[𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍]

𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐑 of the school. The first three classes I had were Algebra II, Gym, and Biology.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a boy approaching me while at my locker. I would pretend he didn't exist if he said nothing to me.

"Hey, you new here?" he asked.

I looked at the curious boy.

"Yeah, I am."

"Oh, cool, what's your name? I'm Darion."

"I'm London."

He snickered childishly at my name.

"Wait, so are you actually from the UK?" I didn't have an English accent or anything so his question was pretty off-topic. Though, in his mind, I could've been faking an American accent.

"No, I'm actually from California," I told him.

"Cool, cool. So you're a freshman?"

"I'm a junior."

"Oh, I'm a senior. I mess with some juniors, though."

I nodded, uninterested, and ready to end the conversation.

"Darion!" I turned around to see Paris approaching Darion and me. She ignored me and kept her eyes on him, Darion wrapped his arm around her as she stood next to him.

"You didn't greet me," she lightly chided, looking up at him.

"I was making a friend, sorry."

Paris turned to me.

"Oh, with London?"

"You know him?"

"Walk me to class," she ignored his question and tugged on his jacket.

She didn't want Darion or anyone else, probably, to know that she knew me or that I was staying with her family. That didn't bother me. I didn't care that Paris was ashamed to know me. She was insignificant.

[𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒]

"𝐒𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔

know him?" Darion asked as we approached the vending machine in the cafeteria, his arm was wrapped around me.

"He's staying with my family at my house for a while," I admitted, inserting a dollar into the machine. I had removed myself from under his arm.

"Why?" he questioned.

"I don't know. But it has nothing to do with me."

"Hm . . . So I went to your house at eight-twenty something, I honked the horn but you never came out."

"Yeah, my mom made me ride to school with London early in the morning. Oh, and another thing, we kind of have to hang out a little less, my mom's suspicious of our friendship because you're graduating this year."

"So I can't take you places at night?"

"Probably not."

He sucked his teeth, irritated.

"Your mother does the absolute most," he muttered.

"Okay, take that up with her," I snapped. I didn't like it when he talked badly about my mom and her rules. She was just protective over me, like every other good mother in the world was when it came to their child and/or children.

"I just think it's funny how she's comfortable with having a random dude stay at your house, but she's suspicious of me even though I've known you for a long time."

"See, well, London's not a 'random dude' to my parents. He is one to me, though."

"My point exactly."

I grew tired of the subject because Darion's jealous side was coming out.

I grabbed my rice crispy treat and turned on one foot.

"Bye, Darion," I said dismissively.

He put his hands on my shoulders. "Don't do that."

I didn't look up at him. I wanted him to take his hands off me.

"Darion, please move. I want to go to class."

"Okay, I'm sorry." He still wouldn't let me go. "Let me get a hug."

I really didn't want to hug him. Even if I objected, that wouldn't stop him. There was no point in saying anything. Sometimes I didn't like being all touchy-feely with Darion, only because I knew it meant something else to him.

I let him wrap his long arms around me and pull me in tight against him. He would do that on purpose, have me squeezed against him like that. I kept my arms stiff at my side.

When he finally let go he put his hands on my shoulders, I took a few steps up so I was by his side and so he would let go of my shoulders. Darion wrapped one arm around me and began walking me to class.