this rate, it's hard to know, they've held it together for at least a week." she commented.

"I wouldn't say that about Nae's lil' digs, though," Amari scoffed, focused on gently cracking Renee's knuckles. After their last mishap in February, Anderson grew the courage to talk about how he was feeling to Taylor. It cleared up a lot, considering that Amari was reluctant to open up about the mental pressure he was experiencing from school and his family, and ended their long, upholding awkwardness that they'd sustained for way too long.

Teenagers will be teenagers, and everything felt better when in a relationship; so that was what they did. Amari lifted the back of Renee's hand in his and pressed a soft kiss against her skin. She widely grinned and squeezed back.

"Y'all are really avoiding my damn question, what the fuck happened?" the twenty-something year old bartender huffed.

"Somethin' to do with Senior year, and fuckin' college, and a girl that Reggie is apparently talking to. I'on know, bruh, I stopped listening after I got shouted at for tryin' to calm Nae's ass down." Azryah pouted, her attention was more focused on the golden cuff that came loose around the dread locks that hung down from her tied hairstyle. James, watching her as she did, absently took over.

"A girl? Reg wouldn't cheat on her, ain't they like South Side's Romeo and Juliet?" Shontelle pulled a face.

"I'on know what version you read in school in the damn 1800s, but they are so far from that." James scoffed.

"Boy, I'm twenty-two, if you wanna keep calling me old, I'ma knock you upside the head like yo' Nana did last week." she sucked her teeth. The kids laughed, as James instantly protected his head.

"We ain't gotta talk about that, Shaunice," he snickered.

"Aight, then quit it wit' yo' smart-mouthing, Jacob." she scolded, pushing his shoulder. Shontelle liked to think that she was these kids' caretakers every once in a while. Being the girlfriend of James's cousin, and the only one that James had ever liked, he enjoyed thinking of her as the elder sister that he wished he could've had alongside his baby sister, Janaye. Shontelle was sardonic and miserable but always knew how to make him laugh. The crew got to know her a little after she started working at Rollacity. To them all, she felt like family.

"Regardless, they ain't really saying much about what they bickering on about." Amari shrugged, "It'll probably die out, like last time."

"Well, that best be fuckin' soon, bro, they be doing my damn head in." James grumbled, leaning into his heavy shoulders, he dropped his head. He only slightly raised it when he felt a hand swimming along the waves of his hair, Azryah met his curious gaze. She gently smiled and then held his face in her hands.