October 28, 2017
Julliard School
Nokia
I brought my skateboard to a halt as I reached my destination. I brung my hands up to my face, warming them with my breath.
It was mad chilly outside since we were well into fall. Orange, red, and yellow leaves decorated the ground. The strong, gusty winds made it even chillier.
I loved my skateboard and riding the subway ,but it's becoming too cold to be out in this weather. I had been saving up for a car, and if everything went as planned I would have one by winter.
I looked up at the apartment building before making my way in.
The inside had dim lights, and graffiti is scattered over the walls. I hear shouting and loud music from the apartments.
At the bottom of the stairs lays a man, who seems to be sleep. His big coat covers his face and a smell of urine comes from him.
I sigh to myself as I stand in front of him. I cover my nose, not able to endure his unpleasant smell.
I push him with my foot, but he stays stagnant. All that comes from him is moans and groans.
"Yo, move out the way of the stairs. People need to get through."
He grunts and his body turns in my direction. He looks me in my eyes, with his lips turned up.
"Man fuck you, I sleep where the hell I want. Respect ya damn elder." He gets up and walks to a corner in the building, where he lays down.
" Aight you better watch what you sayin. Imma give ya homeless ass a bath." I look over him one more time before going up the stairs.
I walk to the end of the hall to apartment 210. From the outside you can hear loud rock music, and yelling.
I roll my eyes, knocking on the door. The door slides open and I'm met with one of my regular customers, Pete.
" Well hellooo Nokia, you're just in time." He speaks in his thick British accent.
Pete was from London, but had been living in NY for about a year. I met him at a party, and ever since then he's been my customer.
His pay was good, so I had no problems with him.
Pete's appearance was bold, and he looked like he was a rockstar. His hair was a Mohawk that was now dyed blue.
He had dangling silver earrings today that moved every time he talked. His stature was tall and lanky.
Today he wore a silk shirt that showed his small chest. Eyeliner accentuated his eyes and his septum piercing was complimented by a stud in his nose.
" Are you gonna come in or just stare?" Pete spoke, breaking me out my thoughts.
"Yeah my bad, today been a long day." I say following him inside.
" That's why you need to let loose and party with me one of these days." He gripped my shoulders as he stood behind me.
"Nah I'm good." I say straight faced.
Pete was too wild for me. He tampered in all sorts of drugs when the only thing I used was weed. I didn't need anything stronger than that, I ain't tryna get strung out.
Also one time while I was over Pete's place I witnessed a orgy and they invited me to join. Of course I declined, but it still made me really uncomfortable.
I followed Pete into his living room where people sat on the couches. A woman sat on the couch and snorted two lines of coke, before throwing her head back.
Two guys were kissing and feeling each other up on the other couch. They were really into each other and didn't seem to care about other people being in the room.
A woman with fire red hair layed upside down on the couch, mumbling to herself.
In front of the sound system a guy was drunkenly dancing as he held a bottle of vodka in his hand.
"Guys this is Nokia, Nokia this is my mates." He named each one of them off as if I cared.
They barely acknowledged me since they were all high off their asses.
" So what do you need today, Pete?" I asked getting down to business.
I was more than ready to go home and get in bed. So I could watch old cartoons and binge on snacks.
" Uhmm, I need Xans, Norcos, and some coke. Is that good guys?" Pete looks to his friends for confirmation.
" Yeah any drug is good with me." One of the guys who was kissing earlier spoke. He removed himself from the other guys lap and laid on him.
" Ok well let me go get my money." Pete looked at me before exiting the room.
He came back with a wallet, and I began to get the product out my bag.
I got out a bottle of Xans, a bottle of Norcos, and a baggie filled with coke.
" Is this good ?" I ask Pete, as I set it on the table.
"Yes, how much?"
" 300 will do." I bargained.
Pete handed me three hundred dollar bills and I put them in my pocket, and put my bookbag back on my shoulders.
" Well I'll see you whenever." I make my way to the door as Pete follows me.
" Thanks Nokia, I'll call you next week." He closes the door as I exit.
Once outside the building I make my way to the subway station which is a couple blocks away.
On my way to home, sweet home.
* * * *
I lay in bed munching barbecue chips and laughing at old episodes of Martin. His corny jokes towards Pam always seem to get me.
