Cigarettes and Spray Paint

Two

Sonny woke up the next day, Friday, he remembered with glee.
He walked down the stairs, peeking into the store to see his cousin trying aimlessly to flirt with Vanessa, the girl he's been in love with since the fourth grade.
"Good morning, Usnavi." Sonny said, walking past the two and grabbing a water, slamming it in three or four gulps.
"Mornin, kid. How'd you sleep?" Usnavi looked over at his cousin for a split second before immediately going back to Vanessa.
"So- uh... you wanna like... um..." Usnavi stuttered, completely forgetting about his younger cousin.
Vanessa chuckled, leaning over the counter and kissing Usnavi on the cheek and walking out of the store. Usnavi sighed "Dammit..." he said under his breath.
"You're hopeless, cuz." Sonny laughed, walking over by the register and sitting up on the counter.
"I don't see you with any ladies, unless you count Nina." He snickered.
"Yeah... I guess that's probably because I'm gay." Sonny replied without even thinking. Usnavi froze, slowly turning around.
"What did you just say?"
"I-I'm gay?" Sonny sunk back, trying to get as far away as possible in case Usnavi was angry.
"You sure?" He asked. Sonny nodded. "Be safe. I still love you and all that."
"O-oh..." Sonny smiled, hopping down off of the counter. "What about Vanessa? You ever gonna make a move or what?"
"Shut up." Usnavi blushed furiously.
"Well?"
"Seriously shut up!" Usnavi flushed even deeper, glaring at his younger cousin. "Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?"
"Meh," Sonny shrugged "I don't really feel like it." He chuckled.
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Later that day, Sonny decided to take a walk downtown. It was at least ninety degrees out in Washington Heights. Sonny was wearing a pair of gym shorts, a white tank top, his rainbow bracelet (which he never took off) and a snapback. It was the littlest amount of clothing he felt comfortable in, and yet he was still sweating.
"Hey! Sonny!" He heard someone call after him. He whipped his head around, just in time to see Pete running his direction, a large grin spread across his face. Sonny smiled wide, a slight pink tint on his cheeks.
"Hey." He smiled back at the boy.
"What's up? Do you have plans today?"
Sonny shook his head. "Wanna hang out? Get ice cream or something?"
"Sure!" Sonny replied excitedly. Pete nodded, leading Sonny to an ice cream truck.
"Can I get a small chocolate ice cream cone and.." Pete looked over at Sonny.
"A large root beer float." Sonny nodded, handing the man in front of them a ten dollar bill. Pete looked over at him as soon as the man walked away to make their treats.
"Ya didn't have to pay for me Sonny..." Pete said with a slight blush on his cheeks.
"It's fine." Sonny shrugged.
When they received their ice creams, they found a bench in a small park area. Pete sat down on the bench and Sonny sat in the grass in front of him.
"So," Pete said in between licks off of the mound of chocolate ice cream "what's your story?"
Sonny almost laughed "I don't got much of a story.." he chuckled.
"Everybody's got a story!" Pete replied "some are more exciting than others but everybody, and I mean everybody, has a story."
"Well... my mom sent me with Usnavi and his parents to America from Puerto Rico... then his parents died when I was eight and he was twelve and we've been on our own with the help of our Abuela, she's not really our Abuela but she practically raised us, ya know? Soooo, yeah... that's my story. And I just came out to my cousin this morning." Sonny smiled proudly. Pete raised his hand to high five Sonny, who lightly tapped his hand with his own. "What about you?"
"Well, my mom didn't have a lot of money back in Puerto Rico so she sent me to America by myself when I was 6 on this little boat with some others escaping to the land of the free... and I ended up here, and now I'm on a bench, talking to this guy who... honestly is really really cute." Pete shrugged. Sonny felt his face flush red.
"You mean me?" he asked hesitantly. Pete nodded. Sonny didn't even know how to react, no one, well, no guy, had ever liked him. Sure, he'd had girlfriends before because he didn't want to admit to himself or anyone else who he really was. But, Pete, well Pete was so attractive to him in a way that no one else had ever been. And he'd just called him cute!
"I uh... gotta go." Sonny stuttered. Pete nodded, a little disappointed, maybe Sonny didn't feel the same way. Sonny ran down the street, throwing his half finished float into a garbage can and bursting through the bodega doors, and jumping up onto the counter. Sonny didn't think to check that no one was there before he let out an excited scream and hopped off the counter running in circles.
"Sonny?" he heard a voice behind him. Benny.
"Oh.. heyyyy." he said awkwardly, trying to play off what Benny just, without a doubt witnessed.
"You alright?"
Sonny nodded, pulling out his phone and texting Pete.
To Pete🙊😍: sorry i ran off. cute boys make me nervous :)
From Pete🙊😍: ❤️
"Sonny?" he heard Benny call to him "earth to Sonny, are you alive over there?"
Sonny sighed, a huge grin on his face "Yeah..."

A/N
Dis cute