WINEM .

+$𖢲﹔seventeen.

KOJIKU ELLA NEL
✩
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
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—sli'merre'🐘.

"Can I come in?" The doors opened up revealing shyne in my face, she returned a confused expression glaring out behind me seeing if there were other people.

"Are we having a sleep over you didn't tell me about?" She says letting me in, closing the door behind me when my nose inhaled the scent of food being made in the distance.

"Uh—no. I just wanted to come visit my bestie! How are you doing boo!" I was always good on hiding my emotions towards shyne, but usually she could read me easily, maybe not today.

We were close, not to the extent of close where we tell each other everything. It was uncomfortable talking about my problems with anyone, including shyne. 

I tend to struggle when i used to go to therapy, it wasn't an easy process though; trauma, spilling them out like it was a ted talk.

It just didn't feel right, although i know bottling things inside wasn't good for your body, but i needed to keep this genie in the bottle for a few more years.

"My mom is in the kitchen making something with—uh, what's he's name..." Shyne threw herself gently onto the couch, dragging me down with her as she hummed eager for her brain to start working. "Oh, right. My brother Gio."

"Ohh! the shy kid." She laughs nodding, snaking her arms around my waist pulling me in. "Girl, what are you doing?"

"I just feel like something is wrong with you, just giving you a hug 'cause i feel like you need it." I smile lightly, greeting shyne's passing mother. 

She was sweet and cared for me like i was one of her own. Her personality was the complete opposite to what her daughter, shyne turned out like. 

Her mother was short spoken, shyne was spoke with her mind out loudly.

Her mother was emotional and sensitive, cried about the littlest things, shyne threw angry tantrums when things didn't go her way.

But i loved them both, they were a second family to me, a second family where i'm also not comfortable on telling why i'm exactly in their house. 

"Can i stay at yours for a while?" I stare up at her, she nods liked she heard the best news ever squealing under her breath. "My mom just kicked me out. I didn't want to say anything before 'cause that's embarrassing."

"There's nothing embarrassing about that." I coo'd squishing her tightly. "I'm sure my mother would say yes, you can borrow some of my clothes from then. If that's okay with you."

"Thank you—"

"Shyne, where do i throw my dirty laundry in? my dad's asking." I never knew Gio looked so adorable under the yellow light till now,

He held on to a nerdy look with his glasses decorating on his face but still had that blank stare of uninterest. 

"It's in the garage, actually i'll just get it for you." She moved her back off slightly, "And say hi to my friend, don't be rude. I'll be back."

"Sorry." He smiles shyly, twirling his fingers around returning me a weird wave. "Hey."

"You are so weird," I didn't really mean it, "Cute glasses, i didn't know you wore them."

"Only when i read." Gio makes his way towards me, dusting off the small access on the chair shyne sat on. "Why are you here? I mean not in a mean way, it's just odd that you're here so—"

"Look," I stop him placing my finger on his lips, getting a rush of embarrassment shooing my hand away from him. "I just wanted to see my friend, that's all."

"At ten pm?" He glares at me weirdly, fixing up the fallen glasses, pushing it up back so it laid on the bridge of his nose. "Did something happen at home?"

"No." I shut him out, he didn't say anything after that. He just sat there with his fingers crossed keeping to himself. 

"I'm sorry." Gio blurted out, breaking the silence between us.

"For what?" I ask, staring at him whilst he dropped his head down. 

"For asking, it wasn't my business. I shouldn't have asked." Now i feel bad. "You just looked sad. Actually, I think I can make you feel better."

"Hmm?"

"Come on." Gio stands up, showing me his hand waiting for me to grab it. I stare around the empty living room getting waves of hesitation debating if I should take his hand or not. "It's okay if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine."

•••

The dark midnight breeze brushed up my nose, the sky was beautiful; It felt like a dream coming into reality.

I didn't know what he was intending to do taking me outside this dark but I felt off but right the same time.

What if I get kidnapped again?

"Back home I always watched the stars when I felt down," Giovanni sighs, kicking the small rock that interrupted his walking. "I feel like you're sad, I just want to help."

"Thank you, really. But I'm actually fine." I laugh lightly lying through my teeth, grunting down laying myself on the opposite side from him. "The stars are pretty though."

He lets out a soft chuckle, "I knew you'd like them. If you think about it, you can actually picture what you're thinking about if you look up closely."

"I most definitely don't believe that bullshit." We exchanged laughs,

I shook my head gazing deeply at the sky enjoying the small moment I've never felt before; the moment of feeling like a normal teenager, the feeling of comfort.

"What do you see then?" I asked, eager for an answer. Turning my body around so my chest touched the grass, getting distracted from his dreads covering his face.

"I see a cross. Not a religious cross just them crosses in hospitals. I really want to be a nurse or a doctor some day."

"That's— cute." I never really thought about what I wanted to do after highschool, it never crossed my mind till now.

All I know is I didn't want to be over my twenties living under the same roof as my mother. That's embarassing.

"Well, as for me I see a blunt." I laugh, the crunch of the grass start to thicken as he turned himself around to face me. "Purple haze will do you right."

"You smoke, don't you?"

I nod, "You don't?"

He shook his head. "No, it's disgusting. But, Koji? Have you gone missing before?"

I scoff, hating when people mention my past and the horror I witnessed for months. "No, I think you've got the wrong person."

"No, it's you." He says bluntly, I didn't know what he was trying to prove right now. "I saw your missing posters flyers all around the area when I moved. Why don't they take it off since now you've been found."

"I don't know and I don't care. I'm heading inside. Goodnight."

➥
V&C, <3333.
dang, getting bored of the book.