"so it's just gon be y'all two? by yourselves?"
jahseh
i leaned against the cool tiled wall of stokeley's "kitchen" if you could even really call it that - it was more of a wall with counters, a minifridge, and a microwave plugged in in the corner. i had swung by to say my last goodbyes to him before michael and i's trip. the trip wouldn't be that long - 18 hours there and 18 hours back, but stokeley would have never let me hear the end of it if i forgot to tell him bye before leaving, so i stopped by to tell him goodbye.
why were michael and i going on a trip, you ask? because school was out, and he needed someone to drive him up to his hometown of canton, ohio for the summer. he'd do it himself, but his car was an old piece of shit that he got off of craigslist because he was tired of ubering everywhere, and his pockets were as well.
so me being the good friend that i was, offered to drive him up there myself. he insisted that i didn't have to, and that he'd just suck up his fear of planes and buy a ticket no matter how terrifying the idea of being in a suspended vehicle in the air was to him, but i wasn't going to let him go out like that.besides, i kinda always wanted to go on a road trip.
the only problem was that i wasn't exactly the best driver, but neither are half of the niggas out here driving every day. miami is home to some of the worst drivers on the planet, it would be more effective to just fucking swim everywhere through the various swamps, rather than try to drive with the idiots on the road.
"so...you sure you gon be able to fend for yourself when i'm gone? last time i left you almost burned down half the campus." i joked with stokeley, which prompted him to frown back at me.
stokeley rolled his eyes at me and groaned "stop being so damn dramatic, i didn't almost burn down half the campus, i just accidentally put foil in the microwave. that's it."
"and you would have burned down half the campus in the process, anyways..." i replied before going into his fridge and grabbing a capri sun and some stringed cheese to snack on while we talked.
"so you just walking into my kitchen and helping yourself to whatever you want huh?" he asked in an indignant tone.
"what's yours is mine stoke, we've been over this," i said matter-of-factly as i sat on the kitchen counter and began to sip my capri sun.
"didn't i tell you to keep your ass off of my counter? people eat there."
i sucked my teeth at him. "you sound like my damn mama. 'kEeP yOuR aSs oFf mY cOuNtEr' like damn let a nigga sit where he pleases."
he rolled his eyes at me. i loved getting on his nerves.
"so...you really driving michael to ohio for him? you're such a good friend couldn't be me," stokeley tuts, changing the subject since he realized i wasn't getting off of his counter. "is he at least going to pay you gas money? because...."
"i'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart, something that you wouldn't know about," i shot back. "and yeah, he said he'd pay me back, even though i told him he didn't have to."
" why does michael need you to drive him anyway? can't he just take flight to cleveland or some shit? i doubt he's that broke. and don't he have his own car? i get you're doing him a favor and all, but i'm confused as to why he needs the favor in the first place," stokeley continued to question me.
i sighed, wondering why me driving my friend home for the summer was such an issue for him. he didn't seem mad about it per se, but he was almost acting like he didn't want me to go. stokeley could be a huge baby at times.
"he's not even broke," i answered. "but he's scared of planes. he thinks he's gonna get into a plane crash."
"that's so stupid. he act like you can't get in a car crash too, ole scary ass." stokeley responded with a huff.
"we all have irrational fears, don't be mean," i scolded him. "just like your big ass is scared of the dark."
"i aint scared of the dark. i just don't like when it's all pitch black and shit," he corrected me with a glare, walking over to the fridge to grab some snacks of his own, because of course his fat ass is.
"remember when you were at my dorm and the power went out and you screamed like a bitch?" i reminded him.
"we just got done watching creepypasta videos dumbass, of course i was going to be a bit startled after that. it was too perfect of a coincidence, that's all," he defended himself, lying as usual.
"aw, stokeley pokeley is scared of the dark," i teased him.
he flipped me off before peeling open a stick of string cheese. "you play too damn much jah... so anyways about that road trip, you staying up there with him or what?"
"nah, i'm just driving him to canton and i'm coming back. he said he'll have his cousin drive him down here when the summer's over or something, but he also said he's going to take some jobs so he can save up to buy a better car or something, i don't know." i explained.
"so it's just gon be y'all two? by yourselves?" he asked with a perplexed look.
"yeah, just us two." i confirmed, getting a bit annoyed with his repetitive questions. "why are you asking so many questions? i told you about this trip on like tuesday."
he shook his head and made a disapproving face. "i don't know about that chief."
"what do you mean you don't know about that? what's the problem?" i asked.
"it's unsafe. on the way back you'll be just driving by yourself for 18 hours. what if something happens to you and nobody's there to help?" he asked.
"stoke shut your dramatic ass up," i sucked my teeth at him. "nothing's going to happen. you was just making fun of mikey for being scared of planes now look at you."
"forgive me for being worried about your V built ass then."
