Suggested song to read this to :
Kingston, by Faye Webster
Neteyams 3rd person POV.
As the day dragged on, Neteyam became increasingly exhausted, fighting to stay focused in class. Despite his best efforts, his eyes began to droop, and his head started to nod forward. By the time the final period came around, he was barely keeping himself awake, his body feeling as heavy as a rock. As the final bell rang, the rest of the students immediately jumped up from their seats and began making their way toward the exits, shoving and pushing each other out of the way in a desperate attempt to escape the stuffy classroom. Neteyam, however, made no attempt to join the stampede of body-odor emitting students - specifically those who had gym, choosing instead to stay seated in his seat, waiting for the frenzy to die down. As the chaos faded around him, Neteyam was finally able to relax, letting out a sigh of relief as he stretched out his aching limbs. The day had been long, and he was looking forward to finally being able to go home and rest. He let his head fall back against the chair, feeling a sense of calm wash over him as he closed his eyes.
Neteyam could have easily drifted off to sleep at that moment, but he knew his siblings were waiting for him. With a resigned sigh, he reached for his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder. His finger slipped smoothly across the screen of his phone and he was momentarily blinded by the sudden glare of the bright light, a flashbang that affected his vision. Neteyam quickly turned down the brightness of the display and unlocked his phone, glancing at the screen for any new messages. But surprisingly, there were none. Sighing again, Neteyam began to type a message to his siblings, telling them where the group should meet. Neteyam walked through the overcrowded hallways, his ears full of the sounds of chatting and whispering. The crowd around him was pushing and shoving, eager to escape the walls of the school building. Once outside, Neteyam was met with a rush of cool air, a welcome change from the sweltering temperatures inside. He took a few deep breathes, enjoying the feeling of the crisp air in his lungs.
After a moment, Neteyam spotted a bench nearby, surrounded by several others that encircled a large planter full of a bunch of fake plants. He made his way over to the bench. As he sat there, Neteyam couldn't help but think about his siblings and what they might be up to. He pulled out his phone, hoping to see a new message from them. There were none. Just as he was about to put his phone away, he heard someone call out to him. "Nate!" Aonung waved, his hand swinging high above his head. Neteyam's eyes quickly shifted to meet his friend's, a small smile coming to his face as Ao' started to walk towards him. "Why are you calling me Nate?" Neteyam asked, his voice sounding slightly amused as Aonung found him alone. "It's just a small nickname," Aonung answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Y'know, trying to make you feel more welcomed. I like how it rolls off the tongue." He smiled, his eyes dancing with amusement as he stood alongside Neteyam. Neteyam laughed quietly to himself, shaking his head. It was funny how he could make something as simple as a nickname into a joke.
"'Nungiee!" called out a voice, one of a boys. Neteyam leaned forward and looked in the sound of the direction, his eyebrow raised, the other one slightly furrowed. Someone familiar seemed to be running full speed in a girl-ish manner, their hands held infront of their chest. Aonung slapped his hand to his forehead, and as his hand slid down his face he grasped it with a strong hold. "Sorry, that-" Aonungs words were cut short by a sudden and forceful shove to his back. He staggered forward, his arms flailing briefly as he desperately grasped for something to hold onto. Rotxo held his back in a hug, allowing Aonung to catch himself before he fell. He let out a frustrated shout as he turned to face his friend. "God DAMN IT Rotxo!" the boys name almost sounding like an angry hiss, Aonungs face a mixture of anger and embarrassment. As Neteyam processed the sight, his eyes widened in shock. He gasped, his mouth open, eyes wide as he tried to make sense of the situation, until he realized Aonung knew the boy who had just body slammed him as one of his best friends, Neteyam couldn't help but chuckle. It was so out of the blue and unexpected, leaving Neteyam with no choice but to laugh. "Uh..." Neteyam murmured, an awkward smile still lingered on his face. Aonung's face contorted as he tried to keep his annoyance hidden, but the anger in his eyes betrayed him. Trying to stifle his frustration, he hissed out a cuss word under his breath, turning away from Rotxo as he tried to calm down. Rotxo, on the other hand, appeared amused, still chuckling at his own actions. Unable to contain his annoyance any longer, Aonung whipped his head around to face Rotxo, giving him a sharp look. "You know I hate it when you act like that," he grumbled, his hands holding his knees.
