The ballad of Akir James

Thirteen

AFTER TAKING A SHOWER, I got dressed in the outfit I chose to wear for the party which consisted of black Jeans, Bla ack T-shirt, and white socks with my Black PUMA slippers. I enter the full blast party taking the seat beside my grandmother with my sketchpad and Airpod.

"Why don't you join the youngsters?" Grandma asked looking over at Torando and all the guys gathered around the table which was set away from the adults

"I'm okay here Grandma," I answered as I penciled color the Rum bottle on my paper.

"Everything OK. I notice you and T have some Crack between you both ." She said. Everyone has been noticing that I have been avoiding T at all costs. It's painful enough that I have to endure my father's stare at me being social with the girls here while every time I see T that night keeps replaying in the back of my mind.

And worst of all couple of the guys my father invited kept staring at me like they wanted something. It was giving me anxiety feels, the only time I didn't feel their eyes on me was when Torando glared at them.

I didn't want to know and I didn't have the energy to analyze what was going on.

When I was up and about helping the older women share our food one of the guys kept close by staring at me and even smiling at me. The look you give someone when you know something. I shrugged it off until one of the guys appeared at the bathroom door where I was.

Did he follow me here? I wonder. I quickly vacate the bathroom and slide out of the house bumping into Torando. I step back and step around him.

"You ok?" I hear him ask. I ignored him and went back into the kitchen where my mom was waiting on him when a loud commotion sounded. I rush back in to see Torando up in the guy's face. But release him when my father appears.

"None of that foolishness here," he warned in his stern voice. I shook my head and vacated the area.

My cellphone vibrated, reached for it send saw it a was text from Ronen.

It reads;

Hey, shortcake how's the party? Jessica seems to be enjoying herself.

I looked up to see Jessica dancing but based on the way she was hollering loudly music it was safe to say she was drunk.

"Mama hold this for me." I had my sketchpad. I got up phone in my hand and headed over to where Jessica was dancing wobbly. My cellphone rings. I answered.

"Can you get her to bed," Véyah appears on the screen.

"Jess," I called her name as her phone slipped to the ground. I picked it up and she jumped on my back. She set herself on the ground and collapsed on the ground. I set my phone down on the table. Jessica reached for a cup nearby and was about to take a sip but I took it from her. I pick up my phone as Jessica wraps her arm around my waist, probably happy to rest her head.

"Ronen and I are coming." She said as my inside tensed up. "What are you playing?" I ask her. She got up and circled her arm around my neck.

"You looking sad," she poked my cheeks.

"I am fine," I hugged her before she collapsed back onto the chair.

"Akir," Veyah called out, I turned to see Ronen and Veyah walking towards him earning the eyes of the entire yard.

"Hey beautiful," Veyah pushed back Jessica's hair. "Hi, Wifey!" Jessica blurted out hands in the air before hugging me again.

"Well she's wasted," Ronen said his voice doing things to my inside a sudden nervousness erect, I avoided his gaze as I looked down at Jessica.