We begin walking, and I was literally about 4-5 feet away from him.
"Come here, girl." He says, grabbing me over to him and putting his hand around my shoulder.
"Jaquil."
"Yo?"
"You do know why I'm here, right?"
"Yea. 'Cause you was runnin away, or some shit like that. And my momz picked you up cause you lied talkin 'bout how you just needed a ride. Then, she ended up lettin you live here. For like a month, right?"
"Yea." I say, looking at the ground.
"It's Ard, though. Cause mynmom, she umm...she real cool about that kinda stuff. But where you tryna go when you leave here?"
"Shit! I'on know, okay?"
"Ard, Ard. Damn. Calm down, I gotchu."
Silence. He looked at me with a straight face and said,
"Saleemah ran away a couple times."
I couldn't believe how cool he was bein about this, I mean, ta any otha normal 15-year-old, girl or boy, this shit I'm comin' off wit just seems completely asinine, unbelievable unreal.
"Seriously? For what?" I answer.
"All I'mma say is that her and Ma mom wasn't always cool. Saleemah swore she could do whatever she wanted when she turned thirteen. My mom wasn't dealin wit that bullshit and Saleemah kept runnin away and comin back. My momz eventually gave in by the time 'Leemah was 15 and basically let all of us do what we wanted. As long as we ain't come home wit a baby or arrested. Cuz we'll jus get fucked up, or put out, if we do."
"Das crazy,"
"Not really. 'Cause we all kinda got used to it. But let's talk about you." he says, staring at me.
"What about me?"
"What school you go to?'"
"E & S."
"What?" he asked, like I was speaking in a foreign language. I sighed, then proceeded to answer his question.
"George Washington Carver High school of Engineering and Science."
"Ain't that in North Philly?"
"Yea, I used to live there."
"That's where them nerds go..." He joked.
"Ummm, just 'cause I was smart enough to get in that school don't mean I'm a nerd. And likee, yep, I'm pretty sure I buzz, MAC'Dollies, we do #'s , and I rep ma muthaEffin' team, sooo..."
"I was jokin, Okay? Damn. All that wasn't even necessary."
"I know."
"Whatchu gon do while everybody gon be in school, Nae?"
"Imma find somethin ta do..."
Silence. I don't knoe why I keep tryna act like I got everything all planned out to perfection. I honestly don't know where I'm gonna go after I leave here, or to be more recent wit things, what I'm gon do while everybody else is in school.
YOU ARE READING
Watch My Shoes (Before There's Footsteps Left Behind)
Teen FictionThis is a partly-true story about an African-American teenage girl who is a Philadelphia Native. She went to live with her bitter Aunt after her mother died and father went to jail for life. She spent many years with her troubled aunt, being verball...
