A few years later...
I remember days when my mama would comb my curls back. Days when she would hum an unrecognizable tune as she would braid my hair. How she held my hand as I screamed in pain as they made my dreadlocks.
How she ran out of the apartment, and came back with blood on her hands, blood that wasn't hers, and with Erik standing behind her, saying nothing, using the stream of tears silently falling out of his eyes as words.
"T, what the fuck are you doing?" Erik asks, looking at me funny.
"You know how mama feels about swearing, E." He laughs, drawing circles in the air again.
"She ain't my mom, T." He says, and a comfortable silence falls between us. Erik's birthday was coming up, and knowing my mom, she would obviously try to do something extremely touching (and expensive) for him.
And my dad, well...
He was busted selling drugs a hella long time ago, went to prison a couple years, got out, and is now a wanted criminal. He still sends post cards. Currently he says hi from Vegas.
"When you gonna fit in here, Stephens?" He chuckles.
"This ain't my home. This ain't your home either."
"Where's our home then?"
"Tell you what, T. I'm gonna make a lot of money one day, and I'm gonna come back for you, and we're gonna take a little trip to our home. How does that sound?" He says, in a tone that shows that he really wasn't joking.
"Just... don't do anything stupid, E."
"It's a little too late for that T." He says, giving me a sad smile before walking out of my bedroom.
-::-
School wasn't easy. I never thought I would say that. Being a sophomore sounds epic until you actually become one.
"So... are you and Erik like, a thing?" A girl in my grade, I think her name is Felicia, asks.
"What makes you think that?" She rolls her eyes.
"Y'all are tight. You're like the only person he hangs out with willingly, and you're a girl, so-" as she speaks, Erik appears out of the corner, places an arm on my shoulder, and gives Felicia a blank stare.
"Bye Felicia." People in the hallway start laughing at Felicia as she huffs and storms away.
"You watched Friday even after mama said we shouldn't, didn't you?" I chuckle as he ruffles my hair.
"You musta done it too." We then walk down the hallway, occasionally both laughing at one of Erik's stupid jokes.
-::-
"Hey, T, are you awake?" I'm awoken by Erik gently tapping and whispering my name.
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"Can you just... sing me that song you used to sing when we were little?" He asks. I turn to face him, and once again start singing Blackbird.
Once I'm finished, he mutters 'Thanks.'
"You're welcome. Happy birthday, E."
-::-
I was thinking.
Should I start from London where he's all sexy and badass and give the FC literally THREE WEEKS with him?!
Or have them know each other for damn near a lifetime? And the answer was obvious sksk.
Luh y'all stay sweggy
