𝟐. (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈𝐈) 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
"𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐛𝐫𝐨. 𝐈 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧."
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He collapses onto the ground, panting and seeing stars. A hand buries itself in his thick hair and gently moves back and forth; he leans into the touch, closing his eyes.
"You did good, JJ," Zamir murmurs, still stroking his hand through his hair.
"Doesn't feel like it."
"Well, I agree with Zamir," Sam says, leaning against the wall, "You did excellent today, Kori."
"thanks, Sam."
"Oh, so when he says it, it's thanks Sam, but when I say it, it's-"
"thanks, Mir."
Zamir huffs, rolling his eyes. He still bends down and lifts Kori up to carry him bridal-style though. (He's so strong, it doesn't make sense sometimes.) At any other time, Kori would flail and tell him to put him down, but after a round of intense physical therapy, he's practically putty in Zamir's hands. "'preciate it," he mumbles, curling into his friend's chest.
"You like a big baby after yo sessions," Zamir chuckles, chest vibrating against Kori's head.
"Fuck you,"
"Not yet."
"Eugh," his nose wrinkles, "Put me down."
"I'm jus playin, bro."
"Nah, put me down weirdo."
"Hush, you can't even walk." Zamir shoots back as he begins to gently set him down on a massage table. "I can still kick yo ass," Kori says weakly.
Zamir looks him up and down, then scoffs. He doesn't say a single word.
"I can!"
"Whatever you say, J."
Laughter coming from the other side of the room makes them look over. It's Sam, with a hand over his mouth and an arm wrapped around his stomach. He laughs for an entire minute before straightening up and wiping some tears from his eyes, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You two are hilarious together."
"Nah, he's just a bum."
Zamir rolls his eyes, "Hush thyroid."
"What the hell is that—"
"Before you begin packing Kori, I have some questions for you. I forgot to ask them earlier." Sam interrupts, throwing an amused glance at Zamir.
Kori sighs, but let's it go. I'll just get him back later. "Wassup?"
"About your knee collapsing— have you been using your cane?"
"..." Kori shifts, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, sometimes-"
"Don't lie to him, JJ." Zamir cuts in, crossing his arms.
Kori smacks his lips, turning his head, "I wasn't even talking to you!"
"You are now." Zamir nods to Sam, "Now, tell him the truth. You ain't used it once, have you?"
"..."
"Kori?" Sam asks.
"...I haven't used it." Kori admits reluctantly.
Sam sighs, taking a seat on a yoga ball, "We've been over this, Kori."
"I know-"
"Do you?"
He goes quiet.
"Your knee would be in much better shape and we'd probably be halfway through your recovery if you'd use it, but because you wanted to be look cool and have an outrageous fear of being ostracized by your community, we're only a fifth of the way through. Your dreams of playing D1 basketball are washing down the drain as we speak—"
"Aye." Zamir barks sharply. "Don't say that shit, yo. The other stuff was coo' but not that."
"Mir," Kori sighs, running a hand over his face, "Chill out, bruh."
"Nah, he don't get to speak to you like that,"
"He ain't mean nothing by it, bro."
"I don't give a fuck how he meant it, that shit wasn't coo'!"
Since when did he become the hothead and I became the peacekeeper? How the tables turn, huh. "ZB, just relax man,"
"Man, fuck that—"
"I'm sorry."
Zamir and Kori both freeze, looking over. Then, Kori shakes his head, "Nah. Sam you ain't got to—"
"No, really, I was completely out of line. I'm sorry, Kori."
"Sam, I'm telling you, you don't have to—"
"Yes, he do." Zamir finally recovers from his shock, scoffing, "That shit was hella disrespectful."
"Zamir."
"Kori." He says back in the same tone.
They stare at each other, both unwilling to budge. It continues for a solid thirty seconds and it probably would've lasted for minutes if Sam didn't cut in. "Alright, enough of this. Zamir, I'm sorry for disrespecting your partner. Kori, I'm sorry for disrespecting you."
Seeing it was two against one, Kori reluctantly relents, "i accept your apology, man."
"Thank you—"
"Wait a minute, what?" Zamir cuts in, glancing between them.
Kori blinks, "What?"
"What'd you call him?"
Sam tilts his head, confused as well, "I called him Kori."
"No, before that."
"Your... partner? Is that not what you prefer?"
"No, that's now what I fucking prefer!" Zamir yells, startling the other occupants in the room, "The fuck wrong witchu?!"
