Masc

Chapter 1

"What's good G?" Patrick walks up to Aaliyah and sits down at her table in the cafeteria.

"What's good Pat? You need something?" She reaches over the table to dap him up.

"Nah, nah. I'm good. I'm just over here checking on you and lil dude." Patrick glances over to Kareem eating a homemade sandwich.

"Hey Patrick. How's it going?" Kareem chats through a mouthful of turkey.

Patrick laughs and breaks eye contact with Kareem. "This dude" he gestures to Kareem while looking at Aaliyah. "Anyway, I just wanted to know if you down to come fuck with some girls tonight. My mans is doing a lil thing at his place." Pat grabs onto his book bag straps.

"Bro I literally always go and nobodies there to fuck with me. I'll pass." Aaliyah laughs.

"Bruh c'mon! You know that's cap. You just be hella introverted and shit." Patrick pushes her shoulder.

"That's because your girls be hella hetero and shit. Maybe next time."

"That's how it is? Aight. You have my number if you end up feeling different." Pat shrugs.

"Aight Pat, I'll let you know. See you around." Aaliyah says as she salutes him off.

"Peace Liah. Imma fuck with you later lil dude." Patrick gets up and messes with Kareem's hair before walking off to his table with the basketball team.

"I still don't understand how you're friends with him. You don't even play sports my guy." Kareem chuckles.

"I don't know. He's not all that bad though. Remember he almost got me onto the basketball team last year." Aaliyah shrugs and takes a bite of her chicken sandwich.

"Yeah, but he almost got you like a thousand freaking straight girlfriends."

"Relax. Be easy Kareem."

"Whatever. He's not my problem I guess."

Aaliyah picks up her phone. "Shit, it's almost 2. I gotta go to Ms. O'Hair's classroom to pick up some missing work before she leaves. I'll catch you later Kareem." She puts her earbuds in and rises from the table.

"Sure, I'll see you. Don't do anything dumb while I'm not hovering over you!" Kareem jokes.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, you should try stand up." Aaliyah smiles before walking off.

Swivel by Dreamville plays in her earbuds as she walks home from the bus stop. She steps along the concrete sidewalk, each step in a new square. Her hands are roaming in her pockets as she passes the same olive green parked car she sees basically everyday after school.

The sky is cloudy and the dead branches on the redbud trees along the street doesn't make the scene any more lively. There's hardly anyone out besides a couple nameless neighbors who wave at random pedestrians as they let their dogs get some fresh air. The houses are anything, but uniform and come in all different shapes and sizes. Near the corner is Mr and Mrs. Burn's dull contemporary two story home. Then, there's Mr. Ramirez and his four daughters in a cosy three story house with a gorgeous bay window that goes from the bottom to the top floor. Then there's Mr. and Mrs. Kirby's quaint orange house with the two car garage. Followed by the Davidsons, Mr. Williams and his old poker buddies, then some young, affectionate, interracial couple who just moved in.

A lot of the houses have families like Aaliyah's. Regular middle class people, maybe with a couple kids, that follow a washed out schedule. Just plain out boring people. Boring and obsolete people who she'd wave to when her parents were around and avoid when they weren't. People who didn't actually know much about Aaliyah, since she was only out at school. When she walked through this neighborhood she wasn't a butch, or a stud, or gay at all. She was just a tomboy, a tomboy who seemed a little uncomfortable in their skin.