{Jahmir}
Faye fell asleep a few hours ago. Instead of continuing to watch the movie, I turned the tv off. Silence filled the room at once. Well, except for Faye's light snoring, which I found adorable.
We were on opposite sides of the bed, but I moved closer to her. My hand found it's way to hers. Our fingers were interlocked for a moment, but I soon wrapped my arms around her. I felt the need to be as close to her as possible. We have been growing apart and it's killing me. I hate it. I can't help but feel like it's my fault though. Seems as though I'm the reason to blame for a lot of things.
This is the Faye that I like. The one that I can get close to. The one who laughs at my stupid jokes. The one who helps me roast people in stupid movies that don't make any sense. The one who would stay up all night with me. The one who smiles at me. The one who looks at me with her pretty eyes. The one that I met.
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●Flashback●
Jahmir sat on the floor observing everyone. It was right after his father's funeral, and everyone met up at their home.
"What are you doing over here by yourself little man?" John, his grandfather asked.
All day, people were trying to keep him close to their side. They wanted to make sure someone caught his tears if he cried.
In reality, he was all cried out. At least for the time being he was. He got all of his crying out of his system. He discovered that no matter how much he cried and begged for his daddy to come back, he wouldn't. He would never get to watch or play football with him again. He would never get to go fishing with him again. He would never get to fall asleep against his chest again. He would never have to stay up all night and wait for him to show up again. The last time he did that, he was greeted by three firemen instead of his dad.
"What do you have there?"
Jahmir held his sketchbook close to his heart as John reached for it. He didn't want anyone to see all of his pictures. No matter how hard he tried, he felt like it was impossible to draw again. The last picture he drew was his dad in his uniform.
"Hey there baby." Helen, his grandmother joined them.
"Hey boo." John said as he attempted to kiss her
She put her hand up to block him. "John, you know I'm talking to my little baby." She held her arms out to Jahmir. "Come here honey. John and I have to tell you something."
Jahmir stared at the both of them. He'd only seen them a few times before. They lived in Atlanta while Jahmir lived in Vegas. Each time he seen them, though, they were always really nice to him. Way more nice than his mother's parents. He would act out every time they tried to come get him. All they would do is hurt him physically. He didn't know why, but he was hoping these grandparents didn't find a reason to also.
Hesitantly, he stood up. His grandma scooped him up into her arms and carried him up the stairs and to his room.
When they got in there, he could see that three suitcases were on his bed.
"Did your mom tell you what was going on?" John asked as Helen put Jahmir on the bed.
"No. Mom won't talk to me."
His mom was never really that close to him anyway, but she got even more distant when his dad passed away. He was more than okay with that, because the beatings stopped. He was tired of using the 'clumsy' excuse.
"Well, sh-"
Before Helen could tell him, his door opened. His mom and sister walked in. His sister had their baby brother in her arms. At ten years old, his sister was the oldest.
"I'm glad you're all packed!" Victoria smiled. "We leave for California in a few hours Jay!"
He wanted to be excited, but he saw the worried looks on his grandparents' faces.
"Actually Tori, you, Jackson, and I are going to California. Jahmir will be living with his grandparents in Atlanta."
His heart sunk. He'd already loss his father, now he had to be without his sister and brother too. He had to go with people he barely knew. As bad as he felt, he still could not cry.
The rest of the evening was a blur to him. Shortly after they broke the news to him, he had to take his first flight.
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A week had passed by. As nice as his grandparents were to him, he couldn't help but miss his father and his siblings.
Because it was the summer, he didn't do much. He simply just sat in his room and stared at a wall all day. His grandparents tried to get him out and make him do things, but it was no use. He just wouldn't. He acted a fool when they tried to, so they let him be. They just made sure he ate and bathe.
One day was different. He heard a knock on his door. Instead of it being just his grandmother, she had three people with her. A woman and a chunky, adorable girl with really long pigtails.
"Hey Jahmir. Baby I thought you would like to meet our neighbors. This is Marsha and her daughter Kaelynn. We have known them for a while and they are our friends."
He took one glance at them then turned around, facing the corner.
"He's... he's been through a lot. Come on ladies, let's go have lunch."
He thought he heard them all walk away, but the little girl stayed behind. Her usual timid ways were out to the side for a moment.
"Jahmir. Umm. I hope that one day we can be friends."
Silence.
He then felt something very soft in his hands. He came face to face with the teddy bear that she was holding.
"Mr. Snuggles was given to me after I had my appendix removed. He helped me through a hard time of mine, so I hope he could help you."
She carried that bear everywhere. She loved it so much, but she knew it was time to let it go.
For the first time in about two weeks, he released his tears. The girl kneeled down and wrapped her arms around him.
That day, she promised to always be his very best friend.
●Flashback End●
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"Jahmir?"
Faye had a worried look on her face as she cupped my face in her hands. Her thumbs wiped away the tears that I didn't even know were on my face.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I held her tighter. "Just go back to sleep."
I shut my eyes, dwelling on the past even more.