"I'm sorry," Sam says quickly, trying to placate him, "Kori never corrected me."
Zamir turns to Kori, eyes wide, "What the fuck, J?!"
To be honest, Kori feels... hurt. He's known this nigga for ten whole years, probably more, and he's out here saying they're not even friends? After everything he's done for Zamir, after everything Zamir has done for him, they're not even friends? The fuck? The hothead inside of him rears its head. "No, what the fuck you mean?! We've known each other for ten whole years and now you saying we ain't partners?!"
"Did you think we was?!"
"Yes, I thought we were!"
"Bro, this right here," Zamir points between them, "is not that, aight? I make jokes sometimes, but I wasn't serious."
"You wasn't- so this whole time you been saying you love me, you ain't mean that shit?!"
"Not like that!"
"The fuck do you mean not like that?"
Sam stands up, "Okay, guys, let's calm down—"
"Shut the fuck up!" "Shut the fuck up!" They both shout at the same time. Sam flinches back, then lowers himself onto the yoga ball, hands raised in the air in surrender.
Zamir turns back to Kori, "Bro, you know damn well ion like you like that!"
"Nigga, we've known each other for ten years! YEARS! The fuck you mean you don't like me that?"
"That don't mean shit!"
"That don't mean— so you been using me this whole time?! All that money I gave you, all that food, all those times I let you use my car- was that a fucking joke to you? I bet you talked shit about me to other niggas!"
"Bro, I thought you did that shit because we're friends!"
"So, we're friends now?!"
"Yes, we're friends! We're only friends! With a capital F!"
There's a small glitch in Kori's brain, one that realizes what Zamir just said is completely out of the ordinary. "So, we're friends but not partners?!"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!"
"Nigga, that don't make sense!"
"Yes, it does!"
"How?!"
"Because I'm not a fag—"
His mind flashes back.
[Two knocks sound at his door, then his little sister walks in. Reluctantly, he pauses his game and takes his headphones off his head.
"Yo,"
"Uh, hey,"
Her tone instantly puts him on guard. He sits up, "Whatchu want?"
She shifts.
"CiCi?"
She takes a breath. Then, she speaks, "I heard you earlier, talking to your friends. You said fa- you said that word." She tentatively meets his eyes, "Can you stop saying that? It's... It's considered a slur against gay people now. It's sorta like the n-word. Not exactly, but sort of. It... it also hurts my feelings when you say it. It's like you don't respect me- or you just don't care. Just stop saying it, JJ. Please."
She doesn't wait for a response. She just turns on her heel and quickly walks from the room. (It's like she's making an escape.) He stares after her, shocked. He's not shocked because of her words, but shocked because of her tears.
In all of her fifteen years alive, he's never seen his sister cry.]
The memory causes Kori to stand up, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, "Watch that fucking word, bro. I ain't finna tell you again."
It's painfully silent for a solid five seconds. And then, "...my fault." Zamir nods, closing his eyes, "I ain't mean to. It jus' slipped."
"If it slipped that easily, you must still say it daily," Kori scoffs, crossing his arms.
"I don't bro, I promise— I was just mad."
"Yeah, right. And the fuck you bringing up gay people for? We ain't even discussion' them."
Zamir visibly falters, "Wait, what?"
"You heard what I said, nigga."
"But you said..." The darkskin tilts his head, "You said I was your boyfriend."
Ah hell nah. Kori recoils, "The fuck I did!"
"No, bro, listen. You literally said I was your partner."
"I mean-" Kori shrugs, "You practically are. Dawg, we've known each other for ten years."
"That doesn't mean I'm your partner, though."
"Why not? You my friend, ain't you?"
"Of course we friends. You my day one."
"Exactly." Kori says in a duh tone, "You my potna."
Zamir tosses his head back in exasperation, "No I'm not, Nigga. We are friends, only."
"What's the difference?"
Instead of rejecting the idea again, Zamir just frowns, "Wait a min. Kori, what does partner mean to you?"
"...it's just another word for friend, right?"
Zamir freezes. For a second, Kori can quite literally see his brain buffering. Then, the boy sighs and rubs his hands over his face. He mumbles something he can't hear.
"What?"
"You fucking idiot." Zamir repeats, peeking out from behind his hands, "That is not what partner means."
"The fuck it mean then?"
"JJ, partner is another word for boyfriend."
Oh... fuck.
ᴀɢᴀᴘᴇ ♡