There was a slight pause, as Daniel spent a few milliseconds with a puzzled look at the figure that was presented before him. Then, in an instant, his face seemed to find some calmness.
“Man like Jerome.” they spudded, “Damn, your knuckles are dry!” said Daniel as he laughed, “why are you looking like some next ninja for school?”
“Fam I don’t know about you, but it’s cold outside” replied Jerome.
“It’s calm for me, but whatever,”
During his time at Temple Way estate, Daniel had learnt that he needed to be able to change the vocabulary and tone of voice he used with the different people in his life for ease and acceptance’s sake. Although using this ‘language’ was far more subconscious for him.
“But yeah fam I’m good still, what you saying?” resumed Daniel.
“Not much fam, just glad I saw you. You’re gonna be doing lines with me, g!”
Prophecy? Perhaps…
“Bro Miss Jones is gonna kill us init? It’s the 3rd time I’ve been late this week”
“Allow it Dan, she’s always got your back. Moving like one guardian angel…or wifey” Jerome started laughing.
“Why are you creasing? Shut up Jezz,” Daniel retorted whilst holding his middle finger up. “She’s nice to me because I respect her. You lot just act too wild in that class”
“Alright relax bro, it’s not that deep. Man’s not tryna be Einstein out here”
After a bit more chin-wagging, the bus pulled up at the Stanley Community School and the boys jumped off as soon as the doors opened.
“Jezz, we need to dash it to school real quick”
“Still doing lines, but we’ll try”
The boys burst into the class just as Miss Jones was going through the register.
“Rita” “Here, miss” “Georgin……oh, we seem to have some more people in attendance with us this morning. Unfortunately, it’s 9:02am so you boys are late”
The whole class starts to giggle as Daniel and Jerome make way to their seats.
“So you’ll be joining me for a date today after school. 100 lines each of ‘I won’t be late to morning registration again’”
The laughter in the room got louder as Jerome desperately tries to catch Daniel, with a suggestive expression on his face. He found him, and Daniel responded with his trusted retaliation of a middle finger whilst facing forwards.
The day at school seemed to flash by, but after the detention ‘date’ with Miss Jones, the boys almost telepathically decided that leaving school to go back home on such a sour note would feel like a waste of a day.
“Let’s go park and kick some ball,” said Jerome, with Daniel nodding in agreement almost as soon as he got the words out of his mouth.
What seemed like another flash went by, and Daniel unexpectedly found himself in the football cage in the park, surrounded by a group of unfamiliar people, all donning their hoods up. Daniel felt no way about hoods, he liked to wear them himself, but he felt there was a threatening energy, which led to a fearful sensation rising through his body. Whilst Daniel was in his head, one of the pack stepped forward menacingly towards him and barked, snapping him out of his daze.
“Yo blud, did you hear me? What have you got for me init?!”