Hawthorne Heights [Editing]

twenty

      "So, what do you know about my brother? He told me that you tried to threaten him a few weeks ago," Mekhi asked around a straw.

   Miracle fidgeted with her nails while staring at the milkshake in front of her. Mekhi took her to Steak N Shake after he talked to Milo about the prospect of being Miracle's new man.

   He thought she was gorgeous, prettier than any other woman he'd ever seen. Her skin-tone brought comfort to him because his mother sported the same.
  
   Milo, Khari, and Warren sat at a different table yet all watched the couple pensively. Warren constantly nudged Milo whenever Miracle would smile or laugh, while Khari simply scribbled in his journal. His heart and mind felt lighter after speaking with Mrs. Day and voicing his frustrations to a person other than his counselor and Cleo.

   Miracle admitted, "Harrison told me that you told him that Khari killed someone years ago. I didn't want him around my best friend because, well, he's a murderer."

   Mekhi cocked his head to the side while rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to tell anyone about his brother's incident, but if she already knew, then what would the harm be? Mekhi witnessed the physical and mental damages of the guilt that ate away at his brother. Khari lost several pounds at a time after Omar was placed six-feet-under. His face eventually took on the appearance of his dead friend; pale skin and sunken eyes. Their grandmother ignored Khari for months and even nailed a cross above her grandson's bed.

      "It was an accident. He and his friend were playing around with a gun when it accidentally fired — his hands pulled the trigger when he tried to take it from his friend. Khari beat himself up for years and still does to this day, so before you judge him for his past, learn the full story."

   The clock against the dashboard ticked slowly as Warren watched his mother climb out of her black Ford Focus. She wore a black pantsuit with red-bottom pumps yet didn't carry her briefcase with her.

   Milo flinched back with her hand on her chest, saying, "Oop, she's dressed to kill. Who's house is this?"

      "I'm not sure but I've been following her around this past week and she comes here every day at this time." Warren pointed at two black masks in the backseat. "You down to go in there with me after they leave?"

      "Ren, we're black. We have two bullets in our heads for just thinking about committing a crime," Milo joked half-heartedly.

   Before the murder of Michael Brown, the black kids in St. Louis attempted to forget about the murder of Trayvon Martin, but that all washed away down the drain after the murderer got off scot-free. The kids played it safe during the daylight hours, keeping their video camera app open at all times. Of course, there were those who tried to ignore the tension in the city, saying that the cops were meant to protect and serve. But killing two children unjustly doesn't seem like they're protecting them, does it?

   Warren and Milo remained in the car bored out of their minds for nearly two hours, but all of that changed when they witnessed Mrs. Joseph being walked to her car by an older black woman.

      "Who is that old lady? She looks like Spongebob's grandma lowkey, haha, don't hate me for that joke," Milo rushed the last part of her sentence.

   He murmured, "That's my dad's mother. I haven't seen her in years."

☽

«fireside chat: aye, this chapter was intentionally short cause I want y'all to be on edge. And bc the last chapter was close to 2,000 words and that's a lot for me.»