A Little Bit of More

Henry Haut

As I sit here and decide on what to write about, I started to contemplate on a lot of past mistakes. Almost tear jerking emotional thoughts. Now, I begin to notice literally everything around me. From sound to vision, I strengthen my senses. He constantly bowed his head to pray. Although, sometimes he wondered if that would even help. If Henry could no longer see his future, what kind of man would he be. Praying was very important to his family; very religious folk.

'Twas a dark and eerie night. Nothing made a single noise outside as Henry walked through the woods. Usually about this time of year, critters make love and music alike, something that calmed Henry. Looking up, he had wondered if he'd see the stars, but for some reason there was nothing but empty blackness.

As Henry came to the end of the dirt path, he glanced both left and right before heading straight into the woods, occasionally casting minuscule glances over his shoulder here and there. He didn't know where he was headed, but he didn't stop. Barreling through trees and bushes, tripping over roots and stems, he eventually came to a spot where he could see the light.

"Henry, It's time to get up," yelled someone from the other room. "Don't oversleep two days in a row."

With a tired grunt, Henry rolled over and looked at the clock. His alarm hadn't buzzed, but his mom had called out at the perfect time. Getting up slowly, he started to remember the burn on the side of his knee that he had received from an Arena accident.

"Mom," Henry yelled out, "Do you have any alcohol I could pour on this scrape?"

She quickly replied, obviously brushing her teeth. "It's under the sink in your bathroom."

As he applied the alcohol, he remembered just how bad the sting was. Grateful that it didn't linger long: he finished getting ready, bandaged his cut, and headed out of the door.

"Walk"

Henry crossed the street.

"Yo!" Came a voice from behind.

Surprise showing in his eyes, Henry turned to look behind him. It was his best friend Rashad with his little sister Harmony heading across the street.

Rashad looked Henry up and down and said, "Bro, are you ready for this test? You look exhausted!"

"Yeah, I just didn't sleep very well last night."

"I could tell. You don't usually look so surprised when I call out to you," Rashad looked at Harmony, who was trailing a bit behind, "Why do you have to walk so slow?"

Harmony quickly caught up and softly spoke, "Why do you ask so many dumb questions?"

With an amused look on his face, Henry quickly shot Rashad a flaring glance. "You best not let her talk to you that way, boy, if I were you, I'd tie that one up."

Harmony took much offense, and again, softly added, "I'll tie you up and make you eat shit."

Rashad and Henry quickly exchanged a last glance before moving a bit ahead.

"So do you actually feel comfortable on today's subject?" Rashad looked at Henry with widened, anxious eyes. "I'll understand if you say no."

"It's not that I'm NOT comfortable. I feel like I should've given myself more time to think about it," Henry gave him a small shove. "Plus, you still have to ask Danika to the dance."

Rashad blushed.

"Awe, come on Rash, you know she'll say yes. I can see it in the way she looks at you."

Rashad sidestepped, leaving a bit of room between him and Henry. "Look, if I ask her, do you promise to get off my back about it?"

Henry looked over and saw how serious Rashad looked. "Of course," stifling a laugh, he added, "but only if Danika dances with you. Otherwise, you will never hear the end."

"I'll hit you." Rashad added, playfully shoving Henry.

As they strolled into the parking lot, Harmony veered away to meet up with her friends, and Henry and Rashad went straight to the stadium.