He quickly turned to Neteyam and shook his head, giving him a look that explained everything. "That's Rotxo for you," Aonung said, his voice pained as he sighed. "I swear, he's like a little kid sometimes." Aonung let out another sigh, his expression softening as he shook his head again. "He's a good guy, though," he admitted, trying to lighten the mood. "Just a hard-case sometimes. Can you believe he actually did that to me?" He chuckled, pointing behind himself to Rotxo. Neteyam waved at Rotxo with a friendly smile, he was eager to make a good first impression on Rotxo, but the other boy seemed completely unbothered by social conventions. "Hey." Rotxo replied, simply waving back with a nonchalant air and proceeded to comb through his curly hair with his fingers, shaking out his curls. Neteyam let out a small giggle at the sight, impressed by Rotxo's lack of introduction. Neteyam redirected his attention back to Aonung to find his lips curled into a smile as he turned to look at his sister, Tsireya, Kiri and Lo'ak. Spotting them walking together a short distance away, Aonung beckoned a hand to bring them near. When they came closer, Aonung looked back at Neteyam, a sly glint in his eyes. "Would you guys be cool hanging out today?" Ao'nung suggested, emphasizing by signing "hang out" by lifting his arms up to chest level and throwing his hands forward, wriggling his fingers. Neteyam's brows raised a bit and his mouth curved into a small smile, his head tilt revealing a faint look of amusement. He chuckled softly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down ever so slightly. "We've just met," Neteyam started, "Not that that's the problem, but I don't think we could today either way... I apologize." He offered a nice apology, one that indicated he meant no offense by his refusal.
Neteyam stood up as he heard Lo'ak approaching, his loud ass voice punctuated by his own footsteps. Lo'ak seemed to be in the middle of a lively conversation when he greeted Neteyam. "What's up, bro?" He asked. Neteyam greeted him back by gently shoving the back of his head, and responded to the question with a shake of his head, which Lo'ak seemed to interpret as "nothing" as Kiri walked up to them with a bag of sunflower seeds in her hand from lunch. "Want some?" Kiri held out seeds in her hands and offered Lo'ak some, since she knew he loved eating. Lo'ak looked at his sister with an offended glare, causing her confusion. "What?" Kiri questioned, closing her hand with the seeds in them with the assumption that he didn't want any. "Do you think I'm a damn frog? I don't be eating seeds like that..." Lo'ak grunted. "Frogs don't eat seeds, dumbass." Kiri miffed, playfully hitting his stomach. Neteyam frowned at Kiri's unnecessary insult towards Lo'ak, clear that he disapproved of it. He held Lo'ak tighter in his grasp as a warning not to give in to Kiri's playful teasing. Kiri seemed unbothered as she continued to munch on her sunflower seeds, looking up at her older brother with a "what??" expression.
Everyone in an instant turned to the source of a honking sound behind them, but Kiri's voice broke through the otherwise silent air. "That's Dad," Kiri announced, an air of exhaustion in her voice. Her eyes met her siblings as she zipped up her plastic bag, taking care to neatly place her snack in the pocket of her backpack. "Oh, I'll be texting you Lo'ak!" Tsireya's giggles filled the air, the sound of dimples adding charm to her already adorable smile. Lo'ak returned the smile, his chill demeanor making it clear that he was trying to appear nonchalant in front of her. "Cool," he replied, his tone light and friendly. "See you." Neteyam took a moment to straighten his backpack on his shoulder as he exchanged a few last words with his new friends. "We'll talk to you guys soon, all right?" he asked, turning to Aonung and nodding in agreement. "Yeah nah, of course," Aonung confirmed, nodding his head thoughtfully. Tsireya, who had been quietly observing them, added, "Yes, we'll talk to you soon." Rotxo, his eyes narrowed on the curls in his hair, simply gave a small grunt to acknowledge the statement.
Kiri's 3rd Person POV.
The Sullys parted ways, each heading towards their seats in the car. Kiri, however, couldn't seem to detach herself from the silent boy, her steps slowing as she searched for even a fleeting glimpse of his face. "Kiri!" At Lo'aks summons, she reluctantly tore her gaze away and turned towards him, offering a small scowl. Lo'ak, oblivious to her pining, simply opened the door for her and gestured for her to get in. She sighed with exasperation, whispering to herself, "Jesus!" Just before getting fully inside the car, she glanced back one last time, only to meet the boy's eyes. His gaze sent a shiver down her spine, and she quickly turned away in nervousness before climbing into the back seat with a huff. Lo'ak slammed the car door as he broke Kiri's brooding, asking, "Who were you even looking at? Tsireya?" The sudden question caught Kiri off guard, but before she could even respond, Lo'ak continued on, "You've been staring all morning. Is it something she's doing?"
