Florence Azalea Regency
Houston, Texas
Ten years ago
Senior year
2014
Luckett's Academy : Private School
I'll never forget the first time I saw him. I had decided I would walk to school that day.
And it was raining.
"Shit." I cursed running into the building.
I was wet and annoyed, so I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going. I rushed inside the building and that's when I bumped into him.
"I'm sorry." I sighed.
"You good, ma'." He replied smoothly.
He eyed me a little longer. "You're soaked."
I looked up at him and I realized I didn't recognize him. He was wearing the school uniform. But he wasn't familiar to me at all.
"Are you new?"
He smiled.
He had such a pretty smile.
"Is it that obvious?"
I laughed a little. "I just didn't recognize you and I know everyone ." I said as I started to walk a little further into the school building. "I'm soaked." I sighed, looking at my shirt.
"I have an extra shirt in my locker if you want it." He frowned. "Even though I'm not sure I know how get back into that motherfucker."
I smiled at the offer. "Thanks." I laughed. "Don't think my boyfriend would appreciate me wearing another boy's shirt."
"Boyfriend, huh?" He said. "Well, lucky him."
I stopped walking and my eyes caught his for a second. And I had the chance to get a good look at him.
He was cute. He had short curly hair, pretty teeth, nice skin. As soon as he fully made himself known the girls would be all over him.
Not to mention he was tall.
He smiled a little before reaching into his book bag.
"Well since I have you." He started. "Would you mind helping me find my classes?" He said, showing me the paper.
I stared at it as my eyebrows shot up in shock. "Hm."
"What?" He glanced at me.
"Well. We have first period together. And we have a few other classes together."
He smirked. "So I'll at least know somebody in a few of my classes."
I playfully rolled my eyes. "Boy, you don't know me."
"But I sure would like to."
I felt a smile tugging at my lips before I shook my head. "Boyfriend."
He chuckled. "Yeah I hear you."
"To answer your question." I said. "I can help you find your classes."
"Preciate it-." His words dragged out.
He was waiting for my name.
"Florence." I said. "Everyone calls me Flo, though."
"Florence." He let my name roll off of his tongue. "I like it." He tilted his head looking at me. "It suits you."
I placed my hand on my hip. "And how so?"
He grinned, showing off his pretty teeth once again. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."
"What part of I have a boyfriend, do you not understand?" I rose an eyebrow at him.
He smirked, eyeing me carefully as he threw his hands up. "I barely said anything."
"Stop flirting with me-." I dragged my words out, waiting for him to properly introduce himself.
"Unique." He said. "My name is Unique." He chuckled. "Literally."
I smiled. "I like that. It's cute."
"That's what everyone says." He playfully rolled his eyes.
"Like I was saying, Unique."
He smiled again. "I like the way you say my name."
I pointed my finger in his face. "Stop it."
"My bad." He chuckled. "Force of habit."
"Anyway." I sighed. "I have boyfriend. And if you want to be my friend, you have to respect that."
"How you know I wanna be your friend?" He said.
"You don't?
"I ain't say that."
I laughed, shaking my head. "You're a piece of work aren't you?"
"So I've been told." He said.
"Class doesn't start for another fifteen minutes." I said. "So we can go get breakfast and I can introduce you to my friends." I smiled.
"How many people we talking?"
"Not that many." I said. "You'll meet Mya few of my friends and my boyfriend."
"Oohhh. Meeting with my competition."
"Boy there is no competition because I'm happy in my relationship." I laughed. "I love him."
Unique nodded. "I hear, Flo."
"Do you?"
He looked at me with a certain expression on his face before nodding his head.
"Loud and clear."
______
Two months had passed since Unique got here and everyone pretty much love him. As expected, all the girls loved him. He was cool with most of the guys. He fit in at Luckett Academy perfectly.
And we were friends.
Although at times it seemed like he wanted more than that with me. I shut him down every time.
'I have a boyfriend, Unique'
'I can't go to that place with you Unique, I have a boyfriend'
'Boyfriend'
Unique used to ask me to hang out with him all the time and eventually he stopped. And that made me hopeful that he got the hint.
"Babe." I sighed. "Could you just help me out?"
I was trying to pick a color for prom. Prom wasn't anytime soon but I still wanted to get a lot of things out of the way.
I rolled my eyes.
Nicolas was never any help when it games to stuff like this.
"It doesn't really matter to me babe." He shrugged. "Just pick something."
I sighed, shaking my head as I stood up from the lunch table.
"Wait Flo, where are you going ?" Nicolas called for me.
Nicolas has been my boyfriend since the tenth grade and somehow he still managed to be completely clueless when it came to the stuff that I cared about.
"Hey guys." I went tot he table where Chanel, Luca, and Unique were sitting.
"Hey bestie!"
"Sup Flo!" Chanel said.
Chanel has always been a student here and Unique was new here but these two were best friends.
Apparently they live in the same street and have lived on the same street since they were toddlers
"Hi gorgeous."
I cut my eyes Unique as he sat there with a goofy grin on his face.
"I have a-."
"Yeah yeah yeah." Unique said. "I heard you the first time."
"Now why you over here instead of sitting with Saint. Nic." Chanel said making Luca laugh.
"Sorry." She looked at me before snickering again.
"Can you guys help me think of a color to wear for prom?"
"Your nigga can't help you?" Chanel asked, causing Unique to elbow him.
"What Nel is saying is that we don't mind helping you but shouldn't you be discussing that with the person you're going to prom with?" Unique said.
"Yeah all that." Chanel nodded.
I sighed. "He doesn't care what color we wear."
Unique and Chanel glanced at each other.
"Uh oh." Luca said. "They're silently communicating."
"What?"
"Nothing." Chanel said. "You'd think a nigga would have some input on what he wanna wear."
I rolled my eyes. "It's not that big of a deal." I mumbled.
"If you like it, we love it." Unique said.
I rolled my eyes again. "I'll see you next period, Luca." I said as I made my way out of the cafeteria.
"Hold up Flo." I heard Unique's voice behind me.
"Here to annoy me some more?"
"Come some where with me real quick."
"Unique-."
He put his hands up. "I'm just trying to show you something. We got like twenty minutes left for lunch. It'll be quick."
I chewed on my botttom lip, looking at him.
"Fine."
______
"You come here a lot?" I asked him.
"Yeah." He said looking around. "I come here to buy paint, makers and shit." He said. "I like to draw and all that stuff."
Unique brought me to this arts and craft supplies store that wasn't too far from our school.
"Hmm. I didn't know that."
"Maybe if you actually spent some time with me."
"Maybe if you'd stop flirting with me."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He smirked.
"Right."
"Anyway. I brought you here because they have fabric swatches here." He said. "Look."
There were several different colored swatches of fabrics in the store.
"I personally think green would great on you or maybe a brown."
I could feel him looking at the side of my face.
He eyed me from head to toe. "Yeah. Definitely brown."
"We should probably get back to school." I mumbled softly.
"Sure." He said.
We headed back to school and I made it to my class just in time.
"Hey." Nicolas say next to me. "Figure what color we're gonna be wearing for prom?"
"Yeah." I nodded my head.
"I think brown would be good."
Nicolas smiled, kissing my cheek.
"Brown it is."
______