Sinful Discovery

005

Chapter 5

"I agree with her on this one," I say avoiding Mal's eyes and looking at the label on my juice bottle. "It's high time she breaks up with you, you don't treat her as well as you should."

"Wow, best friend." Jamal says looking at me like I just betrayed him.

I shrug, "I'm on your side and the truth hurts. She needs the kind of attention you can't offer now, let her go."

"True that," he sighs, "I'll still miss her."

He just recounted the events that led to his girlfriend breaking up with him over a text while he was at his mum's. I feel bad for him but I'm also happy for his girlfriend, she finally had the courage to end things. Gone are the days when she'll be following me around asking about his whereabouts and I'd just keep telling her about the different things Jamal was always involved in. He barely had time for himself talk more of her and she was being homeschooled. If she was here with us, it'll probably be better. After everything she'd end up alone for the day asking herself unnecessary questions like if she's the one pushing him away to join stuff when that's just the way he is, Jamal is just too goal driven for his age.

"So tell me the non boring thing that happened to you," He asks and I resist the smile as I recounter yesterday's event, starting from the parking lot.

"So do you know a Sky?" I ask before I bite into my sandwich.

"Sky," he repeats, turning his hand about with his eyes closed. His eyes pop open as if he got something but then he shakes his head. "I know a Sky alright but he can't be the one you're talking about."

"Why not?" I ask furrowing his brows.

"Well the Sky I know is Sky Hunt, he's been living in town for a long time, four years probably," he waves, "something like that but since his granny died."

I perk up, "that's got to be him."

Jamal pinches his brows at me, "you and Sky Hunt?" He laughs, "no common ground."

I scoff, "does car accident ring a bell?"

"You're serious?"

"Of course I am," I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life.

"Whoa Issy, that's crazy."

I ignore him, "how come you know him and I don't?"

"Well, I know everybody," he lets himself smirk for a minute. "And I once tutored him. He's not always in school or in town, always bouncing from one place to another."

I nod but it's still weird that he's been around since his grandma died, four years, and not once have I met him. We were even in the same school, I look up at Jamal with a frown. "Wait, you tutored him? Are you the one that told him my name then?"

Jamal shrugs, "I don't know, it's been a while. I might be or he might have heard someone call you or anything."

I return to my sandwich remembering the way he called my name like he knew me. "Why is it so weird we conversed?"

"Because Sky is your total opposite," Jamal says, clears his throat and starts listing off a finger. "He's rumored to be gay—" my heart plummets at that but I force myself not to betray any expression and listen to Jamal. "— he's rumored to be a druggie. He's like a street dude, no filter at all and he would not hesitate to rearrange your face if you so much as look at him the wrong way."

I am completely speechless.

"Whereas you are," Jamal continues when I say nothing. "probably straight—"