muse; nasir jones

twenty ➢ hot back home

sept 17, 1993

nas exhaled his weed smoke bopping his head to the instrumental that blared through the studio. clif was next to him jamming too. the engineer paid them little to no mind allowing them the freedom to do their thing. the school year had kicked off, but that didn't sidetrack them from the music.

nas always soaked up new information like a sponge. there were so many buttons and tools in front of him it would take him a little more time to memorize everything. clif made his way inside the booth putting the headphones over his head reciting some playground shit causing the others to laugh.

time seemed to fly while they worked. nas looked down at his watch and groaned.

"nigga our time was up two hours ago" nas mumbled before a yawn escaped him.

"damn son. we better go before this nigga empty our pockets" clif joked.

they shook hands and left. they'd have to catch the train to make it to campus. passed curfew they slide to their dorm without alerting the little hall monitor who liked to lurk on their floor. nas was so tired he fell asleep before he got the chance to change. his pager alarm sounded bright and early so the day begin. after his shower he dressed and grabbed his backpack shook up with clif than headed out.

"i missed you yesterday" siya pouted over her cup of tea. she'd been up longer than him since she had those early courses. yet she looked well rest and beautiful.

"i missed you too baby. we ended up at the studio longer than expected" he huffed than placed her hand in his.

his pager went off several times while they walked hand-in-hand to her building. she was in building g3 for the next 2 hours - on the other hand he was to be moving through e7, g2, and back to e4. he was extremely protective needing to make sure she made it safely. before they went their separate ways he'd kiss her forehead and give her words of encouragement.

his courses consisted of the basic freshmen course, but high school didn't prepare him for the constant flow of work. test and readings from everywhere and everything. he smiled at celine once they met in their shared table in biochemistry. she wrote faster than him and her notes were more neat and clear. they're professor was stocky and weird looking. by the end of the hour nas had envisioned him to be the lonely still-living-with-his-mother type.

"boy if you don't get to a phone" celine motioned towards the pager that had went off while they gathered their things to leave.

he waved that off, "where you headed now? need me to walk with you?"

she smiled at the offer and nodded, "i have rehearsals. there's a phone right outside the dance studio too"

he nudged her lightly as they made their way to her destination. nas thought about that chance encounter that brought their little group closer. he peeped her out in the bar for clif than somehow her roommate ended up being the girl he wanted to chase to the ends of the earth. he'd launch himself outer space for her. celine was a really cool chick; funny, smart, and beautiful. he seen the way guys would watch her hips sway as she walked and a cocky grin would fall flat when she sat next to him in class or he moved her to the inside while they walked the streets of new york. he didn't see her in that way for several ways. he didn't really see anyone like anything other than siya. siya was on her own solar plane in this world that seemed to revolve around her. plus opposites attract. clif was so damn goofy - sometimes to a fault - whereas celine had a cool demeanor until she was comfortable. he waved her goodbye while she walked up the steps to her dance studio.

that 911 flashed for the last time as he received for the phone and slipped a few coins in the slot. he dialed his mother's work extension and it only rang three times.

"sup ma? how you doing?" he greeted looking down at his watch. he could squeeze in a decent conversation with his mother. siya's class wasn't over for another 30 minutes plus she never came out right on time. it'd take him about 20 minutes to get across campus to her.

"i'm fine. how my boy doing? you eating right? how them classes?" she rushed all of her questions.

"i'm doing alright. i could go for a home cooked meal. classes are straight so far" he chuckled and she did too.

"i miss you love. i know jungle does too. i worry about you both so much" she sighed. his eyebrows knitted together. something about her tone made his stomach flip.

"i miss y'all too. me and clif were thinking about coming down next weekend-"

"nasir, you listen to me good - stay yo yellow ass where you at. it ain't shit around here y'hear?" her southern tone overtook the queen's accent she'd acquired over the years.

"yes ma'am"

"it's hot around these ways right now. i wish i could ship jungle to you honestly, but you've raised him enough for me"

"what you not telling me about ma?" he rubbed his temple. something was wrong he could feel it.

she released a deep sigh and for a moment he thought he needed to add more change.

"ant got robbed and jumped. probably in front of a bodega gambling and shit went left"

"how he doing?" nas asked with a sigh and looked down at his watch again. this is not what he wanted to hear right now.

"he in the hospital, but he breathing on his own"

"that's good right? send him my love" he stuttered thoughts just as scrambled.

"keep ya head up ok? i love you more than you know. i'm so proud of you and i don't need you caught up in shit going on around here"

"love you too. i'll call soon. go see him for me" with that he put the phone back on the receiver and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

his feet dragged as he made his way back to building g3. he hadn't even been gone long and one of his niggas was laying in a hospital bed. this was somebody he'd seen almost every day for years. jumped and robbed more than likely by a somebody than ran in his circle.

siya greeted him with a warm smile which he attempted to return.

"what's wrong baby?" she asked as she met him at the bottom of the steps. the concern she displayed made him feel warmer.

"i called my mama" he cleared his throat, "one of my boys - ant - got jumped and robbed"

"is he alright?" her foot steps came to a halt she reached up to touch his face. he removed her hand from his face and gave it a squeeze. they had a habit of being in their own world and in that moment he'd rather they be somewhere more private.

"said he's in the hospital breathing on his own." he shrugged. she basically dragged him back to her dorm. the hands that were joined together were swaying in the arm. every now and then she would look up at him studying his expressions. his usually mug was set, but it was clearly from frustration.

"i'm so sorry nasir. i'll pray for him" siya offered as they neared her building. it was still early so he was allowed in her dorm, not that she'd listen if he wasn't - he needed her so she was here for him.

she allowed whatever celine had put on the vinyl to play before turning to nas with open arms. he smiled faintly. he pulled her closely. his head against her warm breast and his arms around her waist they swayed slightly. here they were slipping into their own universe. she rubbed his ears and he felt content. they stayed this way until his pager went off. her eyebrows knotted together when he pulled away.

"what's today? thursday?" he rubbed a hand over his face. she eyed him trying to read him, but he turned away from her retrieving the device.

"yeah. why? classes out for the day" siya crossed her arms over her chest as he leaned into kiss her temple.

"almost forgot got another call to make" he huffed once she pulled away from the small gesture. he chuckled shortly throwing his arm over her shoulder, "come on girl"