The Price ࿊f Peace

☮️: 008

Somewhere in Oakland

In the midst of Syara attempting to draw to ease her mind and give her something to focus on, she heard a snort just above the low playing music.

"Something funny?" She asked clearly.

While Syara wasn't nearly as irritable as she had been in her younger years, Elijah was still the one person she couldn't resist letting get a rise out of her.

"Who the fuck brings a sketchpad to a party?" He shook his head, with a sarcastic smile that didn't quite touch his vacant eyes.

"Shut up." She bit at him, searching her brain for something else to draw. His voice had thrown her off kilter a little and she needed to refocus.

"Mhm." He sunk back into his seat, staring off into the wall separating the other neighbors' backyards from Keisha's.

There was a moment of silence from the both of them, neither one saying anything, just music.

Marvin Gaye played through the speakers of his phone. She'd always loved Marvin. His music showcased his abundance of talent and addressed his adoration for women in a respectful way.

She couldn't imagine what business Elijah had listening to him. Respectful was practically an antonym to his image, at this point.

While he'd never really disrespected her, she'd been around enough to see how disrespectful he was in general.

She had also heard plenty of bad reviews on him. She'd liked to form her own opinion, however, and that she did.

She was still looking down at the empty space on her sketch paper, looking for something to kickstart her mind. Maybe to stop its throbbing for a little bit.

In front on her, she found herself watching as Elijah pulled the hoodie he was wearing off of his shoulders lazily, revealing his t-shirt and his extensive tattoos.

It was pretty hot, she supposed.

The weather, she meant. The weather is pretty hot.

That was fair considering the sun was shining pretty hard for it to be April. Then again, however, it was California.

He was pretty attractive too. She wouldn't fake like he wasn't fine as hell, but he was a fucking weirdo. She planned to stay as far away from him as possible.

She subconsciously scooted forward in the rickety lawn chair, pencil poised above the paper.

She stared involuntarily at the bare, moisturized backside of Elijah, the menace himself.

Syara wasn't looking with any thought behind it, it was just something to put her focus on for a moment.

The first and only time she had seen his bare backside was when she had first ever seen him, as he was dragged inside by his arms, yelling and cussing.

She noted the increased number of art pieces covering his arm. She wondered if they hurt. Hers hadn't even though she'd expected them to.

She forced her eyes to tear away him, burning holes into her semi-blank page. She turned to the next available page, opting to start fresh.

Without really thinking, her mind drifting with the music, she began draw, at first making little chicken scratches on the paper.

Yes, I'd forget it all
Once in bed with you
Oh darlin'
How did we end up like this?
Oh baby, let me reminisce

And when we
Ooh, we stop the hands of time
You set my soul on fire
My one desire was to love you
And think of you with pride
And keep you satisfied