Daya

9| Something New

I think I've moved on from Chase not completely of course he still prances around the football field with his shirt off, but I've found another football player to stare at. This one in particular is a sophomore like me, and on the JV team, which to be honest no one cares about.

His name is Dylan, and like Chase he has the perfect jawline structure and curly hair. Unlike Chase he's a dark chocolate goodness and is a not so good safety, but the whole JV team sucks so it's not that big of a deal. Hell Vince is probably upset that I'm sitting in the bleachers watching them loose when I don't even come to his games.

"Do you know Dylan's jersey number?" I ask Destiny who's sitting next to me watching YouTube videos. She's in my geometry class with Dylan as well who defies the dumb football jock stereotype.

Our teacher Mr. luu mistakes us for each other all the time, and rightfully so because we both have the same braids and our last names start with P.

"Huh? I don't know, 23." She looks at the field for a quick second then goes back to laughing at her phone. She's obviously here just to be waiting for her mother, and that's probably the same for the 7 kids in the bleachers.

"Woo 23," I shout when I see Dylan attempt to score a touchdown. He doesn't turn his head to do a wave he just keeps keeps playing as the number next to guest keeps multiplying.

"Ooh that girl is staring you down," Destiny says making sure I know she's talking to me and not Queen Naijia. Before I can ask her what she's talking about a lightskin girl's glare appears through my peripherals. She has small passion twist down to her waist that are golden brown, the hair matches the glow from the sun that's hitting her clear face.

Pretty girl her pretty girl, why is she shooting daggers at me?

"Who's she." The girl flips some of her twist while still focusing her light brown eyes on me.

"Oh she's the safety Dylan's girlfriend you know Dylan in our first period?" Of course she is. I knew Destiny was just watching youtube when I was going into detail about every word I had exchanged with Dylan.

"So you're telling me I watched this team beat the crack out of our team," I check my phone its 3:25. "For 25 minutes and the guy I've been checking out has a girlfriend. Why didn't you tell me that?" The girl or really Dylan's girlfriend gets up and flaunts her slim figure right off the bleachers.

"I thought you were just waiting for your brother, and plus everyone knows they're together." Destiny shrugs while someone tackles one of our players right into the terf.

I can't believe I took time out of my Thursday, got a scald from Astrid when I said I would be late just to watch a guy who already taken. Hell I even wore my Stankonia Outkast shirt with my good jeans that show what my mother gave me.

"You know who Dylan reminds me of?" As an amazon alexa ad plays Destiny looks up at me.

"Who?"

"Your brother." She giggles and hits skip ad ending that small conversation. My first instinct is to first object and offer her a coupon to where I get my glasses, but then I see Dylan jet across the field. Same thick curly haircut, same dominance on the field, the only difference between the two is Vince is way more buff and has my dad's, and my slim eyebrows.

"I gotta go." I pull my backpack on and move my braids out of the way. Destiny gives me an absent minded wave as I try not to bust my ass while walking down the bleacher steps.

Vince still has to show off in front of the freshmen in the weight room so I might as well get my headstart to the elementary school. I follow my usual route to the school which is just going down some creepy alley, where skaters from school smoke and fall on their faces.

After a walk of stepping on old cigarettes and looking behind me for an imaginary stalker I reach the elementary school which I just now notice is across from an overpriced juice bar, neat.

Everyone is in their usual arrangement when I walk in, Astrid is sitting at the sign out table filling out god knows what with a big smirk on her face. Behind her Sofia, Sascha P, and Sascha F are writing in their workbooks with the lines that have a huge amount of space in between them.

"Daya's here!" Sofia yells as I walk across the rainbow rug with the alphabet written on it.

Oh boy this is going to be a hard day.

Whenever they work in their 20 page workbooks or simply do their homework it takes everything in me to get them not to be distracted by my hair or the color of their pencils. It also takes a good amount of patience to not just want to fill out their homework for them.

I sit on the rug which levels me with the plastic table avoiding the small chair that stuck to me.

For the next 30 minutes the girls get through their workbooks while looking around the room and writing super fast to see who finished first. Sascha P finished first, but the other two girls don't really care as they get to color and draw now.

Sofia is halfway through her very abstract drawing of a unicorn mixed with a mermaid when she drops her pink color pencil and screams, "Ziyah." The minute she says that one syllable a picture flashes in my head of Ziyah putting my glasses on my face. Ziyah stands by the sign out table and gives Sofia a little wave before our 8 eyes meet. "Come on Daya!" Sofia tugs on my arm while the two Sascha's continue drawing each other's faces.

"I'm not leaving you are," I laugh.

"But you're going to talk to Ziyah!" She makes sure everyone hears that sentence including Ziyah. He awkwardly plays with the drawstrings of his Golf le fleur hoodie, and avoids looking over at me.

"Hi I'm Astrid I don't think we've met, you must be Angela's brother." Astrid introduces herself.

The minute Astrid starts smiling I let Sofia tug me over to the sign out table.

"Astrid Daya's got it from here." Sofia declares while Astrid smiles at Ziyah's chill persona.

"I'm sure she does," Astrid mumbles under her breath and joins the two Sascha's.

"Just sign right here," I point to the sign out sheet and Ziyah does as I say.

"I think Aquemini is better than Stankonia," he points to my shirt as he finishes scribbling his name.

Wow he has to be the only person besides my parents, and Vince who's listened to those albums.

"Well Return of the G, and Da art of storytellin pt 1 are favorites."

"You got nice taste."

"Thanks."

"Isn't she pretty Ziyah?" Sofia interjects.

I'm so glad I have my melanin to cover up my smitten cheeks. Ziyah and I go back into that weird staring mode, he's probably trying to see the dirt on my glasses. Really I can't see the resemblance between Ziyah and Angela besides they have the same mocha colored skin color, and if Ziyah didn't have dreads he would probably have Angela's smooth curls.

"She's pretty," Ziyah finally spits it out.

"Thanks."

"Ok well they have to go now Daya," Astrid interrupts amd comes up right next to me. I totally forgot she was there as I was staring at the sign out table trying to avoid Ziyah's smirk. He finally takes his eyes off of me and starts scribbling something on the bright orange construction paper that covers the table.

"Oh you're not suppose to write on that," Astrid cringes as his blue handwriting stands out. I swear to god he better not draw a penis.

"My sister and I are going to be late a lot so there is my number." Ziyah drops the pen and points to his writing. Not wanting to be scolded by Astrid he grabs Sofia's hand and walks out the door.

"Don't you love her?" I hear Sofia ask as the door closes behind them.

"Oooh!" The girs say in unison. I stare at the numbers for a little bit before snatching my phone out and typing it in my contacts. That big old smile that comes around when I see Chase etches on my face. Letting my emotions dictate what I do I scratch out his number than draw a heart over it. It's just a heart though a part of me still wishes this whole interaction would've happened with Chase or Dylan.