The BoyZ

Hakim

The flowers in my parent's grave end up dying. Later today I'll be getting them fake flowers so they never die out. Dad hated it every time he failed to keep the plants back home alive; it always made mom sad which broke him.

"Mama look, we planted flowers for you" I gave the flowers Father had planted to Mom. Father follows behind me. They were always roses because roses resemble love and mom's love. 

"Aww thank you," she says. She takes them and removes the dead roses from the vase adding the new ones.

Father gives her a peck on the cheek and we all gather around to watch Gere Emun. I never liked watching Tigryna drama but they always cuddled with me and Mom would make Bombolino every time we watched so it was bearable. As long as I'm with them everything will always be fine.

I become aware of the fact that I'm daydreaming which I hate because every time I'm aware I can't focus on the dream.

I don't want to go see Menelik, the last time was so awkward I don't remember much because I wasn't paying attention but every time I became aware of his presence the awkward silence would kill me.

I end up skipping school and instead find myself on Diego's street. When I see his house, I run to it. I knock on his door and to my misery his brother answers. I have beef with his brother so I don't care to greet him. "Upstairs," he says and I roll my eyes.

I knock on Diego's door and he tells me the door is unlocked. I cringe at the smell coming from his room. "Yo, why are you skipping school?" Diego stuffed himself in Cheetos.

As I walk in I step on lasagna. "You're so nasty, clean your room" I take off my shoes and place them by the door, when I look around his room I get the urge to slap him across the face because why the fuck does he lasagna on the floor, 10 plates scattered all over his room and all his dirty clothes on the floor for?

"Why are you skipping?" he sets his Cheetos aside and licks the Cheeto dust off his fingers. 

"I don't feel like going to school" If I'm being for real it's because I'm not ready to face Menelik yet. 

"Ight what you wanna do?" he gets off his bed. 

"Clean your room" I hate messy rooms. Especially his. 

"Bruh, you're such a clean freak" Diego groans.

I picked up all his dirty clothes and threw them in the laundry while he picked up the trash and the idiot he is, he puts it under his bed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What? It's how I clean my room"

I shut my eyes in frustration, why am I still friends with this nigga?

I didn't think he could get any worse until he picked up the lasagna and threw it under his bed. "Bro do you not have a trash can?"

"Why would I need one when I got my bed" he shrugs.

I give up on him. I end up cleaning the room myself while he looks for movies, I start with his bed, then all his dishes, and I move onto the floor and under his bed. By the time I was done, his room was sparkling and I was able to calm down.

"Yo Hakim, are you done yet?"

"Ye, why?"

"Let's watch this movie," Diego puts on Boyz N the Hood.

"Why, we've already seen that" I get on his bed

"Yeah, and I wanna rewatch"

"Alright," I sighed and laid my head on his chest. No homo, but I love cuddling Diego. Every time I do I find comfort in it because my parents would always cuddle me especially when we watched movies.