Those four cannabis-infused gummies certainly did the trick.

Odion rested against the bleachers with his fingers clasped behind his head. A cool spring breeze wafted by as he closed his eyes and grinned. What kind of world would we be living in without cannabis? The beautiful chorus of birds twittering sweet nothings in his ears made the experience much more enjoyable.

“Aye, Odion,” Malachi called from somewhere nearby, “you sure you don’t wanna take a hit of this OG kush?”

Odion raised his thumb in the air. “Nah, bruh. These gummies got me floating in the clouds right now!” He laughed. Didn’t know why, but he did. Life was so amazing.

“…okay, Mom, I’ll be home in a few minutes,” Toki said. There was a long delay before he responded again. “All right, I’ll see you in a bit.” The sound of grass crunching under someone’s feet appeared closer. “Yo, Odion,” Toki said, “I got to head out now. Mom isn’t feeling well, so she asked me to grab some things from the health food store.” Odion got up for a brotherly embrace. “Buddy, your eyes are red as shit right now. How many gummies did you pop?”

Odion giggled. “About four.”

Toki shook his head. “You guys are such weed heads.”

“Nigga, don’t be hatin’ on the weed,” Malachi said, holding his spliff in his left hand while texting on his smartphone with the right. “It gives us focus, and it’s legal now. You should try it sometime.”

Toki rolled his eyes and threw his hand up in the air. “I’ll pass. My parents would kill me if they found out I was blazing. If Mr. Walters or any of the teachers catch you two, y’all are finished.” Odion and Malachi laughed. Toki was way too innocent at times.

“You gotta live a little bruh,” Odion said, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, I want to live by keeping my brain cells intact. Anyway, we’ll link back up tomorrow.” He fist-bumped Odion and Malachi before walking away.

“Honey and lemon,” Odion blurted out.

Toki stopped and turned just as he made it to the sidewalk. “What was that?”

“Boil the kettle, squirt some lemon or lemon juice into a cup, add some honey, and when the kettle is boiled, throw some hot water in there. Stir and serve.”

Toki smiled. “Okay, I’ll try that when I get home.”

“Send Mom my regards.” Odion stuck his thumb out, and Toki saluted him.

“Aye Odion,” Malachi grabbed an Axe deodorant spray from his backpack and sprayed around his body to rid the weed smell, “I’m out too.” A wry smile crept on his face.

Odion looked at him, trying to decipher the meaning behind his mischievous smile. “That look means you’re either getting some tonight, or you’re getting some right now.”

“Who knows?” Malachi shrugged his shoulders like he wasn’t sure. “Sequoya just sent me a text saying she was feeling lonely.” He wiggled his brows up and down, and both of them laughed up a storm.

“Yeah, I’m sure she is. She’s speaking womanese, which means she’s down to …” Odion thrust his body back and forth.

“I’ll let you know how it went.” Malachi rubbed his hands together before heading out.

“I already know how the story ends,” Odion said. “Aye, just know if you get her pregnant, you’re fitting the bill for the next eighteen years.” Odion laughed as Malachi stuck his middle finger in the air. “Don’t forget to wear your helmet. You don’t wanna be getting that phone call anytime soon!” He cupped his hands to his mouth.

Malachi headed into the woods, disappearing soon afterward. Odion only hoped he had taken his advice seriously. Malachi couldn’t afford to take care of a child at his age—literally and figuratively. He can hardly take care of himself, never mind a kid.

Odion rested himself back along the bleachers, using his backpack as a pillow. He didn’t feel like walking home yet and this spring breeze blowing across him was far too pleasant to neglect. A few minutes passed when subtle murmurs emerged from the parking lot. It was difficult to grasp the conversation’s focal point, but something aggressive was detected in one of the speakers’ tones. That voice sounds familiar. Odion forced himself up to check what was going on.

Donovan pinned Serenity against the wall by her shoulders, yelling at her to remain still. Serenity fidgeted, angling herself away to escape to safety. Donovan wasn’t having any of it, cutting her off and pushing her face against the wall. Odion’s heart started to thump a little harder.

