Heat.

| Chapter 2. |

"He's sitting right there. He can hear you, dummy." The oldest boy shouted, putting down the tablet in his hands and putting a spoonful of their nasty breakfast into his mouth.

"He ain't lightskinned, he's white. There's a difference," The oldest girl finally spoke, pushing her chair back and putting her plastic bowl into the kitchen sink. "And who is he anyway?"

Miss LuLu sighed. "Imani, that is not a way to talk to our guests. And that goes to you too, Aniyah. His name is Aaron and if anyone asks, he's your cousin."

"Nuh uh, nana. I don't know him," The oldest one- Imani whined, rolling her eyes. "And no one is going to believe he's our relative."

"Well, you make them believe it. He's going to be staying with us for a little while, and that's that. Now, you rude little girls are done eating, so go sit in the living room and look out for the bus." Miss Lulu shut them down, watching as Imani lifted Aniyah out of her booster seat and walked into what he assumed was the living room.

"Uh, excuse me? What is this?" He finally asks the one question going through his mind as he still mixes whatever is inside of the bowl.

"Grits? You ain't never had grits? Man, you sure ain't from around here." The 11 year old spoke, bringing the bowl to his face and slurping what he had left.

"The bus is here!" Aniyah screamed into the kitchen, as everyone pushed back their chairs and left the table quickly, food finished or not. Confused, Aaron shook his head side to side as he watched the kids grab their bookbags and other needed items from the counter.

"Come on, y'all. Hurry, give nana a kiss," Miss Lulu puckered her lips, all the kids kissing her dearly. She turned to Aaron, her eyebrow raised. "Child, what are you just sitting there for? You need to catch that bus too, or you gonna be late. Let's go!"

Aaron nodded, jumping up quickly as he grabbed the bag from Miss Lulu's hands. He didn't kiss her, but he did take her instructions and run out the door, heading for the bus. It started to drive off, and he had to slightly run up to it and bang on the door. The bus driver stopped though, opening the door and eyeing him suspiciously as he walked on to the bus.

"Next to me, Cousin Aaron!" Aniyah shouted from the front seat, and he was glad she took some tension off as once again, all eyes were on him. He smiled awkwardly, sliding into the seat next to the little girl. He felt her watching him the whole time, the bus stopping at the elementary school first and dropping off Aniyah, along with the other 3 children from Miss Lulu's and the other youngins on the bus. Leaving Aaron, Imani and a bunch of other people heading for the High School.

Aaron stared out the window, taking in the scenery. He still didn't know where he was. But the streets out here were rural and grimy, and he couldn't help his nose scrunching up as the bus pulled to another stop. Imani and the kids in the back jump off the bus quick and he unlocks his seatbelt to follow them. He stares up at the sign on top of the building in big bold letters that read that he was at Brooklyn High School.

"America?" He whispered to himself, looking all around, lost. He took in his surroundings, his thoughts going a mile a minute. So, he was alone. In America. A place he had never been, a place he never cared to be. How wonderful.

He continued looking around, taking it all in, as he was suddenly being pushed back by the body of a tall black boy with dreads, whom looked to be around his age. The boy has his left eyebrow pierced and tattoos all over his face as he looked at Aaron, his face annoyed. "Damn nigga, you blind? Move out the way."

Aaron frowned, turning his his head and spotting Imani a few feet away, watching him as she sat surrounded by her own group of girls. All of different ethnicity, but none of them white. They made eye contact and she looked away in embarrassment, Aaron sighing as he decided she was no help to him and decided to walk into the school building. Through the doors, there stood a 6'9 security guard, with a metal detector in his hand as he eyed the students still outside.