Time moved quickly as the group traveled around the arcade playing the various games available. You had fun, finally spending a day outside the house with the people you loved the most. And what made you happier was seeing everybody easing up on Santana. Especially Daysha who had to pull off him a couple of times.
Eventually, your time was over and you all made your way to the reward shop to exchange the tickets you won. You and Jaida walked around the store together, looking at the multiple gifts that stocked the shelves. You picked up the hat, checking the price tag, "Ugh, why is everything so expensive?"
"You just suck at the games," Jaida laughed, picking up a large teddy bear from the shelf.
You rolled your eyes at her, "Yeah? How many tickets you got?"
"250."
You gasped, looking at the stack of tickets that she held, "There's no way..." You had about 50 tickets, which at most could get you a coffee mug. Jaida, on the other hand, was now bringing the teddy bear up to the cash register with Jasaia who had a smaller version of it.
You looked over to your other friends who were waiting outside the store for you to finish shopping. Daysha had spent her tickets on candy, which was now nothing but wrappers. Trell had gotten Chanelle a small dino plushie which he carried while Chance and her played with the neon football they spent their tickets together on.
You sighed, doing one more lap around the store. You stopped at an otter plushie, looking at the tickets that remained in your hand. You sighed, looking at the tag that read 150 tickets.
"You want it?" You turned to see Santana standing quietly behind you. His curly hair fell in his face as he waited patiently for you to answer.
"Yeaaa, it's so cute," You said, taking it off the shelf to give it a squeeze, "I just don't have enough tickets to get it."
"Here," He held out his hand revealing his unused tickets.
"No, it's ok. You don't have to-"
"Take them. I wasn't planning on buying nothing anyways," He said, placing the tickets in your hand.
"Thanks," You smiled. You guided the two of you to the cash register where you gently handed the plushie to the cashier, along with the collection of tickets. The cashier scanned the tag, making a neon green 150 appear on the register.
"You still have 100 tickets left," The cashier said handing the remaining tickets over to Tana, "You can go back and get something else or I can just throw the rest away for you."
Tana looked at the tickets, shrugging, "I'll just throw them-"
"Holdon!" You said, grabbing the tickets from his hand. Tana's confused face watched as you made your way back to the aisles. After a bit of searching, you came back carrying a small red sketchbook in your hand. A gold S gleamed on the front as you placed it on the counter. "This too please," You cheesed, giving the cashier the remainder of the tickets.
The cashier rang it up, putting both the book and the otter in a plastic bag. They handed it to you with a smile, as the two of you made your way out the store.
"Here you go," You said, taking the book out of the bag.
He held his hand out, hesitating for a bit, before taking it. "You didn't have to get me this," He smiled, brushing along the beige pages with his fingers, "I was fine with nothing."
You shrugged, pulling your otter out of the bag. "It would be a waste of tickets just to throw them away," You said, causing him to laugh a bit, "Plus, I owe you. You've done a lot for me, Tana."
He turned to you, watching as you played with your otter. The neon lights from the arcade faded onto your face as the two of you exit the room. Your dimples showing as you smiled at the stuffed animal. Your polished nails holding it ever so gently.
"Thank you..." He mumbled.
"Huh?" You turned to his head down, curls bouncing with each step he took. He lifted his head, turning to you. His eyes scanned your face as you waited for him to talk.
"I-"
"REAAAA!" Your attention was caught on Daysha, who now skipped to the two of you. Behind her followed the rest of the group as they chatted about their own prizes. "Did you get some more candy?" Day questioned, grabbing the now empty bag that was left in your hand.
"What happened to your candy?"
"I could only get two pieces with my tickets," She answered, crumbling up the plastic, "I thought you were gonna get some more."
"Tana shared his tickets with me, so I was able to get that otter I was looking at earlier," You said, holding up the brown otter in your hands.
"And y'all didn't ask me if I wanted anything?" She gasped.
"Girl, you were already munching on that Twix by the time I got in the store."
"A true friend would've thought of me." You heard Tana attempt to hold a laugh as you rolled your eyes at her. Her purple locs swung as she skipped back to Nelly to complain.
"Our table's ready at Cheesecake," Chance announced, hanging up his phone, "Everybody good to go?"
"Yep," You said popping your 'p'. Tana nodded his head and the two of you followed the group out to Cheesecake where the rest of the day was spent.
Chance, Trell, and Tana sat together at the end of the table while the girls took up the rest. Concerned, you took a seat next to Tana just in case Chance made another pounce at him. However, as the night went on you found yourself less and less worried. Tana was shy at first, only nodding to their questions, making short replies. But Chance and Trell's outgoing personalities eventually brought out a new side to Tana.
By the end of the night, you felt like your worries were pointless. Walking back to the car, you found yourself tuning in to the boys. Eavesdropping to only hear talks about basketball, 2k, or another one of Chance's hoe stories.
