Snow Space

Hood Jamboree

Friday nights were park night, in which most of Khamil's year would take to the park next to the estate agents and drink - usually beer or vodka, though the girls would sometimes bring wine, in their attempts to be more sophisticated. Khamil and Gaz sat together on the bench, each with a bottle of beer in their hands, deciding in a very gentlemanly fashion which of the girls in their year they deemed the most 'buff'. Khamil usually preferred hanging out with just Gaz, because he didn't have to put on the same tough facade that he did with Omar and Pikey. Then again, they'd known each other since year one; they were bound to be the best friends of the group. 

"What about Maisie?" Gaz was saying, nodding his head towards the blonde girl who was stood, her expression one of boredom as she necked half a white wine bottle, before passing it to the girl next to her. 

"Eh." Khamil shrugged. "She's hot. But personality wise -"

"Ahp. You just said she's hot."

Khamil sighed, looking at the girl again. 

"Eh."

"Mila Kunis still the one?"

Khamil grinned, as Gaz leant forward and clapped a hand on his shoulder, laughing.

"Mila Kunis is the only one."

Gaz suddenly fell quiet, and Khamil looked at him, and then up to see why - his eyes falling on Ronnie Green: a dark haired girl with sharp blue eyes. She was beautifully striking, but the sight of her caused him to roll his eyes inwardly, the trademark feeling of an ex-girlfriend. Walking past, in conversation with a friend, her eyes were set on Khamil, a strong hatred resting within them - a look that slightly shocked Khamil. 

"Why does she look like she wants to kill you?" Gaz murmured, leaning in to talk to Khamil quietly.

"No idea," Khamil replied, holding Ronnie's death stare in bewilderment, until she finally flipped her hair and turned around, continuing to speak to her friend. He took a small swig of beer, leaning back on the bench as he watched her disappear into the central crowd of people - where his eyes suddenly fell on a familiar brown haired girl. Gaz followed his eyes, looking back at Khamil to check where he was looking.

"Who's that?"

"She's just - I saw her the other day. In the video store."

"She's cay-ute!" Gaz hollered comically, and Khamil pulled up his hoodie to hide his face from the group of people who looked over at the noise, before grinning at Gaz. 

"Allow it," he said, digging his elbow into Gaz's ribs. 

"You goin' up, then?"

"What?"

"If you aren't chatting her up, I am."

Khamil looked at his friend, before back at Poppy - she wasn't talking to anyone, just stood there, her hair rustling gently in the breeze. Gaz shrugged his shoulders, making a false move to get up, and instinctively Khamil stood up, not eager to let Gaz get there first.  

"Go on then," Gaz grinned, sitting back down. "I've had enough of you anyway."

Khamil shot him an amused look back, lightly cuffing him on the head, before straightening out his jacket.

"In a bit, fam," he nodded in parting at Gaz, who held out a fist-bump in solidarity. 

"Dive in, brother."

Khamil set his beer on the grass and dug his hands into his jacket pocket, making his way across the park towards Poppy, sauntering a little - to be cool. 

"Hi," he said, and at the sound of his voice she turned around. 

"Hi," she replied, looking at him expectantly. 

"I was in your shop the other day," Khamil said, a small smile on his face, though he kept his 'cool' demeanour. 

"Oh yeah, of course," she said, breaking into a smile - one that relieved him a little. "I remember you."

"That's good, 'cause otherwise this would've been a bit awkward," Khamil said, feigning mock relief, and Poppy laughed, brushing a hair away from her face. Her laugh wasn't a rowdy cackle like most of the girls in his year; it was gentle - genuine. 

"What brings you here then? I thought you was from Suthers."

"I am, but my friend invited me here."

"Which one's your friend?" 

"Natasha." 

Poppy turned around, scanning the field before gesturing with the red cup in her hand towards a group of girls giggling, cheering about something apparently hysterical. 

"Yeah - I know Natasha."

Khamil nodded at her, glancing when he realised her concentration had fallen on something behind him. 

"Are those your friends?"

Khamil turned around to see Omar and Pikey hollering some distance behind him, the latter making obscene gestures in a notably ungraceful fashion. 

"Nah."

"Oi, Khamil!" Omar yelled, waving with a massive grin, and Khamil turned back round to face Poppy, his face skeptical. She laughed again, sending endorphins whizzing all over the place, but when she raised her eyebrows, he realised with a jolt of annoyance that they must be walking over.

"Who's this bird, then?" 

"Don't talk to him, he's escaped from the fucking mental home, innit."

"Nah, you wanna talk to me instead -"

Khamil glanced at Poppy again as she nodded with feigned interest at the two boys who'd joined the conversation, bullshit spouting out of their mouths with overt hilarity. 

"Is he tryna chirpse you?" Omar asked Poppy, slinging an arm around a now fed-up Khamil. 

"Allow it," he muttered, as Poppy gave a slight smile, though now she looked more unimpressed than amused. 

"You're not gonna introduce us?" Omar replied with mocking indignance, holding out a hand in protest. 

"No, you're a fucking embarrassment."

Poppy's smile grew at Khamil's comment, though he didn't notice, too busy ducking his head down to escape Omar's slung-over arm - kicking his friend away. 

"You got a number for mans?"

Pikey used the opportunity to slide in, flashing a flirtatious smile at Poppy. She tilted her head, a wry smile on her face. 

"Actually I should probably get back to my friend."

Khamil immediately stopped play-fighting with Omar, pushing his friend away. 

"It was nice to see you - Khamil?"

"Yeah ... you too," he responded, watching her as she stepped away, turning around and heading back towards the group of girls with Natasha. As he watched her, Omar's mouth stretched into a grin, and he whacked Khamil in the stomach. 

"Yeah, you too," he mimicked, despite how ordinary the words had been. 

"Dickhead!" Khamil exclaimed - some genuine annoyance that they'd interrupted his conversation.

"Allow it," Pikey smirked, putting a cardboard roach in his mouth to hold it in place as he dug in his grey tracksuit pocket for some rolling papers. "She's from Suthers anyway."

Khamil shook his head in annoyance, before stealing a quick look at where Poppy had walked to, her dark hair dancing around her denim jacket in the wind as she greeted her friends. There was a smile on her face as she acknowledged them, but when they continued with their conversation it faded, and she looked sort of dreamy ... sad even.