It's Not Me//DT

》15《

"What's the issue?" I asked, trying to be unbothered, but I couldn't help but be a little worried at what was happening.

"It's nothing," he waved at the air to signal me to forget about it, but I couldn't. The look of worry was just etched into my mind. "You guys ready to head out?" He asked with a fake smile.

Ethan and Gray looked at each other, "yeah," the both answered at the same time. Khalan wasn't going to say what was wrong, at least he wouldn't say it in the moment. He would wait until it was too late.

"Leggo then," Khalan said with his fake smile.

"I haven't heard anyone use the word 'leggo' in a minute," I fired.

Khalan dramatically fake punched me, to which I dodged. "Anyways, who's driving? What's the car situation?" I asked as if nothing had happened.

"I can take you guys, and one more," Khalan responded.

"Ayo, I'm riding with Khal ain't no way I'm sitting in a car with Lamont," Jax announced.

"Aight, I'm cool with that."

I had no doubt in my mind that the 7 of us would be chaotic, but what I didn't realize is how chaotic it could be.

⁠—

"Please....please.....please.....please......please," I had yelled. It was hard to get Khalan to hear me over all of the screaming children and the crying babies.

"Aight, damn. You is fucking annoying."

I smiled. I had annoyed Khalan to the brink and he was going to buy me ice cream. Everyone was off doing their own little thing. I was supposed to meet up with Grayson, Ethan, and the guy named Drey to do go karts later.

Drey was the guy who I pegged as shy. Most of the time when I was around him, he was silent, but today he seemed to be having fun.

"I have to tell you something though."

"You can tell me after you've shoved ice cream in my mouth," I joked.

"Kai, I'm moving in a week." I couldn't react. Everything around me just got louder, faster, too hard to bear.

I knew he was going to move in some time, but it was too soon. It was like I was in shock of some sort.

"Let's go play laser tag!" I said.

It's easier to run away from your problems.

"That's all you're going to say?"

"Well, what do you want me to say?"

My chest felt undeniably tight. I was slowly gasping for air.

"I said, I was moving."

"And I said, 'Let's go play laser tag.'" I was making the situations worse, undeniably. I didn't know what to say. He had already warned me about it.

He looked at me and just couldn't believe that I had said what I had said. "So you don't care? You don't give a fuck."

"Of course I care. I just don't know how you want me to react." I felt like I was losing air faster than I was getting it in. "I can't do nothing 'bout it. I just can't. So we can go play laser tag, or we can fight. Whichever one's good with you."

He swallowed, looked at me, and walked away.

I wanted to stop him. I wanted to go after him. I wanted us to fix whatever had just happened. Yet I stayed, rooted in place. I didn't cry. I didn't move. I just didn't react.