The pain within us | Slumptacion

Fourteen

Jahseh

Stokeley already missed three days of school. He hasnt came out of his room. At dinner last night my mom was like crying for him. He hasnt eaten. He cried all day. I wish there was something I could do.

There actually is. I'll do what I'd want my friends to do if it was me.

I walked into his room and opened his curtains. I pulled the blanket off of him and mentally smiled at his naked body under the covers. Well he had on some calvin clein boxers bu that was it. He is beautiful. If only I knew how to love. I could treat him so amazing and help him become a stronger person.

"What are you doing?" He rolled his eyes.

"Get up," I said as I sat in the corner of his room in a desk chair. "You play?" I asked when I saw his guitar.

"No it was my moms." He shook his head.

I grabbed it stared strumming a song I wrote. I had a guitar bu I kind of broke it over someones head. Two or three times.

"Play something." He told me.

"Okay," I started playing one of my favorite songs I wrote recently. I thought it was a good song. I wrote it about myself and my mom.

I guess we are both are afraid of love after my dad.

I finished playing it and he smiled at me. "Play another one."

"Uh okay."

"You sing really good," he smiled.

"I just made that one up. Well the lyrics." I shrugged.

"So who are you obsessed with?" He asked.

"Well the depression. I have that and I feel thats something we have in common. No one really.." I trailed off.

"No tell me," he said.

"Okay. So I feel like we share that together, and that attracts me to you. You have this thing about you like it makes me want to know more. I feel like protective bond over you. Like I'd probably kill for you. I don't know how to explain it. It's almost like love. But I cant say that when I dont even know what love is," I explained.

"So you are telling me.... that you love me?" He asked.

"I dont know how to love. Which is why I havent tried to be with you like I want to be. You deserve to be loved and I cant do that for you if I dont know how to." I sighed. "Man I was trying to get you out the house but this just got deep." I chuckled.

"Fuck all that," Stokeley chuckled.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean like how are you supposed to learn how to love if you never try?" He smiled at me.

"Yeah you're right." I smiled.

"I know." He smiled. "Come sing another song," he said after he pulled on some basketball shorts. He pat the bed next to me.

I sat next to him and starting singing another song.

Cleo

I heard music coming out of Stokeley's room so I walked to his door and peeked in. Jah was singing to him and Stokeley was watching him with a soft smile on his face.

The song that Jahseh was singing was one of his own I could tell. He always loved music.

"This one is for you," he told Stokeley. He smiled as Jahseh started strumming the guitar.

Stokeley smiled. Like a real smile. The realest smile I've seen him give anyone since he's been here.

I closed the door and walked away. I'll give them some privacy.

Stokeley

No one has ever sang to me before so I smiled a lot while Jahseh sung to me. I noticed how he sometimes furrowed his brows while he played the guitar. They way his lips moved while he sung his song. While he sung my song.

"Stokeley?" He called my name, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Why you looking at me like that? You're making me nervous," he smiled.

"You have a really beautiful smile," I admired him.

"And you have a beautiful soul," He smiled at me.