"So, how do you feel about basketball? Is it something that you'll ever do professionally?" Milo's date asked her. "I think you'd go far, I've seen you play before."
Milo swirled her spoon around a cup of lemonade flavored shaved ice. The weather that day reached its peak of eighty-five degrees which didn't go unnoticed by the children in St. Louis. Kids ran through sprinklers, played hopscotch, and crowded around that one kid on the block with a Nintendo DS.
Jermaine attended Milo's school yet never approached her out of fear of rejection. He had it all: perfect grades, athleticism, an amazing sense of humor, and even charm.
Milo confirmed, "Yeah, I personally love the sport. My friend recommended that I play basketball in a different country, but I can't leave this place. As for you seeing me play, when was that?"
"I can admit that I'm a secret admirer. I used to drive past the park after school to sneak a glimpse of you playing. I wanted to approach you but I wasn't sure if I'd come off as creepy." Jermaine rubbed his hand across his waves and blushed. "And then you seemed a lil scary so I kept my distance."
Milo flinched subtly with no means of playing off the confusion. Several boys have called her scary or unapproachable, yet never clarified their unasked for statement. In sixth grade, Milo used to believe that boys thought that she looked ugly or even invisible.
She asked, "What do you mean by scary? I don't mean to be rude, but I've never talked to you before."
Jermaine grew up in California yet moved to St. Louis with his parents in eighth grade after his sister went off to college. He played the sport well —according to Warren. Milo encountered Jermaine a few times on the basketball court, but never spoke to him because he smelled funny.
"I mean you're not like other girls at the school. You don't go around treating yourself without respect and I was thrown off. All the other girls shake their bones and stick out they tongues like they don't have no sense. You got high standards and I respect that," Jermaine elaborated.
"Jermaine, don't compliment me by insulting other girls. You can respect me and those girls at our school. Ain't nothin' wrong with twerking or sticking out tongue. Let's change the topic before I start a debate."
Jermaine shrugged his shoulders with his hands deep in his pockets. Milo enjoyed his company yet he seemed stuck in that "thug" mentality. He resided in an affluent neighborhood, yet told his friends that he lived somewhere near Natural Bridge.
He apologized, "My bad, Ma. But I got a question for you."
Milo crunched down on the ice while avoiding Jermaine's intense eye contact. He took her to a carnival that day, yet Milo refused to ride any roller coasters. She preferred to play the festival games and eating the food opposed to feeling lightheaded and nauseous. The stench of carnival food around her along with screaming children crowded Milo's senses.
Warren spent that day to visit his dad's new home while Miracle and her dad went to the movie theater. Milo refused to worry herself about Khari's whereabouts considering the fact that he blatantly ignored her after the sleepover.
"Shoot," Milo acknowledged his curiosity.
Jermaine licked his lips with determination stiffening his eyebrows. Milo didn't know if he had a reputation around school because she spent most of her time studying instead of worrying about others. She was sure that he had a girlfriend last year, yet she didn't want to assume and embarrass herself.
He asked, "So are you and that boy together? Like, are y'all a thing?"
"Nah, he's just a friend. He's dead set on keeping it that way too," Milo grumbled, "Why do you ask?"
"Cause I like you but I'm not bold enough to disrespect a relationship like that. Are there feelings involved in your friendship that I should know about?"
Milo thought, 'On my behalf...yes. Khari doesn't like me like that.'
She murmured, "I liked him but he didn't like me back. Do you wanna be my boyfriend or something?"
"I mean, it's up to you. I don't wanna force you into it," Jermaine laughed awkwardly. "Would you like to be my girl?"
Avery;)— Laila has to go to a new school...again.
WJ— lmaooo she needs a whoopin 💀💀
WJ— what she do now?
Avery;)— so she snuck into the school at like 5 in the morning and taped blm posters all around the school. that wasn't why she got in trouble tho...
WJ—...so are you gonna continue? cause I'm in class rn and babe there's tea 🌚
Avery;)— she got kicked out bc she kicked a kid in the throat for wearing a confederate flag shirt that said "Heritage Not Hate." In Laila's defense...the girl called my sister a buffoon
Avery;)— now spill the tea while it's hot 🌚☕️
Avery;)— 🌚🌚🌚💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾
WJ— so Milo has a boyfriend...right.
Avery;)— ooooh look at Khari! about time 🤦🏾♂️ what's the ship name? Mari? Kilo?
WJ— THE GAG IS
WJ— ITS NOT KHARI 💀💀💀😩
Avery;)— dang 💀 who is the big fella?
WJ— some soccer player named Jermaine. He plays basketball too but everybody does at this school.
WJ— and then Khari is acting like he doesn't care but Lord knows the boy is in his feelings. the mess...
