Black to the Past

Chapter 4

Michael and Jalen rushed to their second period class so as not to be late. Michael always kept either a white or cream colored Polo hoodie in his backpack. One or the other would match whatever pants Jalen pulled out of his raggedy dresser drawers. In this case it was cream. He had Jalen take the plaid button down shirt off and pull the cream hoodie on over a plain white t-shirt. He could get away with the dress socks simply by undoing the rolled tuck that was causing the jeans to be too short in the first place. Now Jalen looked more than halfway presentable because even though he didn't know it, he was actually wearing a pair of Guess jeans he'd picked out at the closest GoodWill and Guess happened to be designer.

Michael and Jalen rushed off to their second period class which was Honors Chemistry. They were in that class with Wilson. Wilson actually gave them both a nod of the head from his seat in the back of the room. Somehow being in detention together must mean your bros all of a sudden, Jalen thought to himself rolling his eyes without acknowledging Wilson back.

If Michael wasn't such a great friend he'd probably just drop out of school. And even though having Michael in his life was the best thing that had ever happened to him even that relationship was beginning to wear on him.

They'd met when Michael came to his school as a second grader. Jalen had been eating lunch by himself for the umpteenth day in a row and even though he tried to seem used to it, you never really got used to eating lunch by yourself in elementary school. The kids said he stank and that he was dirty. But Jalen was careful to wash his clothes and take good baths like everyone else so he knew it wasn't true. But when Michael came to school on that second week of second grade at lunch time he marched right up to Jalen and sat down with him and introduced himself.

"Hey, I'm Michael," the blond haired, blue eyed kid with no front teeth said.

"You talking to me," Jalen responded as he looked around to make sure that he wasn't the star in some mean joke.

"You're the only one sitting here. How come?" Michael wanted to know.

Jalen would soon learn that Michael wanted to know everything. He questioned everything and didn't stop until he had an answer.

"I'm Jalen. No one ever sits with me," he told Michael thinking that the new boy might as well know the truth now so that he could leave too.

"From now on we sit together. Deal?" Michael asked, sticking out his hand. They came up with a bro shake that day and were inseparable from that day forward.

The advantages and changes of his life from that day forward were astronomical to say the least. Jalen would come to learn the differences in extreme poverty vs. extreme wealth. Michael's family, however, never treated Jalen as if he had less. They simply gave when they were allowed which was often since Jalen's father didn't have a chip on his shoulder and didn't feel as if Michael's family were giving handouts.

It wasn't until recently that Jalen began to feel as if he didn't want to have to rely on Michael and his family so much. It was Jalen who was feeling inadequate. And it was Jalen who wanted a better life for his father and his little brother. This was what was causing Jalen to have a stick up his ass and he was getting meaner and meaner because of it.

Deep in his thoughts, Jalen didn't hear Michael calling him until he was right up on him.

"Hey, man, wait up!" Michael said somewhat out of breath as he'd taken the stairs two at a time to catch up to Jalen in between periods. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing. What's up?" Jalen said distractedly. They'd have the next two periods together. Michael never forgot to wait for Jalen or save him a seat in class but Jalen was almost tired of being a twosome. He was starting to notice girls a lot more. He was also starting to notice how people thought the two of them were more than just friends.