THE INTERLUDE. | jjk

CHAPTER ONE !

HOUSTON, TX

'It's hot as hell.'

I groaned as the scorching summer rays of August shined down on me. I was using my portable fan to blow my neck, hitting all my revealed upper spots in hopes it would relieve my body of its heated temperature. There were still boxes inside of the truck, but instead, I decided to lay on the side of it to take a little break from unpacking. To my surprise, the only thing bringing coolness to my back was the metal on the outside of the vehicle. As I lay there, my eyes roamed over the fixtures and people in my sight. It was college move-in day at my HBCU, and I could see all the students unpacking U-Hauls and packed cars with their supportive families. It was a nice sight to see, especially since my parents couldn't make it to my move-in day. Although I didn't mind too much, because I understood how important work was for them, I couldn't help but slightly envy those around me.

This place was already feeling like home, considering I could just feel the culture surrounding me. A speaker nearby was blasting 'It Was a Good Day' by Ice Cube, and it matched the atmosphere to a T. Girls and boys alike walked around with their Houston Texas State University merch on, pairing it with nice bottoms and fresh shoes. The number of different hairstyles, and creative accessories I had seen in the short amount of time I had been here, I felt very at home. As I took in my surroundings, I heard an exasperated sigh from behind me, shortly followed by a deep, masculine voice. "Brianna, when you asked me to come down and help y'all with your things, I didn't know you expected just us to do it for you." I turned to see my best friend, Jungkook, pulling two suitcases out from the back of the truck and coming towards me with them.

"It was implied," I said, looking down at him with a smile as he sat down the remaining suitcases beside me. He paused and looked at me sighing, "Spoiled bro," was the only words Jungkook could muster as he swept his hair back with his hands. Jungkook had been my best friend for as long as I could remember, and when I say that I mean middle school in Mrs. Reed's English class. We met sometime during my sixth-grade year, and his seventh-grade year of middle school and had been inseparable. We were just two badass kids who would constantly give that woman hell, but in our defense, she would constantly make borderline micro aggressive comments about my hair, or how Jungkook needed to "act his race," being he was one of the only Asian kids in our school at the time.

Jungkook is Korean-American, and he stands at about 6'2 feet tall. He has deep brown hair, and over the past school year, he collected tattoos all up and down his left arm. Considering Jungkook's race, naturally, one would be confused as to why he chose to go to an HBCU, but when you're provided a good engineering scholarship that would allow you to go to school, have a good time, and be able to graduate without spending decades of paying off student debt? You, too, would decide that was the place for you. Jungkook was the main reason I applied and committed to HTSU; due to the plentiful stories he would tell me about his first year of college while I was back home completing my senior year.