“You’re a fuckin’ liar, you know that!” Donovan said. “You thought I wasn’t gonna find out you were fuckin’ around that nigga?”

“We’re not dating anymore, so why does it matter?” Serenity exclaimed, wiping tears away from her eyes.

“You’re my bitch!” Donovan said with steel in his voice. “That’s why.”

Who the fuck does this kid think he is? Odion threw his backpack over his shoulders and hopped toward the ground, storming over to their location. Mr. Walters popped through the school’s side entrance just as Odion was about to say something.

Odion quickly threw himself behind one of the portables directly in front of where they were standing, scrubbing his hands down his face. He took a piece of his shirt and pressed it to his nose, sniffing out a faint lingering presence of Malachi’s OG Kush. Had Mr. Walters caught him, he was probably looking at a week’s suspension, at the very least—worst how his eyes were red.

Odion slightly poked his head out to see what was going on. Donovan immediately backed away from Serenity, pretending to see if she was all right. Odion scrunched his face at the act.

“What’s going on over here?” Mr. Walters asked, walking up to Serenity.

“It ain’t nothing. We good.” Donovan looked at Serenity and widened his eyes, suggesting there’d be serious consequences if she spoke out of turn.

Serenity turned her face away as if she were hiding something and nodded. “Everything’s fine.”

“See, she said everything’s fine.” Donovan shoved his hands inside his pockets, constantly nodding his head. He kept swinging his body from side to side like he were in a hurry.

“I never asked you.” Mr. Walters laced him with a pair of ice daggers. “Go home, Donovan. You’ve been dismissed.”

“But—”

“Go. Home.” Mr. Walters was sterner the second time.

Donovan slowly took a few steps back. “I’ll call you later, Serenity.” He took out his hairbrush from his pocket and began brushing the waves in his hair. “Answer your phone when I call, you understand?” Serenity never responded, wiping more tears away from her face.

“Pick up your pace when I tell you to, you understand?” Mr. Walters challenged him with a similar response, the ice daggers in his eyes now forming into glaciers. Donovan turned and made his way around the corner toward the front of the school as Mr. Walters stood off to the side, watching to make sure he was off school property.

Mr. Walters went back to check on Serenity, handing back her backpack. He said something to her that Odion couldn’t make out due to the breeze that blew past them. Serenity shook her head to whatever he’d said and solemnly made her way across the field as she held the straps of her backpack across her shoulders. Odion waited until Mr. Walters drove off before catching up to Serenity to see what was going on.

“Hey Serenity, what’s wrong?” Odion walked beside her as she shook her head, bringing her hand to her mouth. “What—”

“Nothing’s wrong, all right!” she snapped. Both of them paused as they reached the sidewalk. Odion’s stomach curled when he noticed slight swelling at the right corner of her lips. “I’m sorry,” she said in-between sobbing breaths, “I didn’t mean to yell, but please … just leave me alone.”

Damn. There’d never been a moment in his life where he wanted to reach out and hug her more so than right now. Odion bit his tongue as she walked past him, so many questions on his mind. The farther she plodded along the sidewalk, the stronger the urge was to find out exactly what was going on.

“Serenity,” he called her name. She continued to walk. “How long are you gonna continue suffering in silence?” That seemed to strike a nerve as she froze in her tracks. When she turned to look at him, it was as if she had dipped her face inside of a swimming pool, her eyes nearly as red as his. “You were there for me when my mom died,” Odion said, taking a couple of cautionary steps forward. “That was one of the darkest periods in my life. You helped me get through that. Allow me to return the favor.” He extended his hand forward.

Serenity’s eyebrows danced. She sucked in her lips, staring at his hand for a long moment before shaking her head. “I can’t.” She walked away without saying another word.

Odion’s heart sank to the bowels of his stomach. That piece of shit probably threatened her not to say anything, judging by the way he was looking at her a few minutes ago. Irrespective of how many people Donovan associated himself with, Odion wasn’t going to allow this to continue any further, even if that meant putting his life at risk.

As far as Odion was concerned, Donovan was a dead man walking.

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