"Man, so you telling me you not planning on going pro?" Chance exclaimed. You watched his locs swing in the air, grabbing Tana's shoulder. Tana only shook his head no, laughing at their expressions as they winced in pain.
"Tana, my nigga, you crazy," Trell complained, "With yo skill, you could be up there wit Lebron."
"Mmcht, who I am supposed to play against in the championship now?" Chance smacked his teeth, "No coach reached out to you at all?"
Tana hesitated for a moment before shrugging, "I guess I just haven't been looking."
"Aight, now when you see us on TV don't be saying nun," Trell joked, pretending to dribble an imaginary ball.
"We gotta at least hoop one more time fore I get big tho," Chance said, joining in Trell's imaginary game.
"This nigga tryna get embarrassed again," Trell dribbled the air, shifting side to side before running around Chance. Chance followed as they dashed past Tana, waving to him to catch the invisible ball.
"You sure seem to be keeping your eyes over there a lot." Your thoughts were interrupted by Jasaia's waving hand. You shook your head turning your attention to the girls who leaned against Chance's car, eyes on you.
"Huh, oh my bad. My mind's just been all over the place these couple of days."
"Yeah, all over Santana," Jaida joked, earning a couple of laughs among them.
"What? No! I just-" Your face warmed as you tried to spit out the words, "I'm just worried about him. Y'kno getting along with Chance n dem."
"Rea, he's gonna be fine. I mean look at them," Nelly pointed to Tana as he joined the two-man game, dribbling along the line of parked cars. You smiled, watching as he laughed at Chance's spurts to stop him from reaching the end.
"Looks like that's not the only thing she was worried bout," Daysha said, poking your side. Your body squirmed turning back to the group.
"I swear I can't have a male friend without y'all thinking we like each other," You rolled your eyes, pretending to bite off Day's finger.
"Yes, you can. Chance," Day corrected.
"Ok, but Chance doesn't count," You snarled back. Day pointed her finger out again, opening her mouth. "And don't say Trell either."
"Look we not just saying this to be funny. That man really like you," Jasaia said.
"Yea, and how so?" You rolled your eyes again, not minding your friends' antics.
"Girl, first things first, he drove you to go to an arcade with 6 other crazy people he doesn't know just cause you asked him to," Jasaia answered, crossing her arms.
"Ok, but that's- He said it himself, he wants to start meeting more people," You copied her, crossing your arms as you debunked her statement.
"Ok, but what about the otter?" Nelly jumped in.
"Trell bought you an otter," You dismissed.
"Yea, and Trell also be beating my back down..." Nelly said, hip thrusting the air. A collection of 'ew's went around the group as you laughed.
"Dang, I forgot y'all together," you said, smacking your teeth.
"You can't deny it, Rea," Jasaia smirked, "The otter, the looks, the way he shuts up whenever you even take the slightest breath."
"Ooo, the jackets!" Day added.
"There's jackets?" Jaida raised an eyebrow. You winced forgetting about it yourself. Not only did Day and Nelly see the first one he gave, but they also saw both. They became your comfort jackets, wearing them around them around the house and sometimes out.
"Oh, I forgot about that, buean trabajo," Nell gasped, giving Day a quick high-five.
"Damnn, I can't hide nothin without thing 1 and 2 yapping it up," You complained.
"Unt, unt you gotta tell us about this now," Jasaia smiled. The girls started up again, exchanging their evidence as you attempted to break it down. However, with more evidence they brought, the less you were able to deny. You started thinking back, remembering the moments when your stomach felt empty. The kind words he shared at your moments of weakness.
"Oop, Rea, here comes your man now," Daysha snickered, turning you around to Tana, Trell, and Chance who started to walk over. You watched as Tana's tall frame turned to say something to Trell before focusing on you. His eyes grew softer, locked as he approached.
"You ready to go," His deep voice sang, echoing in your empty brain that he personally erased.
"Um..." You stumbled, still under his trance. Day stepped up, her arm around your shoulder tugging you out of trance.
"Yes, she is Mr. Sir," She winks, "She's always ready for you."
He laughed, eyeing your face that winced from embarrassment. Chance laughed, "Mr. Sir? Twin, they needa take yo ass back to high school. Ion think that's how you use that. Es un poco lenta."
"And they needa take yo ass back to the zoo, but animal control scared you bite." Daysha threw back. Chance bucked which caused Day to flinch, leading to a chase around his car. You laughed before saying bye to your friends and following Tana back to his car.
He opened your door, closing it after you before going into the driver's side. As the car started, The Percocet & Stripper Joint by Future played out the stereo. You admired the same red interior again, enjoying his signature scent on the seats.
"You kno you didn't have to give me a ride," You spurted out, worried about the new scenario your friends put in your head.
"There's no point of us coming from the same place in separate cars," He laughed, pulling out the parking spot.
"Well... you could've at least let me pay for the gas," You said back, fidgeting with your otter's curled-up legs.
