New To This

Jesus Walks

Ziyah's POV

"Damn Zi, what took you so long," Lucas says the second he opens the door to his apartment.

"I'm 5 minutes late damn," I say. Shock comes over Lucas's face as I still stand on his welcome mat in the evening, in a button down, and with none of the good food he promised me when inviting me to eat dinner with him and his mom. Before Lucas can say anything about why he labeled this dinner as an emergency I hear footsteps approach the door.

"Did I just hear the D word?" a familiar woman's voice scolds. A voice that could only belong to Lucas's crazy mom Ms. Hamilton who at barely 5 feet scares me when she's not reciting sermons or bible verses.

"No Ms. Hamilton," I say.

She approaches the door dressed in her messy apron with her golden jesus piece. "Ziyah look at you! Come on in boy! Lucas why are you just standing there?" She shouts and pulls me into the house that's filled with the smell of collard greens, burnt cornbread, and mashed potatoes. In a matter of seconds Lucas has me sitting at his rusty dining table across from him. Just as Lucas is about to say something the doorbell rings, and a smile spreads on his face.

"Is that our special guest?" Ms. Hamilton shouts from the kitchen.

"Mhmm," Lucas says and heads to the door as his smile turns way too devious. After he opens the door I hear a few hellos and a girl's voice. Oh god please tell me Lucas didn't bring one of his conquest. Lucas walks back into the room, but now he's beside a girl who with one look I know is Danielle Goodman. Only her umber eyes are the same and she now can be mistaken for any girl on social media. Bright red waves of probably fake hair, fenty makeup that I only know because of Angela, and a black kinda tight jumpsuit. Fried chicken and popcorn, that was a bit much.

"Zi!" she shouts and leaves Lucas's side to get me up from my chair. She wraps her arms around me, I shoot daggers at Lucas who stands behind her. "I've missed you so much!" She looks at me expecting to say the same, but I don't because I haven't thought about this girl until last week.

"Who's this girl? Ziyah is this the Daya Lucas told me about?" Ms. Hamilton says coming back from the kitchen.

It takes me no time to say, "No."

"I'm Danielle Goodman Ms I used to hang out with Ziyah and Lucas in elementary school," Danielle explains. She looks back at me, why I don't fucking know. Ms. Hamilton looks Danielle up and down, and were probably thinking the same thing as me. That's a tight jumpsuit.

"Well Danielle you were cuter when you were 9, but you have to be dressed appropriately to eat in this house," Ms. Hamilton says in that sweet, but hella messy way. She could be on one of those shitty reality tv shows Angela watches.

I stare at my feet hoping I imagined what Ms. Hamilton just said. Ultimately I wanna save Danielle from this situation, but she seems to got it handled. "Oh I'm sorry Ms. Hamilton, don't worry I was just stopping by to say hi." Her smile remains, but it's more limp now, and she looks back at me. "Bye Ziyah," she says not even acknowledging Lucas as she flips her hair over her shoulder.

"Bye Danielle," I say. Thanks to Ms. Hamilton and the image of Daya in my head I have no problem not looking at her as she walks out.

When there is no trace of Danielle I'm back in my seat and Lucas is sitting across from me smirking. "So Danielle was the reason you wanted me to come?" I ask.

"No Danielle was just a surprise, I'll tell you the real emergency later after dinner," Lucas whispers and his mom comes back with plates filled with food. All kinds of soul food, all kinds of food that beats the microwave meals I share with Sof. All food I can't touch until Ms.Hamilton is done with her long ass prayer and speech.