F•R•I•E•N•D•S

Chapter 16:

Ziggy
March 15
3:15 pm

"Make sure you all do the work I assigned and it has to be turned in before that bell rings for class to start tomorrow or it will be a zero. No if, and or buts about it" mr Barnes told us as we packed up and started to exit the classroom, done for the day. I put my stuff in my bookbag while Geo walked over to my seat, throwing his bookbag on his back

"You good?"

"Yeah. Hold this" I handed him my bookbag and he did so while following me out of the classroom

"Miss Woods" mr Barnes called me by my last name causing me to stop and I looked at him while he sat at his desk. Geo went out the classroom while I almost hesitated but walked over to his desk

"Yes sir"

"Miss Woods, Is everything okay?"

"..yes sir"

"You sure, because you're one of my top students in this class. You've always stayed on top of your work and actively participated in class. Then you disappeared for 5 days and every since you came back you've been slacking and you sit in your seat with your head down throughout the entire class. So I'm gonna ask you again" he sat up straight looking at me with a straight face "is everything okay?"

I chewed on my bottom lip while nodding "yeah. I'm sure. It's just a lot going on"

"Well whatever it is, I hope you're okay... now you know I'm not the nicest or the more lenient teacher. However, Based on you academic record in my class and the fact that you are a great student I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. All of the work that you're missing, I'll give you until Friday to turn it in"

I nodded "okay. Thank you"

"No problem. Just remember, you're too close to graduation to slip up now. Stay focused zakia"

"I will"

"I'll see you tomorrow"

I nodded again before walking out of the classroom seeing Geo outside of the classroom talking to some girl. He looked over at me

"You ready?"

"Yeah" I answered while me and the girl exchanged glances before he walked off from her throwing his arm across my shoulders "who was that? I never seen her before"

"Shit, I just met her. She said she transferred here in January. Her name is some shit that start with a K or a J"

"A k or J?"

Geo nodded, pushing the door opened and we walked through

"Well she is pretty"

" she is, ain it?" Geo smiled and I cut my eyes at him

"I should've known..."

"Ion want shawty. She a junior"

"So"

"So? That girl 16.. I'm 18 now Ziggy. I ain going to jail over no lil ass girl. She ain fine enough for me to be catchin no charges.. plus I like my women older now"

Geo made me roll my eyes "older as in what?"

"I wanna sugar momma. I need em the same age as my momma"

"For yo momma to kill you?"

"Hell yeah. I might go through her friends on Facebook and slide in they messages"

"Geovonni" I scrunched up my face while pushing him away

" what?" He chuckled while we approached his car. He opened my door for me before getting in himself and tossed both of our bookbags in the backseat "You'on ever think about fuckin with older people"

"Unless he a multimillionaire on his deathbed ready with his pen in his hand to write me in his will, hell no"

"Damn" he started laughing and started the car "you one fucked up individual Zakia"

"I realized that Geo" I replied and he smiled before backing out of the parking space

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"Barnes... mr BARNES let you make up work"

"Yeah" I answered Geo while we paid on my bed doing our work "but don't tell nobody"

"That nigga don't even accept late work and NEVER did but you get to turn in a week worth of missing work"

"It ain my fault the people love me" I laughed a little

"Unless..." Geo sat up and I sucked my teeth, grabbing my pillow to hit him

"NO! Stop thinking like that witcho nasty ass"

"I'm just saying tho. He probably saw that video and was impressed"

"Whatever. Fuck you"

I sat up and got off of the bed, leaving the room to go get me something to drink

<><>

"You finished the last problem yet?" Geo asked me just as I finished

"Yeah. Here" I handed him my paper so he could copy the last one. He looked from his to mine and erased his

"I knew I was doing some wrong"

"I bet so Geovonni" I laughed, watching him while his eyes went back and forth from our papers as he copied. I guess he realized I was looking at him so he grinned a little

"You like whatchu see?"

"No"

"Stop lying to yo self ZAKIA"

"Why you gotta say my name like that?"

"Cause" he responded while he kept his eyes on the work

"Cause what?"

He stopped what he was writing to look at me "I can't say yo name?"

Geo looked me up and down while he licked his lips

"Lemme ask you a serious question"

"What?"

"I know just about everything about you but one thing. Why the fuck you so hardbodied"

I laughed "Whatchu mean?"

"All this shit you got going on and you just going on tryina act like you cool. I ain see you cry yet"

"Cause honestly, what does crying do? Whether I cry or not, ima still be in the same situation I'm in without crying. And if anything crying ain gone do shit but make me look weak"

"Crying don't always make you look weak zig. Sometimes you need to cry. Especially you"

"Why me?"

"Cause you might not see it but I do. You slowly getting yo self into a bad space and ion need you falling into no depression or no shit like that. Stop holding all that shit in and just let it out"

I sighed while he grabbed my hand "you going to see yo momma Saturday?"

"I don't even know."

"Go. Whether you believe it or not, y'all all each other got along with yo grandma. Appreciate her now cause you said she ain doing good"

"I just hate going over there"

"Why?"

"Cause- nevermind" I released my hand from his

"Nah, tell me"

I couldn't tell Geo anything because I just didn't like being around my mom nomore with no logical reason. Is that terrible to say? I just wish I could go back and have my old mom, my mentally sane mom

"Can we just drop this?" I asked as I got up and left the room going to use the bathroom