Love & War

chapter 1

Janarious
"And that's why imma always ride for Leborn."

Von, a brown skin boy with a close cut and squinty eyes concluded, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back on his chair.

A few kids in their English class scoffed or grinned while shaking their heads in disbelief before returning their focus to their journals.

The only person in the room that didn't look the least bit amused was their straight-edged teacher Mr.Wax who was entering grades at his desk.

Maisha wasn't feeling the jokes either, but Janarious, but as most of his friends called him, Poppa--had never seen that girl crack a smile not once during school and he had known her since 6th grade.

Maisha's lips were pursed And she shook her head disapprovingly from her seat at the front of the class.

Poppa rolled his eyes.

That girl was the definition of bougie.
Up at the front of the class, right next to Mr.Wax's desk. Sleeked-down hair with a side part wrapped in a snug headscarf. Hands clasped in front of her on her desk. She was stuck up, and she looked it too.

She caught him looking at her and made a face before turning away.

Janarious shook his head and smirked. He couldn't even lie, since sophomore year, he thought Maisha was bad. Her attitude was lowkey sexy and the whole smart girl persona she had going on was respectable.

Too bad a playa could never hit. He thought

He laughed to himself. The day Maisha Johnson paid him the time of day, would be the day he started selling crack on the corners. Something he promised his grandmother he would never do.

"Yo, Poppa." Von nudged.

Janarious nodded absentmindedly, signifying he was now tuned in.

"Bruh stop drooling over Miss Erica Badu wannabe and buck up." Von joked as the bell rang, starting English-- or 4th period.

Janarious looked pointedly at his friend.

Von and J had been friends since J moved to Jacksonville in 4th grade. The two had been through everything together. Their bond grew to true brotherhood a couple of summers ago, when Von and Poppa had witnessed Poppa's older cousin overdose on Percocet and die. Right there in their grandma's living room.

Ever since, the two had been brothers, bonded by the traumatic experience, and Poppa knew his brother by now. He knew Von was about to say some slick shit about Maisha being an "uptight black bitch" and how Poppa needed to invest in a "foreign type" or some other nonsense but Janarious wasn't tryna to hear none of that right then, so he was relieved when Mr.Wax stood from his desk and proceeded to begin class.

Mr.Wax was a skinny white man with thinning brown hair . His posture was always spine-achingly straight-- he basically looked like someone shoved a ruler up his ass 25/8.

"Okay class, get it together." Mr.Wax snapped.

J squinted. No one besides him was talking so Poppa was confused as to who he was addressing.

Mr.wax continued after an unnecessary, Obama-length pause.

"As you may have heard from former students  or the first, second, and third-hour students in my class, I will be assigning your mid-term  project today."

Janarious, along with most of his classmates, let out a groan.

J's older cousin, Mika had told him about this fufu ass project last year when he was taking 12th grade English. Mr.Wax paired you off with some rando by pulling popsicle sticks with everyone's names on them and the two of you had to write a short story along with creating a visual to go with.