Odell Quickies

Handcuffed

"Where's the key Odell?!" Aaryn asked frantically as she looked at the handcuffs on her and her best friend Odell's wrists.

"I don't know. I thought I had them!" His eyes were wide in fear. "They were in my pocket when I told you about the trick."

The two friends looked around the room for the shiny silver key. They'd been friends since their days at Isidore Newman when they met Aaryn's first year there.

Odell was in her science class her 7th grade year. She was the new kid in town and everyone was so weird at that school, except a 12 year old Odell. He was the nicest person she's met so far. She would see him around from time to time between classes and he would speak but they never really talked until one day, she was leaving the lunch line about to find her usual spot to herself when some girl named Tasha purposely tripped her. All Aaryn's food went flying all over the place and everyone's eyes diverted to her as laughter began to ripple through the cafeteria. Embarrassed and hurt, she swallowed hard and stood up, dusting off the button down uniform shirt she wore.

By now, everyone who was staring at her went back to eating and talking with their friends. "You okay?" Odell's squeaky, pre puberty voice cracked behind her.

"Yeah I guess so." Aaryn's eyes quickly looked towards Tasha who was now eying her closely. "I don't get what her problem is, I've barely been here a month and she's tormented me basically since day one." Her voice cracked as she fought back tears. "I wanna go back to my real home!" She stomped on her heel.

Odell looked at her empathetically, "Well I can't help with that but I can do this," he grabbed Aaryn's tray and set it down on the table he was sitting at, "you can eat with us from now on." He smiled and gave her a hug. Aaryn nodded and walked with him to the table. "Guys this is Aaryn," all the boys at the table nodded and waved. "Aaryn these are my friends. Mike, Treyvian but he likes Trey, and Kemp." All the boys looked up respectively when their names were called.

"Thanks Odell." Aaryn smiled meekly as Odell handed her his tray of food.

That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted through high school and well into college. Where they now were, handcuffed together with no key.

"Find the key!!" Aaryn screeched. "I have class in 30 minutes!"

"I know what you got nigga!" Odell argued, tugging her along with him as they looked around her apartment for a key.

"You always getting me in some shit, boy I swear!" She spat at the back of his head.

"Oh no no no, on the contrary my sweet dear friend. Must I recall for you lunchgate in 7th grade?"

"Tasha tripped me cause she was jealous we were talking in less than a month of being there and you took damn near 13 years to say hello to her." She argued back nonchalantly.

"Okay okay, what about that time when I helped you ask Trey to 8th grade prom?"

"You fucked up the proposal and I got stuck being your third wheel date and Trey never wanted to talk to me again." Aaryn's free hand was placed on her hip. Odell stood up straight and looked at her with a pitiful stare.

"And when I came to support your basketball games?"

"You barely even watched, you had too many girls all over you." Aaryn smiled, even though the memories were a little one sided she cherished them because he was her best friend, confidant, her solider, everything she needed in her life, so looking at Odell feel kind of shitty about all the things he directly and indirectly brought on her made her a softy. "Look Dellie Bean," Odell rolled his eyes, he only heard that nickname when Aaryn was in her feelings, "it's okay. I like those memories believe it or not."

"Why would you?" He scratched the back of his head.

"Because you're my best friend and when you fucked up you always tried to make it right and I love you to my core for that." She wrapped one arm around his waist as she hugged him. "I love you to the moon and back Dellie Bean."

"Well thank you," Odell leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I gotta ask you something though?" Aaryn looked up waiting for the question. "Do you ever," he paused nervous to even say this, "do you ever think of me like...do you ever think of us being together?"

"As in together together?" Aaryn blushed, and he knew it. He hung around her long enough to know the face she made when she had the urge to shit. "I mean I used to a lot back at Newman, especially 7th grade with you being so nice and adorable, and almost all of our last 4 years." She admitted sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with him. "I never thought to say anything cause you know..." She kicked at the rug in her apartment. "I'm guessing you have by how random that question was."

"To be 100% truthful with you...yeah." He looked away at her wall decorated with artwork by xPayne. Everything was based around 90s pop culture, cartoon paintings of Outkast album covers, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince from the Summertime video, even memorable moments from Martin. He had to admit he liked her taste. She snapped him back to Earth with a hand clap. "Oh my bad, what was I saying?"

"You asked had I ever thought about us being an US and I turned around and asked you." Her hand was resting on his knee.

"Oh yeah, I did, I still do. I get jealous when we're hanging out and guys ask for your number, I damn near knocked Jarvis' head off when he started asking me to put him on about getting with you, and I hate hearing you talk about other guys."

Aaryn sat back on her couch, staring at the side of his head. She landed a strong punch to his shoulder. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!"

He turned and glared at her while he rubbed where she'd hit him. "OUCH! Why didn't you?" She dropped her gaze and put her head in her hand. "Exactly, we both fucked up."

"Well how you got feelings for me but you fuck anything with a vagina and titties?" Aaryn said angrily, jealousy tinged in her words.

"If I couldn't get with who I actually wanted to, why not?" He shrugged off. "What's your excuse?"

"I don't know. I never even imagined you feeling me like that, you see me at my worst and I figured that kept me in the friendzone."

"I also get to see you at your best too. I see how proud of yourself you are when you get an A on a test. I see how hard you study, I see how determined you are, and I see the twinkle in your eyes every time you get around me. Fuck all the times I've seen you cry, or after a breakup when you're binging on ice cream and cookies, or when you wake up and the toothbrush hasn't seen your mouth and the comb is running away from that head." He teased pulling at her hair. "Those are the things that make you and the things that make me love you." He pulled the handcuff key out his pocket.

She looked incredulously at him and the key in his huge hands. "You had it this whole time?! I'm late for class!"

"I know, I needed an excuse to get this off my chest. This was the best I could muster." Aaryn's glare softened as he unlocked her wrist.

She rubbed it and then looked at Odell closely, remembering all the times they shared together. She was practically Mama Heather's second daughter at this point and Odell was her parents son they wish they could have had. "Look, I'm gonna head out and make what I can out of class, how about we go out for dinner and drinks and talk about this later okay?" She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Deal." He smiled and undid the cuff on his wrist.

"Deal."

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I hope everyone had safe and happy holidays! Enjoy!