Murphy & Jolen

Chapter 5

A/N: Finding accurate pictures are hard but this picture is pretty much what JoJo looks like, minus the cheek piercing. Same with Murphy's picture later on (minus the blonde streak).

"This is your next assignment. Essays are due Monday. I'm only looking for a page and a half. Choose one of the three essay prompts," my English teacher was telling the class as he passed around the paper assignments. We were currently reading a book called "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles.

The curriculum must be different in this part of town.

I never read a book like this. We were a little more than half way through it. The shit was pretty boring but interesting at the same time. I'm not much of a reader but I read a book here or there.
"Wake up, Mr. Snow," the teacher said to JoJo, who was sleeping on his desk. JoJo sat diagonally in front of me. He woke up and proceeded to mess with his iPhone.

I got a call from work after school. My boss told me that the library was closed for the rest of the evening because of some problem with the internet connection over there. They guessed some squirrel was eating at the wires. Well, my afternoon was free and I just so happened to have ran into Marquis and Trent.

We decided to go to the arcade downtown to play games, eat and chill. I haven't explored much around this town so I was trying to relax and let loose and have a good time. The arcade was huge and looked like a good time. I played a few games and laughed it up with Marquis and Trent. Eventually I ventured on my own, lookimg around at all the arcade games. I came to one where some guy was beasting at a horror game. I watched the screen and seen how well he was playing.
"Fifty times. I had to have played this game fifty times," he said and I immediately recognized the voice.

JoJo.

Why didn't I recognize him at first?
"You really like this game, I take it."
"Something like that. But I played most if not all these games at least fifty times."
I studied him and then realized that he was wearing a navy blue collared shirt with khaki, tan pants. A name tag read JoJo over his right breast.
"You work here?"
He nodded.
"Obviously."
He smiled then stopped playing the game and faced me. He had to be two inches shorter than me.
"What's your name again?"
I had a soda in my hand and took a sip through the straw before answering him. He watched me the whole time.
"Murphy."
"We were only introduced once, so... I forget."
He looked at the game I was standing next to and reached over to pick something up that was in the seat. He walked a few steps to a trash can and threw it out.
"How long have you been working here?"
"Three years. Are you here with someone?"
"Our two friends. Why?"
He shrugged then grinned, showing his dimple with the piercing in it.
"Dumb and dumber," he said.
I cracked up laughing. He was chuckling.
"You call them dumb and dumber? Wow, do they know this?"
"Yeah, but they be like, 'Aiight, nigga. Whatever, nigga'."
I laughed some more.
"That's a trip."
I shook my head and took another sip from my drink.
"This your first time here?"
I nodded.
"It's dope in here," I said while checking the place out.
There was a purple light in here so that the room was lit up in a dark purple.
"It is. I used to come in here a lot when I was younger, before I started working in here."
I nodded. There was a silence between us. He would stare at me then look around at everyone else before looking at me. I was trying to avoid looking back at him, it was a little unnerving. "Murphy," he ended up saying.
"Yeah?"
I looked at him but he just shook his head.
"I was just saying your name."
I thought that was pretty weird but I just put it out my mind.
"Do you prefer Jolen or JoJo?" I asked, which I felt was probably too personal to ask.
He stared at me for a minute.
"How do you know my full name?"
"That day in the common area. The girls that had walked by."
He seemed sadden by my answer but the look quickly disappeared. When he asked his voice and face almost sounded and looked... hopeful, I guess.
"Oh," he plainly said. "Well, I don't have a preference, it's whatever you want." I just nodded.
"Jolen's a cool name by the way."
He grinned.
"Well I guess I know what name to be hearing from you."

I ate dinner with the fam that night and afterwards went off to my room. I tried not to think about the obvious and what I wanted to think about. I even avoided going to the shower and looking at my Vaseline.