My phone rings, and I pick it up looking at the caller id. Melanie. I roll my eyes, pausing my show, and then answering.
" Hello" I mutter.
" Hey this is Melanie...is this Nokia?"
" Yeah, what's up ?" I blow air out my mouth , waiting for her reply.
" I know I've been MIA, but it's within good reason."
"So you're telling me you ignoring my calls and leaving me on read is ok? And all the plans we've made you've stood me up. That shit ain't cool."
" Look, school and work has been kicking my ass. I barely have time for anything, let alone myself. If you can't understand that then cool."
"But today since I was off and don't have homework I wanted to hang with you. If you don't want to then fine, Nokia."
I ponder her words and feel a little guilty. I understood juggling school and work could be a hassle. Now that I see why she'd been ignoring I wasn't mad.
" I'm sorry. Everything makes sense now. And...uhh yeah I'm cool with hanging today." I scratch the back of my head out of nervousness.
" Ok. What do you want to do?" She asks curiously.
" I actually was in bed with my sleepers kinda chilling...."
" Oh my bad. I guess we could just, uhhh... hang at your apartment. Then order food or something."
" Yeah that's good. You sure you cool with that?"
" Yeah it's cool. Send me your address and I'll be on my way."
" Ok bet. I'll talk to you later."
" Byeee." She says hanging up.
" Shiiiit." I hop out of bed and began prepping before her arrival.
I throw my dirty clothes in the basket, I vacuum the floor , and remove the food boxes in the living room.
Once I'm done I go in the bathroom. I look in the mirror at my appearance and decide to just leave my hair down. I brush my teeth and spray on cologne.
I hear a knock and hurry to the door. I open it and I'm met with the sight of Melanie. A very pleasing sight.
Her hair is in a bun, with curls falling out in the back. She's wearing leggings and a maroon sweater ,with orange and black patterns. On her feet are red checkerboard vans.
" Well damn are you gonna let me in?" I hear Melanie's soft voice and her laughing.
" My bad. I got mesmerized by your beauty. Couldn't even move, had me paralyzed." She walks in as I open the door wider.
" Shut uuuup, you're such a headass." She laughs, turning around to look at me.
I stare at her lips as she talks. They're so plump and pink.
She sits down on the couch and I sit next to her. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and she leans into me.
" You smell good." She mumbles into my chest.
" Thanks", I say while staring down at her.
" So what you want to eat? Chinese, pizza , jimmy johns? Those are the only places I know that deliver."
I think about the choices for a second and feel disgusted. I had been eating fast food for the past two weeks, and all I wanted was some homemade food.
" How about we go get groceries and cook?" I suggest while looking at her.
" That's fine by me."
"You sure you can cook though, I don't want you burning up my place." I look at her with my brows raised.
She smacks her lips. " Girl please, I probably can cook better than you."
" Mhm. What should we cook?"
" Let's dooo, stir fry and egg rolls. I'm craving Asian food today."
" Ok well let's go. You got a car right ?"
" Hell yea. What you thought I was boutta do, ride on the back of ya skateboard?" She busts out laughing after her shitty attempt at a joke.
I look at her with a scowl on my face, feeling salty.
"You know what...fuck you." I remove my arms from around her, and get off the couch.
" Awww da wittle baby in her feelings." Melanie teases me in a baby voice. She stands up and I feel her wrap her arms around my waist.
I keep my arms crossed over my chest, refusing to turn around.
I feel her breath on my neck, and my stomach tightens. She kisses my neck making me shiver. She then kisses the other side.
She walks around me and brings my arms down ,putting them around her waist. She brings her arms around my neck.
" Nokia, I was playiiiing." I refuse to make eye contact with her.
She takes her hands, cupping my face in her hand. She turns my head so that I'm looking her in the eyes.
I stare into her emerald eyes as she stares back into my hazel brown ones.
" I'm sorry, do you forgive me?" She pouts her lips out. She kisses my lips softly. I grab her chin, and stick my tongue in her mouth. She opens her mouth, as our tongues collide together.
I pull back after awhile and look at her in a daze. I can taste her lip gloss on my tongue.
" Let's go." I grab her hand and we leave my apartment.
* * * *
An hour later me and Melanie are in my kitchen preparing dinner. She put me in charge of cutting vegetables ,as she fries the chicken and rice.
" How are those vegetables coming along?" She looks over at me, smiling.
