𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ⭢ 𝖬𝖩

❦ four.

: i said if you wanna keep your face, then you better keep out my way :
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☁️ Loyalty ☁️

It was a little after three, and CJ had been at the barbershop with Lennox since he'd opened it up this morning at around seven-thirty. One of our hangout spots is the barbershop, and CJ treats it like her second home, so that's likely where you're gonna catch her. And if I ain't with her, then majority of the time I'm gonna be on my way or at home. Just as I was about to cross the street where Len's Cuts wasn't too far away, I saw Alore and a couple of his friends approach me like they'd just come from the corner store not too distant.

I don't hate Alore, but I don't necessarily like him either. When we were in school he dedicated every second he got to flirting with me, which I never understood 'cuz... why? There's tons of other girls at our school, and the more I shut him down the more interested he seemed to have gotten. He cut down on it considering that I've pretty much been avoiding him since school ended, but when I see him from time to time he always tries to pull something.

"Look at little miss Loyalty," Alore said as he and his friends neared, and I gradually slowed down walkin'. Any normal person would've just kept walking or picked up the pace, but I would've been stopped for a second time anyway and I don't have the patience to be harassed the entire way to my destination.

Once he stopped in front of me, his friends stopped as well as it had seemed they were all doin' their own things. But it wasn't long before they were looking up from their phones and breakin' separate conversations to put the focus on me, which sent a chill down my spine.

"Where you headed to?" Alore asked, and I just blinked while deadpanning him.

"How is that your business, Alore?" I simply say, and he sardonically throws his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

"I'm jus' tryna' make conversation, thas' all."

"Make conversation wit' someone else, you weirdo," I scrunched my face up at him, and just when he opened his mouth to speak one of his friends beat him to it.

"You look familiar... do I know you?" he abruptly questioned, and I furrowed my brows at him before briefly ducking my lips to the side. Tilting my head a little, I tried to think if I knew who he was or not.

"I'on know... did you go to Maynard?"

"Nah, I was homeschooled," he answered, and I didn't know what to say in response. He didn't look familiar to me, and I have a pretty good memory to be honest. If I'd recognized him I would've been able to spot him almost anywhere. I'll have to do a little back tracking later, though..

"Are we done wit' the family reunion?" Alore chimed in, which only resulted in me rolling my eyes at him. Perking his eyebrows at me, Alore then took a small step closer to me before his demeanor changed to a more serious one, and he lowered his voice.

"I'on know whea' ya little emo friend at," he started, "But when I find him I'm catchin' my fade. Reese ain't been in contact, and I'on like that."

"What are you talkin' about?" I narrowed my eyes at Alore before he tilted his head to the side, making his neck more visible and along it I spotted a fresh set of stitches where it looked like he was cut. Sharply inhaling through my teeth, my eyes met with his again as he straightened his body up. "This literally has nothin' to do with me, though..."