Short Stories for You

Literacy Concerts, Landlocked Countries, and Love Connections (Part II)

"Tex and CA$H? Gangsta Swastika? Really Kharena? Just what the hell type of music are you into?"

"Yes-Tex and CA$H bitch," she sassed. "-that's their names." She tossed me her phone. A picture of two boys, around our age and pretty easy on the eyes, showed on her phone's face. They were both posed casually on the cement steps of a porch.

Tex, the shorter one of the two, was dressed in a black button-up with a blazer, a pair of fitted denim jeans, and nondescript loafers. He was seated, a joint in the corner of his mouth, with his face cast down at a book in his hands.

"Why is he reading?" I found myself asking, barely even conscious of the fact that I cared.

"I knew you were gonna ask about that," Kharena said with a knowing smile on her face. "It's just something he does. When he uploads pics there's always a book somewhere. Sometimes he's just reading one, sometimes it's hidden somewhere in the picture."

"Like a Where's Waldo?"

"Sure. Who cares though? I'd rather look at CA$H sexy ass."

I smiled. I'd seen CA$H, posted on the stoop in the picture, a blunt in his mouth, some baggy cargo shorts and Jordan's, complemented with an all black pull-over hoodie reading "I Can't Breathe". From the second I saw him I knew why Kharena was so insistent on us going to this party. He was the exact type of guy she went for.

"Don't you think he looks a lot like Eli!" I laughed.

Kharena's eyes slanted and she scowled. "What did I tell you about saying his name? Don't. Didn't I say that?"

"Okay bitch, chill. Even though he looks exactly like...ol' dude."

"Whatever. CA$H is the sexiest man alive and I'm about to meet him!!" She squealed in delight. Then, less than a second later, squealed in sadness. Clearly we'd been friends too long if I could read the messages behind her squealing so well.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my mouth only half-full of my second donut.

"I don't have anything to wear," she whined. She could really be a girl sometimes.

"So why don't you go shopping?"

Kharena perked up instantly. "Great idea! Imma go home get dressed then come back and pick you up."

"I'm not going. Don't come back to my house. I will cut you."

She grabbed her phone and went to pick up the box of donuts until I put my hand over them. "What are you doing?"

She smirked. "Taking the rest of my donuts home. Those of us going to the mall need to build up some energy for walkin around."

I paused, the room growing silent except for the musical chirping of the birds. Maybe if I was more awake I would have been able to talk the donuts out of her hands, but I didn't have the patience, and the second donut had me ready for a nap.

"Leave the donuts and I'll go."

She squealed-happily-and took a chocolate donut out the box then bounded down the stairs and out the door. I put the box on my dresser and nestled into the cover, falling back asleep in seconds.

In about the same amount of time, Kharena was standing back in my room, dressed differently and insisting that I'd already slept thirty extra minutes. Then she was dragging me to the mall.

—

I woke up to the blare of a poorly fingered piano chord ringing loudly in my ears as I was immediately hit with a horrible reality. No, not that I'd fallen asleep and had left a puddle of drool on the new song I'd written-though I had. And it wasn't that I could hear CA$H having a hell of a time, at least from the giggles emanating from the other room-no, that wasn't it either.