BWWM | Oneshots & Short Stories

Midnight Sun

Simone laid on her stomach, listening to the train as it plummeted through her rundown Queens neighborhood. Despite all of the noise the train made, it was always peaceful to her this time of night. She was finally allowed time to think, but mostly to dream about getting out.

Her bedroom window was open as it always was, allowing for her best friend to come and go as he pleased. Being on the third floor of the four floor building didn't stop him either, and neither did the broken fire escape. Simone had told him countless times to stop climbing the building to come see her before he ruined the one thing that could get him out: his legs. His response always was if you want me to stop then close your window.

For the life of her, she could never remember the exact moment they had even become best friends, it just kind of happened. It wasn't like they grew up together. That wasn't the case. What she did remember was him being this funny looking, scrawny white guy in ninth grade. He didn't quite fit in anywhere, everybody made fun of him from being from Toronto but the way Simone saw it, at least he wasn't from dirty ass New York.

One day she'd told him that and he had made the mistake of repeating it to one of his bullies and ended up getting the shit beat out of him. Simone had stood by and watched but after the crowd dispersed, she was there, helping him fix his glasses and getting a pack of ice from the nurse for his busted lip. They didn't talk much that day but there was a silent agreement between them and they became friends.

Five years later and Simone was still living at home with her mother, her step-father and her baby girl Raine. Josh was taking night classes at the community college off of financial aid and working shifts for the local mechanic to save money for his baseball tournaments that he swore would get them out of Queens one day.

Simone used to believe in him because he was the best baseball player she'd ever laid her two eyes on—not that she knew others, but she wasn't the most optimistic person of the two.

The noise was light, but Simone could hear the faint clanking of metal a few feet below her window, which caused her to get up, pull her robe closed and walked over to it. She poked her head out and smiled once she saw Josh climbing up the ladder and hoisting himself up over the balcony. His feet landed with a loud thud, causing Simone to look over her shoulder with a frown, "If you wake up Raine I'm gonna kick your ass!" She whispered and climbed out of the window.

"Simone, where are your shoes?" He looked her up and down and shook his head before leaning his back up against the railing. Simone didn't respond, she just sat on her window sill and rested her bare feet on top of the pair of black Nike shoes he was wearing.

"Yo, it's so peaceful out here at night, not like in the daytime, even though it's the hood, it's all we got. It's still beautiful to me." Simone looked over the skyline and Josh just listened to her. He always just listened because somehow, when she spoke, her words always sounded so poetic. She could be talking about a grocery list for all he knew and he would still get lost in her voice. "Being stuck in a cycle like this, you have to find beauty in these grey ass walls." She wasn't talking to him in particular, she was just voicing her thoughts.

"You know I heard around the way, sometimes, the people from record companies send their interns and shit to that club." Josh pointed in the right direction. "I don't know why you won't get residency there and perform on Friday nights and shit, you're talented."

"I didn't even really say shit, just thinking out loud," Simone laughed it off and tossed her wavy hair to one side before finally looking at him. "Your lil workouts are paying off," She playfully changed the subject as she reached her arm back into her room and grabbed the small pink box off of her nightstand.