old friend.

1

i sat in the bathroom stall, cart in hand as i pulled a hefty blinker. it had been a long day, senior year has been hectic, and i was glad to be out of this hell hole. even if i did like the people in it. well, specifically her. i held my breath, keeping the smoke in my lungs as long as possible so i wouldn't have to enter my next period sober. i had lost myself in thought, only remembering where i was when i started to cough violently, forcing me to take a deep breath. i hit my chest, trying to get the spicy feeling out of my lungs.

as i was practically dying i heard someone walk into the bathroom, immediately making their way to the stall i was in. shit. "amiya! i can hear you dying in there." i was relieved to hear her voice, thanking god it wasn't an AP. i got up and unlocked the stall door, my eyes first catching sight of her red tinted lips, the light reflecting off of her gloss, the one she stole from me. my eyes flickered up to her brown eyes before i pushed past her to look at myself in the mirror. i fixed a few of my box braids, letting out small coughs, before i turned back around to her, her face having a look of playful disappointment. "what vihn?" i asked her. "smoking and dying without me? especially when we should be in class?" she asked, giving me no time to respond before she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into our nearby classroom.

we had a sub, so i sat myself right down next to her, even though these were our assigned seats anyways. some white guy sat down next to vihn. i mean, it wasn't just some white guy. vihn and him knew each other. i don't know much about that, not that i care frankly. he's just some "pretty" guy she's friends with. the sub stood in front of the class, attendance sheet in hand. "axel griffin?" the sub called out. "wassup." the white boy sat next to vihn replied. "amiyah johnson?" "here." i raised my hand up, watching as the sub ticked off the box next to my name. "vihn tham?" vihn smiled softly. "here." she replied.

by the time the sub had finished giving up directions to the class vihn and axel were already conversing. i turned my head, which was leaned in my palm, and started to listen, hoping to join in. although i didn't like axel very much, it would be rude to completely interrupt them just to talk to vihn. i quickly caught on that this conversation wasn't for me as i realized they were talking about... um, macklemore? i shook my head, knowing i don't know a damn thing about him. i turned to the desk, deciding to use my phone until i would get an opportunity to speak with her.

"oh, amiyah's super smart." i turned hearing my name, letting out a little "hm?" in reply. "oh, i was just telling axel about how you're the smart one between us." i nodded, i mean it was true. i had always been naturally smart, growing up in gifted and honors. but, since i was black i always felt like i had to be the top of my class. the weight of proving myself to my nonblack peers was always there. i was lucky enough though, to be able to live up to the standards i put myself at. always striving for that black excellence pushed me more, even when others said i shouldn't work too hard. i refused to let myself fall into the many traps the system put in place, even if it would kill me, even if that's exactly what they wanted. "oh. yeah, vihn here is a bit of a ditz. i love her though." i snaked my arm around her neck, pulling her close to me, getting a good scent of her vanilla body spray. "i think girls who are ditzy are cute." axel replied, a classic, bright white, straight teethed smile appeared on his lips. wait, is he flirting with vihn..? ugh. i don't know what it was about this guy, but i didn't like him. from his corny ass attempts at flirting, to the way he's a classic "perfect" rich white boy. vihn couldn't see through it like i did. still, they were only "just friends." or as she claims. i was hoping it would stay like that, forever. i guess i would just have to trust her word on it.

i sat down at the lunch table, the only thing i was planning on eating was a bag of chips, bought straight from the vending machines. i didn't like school lunch, but i didn't mind the costly vending machine alternatives. vihn sat down next to me, the same kind of chips in her hand. i was relieved it was just us, for now at least. "so...axel...?" i asked, not explicitly saying anything, but definitely implying it. don't get me wrong, i don't give a fuck about hearing her gush over that white boy, but it was the only way i could figure out if they're still "just friends" or not. "firstly, he's literally so pretty. secondly, we're supposed to hang out this weekend." wait, what? "what? we were supposed to have a sleepover this weekend. just us, remember?" vihn put on a small frown, reaching up to gently grab my chin. i felt butterflies erupt in my stomach from this simple gesture. "come on pretty. we always hang out. plus, it's one weekend. i promise you we'll hang out next weekend." i was upset, but with her touch, gaze, and her calling me pretty i couldn't put up too much of a fuss. she dropped her hand as i faced my body forward, opening the bag of chips in my lap. "give me a heads up next time." i mumbled, an apparent pout on my lips as i started to eat. "okay, i will. i'm sorry miya." she tucked one of my braids behind my ears and softly smiled. i sighed, this wasn't the first time she had ditched me for a boy. it hurt each time, but she was such a charmer that i could never stay mad. "so what are you guys doing?" "he's coming over. we're probably gonna watch a movie or something." even better, they're hanging out at her house. "oh. cool." i gave a fake smile, continuing to munch on my chips, with minimal conversation, until the bell eventually rang for the next period.