Hawthorne Heights [Editing]

twenty-four

   I still find it quite surprising that there are other people in the world that have lives just as complex as my own. It's hard to process that information, especially considering I just recently started living.
Before I met Milo, I simply existed—I dream in vivid colors now.
-Khari

☽

   The intoxicated boy possessed no doubts that he had thoroughly memorized every single dent and curvature to Milo's face. With his eyes closed, Khari could easily find her in a crowd simply based off of the aura that she exuded in his presence. The mere thought of her smiling caused for the boy to smother a small grin.

      "Trickertreat!" A pair of twins cheered at the front stoop of Hawthorne Heights.

   Halloween happened to be a rare holiday celebrated on their side of the city. Children mostly flocked to the suburbs or the streets that were known to have doctors and lawyers residing on them. Yet that didn't stop Milo from sitting on the stoop with a bowl full of candy—every single year.

Her hair cascaded down her back and was pulled back using a pair of black kitten ears attached to a headband. Cleo painted whiskers and noses on both Milo's and Khari's faces while her women's group silently approved of the young couple's relationship.

   Milo giggled, "And what are you two tonight? I see a race car driver and an...astronaut?"

   Khari continued to smile dazedly at the children before reaching into the metal bowl and throwing in two small pieces of bubble-gum. He had purposely been doling out the bad candy so that he could save the rest for later on during the night.

      "That's all we get? Two pieces of gum? Man, y'all broke," one of the twins grumbled while throwing her pillowcase over her shoulder.

   A crisp chill seeped into the blanket that the couple shared, causing for them to sit closer than they were before. With the wind came the sharp aroma of crunched leaves and puddles that were left over from a rainstorm the preview week.
  
   Children dressed as fairies, superheroes, doctors, and even politicians, ran up and down the sidewalks with buckets in tow. There was something about the Halloween energy that Khari enjoyed. Growing up, his Grandfather Kojo would take him and his brothers out to trick or treat every single year until he died.

   Milo slyly placed Khari's left arm around her shoulders and nudged her head into his neck. He had noticed how she enjoyed human contact of any kind. Milo constantly needed to be hugged or even nudged to reaffirm that her presence in the present was real. She called it centering herself to reality and she recently began to use Khari as her anchor.

   He snorted, "She's lucky I didn't give her those weird organic fruit snacks that you tried to give me. They tasted like plastic and the Great Depression."

      "Okay, but they're good for you. By the way, you can stop giving them the bad candy, Khari. I already saved us two extra bowls in my apartment so we're good."

   Khari mumbled incoherently before tightening his hold on her shoulders. They hadn't kissed since their homecoming night and neither one of them wanted to initiate it just yet. Jermaine's words about her being intimidating weighed heavily on Milo, making her mentally soften herself to appeal to the opposite sex. On Khari's behalf, he didn't want to come off as aggressive or even embarrass himself due to his lack of experience. He had yet to lose an ounce of innocence.

   Milo flicked her lips with her index finger to attempt at diffusing the tension between them. To outsiders, they probably appeared as two simple-minded teenagers yet they carried the burden of uncertainty in their minds.
  
   Khari's fingers gently traced her upper arm as a young girl approached them with a black bucket and a black beret resting atop a tightly coiled afro. Black leggings, combat boots, and a black turtleneck completed the costume as she marched towards the stoop.

   She pulled a megaphone off of a black sash and blared, "Trick or treat, give me something good to eat!"

      "Um, are you supposed to be a Black Panther?" Milo mused. "Cause you're really rockin' the look. What grade are you in?"

   The girl rested her hands on her hips while stating, "My grade has nothing to do with my intellectual matter. And yes, I am a Black Panther—in costume and in spirit. I demand equal rights for my community...but I also demand three pieces of chocolate so hand 'em over."

   Khari tossed in three pieces of candy from the bottom of the bowl without checking to see if they were in fact chocolates. The girl threw the candy back into the bowl before scavenging for her own treats.

      "Um, sweetheart, it's our job to give you candy," Milo laughed lightly, "I think you should bag back just a lil bit."

      "My name is Laila, not sweetheart. And if you keep tryna con me then I'm getting my big brother on you. He plays football," Laila warned.

Milo rebutted, "Okay and I play basketball. What's your point? Get your brother."

☽

So basically this is a preview of the next chapter. Please ignore any mistakes, I've been stressed out lately but I wanted to update. Thank you for reading and remember to vote!