Destined

8.

I walk downstairs subtle enough to slide out of the front door without my brother Deon noticing me. He had been watching one of his ridiculous shows. The characters were always making fun of each other and the animation was terrible. Family..Family something. All I knew was that he watched that 24/7, so much so that I was starting to memorize the theme song when ever I heard it playing.

I shut the door slowly and make my way off the porch. It was so quiet. Kids never came outside to play over here. Our neighborhood was mostly loud on holidays like the 4th of July or Halloween, but for most of the year you would only hear cars honking or speed racing on my side.

I pass a small house, looking into the driveway immediately when I notice a familiar red car. It looked like the car Jayon had drove us home in the night before. I remembered him saying his Grandma lived near me, but I didn't think he meant THAT close. I wondered why he hadn't mentioned that she was so close to me. Now it was starting to make sense why he never asked for my number, he knew he'd run into me again. A part of me was a bit caught of guard, but happy once I realized he'd kept his word about visiting her.

I walked slowly past the old house, observing every inch of it with a giddy smirk. The vintage patterns she had plastered over it reminded me of how my Grandmother decorated her home. I started to walk up the drive way of her house just to admire her decorations for a bit longer, until I see her screen door begin to open. "Thank you Gramma', I really appreciate it," I heard Jayon's voice clearly. I moved to the back of his car, leaning against the trunk of it while I began to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"You know I love you Jay," I hear her fragile voice say to him. "I want you to visit me more often."

"I know Gramma'. I be busy though," he says closing her screen door as she walked out of it with him. "Nothing or anyone is more important than me," she hits his arm. He starts laughing, guiding her to walk towards the front of her house.

"I know, I know," he says. He begins to gives her a kiss on the cheek, pulling her in for a warm embrace. It had been the sweetest exchange I'd ever seen. "I love you, I'll see you later," I hear him say to her. He walks down her driveway as she holds her chest, waving goodbye to him.

I'd never seen a boy respect an older woman-his Grandmother I should say- with such respect and care. The fact that I knew he would treat her the same way in front of anyone he brought around her made me even more gratified. She loved her Grandson the same way my Grandmother loved me. It was refreshing to see.

I tried my best to back away from his car when I seen him hop in. The last thing I wanted was for him to notice me standing behind his car while he was in-front of his Grandma's. I knew he had been waiting for his Grandmother to make it back inside before he started his engine though. I didn't want her to see me either.

I ended up on the nearest sidewalk, awkwardly standing in place once I heard him start his engine. I didn't want to make my presence obvious but I was doing a terrible job at acting natural. As he begins to pull out of his Grandma's driveway, he sees me standing there looking at my nails. He swiftly rolls his window down before making eye contact with me. I start to continue my walk to Amber's once I see that his attention is on me.

"Dj," he calls out to me. His car follows me on the right side of the road. He knows that I won't turn around for him, so he honks his horn..twice. I jump at the obnoxious noise and finally turn around, seeing his mouth churned up in a obscene grin. "Where were you going?" he asks me loudly. "To Ambers," I dig in my left ear annoyed by the fact that it was still ringing from his horn.

"Come on, I can take you there," he tells me.

"No it's okay, she's not far from here."

"Right so get in, you'll get there quicker in a car," he demands.

I roll my eyes. "I really think I should walk," I say, instantly regretting the words the moment they come out. I did want to get in his car again. I actually wanted to be in his car everyday just to know he'd be there in the driving seat staring at me. Still, I chose to play hard to get with him. I was just trying to protect myself.

"I really think you shouldn't," his choice of words make me smile. He stops the car while I try to make my way ahead of it. He parks it on the bike lane, turning on his hazards. I hear his door open and close while the steps of his shoes continued to get closer to me. I soon felt a hand on my shoulder with an attempt to stop me from walking.

"Why you acting like this?" I can tell he's genuinely curious. I finally stop, turning to him then back to his car. "You shouldn't leave your car like that Jayon," I tried to change the subject.

He looks at his car for a few seconds, shaking his head. "That car is aight'," he tells me. "But you ignoring me? You avoiding me? That's not."

"You know why I'm avoiding you Jayon," I roll my eyes.

"I don't though. Is it because of the kiss?" He questions.

"No,"

"What I said after the kiss?"

"No," I answer, glancing at his car.

"Then what the fuck is wrong with you?" he asks.

I look up at him and squint my eyes. He cocks his head forward, getting impatient with my silence. "It's because after you kissed me, I was confused. I didn't know what to feel after it, but I knew I wanted it to happen again.." My voice lowers, and I find myself breaking eye contact with him. My eyes began to water and the back of the throat becomes tight. "And that scares me Jayon."