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@𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚊𝚊 𝚊𝚜 𝚂𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚊 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚣
"I deeply apologize if I come off as rude, but please, honestly, cut me some slack. It's my 17th birthday, and I'm moving into my aunt's house because my mom's in jail. I never would've thought my life would go this direction," I said, my voice trailing off as I absentmindedly played with my nails, trying to hide how vulnerable I felt.
I could feel Capri's eyes burning into me. His attitude was thick, but in his own way, he was always honest—too honest sometimes. He smacked his teeth, exhaling sharply. "You need to chill, for real. You 17 now, pushing a million in life. Ain't no room for all that crybaby stuff. You gotta get it together," he said, sounding like he was trying to be the voice of reason, even though it didn't always come out right.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, leaning against the window and staring out at the blurry streets of Philly. "Capri, stop. Solona, baby, trust me, this isn't what anybody wanted. But everyone's happy you and your very grumpy brother are here," Aunt Alicia chimed in, her tone softer now, trying to ease the tension. "You know your mom wasn't stable. This might be the best thing for all of us right now."
I nodded in agreement, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. "I know, but... I don't know," I mumbled under my breath, feeling the weight of everything crash over me again. I hated that I couldn't keep it together. I'd been crying on and off the whole car ride from our mom's house to Aunt Alicia's, and it was starting to feel like I'd never stop.
We'd left the familiar, chaotic neighborhood we grew up in and were headed to something completely new—Philly. The city I had only visited in the past was now supposed to be home, but it didn't feel like it. My heart still felt tethered to somewhere else—somewhere that wasn't full of Philly slang, drugs, and the violence that seemed to choke everything. I didn't belong here, and I wasn't sure if I ever would.
I glanced out the window as we pulled up to Aunt Alicia's block, the car's tires bumping against the potholes in the street. The music from the speakers blasted into the air, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh God. This how you know it's Philly," Aunt Alicia said, the familiar sounds of Dreams and Nightmares reverberating through the car.
I wiped the last of my tears away and chuckled again. The music made me smile a little, and I knew it was my cousins and their friends, but this time... I wasn't just visiting. I was staying for good.
I stepped out of the car and walked around to the backyard, the familiar sound of laughter and shouting filling the air. Malik was trying to do his best at tangin', but as usual, he wasn't getting it right. "Yo, you still can't tang, young bull," Sadeek shouted, playfully pushing Malik out of the circle.
"Hop off, man!" Malik laughed, clearly not offended, but a little embarrassed.
"This not even the right song to be tangin' to," Sadeek said, shaking his head. I laughed as I stepped over the rocks in the yard to join them.
"Hey guys!" I called out, my voice almost drowned out by the sounds of everyone.
Zamora ran over first, hugging me tightly, her enthusiasm matching her twin sister Amora's who followed right behind her. "Oh my gosh, cousinnn!" Zamora squealed. "Move, girl! I'm the favorite, you just there!" Amora said, shoving her twin aside.
"Hey, hey, hey," I said with a smile as both of them hugged me at once. The noise and chaos of being back with my cousins almost made me forget for a second why I was here. Almost.
One hour later
I was standing at the checkout counter, flipping through my bag for my card, when I felt eyes on me. I turned around and saw the boy they'd been talking to. He had a vibe that made me stop for a second.
He was tall, skinny but with defined features that made him look effortlessly cool. His black, chocolate complexion was radiant under the store's fluorescent lights. The way he held himself was calm and collected, but something in his gaze had a lazy, yet sharp edge. His brown eyes were low, slightly droopy, giving him the appearance of someone who was always chill, maybe a little high, but still sharp. His jawline? Perfect. Like it was made for soft kisses and soft smiles.
He wore an Obey shirt, khakis, and Bred 11's—an outfit that made me think he'd walked out of a street style magazine, but not in the flashy, loud way. No, this was effortless.
I felt my face flush when I noticed he was looking at me. I quickly turned back to the cashier, trying to mask the heat rushing to my cheeks. What was I blushing for? It was just a boy. But something about him made me feel... off balance.
Zamora and Amora were distracted, still laughing about something, and I wasn't sure if they had noticed the way he was looking at me. But I felt it.
I nudged Amora, tapping her shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but can y'all put your stuff up? There are people behind us," I said, trying to avoid looking at the boy.
They both turned and quickly put their items on the counter, and I could feel his eyes on me the entire time. I grabbed my wallet and was going through my bag for my card when he unexpectedly reached around me, his hand brushing against my back as he handed his card to the cashier.
The contact startled me, and I felt a sudden jolt of something—maybe confusion, maybe embarrassment, maybe both. He didn't seem to care. He was calm, still staring at the twins like they were the most interesting thing in the room.
"Thanks," I muttered, but I was sure he didn't hear me.
As I pulled my card out and handed it to the cashier, I couldn't help but glance at him again. He was still looking at me, but his gaze was unreadable. A part of me wondered if he was just messing with me or if he actually noticed me. Either way, I couldn't help but feel like this wasn't the last time our paths would cross.