"you just trying to ask if you can come too without actually asking if you can come too. you ain't slick," i hopped off of the counter and threw away my trash.
"well...can i come too?" he looked at me with begging eyes.
i sighed at him. a big baby, just like i said. "yes stokeley, you can come too," i answered dryly.
his lips immediately curled into a smile. "this finna be fun, i never been on a road trip before."
i knew the real reason why stokeley wanted to come on the trip so bad, and it had nothing to do with wanting to go on a road trip. stokeley and i were best friends, and he was the type of friend to get jealous if his friends had other friends. he was never rude about it or nothing, but that's just how he was. he didn't want me alone with michael because he didn't want us to bond with each other and become best friends. i was lowkey the same way with him, so i understood, as childish as it was.
"well stoke, you need to hurry your ass up and pack for the trip. we leave in 2 days," i advised him, "and another thing: please shower. i don't want to smell hot ass and must for 18 hours straight."
stokeley ignored my jab at him and wrapped his arms around my smaller frame, squeezing me tightly with a big stupid grin on his face. "thanks jah, i love you."
i returned the smile, "i love you too pokeley," i poked him right in his love handles, causing him to frown at me.
////
stokeley
once jahseh left my dorm, i practically rushed to my room to pack up everything that i needed for the trip, excitement rushing throughout my body as i tore my room apart to pack everything that i needed.
i packed about 5 days worth of clothes, even though it was only supposed to be 36 hours long in total, that didn't account for food breaks, bathroom breaks, hotel stops, and potential accidents.
i also took a bar of soap, shampoo, an abundance of durags, deodorant, et cetera. as much as jahseh liked to call me musty, the "must god" as he so put it, i liked to smell good, and i liked to be clean. i did have a musty phase in high school, and jahseh was never going to let me live it down.
i also packed condoms, on the off chance that i ended up getting some pussy, but it was just wishful thinking. i barely got pussy to begin with.
"stoke, what the fuck is you packing for?" omar walked past my room, noticing me stuffing my things into a suitcase feverently. "you know we don't have to be off campus for another two weeks right?"
"i forgot to tell you, i'm going on a road trip. it's me, jahseh, and michael." i explained as i continued packing.
"who's michael again?" he queried, walking his ugly ass into my room even though i didn't tell him he could come in.
"you remember jah's roommate? red dreads, freckles, flat albino lips, looks like a gecko...."
"oh him!" he exclaimed, "where are y'all going."
"to ohio to drop michael off at home for the summer. something about him being too scared to get on planes and his own car ain't shit so jahseh offered to drive him himself," i responded as i zipped my suitcase shut.
"damn, that's generous of him, couldn't be me though," omar added, shaking his head.
"tell me about it," i agreed, "he even told michael he didn't have to give him anything in return, that most certainly couldn't have been me, but jahseh is too nice for his own good. at least i get to go on a road trip now because of it."
"that actually seems fun....i wish i could go." he pouted after leaning against the wall.
"actually...you can. it would be awkward if it was just the 3 of us. i'll tell jahseh you wanna come." i replied, and his pug-like face lit up in excitement
it was actually quite smart of me to invite omar on the trip too. if i went with just michael and jahseh, i'd feel like a third wheel.
i was pretty sure michael and jahseh had something going on that was beyond friendship. michael's gay and jahseh is bi, and i clearly didn't have a problem with that, i might be straight but that don't mean i can't support gays, and jah's my best friend so i don't care what gender he likes, but i was pretty certain that him and michael are at the very least fuck buddies.
so yeah, if i invited omar that would balance things out and make it less awkward and third wheelish.
i continued packing my bags for the trip, humming to myself in excitement for the next few days.
"stoke, one more thing." omar called out again.
"yeah?" i zipped up my suitcase.
"gazzy said he wants to come too. can he?"
well shit, might as well invite everybody
gazzy was some freshman kid who followed omar around like a lost puppy or some shit. everywhere omar went, gazzy wanted to go too, so it's not surprising that he wants to go on the trip too.
omar didn't seem to mind that he had a little secret admirer apparently.
no homo, but i don't think i would be able to handle someone following me around and bothering me all day unless it was jahseh. i would get annoyed very quickly if it were anyone else.
" i guess he can come too," i replied. "looks like i'll have to just explain all of this to jah."
i pulled my phone out and called jahseh. he probably wouldn't take too well to me inviting random niggas on the trip, but he might not mind too much. i knew that he and gazzy got along well, even though they've only met like three times, so he probably wouldn't have that much of a problem with it.
"hey stokey, you done packing or what?" he answered.
"yeah, i'm done packing. i just called to tell you that omar and gazzy wanna go on the trip now too, and they told me to ask you if they can go."
i heard him let out a long sigh before answering.
"well what am i gonna do? say no?"