Chapter 5

Now I didn't purposely want to set up Ms. Wilkerson, if anything I wanted her dead, but Anakin promised prison would be worse. He was a professional so I had to listen to him. 

Currently I was driving deciding if crashing into the the other lane of traffic was necessary. He wanted me to trigger a racist, hypocritical, unreasonably ignorant, chubby, short, redhead with a buzz cut, colonizer. It was easy, I was just supposed to play the role of ever other middle eastern soon to be dropout that irritates teachers for fun. He said to make her 'play victim', which if it was anything like I thought, it would be annoying.

"-hat's all for today's weather. But I would recommend keeping a spare umbrella in your car. The week is looking quite rainy." The weather man laughs and I zone him out as the time gears in my head click. I can't remember when I buried Buddy, but my mind was in summer now so converting back to fall would be confusing. Pandora didn't know about my time confusion, I felt like people would use it against me. Even without knowing, she managed to use it against me. Never correcting me, so maybe she did deserve this?

"Stupid school, should've stayed in California. But no, 'The north will be so much better amor.' Where is my bag?" The cloth book bag was sitting in my backseat atop a stack of high school fan girl mail. Believe it or not, I was a very popular person in high school. (It got annoying halfway through freshmen year.) The mail was full of lost hopes trying to reach back out, including exes. None were who I personally wanted, so they got no answers.

I grab my bag and phone before locking my car and trudging up the steps to this school. Instantly I hear my target laughing with her colleagues in the office, so while no one was watching, I pull out the sticky note Anakin gave me. Step 1 - Don't be you. He was trying my patience with how he wrote these steps. 'Don't be you', he doesn't want me sitting by myself and seeming lonely. Easy for Anakin to say that, he was known as the crazy kid in high school and still managed to have people flocking to him. That's when I found out people threw parties for anything.

"-nd the book never really got into their hearts. Kids don't know how to feel nowadays." I peek into the office and frown when glancing across the staff. These old people were referring to us like...well I don't know yet.

"Frank, be nice. You got all of the inconsistent drama kids, what did you expect?" This voice was that of Ms. Wilkerson. I had to be upset towards her meaning I also needed to be upset but social. This was complicated.

"Yeah I wish I had more kids like yours, like that quiet kid Aaron is it? Ah no Aamon."

"He is a bit-"

"Who are we eavesdropping on?" I jump and start walking, Anakin now dressed and by my side.

"Don't do that please. Ever."

"I wanted to check in on you, so I followed you here."

"You wanted attention." He thinks about it and shrugs.

"Yeah maybe, but I also stole one of your shirts."

"And you are telling me....because?"

"Because I don't want you to search for it. Or try to get it back." Anakin was wearing my neon yellow Beethoven shirt. Beethoven as in the dog, not the composer. I was born a few years after it's release and loved the dog. This caused me to buy that shirt twice in every color, but I didn't tell him that before.

"...so how do I just instantly become friends with everyone?" My feet all of a sudden stop and I look down the hallway. The east doors led to the basketball court. I knew this because of Pandora pestering me about showing her how I used to play, but I never stepped foot in the place.

"So I studied the university blueprint and judging from where you are looking, you found my idea."

"Yes, but I don't kn-"

"You were offered a gazillion scholarships for basketball, so I know damn well it better be muscle memory or something."

"Eh but the basketball boys suck for them to have such a high popularity ra- what are you doing?!" This question proved to be unnecessary as my eyes absorbed the sight of this traitor skipping into the court. I had no choice but to follow him to make sure no violence was provoked...

"Heyy!"

"Anakin, I swear-"

"Is that Aamon Azar?" Anakin got into this situation and now that they knew my name he was getting out by himself.

"Oh yes, he's my best friend. Aamon come here." Stupid fudging high school magazines, I know that's what got me here.

"..Hi?"

"My names Jerome, I'm such a fan!" This lunatic was sweating like crazy, and I knew for a fact it wasn't from basketball. He was about my height, an inch below though, and he even had black hair. He looked of Latin descent with tan skin and an accent like that. My mom's first language was spanish, so it was easy to pick it.

"...fan? Of me?"

"He's a little shy right now, would you mind taking care of him while I run errands. You know, escort him to class, introduce him to your friends, play basketball?" My hands impulsively grab on front of me when he suddenly passes the ball to me. My legs also kick in, resulting in me shooting my shot and making it. His defense was also sucky. When I turn around he is giving me these praising eyes.

"I would love to man! You still got it in you! But why are you quiet?"

