LOST BOY

LOST BOY: all falls down

[damien, 23]

•••

"Sage don't do that shit." Damien deadpanned the teen seated across from him at the table. He looked up at the older and released his thumbnail from the grip of his teeth. Damien slid the bottle of hand sanitizer across the table. Sage stared at the door, unconsciously raising his thumb back up to his mouth.

"Mr. Harris, you only have one option at this point. Do you know what that is?" Principle Brewster folded his hands on the table. When Sage didn't answer, Damien bumped his hand to his to get his attention, "night school." he told his little brother.

Sage kept his eyes on the door. "Even then, it'll only help if you're willing to put in the work." Brewster threw his hands up forcing a smile to come off more empathetic to the failing high school junior. "This is your last chance, Sageon. Other schools may allow over-aged students in their classrooms, but unh unh not here at Sweet-Hill. Once you're nineteen, I can't let you come back."

"I'll just get my GED." The two adults only sighed and looked at eachother in frustration of the situation. Sage grabbed his backpack from beside the chair he was sitting in and got up, leaving the office.

"What they say?" Sage tried to ignore Remy who had been waiting outside of the office since Sage first went in, but he followed him outside of the building.

"Don't you have practice right now?" Sage asked, not even looking up at his friend.

"What they say Sage?"

"I'm out." Sage shrugged his shoulders.

The two of them started the short walk to Sage's house in silence. "What you go do now?" Sage shrugged his shoulders again, his usual answer when he doesn't have one. "This is nuts bro, didn't your brother tell them why you missed so much school?" He nodded his head Yes. "Then why won't they just-"

"I've been back for over a year, I just can't do it." He looked over at Remy who was leaning up against the cement wall of the corner store they stopped in front of. "But I can get my GED in no time, I'll be good by the time you graduate. The plan doesn't change." Remy looked at the shorter teen, unconvinced.

"I got four months, that's plenty of time." Sage attempted. Remy began walking again and Sage followed. Two minutes later, they approached the house where Damien's car was already parked. He was sitting on the porch and Sage passed him, walking into the house without acknowledgement. Damien stood to initiate a handshake that ended with he and Remy's chests colliding. "Sage's friend, uh.. Rodney?" Damien tried.

"Close enough."

"What's ya name, kid?"

"Remy Bowman."

"I'm Damien. You hang out here at the house a lot?"

"I mean, I used to... but Sage ain't hardly ever home now, so not really any more."

"He got too much responsibility for his age. But I'm 'bout to be around for a while na, so hopefully he'a be more free, you know?"

"Yeah." Remy trailed off, pointing toward the door before walking up the stairs and into the small home. He walked through the house, waving at miss Kisha before walking up the stairs. He pushed open the door to Sageon's room.

"So you just gonna drop out?" Remy asked as soon as he walked into the room.

"I'm not really caring at this point Remy. Come here." Remy shook his head, taking a seat next to Sage on the bed leaning over to kiss him. "I bet if Dame see us, imma be shipped off to military school."

"Why?"

"Seem like some shit he would do. Just like now. How much you wanna bet he's going to have me come back with him."

"He seem cool though."

"That's cuz he's not your brother. He been acting like he my father ever since I was little."

"Ain't nobody else doing it." Damien said, coming into the bedroom. "I don't know why you acting all different Sageon."

"I'm not acting different. I am different, you just been gone so you don't know."

"I ain't been gone that long."

"Long enough for momma to lose her mind and everything to fall apart around here. In case you didn't notice EVERYTHING is different. Including you."

Damien looked at Remy then back at Sage.

"Me and Brewster talked some more after you left. You gotta try to finish all your credits before the end of the school year. He said he don't mind setting you up for online classes so you can go at your own speed, but he said that a GED is not the way to go."

"I already made up my mind, Damien. A GED is quicker."

"So you always take the easy way out?"

Sageon shrugged his shoulders.

"You're going to do it the right way, Sage. And after you graduate with a high school diploma from Sweet-Hill Academy of Science and Math you're going to come live with me."

"What about momma."

"I'm getting her some help."

"Hell no. You not putting her in no crazy house."

"Why do you think I'm this evil ass dude. I'm getting her a therapist, and she's coming with us too."

"I already have plans for after I graduate." Sage said, looking over at Remy.

"What might those plans be?"

"Don't worry about it, brotha. Just know you ain't gotta stress about me. I been taking care of myself and my momma, you don't gotta come around here saving us. We're fine."

"You're a kid. You can't-"

"I can and I will. Just like I been doing, nigga."

"Sage, I got dishonorably discharged just so I could come back home. We doing this my way, and I don't want to hear shit else about it."

"You playing that role real well D. Your daddy would be proud." Sage instigated, knowing it would set the older brother off. However, he didn't react— instead he quietly walked out of the room closing the door behind himself. Sage laid on his back, looking up at the baby blue paint that covered the ceiling. Remy followed his actions, laying beside him, their hands slightly touching between them, their breathing fell into sync while they laid silently on the bed.

🐉
hula
03.02.2020