"It's fine. I don't mind," He replied. You focused your attention back on the otter, fighting the thoughts that swarmed your head. An awkwardness arose in the car, music feeling the uncomfortable silence.
"Did you have fun?" You spoke again, this time fidgeting with your nails.
You heard him shift, almost like he looked over, "Yeah... I did."
"Really?" You smiled, "I was nervous... Not because I thought something bad was going to happen, I just... didn't know if you were going to like them. Especially after the whole Chance thing."
He laughed, "It's cool. Chance a genuine guy. I could see that from back when we was on the team together."
"Y'all seem like y'all have a lot in common. I mean I've never seen you goof around like that," You laughed, recalling him and Chance going in on Trell, "Did y'all not talk in school? Like at all?"
His eyes grew serious as he focused on the road. His scar warped on his brows as they furrowed. "We shared a few... words. But I kno it was just a misunderstanding. Basketball shit," He shrugged, "I just hope he doesn't hold it against me."
You watched as the setting sun highlighted his features. The orange glow provided a filter in his car. The veins in his hands prominent as he gripped the steering wheel. You traveled further up to his tattoo. The black ink just peaking out his sleeve revealing the piece he has on his shoulder. You remember admiring it at the party, his wife beater allowing you to fully see it seeping onto his chest.
He had another on his neck. In red ink, an 8-legged spider sat, drawn with a web that connected to his ear. The same ear that was now decorated in diamonds to match his chain. You went to his face, eyeing the features that were carved in your memory. A face whose eyes always look at you with all his attention. His eyes who bought you an otter. His eyes who gave you two jackets.
His eyes who were... on you.
He laughed as your shocked face quickly turned the other way. "You looking at me, ma. Did I do sumn wrong?" He asked.
"Nah, I'm just... happy," You manage to spit out, "That you're happy."
His brow raised, confused at your sentence, "Oh... ight."
Yeahhh, that's enough talking today Rea. You shriveled up in the seat, going back to fidgeting with your stuffed animal. The fur soft and you watched cars drive in the sunset.
You woke up to the same scenery of Tana's car. The moon took the place of the sun giving your house a dark glow. You turned to see Tana in the driver's seat, his phone up to his ear as he talked into it.
"I'm not going back out to get you food, I'm already by the house," He paused for a second, listening to the female voice across the phone. She sounded annoyed with him, letting out a bunch of sighs. The only thing you could make out was "Nana" before he took over again. "Aight, what you all want?" He sighed.
He stops to listen again, the voice yelling from the other side, "Bro, just text me your order ok?... Ight, bye. Love you too." He hung up the phone, putting it in his pocket before turning to you, "My bad. That was my sister, she wanted me to get sumn for the family."
"Oh, Ian kno you had a sister," You said. You try to imagine him with a sister. Older, the same height but with a leaner body. Her curls would be in a high bun, to show off the beautiful features her brother had. Maybe instead of a spider, she had a butterfly.
"Yea, two younger ones," He corrected.
"Oh, you're the oldest?"
"Yep, only boy."
"Mmm, you seem like it," You grinned, earning another confused look to you.
"What that mean?" He questioned.
"It's nothing bad," You laughed, "It's just you can tell. By the way you take care of yourself and everything."
He smiled wide, "You saying I look good?"
You rolled your eyes, scooting away from him, "No, I'm saying you look like a girl." He dropped his smile giving you a blank face which in return you laughed. "I'm just saying no boy would take care of his hair the way you do," You pulled a curl that hung a stray in front of his face. The curl stretched bouncing back to where it started.
"I be using that mielle, shay moisture shit," He grinned again.
"Oh yeah? Is that why you smell so good?" You laughed.
"Nah, that all me." He puffed up, proud at your compliment.
"I've been meaning to ask, what cologne do you use?"
"Febreeze."
"For real," You gasped, shocked at his answer. He laughed causing a pout from you.
"Nah," He let out through laughs, "You real gullible, ma."
"Oh, since you all buddy buddy with Chance, now you think you can be funny," You mean mugged. He held his stomach as he continued to laugh at you. "I see how it is. Go hang out with Chance since you make jokes," You complained, opening the passenger door.
"Ight, Ight chill," He grabbed your hand on the handle pulling the door back shut. The warmth of his hand bringing back all those moments when butterflies swarmed in your stomach.
You turned to him, his face inches from yours, "Are you going to tell me?"
He stared at you, examining your face. With each blink, the butterflies flew wilder, faster. His eyes stopped on yours before a smile came to his face, "Nope."
His smiles made the butterflies start traveling. Up your spine, past your heart, to your head. You shook it, dizzy at his voice.
"Then... Imma go," You said, opening the door from under his hand. He moved back, allowing you to leave the car. You shut the door, looking back one more time before approaching your front door. You turned around one last time, waving to the leaving car.
"Bye, Tana."
🌙: 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰.... 𝘶𝘨𝘩😖 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵
𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 🖤🖤