"Ah friend trouble, teacher trouble, sidepiece is an attention whore-"

"Eh, they still get what they want, don't they." Anakin whispers this in my ear before skipping off and leaving me with this stranger.

"I need to change real quick, but wait here." He jogs off with a basketball in hand and a good spirit in mind. I had that personality once, before I realized it was the most fake thing I was feeding myself. Now, I quit sports, stopped dating people, and only talk to my high school friend group.

"I wonder if I can still dunk?" I frown and sit on a bench, wondering how my old team is doing. My parents and I used to stay in our beach house of the west coast. It was a couple hundred miles north of San Francisco. Now, we live in Mackerel City, Michigan. Being team captain on the west coast was so stressful though. We took trips to Los Angeles all the time just to work out with athletes and their coaches. The school funded us, but we also competed and won contest for spare money. But was there a coach there to help manage? Well of course, I will always remember that man also. He probably still talks to the other members, maybe I could visit this summer?

"Ok I'm done, want to go grab something from the cafe?" Jerome was now wearing black jeans and a tie-dye shirt with a shark on it. He was also carrying a black backpack over his shoulders.

"Yeah, so how do you know me?"

"Oh well I thought you would remember me, but I guess not. We went to the same school sophomore year, I used to look up to you." My guilt gland was in fact out of service so all I could do was try and remember him while walking to this cafe.

"Look up to me? You could've just became friends with me..."

"I tried, but you thought I was a girl."

"...really? You must have had long hair?" He waves me forward to order and I order a banana nut muffin and a black coffee. "What would you like?"

"Oh no I got-"

"I wasn't asking." Damn thia kid couldn't take a freebie to save his life.

"Thank you, but I should have been the one paying for your stuff. You still are my idol..."

Idol? This kid was crazy. Maybe if I dug up my dead dog's body and showed him, he would never say that again? Then again, a few years is long enough for obsession. Killing him would do no good at that point. Plus I think he has me in a class.

" I mean you were openly bisexual while being the most influential straight person- I'm sorry." He bows his head and I sigh in frustration.

"For what? The fact my popularity just was at a point past revoking it? How people disapprove after I quit the basketball team? Or having my insane teacher drive me psycho and running my Muslim friend off? " I pause and realize we were walking down the hallway. This sly dude managed to distract me to the point of walking around? "Don't apologize, but can I hug you?"

"Y-yeah sure." We both stop and I pull him to a corner before wrapping both arms around him, and placing my head in the nook between his head and shoulder. He was warm and I liked it. Normally I would hug Anakin only, but if he doesn't find out, it never happened. Right? Jerome was squeezable also, meaning I was holding onto him fairly tight.

"Thank you for this."

"No problem, I just didn't expect it-" i let go of him and cross my arms.

"I'm skipping classes today and going home to lay around, if Anakin sees you tell him I went home."

"Will you be alright alone?"

"Yes, I will wait until he finds me so that we can cuddle. Or have sex, that's great too."

"Oh...see you la-"

"Although you are warm, so would you like to cuddle with me instead of him? Cuddling is a nice stress reliever, and you're warm so it's like a double win. And Anakin is a mean person sometimes. Nevermind you probably care about class."

He was fidgeting with his shirt and I realize I must have made him nervous. Was I too abrupt? "I hope I wasn't too straightforward?"

"Aamon Azar, I could have sex with you." See he was a team player, though he branches off sometimes for himself. Having sex with a skilled player like me could benefit him, but it also might encourage me to come and see what I can do for the team.

"Really? How soon?"

"I would say now but I need to prep and stuff. 2 pm later today?"

"Ok." Key note: when you need to take notes, keep a pen out at all times. I keep a black pen in my pocket for this reason. So I take the pen out and write my number on his left wrist. "Text me, I will be sleeping until then."

"Can I get a parting ways hug?" My mom was the only person to ever ask for that, I typically agreed because she is always warm. And like her chest was like a pillow so I kind of just hugged her to feel comfortable.

"Sure." Like I said earlier, he was only about an inch under me so it was comfortable. This time we were still tucked away in a snuggle corner, so when he hugged me I was happy. "I like hugging you."

"Same, but I have to go now." Jerome lets go of me and walks away, taking my heat source with him. I was excited, he wanted to have sex with me and it would be my first time with a male other than Anakin. My attention is drawn to my phone as it vibrates nonstop in my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey Aamon, how are things with that kid going?"

"Well I didn't accomplish my task, you?"