| First Capture [ ◉¯ ] |
Taking a deep breath, I held on tightly to the box making my way over to him.
Leaning against the concrete wall, he rested his elbows on his knees with his head back and his eyes shut.
Now standing in front of him, my feet were planted, forbidden to move, yet for what seemed like an eternity my voice seemed extracted from my airways.
Just hoping he would notice me and say something first.
Even though his eyes were closed.
Genius.
I mentally struck myself. He can't even see me, how the hell is he supposed to know I'm here?
Just as I was about to say something, his eyes fluttered open narrowing them up at me.
Raising and releasing his eyebrows continuing to stare at me, I assumed he was waiting for me to say something but ... I don't know what happened. I just couldn't.
Realizing I wasn't going to speak, his teeth clicked and he rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath, sealing them once again.
"Weird ass people." He muttered.
"I got something for you." I said quietly, finally finding the courage to speak.
Catching his attention once more, he stared at me as if waiting for me to speak again. Taking the hint to proceed, I removed the box from behind my back holding it out in front of me.
"I don't know if you celebrate Christmas or not but I got you this." I said outstretching my arms, offering the box out to him.
His eyes never leaving the box, leisurely rising from his position, he soon towered over me before fixing his eyes on mine. Glancing around at everyone who surrounded us and the students who had stopped their activities to stare, I could see that his once relaxed demeanor had altered into a now heavily tensed one.
"Look, if this some type of sick joke, or pity party whatever the fuck you wanna call it, you can move from around me. I ain't no fucking charity case." He spat turning to leave.
As he sped walked away, his toes slipped through one of the holes that resided at the top of his shoes, causing him to trip over his own feet.
The gym erupted in a roar of laughter from the students as they pointed and taunted him.
My face dropping, I immediately rushed to his side pushing past the students moving towards him with their smartphones to snap pictures.
"Can y'all be anymore fucking rude?! Instead of helping him, you're taking pictures to post, just to write some dumb ass caption in an attempt to be funny. You guys are pathetic and your mom should have swallowed you." I snarled, as I grabbed ahold of his hands attempting to help him up.
"I got it, I got it, I'm good." He growled shaking his head as he snatched his hands from mine standing to his feet.
Expecting him to walk away, I was surprised to see as he just stood there staring down at his shoes.
Following his eyes, I noticed that the shoes were now even more ruined than before as the entire toe tip and vamp of the shoe had peeled off, the midsole was no longer present.
"Hey..." I said softly.
Twisting his lips to the side, his eyes soon reconnected with mine.
"Come on. Please just take the shoes. It's getting colder outside, and now your right shoe is just about completely ruined. Just take them."
"I ain't no charity case. What you getting out of this anyway? Scholarships? School benefits? Props for helping out the lil poor boy? Let me tell you something, I ain't poor and we ain't struggling. I'm just a nigga willing to make sacrifices even if that mean my shoes can talk." He snapped.
Sighing deeply, I tried to ease my anxiety all the while hoping to help him understand that I wasn't out to get him or make him look bad.
Because I wasn't.
"I know you're not a charity case. Out of the kindness of my heart, I just wanted to gift you with something that I thought you might need or want. I'm not out to get you and I'm sorry if I made you feel like that, but I don't care how stubborn you want to be. You're going to put these on because I will not let you walk around with shoes that are clearly hazardous to your own safety. Now come on before one of these tactless pricks hit one of us with a ball." I demanded as I grabbed ahold of his hand pulling him towards the exit of the gym.
I honestly wasn't expecting him to actually follow. I figured he would have snatched his hand back by now and walked away from me.
But he didn't.
I know my response was a bit harsh but I just needed him to understand.
Just as we were about to push through the double doors, a hand grabbed at my arm from the opposite side of him.
Snapping my head around, I turned to see that it was one of my associates, Destiny.
My project partner.
"What?" I shook my head.
"Uh, what are you doing?" She fake smiled taking a quick glance at the boy that I was with, reminding me that I never got his name.
"What do you mean what am I doing?"
"I mean, with him..." She said lowly hinting her head in his direction.
"Helping him out. He's my friend." I babbled.
I could see from the corner of my eye that his once look of uncertainty had changed to confusion once those words had escaped my lips.
