CIARA ARMANI LOVE | CICI
"YOU come in here every morning with Starbucks. When imma get mines?" Lance, the schools security guard asks as CiCi made her way through the metal detector, beeping following her due to her diamond studs.
"I'll bring you some McDonald's tomorrow. Whatchu want? A McGribble?"
"That'll be greatly appreciated. Thank you."
"No problem." She smiled. CiCi had grown familiar with the dark-skin man. He had been here since her freshman year and never failed to make her feel comfortable. He was one of the few adults she liked at this school so getting him a $5 meal wasn't nothing to her.
CiCi didn't have a first period so she sat in the library to eat her cheese danish and croissant, having a strawberry refresher as her beverage. As she got up to throw away her trash she spotted Sage in the corner of the library. He was slouched in the chair with his hands stuffed in his Essentials jacket, his eyes closed as a pair of Beats suffocated his ears. She debated on going to speak to him or not before just saying fuck it and walking towards him.
She tapped his shoulder causing him to open one eye before clearing his throat and sitting up. He hooked the Beats around his neck, looking up at her in confusion.
"Just wanted to say hey." She chuckled, knowing how it felt to be woken up out of your sleep so suddenly.
"Wassup, you just got here?" He asked as he looked at the half empty drink in her hand.
"Yeah like twenty minutes ago. Why are you sleep in a library?"
"Same reason why anybody would be sleep in a library." He shrugged. He wasn't about to tell her him and his daddy was beefing again and he was living out of his car for right now. He certainly wasn't going to tell her that he showered at Jaz's house, a close "friend" of his.
"I know I don't have stupid written on my forehead." CiCi slanted her lips as she took a seat next to him. "Why are you really sleep here Sage?"
"Listen shorty, you cool and all but youn know me. Worrying about me and what I got going on shouldn't be on your mind." His defensive tone caused CiCi to frown but she wasn't about to let him shut down, especially when she was willing to listen.
"If you think I'm going to judge you, I'm not. I don't have a reason too. You bottling up all your emotions isn't good though Sage."
He took initiative of her words, allowing himself to dwell on his life. She was right whether he wanted to admit it or not. It was the way she approached the situation so calmly and with authority. Her persona was something he couldn't understand but he knew she was a good person with great intentions.
"No judging?" He rose an eyebrow, willing to express himself.
"No judging."
"My pops and I been tight since I was born, ain't never had no fights or none. Until I turned sixteen and he just started acting crazy out of no where. The shit we usually did, he wasn't with it no more." Sage started.
"I don't know how it happened but we ended up squaring up and he got me a couple times but I think when he seen I wasn't finna let him bitch me, he got more angry. Pulled out a knife and sliced me right here—" He muttered, lifting up his jacket to show the visible scar leading from his left rib to his belly button.
"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to." CiCi pouted, sensing his uncomfortableness.
"Nah, it's cool, I need to get this shit off my chest anyway." He shrugged, clearing his throat before continuing.
"Every since then we been bumping heads a lot and I'm eighteen now, beefing with my own father. I'm still living with the nigga too so every time we do argue, I just leave. I either stay in my car and shower at my friend house. I been looking for a place though so this shit finna stop real soon."
Sage knew he would never be free from his dad as long as he was distributing drugs for him but he would be better when he was in his own living place.
"That's so messed up Sage, I would never think you was dealing with all that. You hide it well." She muttered. "So do y'all ever not fight? Like when are y'all good?"
"When I'm doing his dirty work. He love me to death when I'm putting my life at risk but the minute I wanna play football, it's a problem."
CiCi caught onto what he meant by dirty work. She honestly felt for him. Having your father put you in a position you thought was okay, wasn't okay. Sage didn't even have a chance to choose a path to go down because his father had chosen it for him.
"I don't wanna go there but do you think he's maybe jealous of you?"
Sage thought about CiCi's word for a minute with his face scrunched up. He would never take his father as the jealous type but now that he had laid his feelings out, his father did have jealous tendencies. It was like whatever Sage was doing that he couldn't, he would get mad. If Sage was gaining more attention then him, he would get mad. If Sage brought up sports, he would shut the topic down.
"That nigga do act like I always gotta be below him, like he better than me or something. I ain't finna talk down on my pops though CiCi." He shook his head. No matter where him and his father stood, that was still his father.
"I know and I'm not asking you too. I just want you to realize why he may always try to pick a fight with you."
"Mmh, I appreciate it." Sage muttered causing CiCi to scrunch her face up in confusion. She didn't understand where an thank you needed to come from. He peeped her facial expression, prompting himself to continue. "For sitting here and allowing me to talk to you. Most people would've been laughed but you still here so I appreciate you for that."
"Of course, if you ever need me I'm here." She nodded. She had her own shit to deal with but she did need an distraction from her life.
"I ain't gone put that type of baggage on you CiCi. You too pretty to be tryna deal with me." He shook his head.
"What me being pretty gotta do with anything?" She laughed.
"Shit you know when y'all girls get to stressing, y'all get to breaking out and face be mugged up so much it get stuck like that then y'all get to looking hideous."
"Who told you that?"
"Nobody, I seen that shit with my own two eyes." Sage shrugged as CiCi shivered from a wave of coolness flowing through her body. Her outfit wasn't fitting for the school's temperature but it was hot outside so she didn't care.
"You cold?" He chuckled when she nodded. "Imma be nice today then." He muttered as he took the beige jacket off, fluffing it out before helping her put it over her head without messing up her eyelashes.
"Thank you," She smiled, snuggling into the warmth of the Baccarat scented hoodie. "You not getting this back."
"Damn, that's how you gone do me?" Sage gasped, placing his head over his heart to act fake hurt.
"Mmh mmh, you can borrow it but you gotta ask in advance." CiCi shrugged. She was serious too.
"That's crazy. That mean I gotta buy a new one huh?" He unlocked his phone to google the Essentials website, ready to order one just to match her.
"Yeah, we can be twins."
"Twins like each other though." Sage mumbled, trying to see if she was catching his drift.
"We like each other." CiCi giggled, falling for his trap. She wasn't afraid to admit the boy was handsome and she believed they could be more then friends. However, they had only known each other for five weeks.
"In what way?" He smirked.
"In the type of way you gone get mad when you see me flirting with another boy or the type of way where you can call me for help. Which ever one works you." She shrugged. She was following his lead while also telling him where to go.
"Why can't it be both?" His smirk turned into a smile as he turned her chair to be directly in front of him, shoving his hands into her new jacket pockets.
"It can be both." She mirrored his expression, putting her hands inside the jacket pockets as well.
"Yeah? You cool with that CiCi?" He rose an eyebrow, making sure she knew what he was getting at.
"I'm cool with that Sage."
—