" Good, almost too easy." I roll my eyes as I continue cutting up cabbage , peppers, broccoli , and other shit.
" Well after you're done doing that ,you can stuff the egg rolls then put em in the oven." I nod at her instructions.
A silence summons itself , the stove being the only sound in my small kitchen.
" Melanie so what do you major in ,and what college do you go to?" I ask.
For some reason I enjoyed Melanie's company and I didn't even need sex to be satisfied with her. I'm obviously attracted to her ,but I do want to know more about her and be her friend.
" I'm studying journalism at NYU, and I'm hoping to one day write for a magazine."
" That's wassup. When that happens I'll be the first one reading ya shit." I move the vegetables into a bowl.
" Awww thank you, I appreciate it. I hope one day I can live out that dream." Melanie puts shrimp and chicken in a bag of flour.
" Ok your turn, what school do you go to and what's your major?" She comes over taking the vegetables from me and dumping them in with the chicken and rice on the stove.
"I go to Juilliard and I'm there for poetry." I wait for her to react to the information.
" OMG, you must be really talented. You have to share some of your poetry with me."
I chuckle ,while putting vegetables and fried eggs in breading and then rolling them up.
" One of these days I will."
" What types of things do you write about ?" She sits at the table looking up at me. I narrow my eyes as I think about the question.
" I write about my experiences, society, and rarely about love."
" Why don't you like writing about love?" She takes all the rolled up egg rolls on the tray to the oven.
" I just don't believe in love. Love is only a short lived feeling." I shrug my shoulders.
" I'm guessing a bad experience with someone, eh?" She turns the stove off and puts the stir fry in a container.
" Um, that and just looking around. I see people fall in and out of love everyday. They end up hating the ones they so called love. As quick as they're feelings come, they go, as if they never existed."
" We're more so in love with the idea of love, instead of other people. We trick ourselves into love." I look up at Melanie who just looks at me with a thoughtful expression.
" Well damn that's a realistic way to look at it." Melanie folds her hands together and just stares at me.
" Well I believe in love. You have to create your own idea of love. Experience different people to decide what you want and don't want out of love. I haven't quite found that person who makes me feel complete though, yet."
"So for now you get to experience my headassery and be in my company." I say with a crooked smile.
" Riiiight." She laughs and stands up. I watch her movements and she makes her way over to me.
I look up at her, hovering over me. She sets her hands upon my shoulders before easing her way on my lap.
She puts her hands around my neck, and looks me in my eye. My gaze trails down to her lips. She leans into me, and I breathe in her scent of strawberry.
I bring my face to hers, connecting our lips. Her lips fit perfectly in mine. She becomes submissive to me , as she lets me lead the kiss.
After awhile we both pull back looking into each other's eyes.
" Damn, I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you." I wipe my lips and she throws her head back laughing at my comment.
She rises from my lap, going to check on the egg rolls. I decide to play some music, as I connect my phone to my portable speaker.
Syd's sultry voice comes through as the Internet's, "Girl", plays.
" Wow I'm impressed. You listen to the Internet?" Melanie looks back at me.
" Hell yeah." A silence comes over us as the song plays.
Passion burning, causing rapture of laughter. Pressure building, falling faster and faster
If I told you that you rock my world, I want you around me
Would you let me call you my girl, my girlfriend, my girlfriend?
I can give you the life you deserve, just say the word, baby
And I got you, darling, I got you.
I walk up to Melanie, putting my hand out. " Can I have this dance ?" I make a goofy face.
She snickers. " Of course." She wraps her arms around my neck for the third time this day, and for some reason this time feels different.
I feel more complete and as if I don't want to ever let her go.
I wrap my hands around her waist, and we sway back and forth. Her head is rested on my chest , as we dance.
" Nokia ?"
" Hmm?"
" I like spending time with you. You make me feel so comfortable."
" Same goes for you. Everything just flows and plays itself out when I'm with you. Nothing is forced." I express myself to Melanie, shocking my self.
Was I feeling this girl? Nah I couldn't be. We were just two friends enjoying each other's company. Nothing more, nothing less.
OMYGOD. This chapter took all dayyy to write. I been writing for hours. Sorry for all the skips in it.
What do y'all think? About Melanie? How Nokia feels?
Comment, vote , and discuss. Love y'all. ❤️😌 -Arieaja