"Your friend, wait— what? How? Why? He... he looks... unsanitary and he has a stench." She attempted to whisper the last part.
Now I understood his guard.
Furrowing my eyebrows I snatched my arm from hers.
"The only thing dirty around here is your panties, and the only thing that stinks is your attitude— and your breath." I blinked crinkling my nose. "We're having a drive as senior volunteer work for our portfolio tomorrow, you should come. There'll be plenty oral hygienic products there for you to get that corrected."
Giving her no time to respond, I pivoted my feet turning towards the exit as I once again grabbed his hand leading him out the gym double doors.
I'll definitely be finishing the project alone.
Just as we got out the door, he halted gently stopping me.
"Aye, I'on wanna be causing no problems or be the reason you start having problems with yo' friends and shit."
"They're not my friends. Never were. Just strictly my peers. People who I talk to only when I see them. Mainly in school and for projects. No friend of mine would ever be so ignorant and discourteous."
He hesitantly nodded.
"Now c'mon." I grabbed his hand again.
"Wait, where we going?"
"To the kitchen." I said blandly as he gave me a puzzled look.
I was still a bit irritated with the way Destiny spoke about him as if he was, nothing. I mean, who the hell was she to judge? She wasn't perfect.
Nobody is.
"Don't worry, you'll see. Now let's go Mr. 'ike before you get us caught. We're supposed to be in class."
"Mr. 'ike?" He repeated following behind me down the hall.
"It's Hawaiian for Mr. Curious. You ask a lot of questions."
"I mean, some random chick just randomly gifted me, calling me her friend, wanting to help a nigga out and shit. Yeah, I'm pretty fucking curious." He mumbled.
Laughing to myself, I continued leading him down the hall.
Turning the corner, I spotted the familiar silver steel double doors. Gazing around to make sure no authorities were watching, I pushed open them open quickly dragging us inside.
"Neya."
Startled, I turned to see the head cook with her hands resting on her hips.
"Oh. Hey Ms. Loretta." I smiled, waving.
"You're a little bit more late than usual." She raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah I know, but I was kind of, uh ... caught up in something." She nodded.
"I see. And who is this handsome young man?" She looked over at him.
Before I could open my mouth to say anything, he cleared his throat.
"Ismail. But I prefer Myles."
So that's his name.
"Is-My-El?"
He nodded approving my pronunciation.
"But you prefer Myles."
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, nice to meet you Ismail. I hope Neya here is treating you okay, though I'm sure she is and that's why you're with her. She's helping you with something isn't she?" She began rambling off quickly.
So it begins.
"I swear that's all that girl ever does. She has to help any and everybody and she wants to be everybody's friend. I told her she gon' learn one day that not everybody is grateful and not everybody's your friend. Though I'm not saying you're like that, but you know in general. The kids here are disgusting and they're attitudes suck. I'm sure you're a nice young man though aren't you—"
"Ms. Loretta!"
"Huh?! Oh, sorry. Baby you know how I get. Now are you ready?"
"Just a second. Is my bag still here? In the back?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Okay, thanks." I took his hand once more pulling him towards the back.
Glancing around the storage closet in which held all the foods that were set for lunch display, I found an empty milk carton and grabbed it sliding it next to Ismail.
"Here take a seat, and take off your shoes." His eyes bucked. "To put your new ones on remember?" I displayed the box to him once again.
He hesitantly nodded, before beginning to slide off his shoes. Once he did I began to notice how badly torn his socks were as well. And I knew my socks would be too small for him.
I could tell he noticed because his eyes had clung to the ground, refusing to make eye contact with me again. I knew he was embarrassed.
"I'll be right back, give me your shoes and hold these." I handed him the box.
Once I had them in my hand, I raced out of the room and out of the kitchen back towards the gym, making sure to toss his shoes in the process.
Once I made it in there, I looked for another one of my associates, Dylan. Who supposedly was Destiny's brother. At least that's what they told everyone.
He had a major crush on me, and flirted every chance he got. He would literally do anything.
But he was too much of an ignorant, pretty, and materialistic asshole for me.
He was also a hoe. Typical.
"Hi Dylan." I greeted him with a friendly smile. "You mind if I grab something from your locker please? I'm really thirsty and I know you have some extra gatorade in there." I batted.
A wide smile spread across his face biting his lip generating me to mentally roll my eyes.