Avery;)— don't use His name like that. I feel like I'm sinning by reading this. Don't you have math class rn?
Warren hurriedly placed his phone underneath his right thigh while scribbling down the notes that his honors calculus teacher presented on the SMART board. He glanced down at the watch that his mother purchased him yesterday while shaking his head. She didn't know how to show affection the way that he needed so she bought him things after the divorce. A new truck, a golden Rolex, and even designer jeans. Warren didn't mind the constant showering due to his love for name brand items, but he'd rather have her attention than her money. He'd be leaving for college soon but the only thing on his mind was bettering his relationship with his mother.
Milo No Otis— lol Jermaine says hi 😊😊😊😊
Even through text messages, she exudes pep and excitement.
WJ— tell the home wrecker I said wassup. speaking of homewreckers, my dad's assistant is pregnant 🙂
Milo No Otis— are you serious??? how do you feel?
Warren froze with his fingers awkwardly resting above his keyboard. Throughout the entire divorce process, not a single time has anyone in St. Louis asked him how he felt about it. They either assumed or brushed his feelings to the side as if they resembled trash. He didn't know how he felt about losing both of his parents. He didn't know how he felt about his dad continuing to regard him, but he did know that his mother was doing something shady and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Aunt Cleo took me to a member of her group who also claims to be a part-time counselor. The lady basically told me to stop worrying about my past and future. She said that if I'm stressing over the past then I'm not in the present, so I guess I'll try to listen. I cried about ten times within an hour of being in her house, so now my body feels purged of any type of negativity. She said that I need to stop labeling myself with anxiety and depression because everyone experiences those symptoms, but considering my circumstances, she said that it may be possible that I have depression along with occasional bouts of anxiety.
-Khari
☽
"You look beautiful today, babe." Jermaine kissed Milo's forehead after taking a seat at the cafeteria table.
Khari ignored the chattering couple so that he could finish reading The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. The story was written about a man who spent the entire story trying to convince everyone that he was sane while also killing a man. People mostly know about the part where he dismembered the man and hid his body under the floorboards.
Milo sipped on her Gatorade while smiling at Jermaine. The two appeared comfortable with each other yet Khari knew that Milo didn't fit well with someone like Jermaine. The boy wasn't interested in anything that Milo was and he acted like a lame.
Warren played with the Rolex adorning his wrist, completely disregarding the homework that awaited him on the table. Miracle sat with Harrison and his friends after he asked her to homecoming the day before. It seemed as if everyone had a partner except for Khari.
Milo gushed, "Thanks. My mom forced me to wear makeup today so that my skin can get accustomed to it before the dance. We had a bet that if I went to homecoming and prom in a dress, then I'll be able to attend Clark. It was dumb on their behalf but I'm not complaining."
Jermaine played with her hair while pecking her forehead several times. Milo refused to kiss him just because they hadn't dated long enough to share something so intimate.
Khari rolled his eyes which didn't go unnoticed by Warren.
"So, Khari, are you going to the dance Saturday? It'll be fun."
He thought back to what Ms. Clay said before answering, "Yeah, I guess. I don't have anyone to go with."
"Same. Avery said that he's trying to see if he can drive down Friday but his sister needs a babysitter Saturday," Warren laughed quietly due to Laila.
"We could go together. Not like that. But as friends," He stammered.
Jermaine snorted at the two of them, "Sounds very homosexual of y'all. You sure you ain't sus, Khari?"
After school, the group drove to the basketball court in Warren's truck without Jermaine. Khari sat in the back with Milo while Miracle took up space in the passenger's seat. Warren had his Febreeze plug-ins in the air vent, so the aroma of ocean breeze wafted onto the four of them. They picked up Khari's older brother, Mekhi, from the hotel and decided to just sit back on the bleachers.
Miracle texted Harrison from her seat while Mekhi gazed at her hungrily. He shared most of Khari's features except for the fact that his skin carried more melanin than his younger brother. Mekhi wore a Black Pyramid sweatshirt along with ripped jeans and a pair of black Huaraches. He tossed a basketball back and forth with Milo despite the fact that Miracle held his attention.
"Is she spoken for?" Mekhi questioned. "Not that I care, but I wanna know if I gotta be a shoulder to cry on. Make sure I don't wear my Ralph, ya heard me?"
Milo giggled, "She's going to homecoming with a guy named Harrison but we don't like him so you can talk to her. You better not try to play her either cause I sweatergawd, I'll fight you personally."
Mekhi mushed Milo's face playfully before strutting over to Miracle.
Little did they know that Mekhi was here to stay.
☽
«fireside chat: ha, bloop! lmao that was lame. anyways I got a fun story!»