cw: language, fuckboy behavior
Kidnapping—
"Well, nobody's here. So now what?" Dee asked.
The boys and Ryélle were all sitting in the Camaro outside of Dei Lin's house, genuinely plotting a kidnapping scheme.
"Where are we?" Ryélle asked.
"My baby house, but she not here... Y'all know anything about cello, violin, or piano?"
Leo furrowed his brows. "You think we would know about that? You the one that's smart or whatever. And she in band, ask her."
Dee smacked his lips. "Nigga, I'm smart, too. I know classical music."
"Name one song and artist," Kush challenged.
"They're usually called composers," Ryélle corrected.
"Yeah, dumb ass nigga. But anyways, Fur Ellis by Beethoven," Darnell replied. Ryélle and London tried not to laugh at the answer.
He hummed a totally different song—Ryélle and London instantly bursting into laughter.
"That ain't even by the same person," London informed. "And I was try'n'a just let you have your moment, but first of all, the song is Für Elise. I'm proud of you for almost saying it right."
"The one you was just singing is Swan Lake," Kush informed. Everyone in the car turned to him in shock, wondering how he knew.
"What?" he scoffed.
"Why do you know that?" Ryélle questioned.
"Bro, your favorite movie when you were little was the Swan Lake Barbie shit; then you started doing ballet and practiced to it; then there was the obsession you had with the performance, so you were always watching the videos and talking about how you wanted to be part of it when you got older. I ain't have no choice but to know that one."
"Why we talking 'bout this anyway?" Leo asked.
London sighed, "Cause Strawberry play piano, cello, and violin. If she not here, she probably somewhere for one of them."
"Oh! I saw something about violin auditions at the Amphitheater tonight in the band room!" Ryélle remembered, excitedly turning to him from the passenger seat.
He gently tapped the bottom of her chin with a smile. "Good idea, li'l one."
She blushed quietly, a goofy grin across her cheeks as she turned to look out the window.
It was painfully obvious that she liked him, but the boys would never address it and embarrass her about it. Kush just sat silently in annoyance at his friend for unintentionally being the one his sister liked, though it was in the wrong sense.
It was true that Ryélle had a crush on one of her brother's friends, but it wasn't Baby. She only admired him. She liked that she could talk about sophisticated topics with him and have him actually engage with her. And it made her indescribably happy when he praised her intelligence.
She also loved the way Dee would cater to her every need. Whether it was making sure she stayed hydrated, giving her massages and piggyback rides after performances, or even just being around to listen when she wasn't ready to go to Kush—he was there. But he wasn't her crush either.
The one she liked was Leo. The absolute worst of her brother's friends that she could've fallen for. She knew he was rude, disrespectful, and just an all-around asshole, but she liked him anyway.
Why? Who knows? Why did any girl like the 'bad boy' type knowing how terribly they'd get treated?
But still, she found herself looking for his attention, his approval, his affection.