"Sure thing, baby." He started down the hall.
"No! Stay here. I don't want us to go back there together so people get the wrong idea. Just give me the combination."
"Shit, so what? If they think we fucking, we fucking."
"Excuse me?" I reared my head back.
Seeing the look on my face, he softened.
"My bad, my bad. It's 17, 46, 28. Locker B112."
"Thank you." I replied with a satisfied smile, immediately rushing towards the lockers. "B106, B109, B112... here it is."
Turning in the combination I pulled it open, instantly turning up my face in disgust. Condoms, thongs, bras, cigarettes, multiple pictures of females and what looked like a list of names sat listed on a clipboard.
As small as this locker was, it sure held a lot. There were still at least four different branded outfits stored in there beneath it all.
I instantly rolled my eyes.
A label whore.
From the hat down to the pair of socks.
Just what I was looking for.
Grabbing the pair of Nike socks, I also managed to grab an orange gatorade which he did in fact have in there, before slamming it shut.
Turning down the hallway someone bumped my shoulder.
On the verge of snapping, I looked to see it was Destiny who, once she noticed me, quickly walked off in the direction I came from.
Glancing back, just as I suspected, they were liars. There she was at Dylan's locker planting a thong inside.
Disgusting.
And who the hell lies about being siblings with someone they're sleeping with?
Shaking my head, I turned continuing my journey back to Ismail.
Ismail.
His name was different.
I liked it.
"Hey, I'm back. Sorry I took so long." I entered, seeing him sitting there with his hands folded together and his head down.
Glancing up at me, his eyes dropped to the pair of socks and gatorade in my hand.
"You can put these on with your shoes. They're brand new too." I assured ripping the tag off. "I thought you might be thirsty so I grabbed a gatorade." I handed the items to him.
"Neya!"
I heard Ms. Loretta shout from the kitchen.
"I'm coming!" I called back. "Okay, Ismail. Put those on and meet me back in the kitchen." I said heading over to my bag.
"Myles."
"Huh?" I turned to him.
"Call me Myles." He cleared his throat.
"Oh, right. My apologies, I keep forgetting. I just really love your name. But I hear you, I know for sure now, Myles." I gave a soft smile, before grabbing a hairnet and apron from my bag.
Walking back into the kitchen I spotted her setting up our usual station.
Every Thursday, Ms. Loretta and I got together to prepare a new meal that she would, as we go, teach me how to make.
It was the only day that we had an available empty kitchen, considering it was a half day and they wouldn't be serving lunch.
As an aspiring chef, she wanted to teach me some of her specialties.
Glancing around at the different ingredients, my eyes widened. This contained a lot more than what we usually would make. It was typically a shortly prepared and simple meal.
"Gon' and wash your hands baby, so we can get started. You know the routine."
Nodding I walked over to the sink and washed my hands. Drying them with a a paper towel, I slid my apron over my head, tying it around my back.
"So... what's on the menu tonight?" I queried meeting at her side as she prepared the stations.
"Shepherd's Pie."
My face instantly screwed up at the name.
"Don't you start, girl. You know better. It always tastes better than it sounds. Have we ever prepared something that you haven't loved?"
"Actually, yes. That time we made Roti." My stomach turned at the memory.
"That's because you didn't listen to me. Not only did you cook the dough like you were making tacos, but you messed up the curry chicken because you used the wrong powder and overcooked it. And you messed up the pumpkin, and the beans, and the—"
"Okay, okay, Ms. Loretta I get it!" I laughed as she continued to list all of my botched cooking endeavors, embarrassing me more.
It was my first time cooking and I was beyond terrible with following directions. Obviously.
"Good. Go grab the seasonings from my bag so we can get started."
"Yes ma'am." I sighed.
"And about the young man you brought in here," she whispered to me. "He gon' be alright?"
"I don't know..." I said honestly.
And I didn't.
I never got around to inquire about his situation, nor did I assume he would be comfortable telling me so considering our unfamiliarity.
"I just wanted to help."
"Aye."
I felt a hand lightly grab my arm.
Startled, turning to see him, I gave him a bewildered look.
"My fault, I never got your name." He gently released my arm.
I gave him a small reassuring smile.
"Neyana. Neyana Edwards."
And that's how we unfolded.
—