Lo'ak has a joke with himself where he accuses his siblings of being gay, funny or not, but it always ends up creating an interesting conversation.
"NO, you moron!" Kiri argued, her voice was firm and her tone was sharp, cutting off any further assumptions that Lo'ak might have about who Kiri was looking at. Instead, Kiri turned the question back on Lo'ak, "Maybe you need to ask yourself, have you?" The words were spoken in a rhetorical manner, designed to show Lo'ak the absurdity of his allegation without actually admitting to anything herself. Kiri's eyes met Lo'aks, awaiting his response. "Yes, so back OFF." Their fathers voice interrupted the pointless argument as he spoke up in an attempt to diffuse the tension. "I wouldn't be mad if you were, Kiri, just confused," he said in a monotone voice, looking into the rare view mirror. Kiri's frustration was palpable as she let out a dismissive scoff. With a dramatic gesture, she flung her arms out and declared, "I wasn't-" The argument continued in the back of the car, her voice rising in intensity as Neteyam and Jake sat quietly in the front seats, choosing to remain neutral. Neteyam responded to the remark that was not directed at him, his voice sounding tired with a sigh left in it. "We know, Dad," he murmured, resting his head against the window. Jake's voice filled the car, his tone heavy with suspicion. "What's your problem? Are you a homosexual?" He asked, shifting his attention from the road to his son sat next to him. Neteyam tensed up at the unexpected question, his eyes shifting away from his father. "No, Dad, I'm just tired - can we go?" The frustration in his tone was clear, and he shifted in his seat, clearly done with the conversation. His eyes were fixed on the front of the car, desperate for the ride to be over so he could be home. With a roll of his eyes, Neteyam's father replied, "Okay, yeesh," his hands momentarily leaving the wheel as he let out an annoyed sigh. With a quick adjustment of the wheel, he guided the car back onto the road. "Sorry, sir." Neteyam apologized for his behavior.
In the midst of the comfortable silence (Plus Lo'aks airpods that everyone in the car could hear what music he was listening to.) that had settled over the car, Kiri spoke up, asking Tuk a question. "Soo TukTuukkk, how was your first day of school?" She asked, a friendly smile lighting up her face. There was a moment of silence as Tuk was trying to remember everything good that happened. "Well," Tuk began, letting out a dramatic sigh before continuing. "I made a friend, and my friend showed me her friend, so I guess we're all friends now!" She beamed at the news as Kiri nodded her approval. Before Kiri could respond, Tuk interjected with another story. "Recess was a bit lonely," she admitted with a pout. "My friend asked me to play with a lot of other people, but they were playing zombies. You know how Mom doesn't like zombies, so I said no to the game." "That's quite brave of you," Kiri said, her voice soft and comforting. "But, I don't think anyone would be mad at you for playing zombies. It's just a game after all." Her smile was gentle and reassuring.
Kiri laid a reassuring hand on Tuk's shoulder, gently rubbing it in a soothing manner before planting a gentle pat on it. Her focus then shifted to her younger brother, whose smile caught her attention. The smile was different from what she was accustomed to seeing on his face, and it sparked a sense of curiosity within her. And... What music was he even listening to? Faye Webster?? Kiri let out a snicker as she imagined her brother already falling head over heels in love. The notion struck her as amusing, and she couldn't help but let out a laugh. Nah, actually, the thought of Lo'ak Sully listening to "Kingston" is just too much... The image of her brother, the angry, the bitter, Lo'ak Sully, listening to a sweet love song was certainly comical. "You're listening to Faye Webster..." Kiri burst out in a fit of giggles, her hand covering her mouth, unable to contain her laughter, a grin creasing her cheek. Lo'ak's face lit up as he nodded, the beat of the music still reverberating through his ears. "Tsireya suggested it to me," he admitted, making small movements in his seat to match the rhythm. "So cute! When's the engagement?" Neteyam quipped sarcastically, revealing he had been listening in on their conversation, his smirk clearly showing he was just ribbing his brother Lo'ak. The boy mumbled under his breath as his cheeks began to redden, obviously embarrassed. He quickly put in his second airpod and turned up the volume, trying to block out their comments. "You guys never leave me alone," he muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. It was clear that he was feeling a bit flustered by their teasing and just wanted to listen to Tsireya's music in peace.
WRITERS NOTE.
Cute little chapter 🙇🏽♀️