Dedicated to the lovely Schweetpea1870
"Then her mama came home ーearly as fuck, I might addー and let me tell you something, Hiro: your daughter under some nigga is not a very welcome sight to see when you get home from work and... ay! You still with me?" Caesar snapped his fingers.
Hiro shook his head for the sixth time, trying to refocus on his friend's story.
"Damn dude, still high on that Cali kush I see."
Hiro gave a low laugh. "I'm just jetlagged is all."
"Whatever you say man."
He really was. He was finally back from his annual vacation to his hometown in Campbell, California. The five hour flight had already been disorienting, never mind the time zone re-adjustment. He was trying to enjoy these last few hours of summer before officially starting high school. His friend was currently catching him up to speed before the homecoming party he was throwing him.
He cleared his throat. "...So, you and Cindy huh?"
"Nigga yeah," He sighed dreamily, "I've been about her for the longest."
Hiro rolled his eyes. "You said that about Jazmine last year."
"Because it was true! But, yanno, Huey recently had a talk with me about him seeing her first and I get it, like brocode, feel me?"
"I guess," He shrugged, enjoying the brief silence.
"What about you man?" Caesar asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"I 'on't know," he gave an arch look. "Tell me something."
Hiro scratched the side of his head, confused. "...About?"
"Girls, nigga." Caesar clarified. "Don't tell me you went all the way out west and didn't see nun. Don't you live in the valley? Aren't those chicks supposedly super bad?"
He grinned when he understood. "Yeah valley-girls are fine, but LA is where it's at for the real baddies."
"So," His friend recapped, "You're telling me that you spent bikini season in the gold coast, and couldn't pull nothin'?"
"Wait, what?" Hiro rubbed his cheek, "When did I ever say that?"
"Eh, you didn't have to." Caesar shrugged, setting his arms behind his head. "I could tell you wasn't getting none since before you left"
Hiro, indignant yet amused, replied, "I mean, I wasn't looking for it."
Caesar shook his head. "Sleep."
His eyes set out to the park they were passing, even the trees were different here in the north-east. He got lost in his own thoughts for a second. "I think my one true love is music."
"I feel thaー shawty to the left thick."
His eyes went from the trees to cake. His friend was right, that girl was fine. Whoever she was.
She currently had her back turned, but her long black hair was enough for him to decide she was cute. She was juggling her soccer ball flawlessly, like she'd been doing it all her life.
"Think she'll let me join?" Caesar said, already walking towards her.
Looking at the two younger boys in front of the girl, he saw that they were talking in a foreign language. They all looked sort of similar, possibly related. Hiro eyed them a little warily, "She looks busy."
"Damn, and she could play." He whistled, completely ignoring him.
"What about Cindy?" Hiro asked weakly when Caesar walked right past him.
"Ayo, pass me the ball." He called out to her, waving his hand in the air.
The girl finally looked back and Hiro felt his jaw unhinge. Asian eyes narrowed at his friend, her mouth curling into a snarl. Chinese, if he had to guess by their tongue. She had to be new, he'd have remembered her face if saw the prettiest girl in Woodcrest. He wanted to push Caesar out of the way, give her a tour around town. But then he remembered what Caesar said about bro-code and bit his tongue.
He watched said boy and frowned a little, was he really about to forget Cindy like that? He looked back at the girl's scowl and thinks she's about to shoot him down. Instead, the corners of her mouth turned up and she kicked him the ball with a nod.
"Two on two?" Caesar caught the ball and began dribbling it casually.
"One on one." She shook her head and faced him.
"Bet." Hiro could practically hear the smirk in his voice. He stood there, crestfallen that the girl was actually interested in his friend and not him. He wondered if she even saw him there.
He watched them play for a few seconds before the girl stole the ball and ran with it. Caesar chased her around, his shins kicked in the process, until his ankles gave out.
He heard Ceasar wince, "Gettin' kinda rough, babe."
She flashed her small teeth in a grin, "Too much for you?"
"Not enough." He quipped and tried to take the ball back.
Her grin got wider as she shuffled her feet.
Caesar swore out loud, she'd stomped on his right foot and kicked him between the legs.
His friend hissed and doubled over in pain. Hiro rushed to his side promptly while the girl walked away triumphantly and resumed juggling her ball.
"Are you okay?" He asked, slightly worried. He looked back over to the girl, who had her back turned and called for the young boys. She scared him, excited him, confused him.
Caesar only lifted his head to watch the girl walk away. He let his head fall back down with a groan.
"Nigga, I'm sprung."
He isn't sure he's ever going to see her again, isn't even sure he wants to. But it doesn't stop him from thinking about her.
Even at the homecoming party at Caesar's house. Even when his parents brought a cake out for him.
He couldn't stop.
Jazmine pinched his cheek, "Hiro, why are you acting so shy?"
He was shook out of his reverie and smiled, "I'm still a little jetlagged, Jaz."
"Did you get taller?" Cindy accused, messing his hair up.
"That's just you getting shorter, shortie." Caesar replied, snaking his arm around her shoulders. His stomach turned at the thought of Caesar flirting with that other girl just a few hours earlier.
She shrugged him off and he noticed that she too had grown over the summer. Maybe not in height, but now that she wasn't wearing her baggy jersey, he could just make out the bra under her tank top. Jazmine had changed too, she ditched the leggings from middle school and wore her skirts with bare legs now. And lip gloss, if he wasn't mistaken.
The boys kept getting taller, he'd lost hope in trying to catch up with them long ago. He was Riley's height, who was two years his junior.
He stood there in his own insecurity. Everyone had matured in some way over the summer except for him, no wonder the girl didn't notice him. She probably thought he was the age of those two boys she was playing with.
Hiro checked his watch, "I think my parents want me home."
"You are home," Caesar said, patting his back.
They all laughed as they said their goodbyes. "I'll see you guys at school, okay? Goodnight."
Hiro went to bed with the hope that he'd get the chance to see her again.
After months of planning I'm making this happen.
A big thank you to my bestie Schweetpea1870 for always encouraging my ideas, absolutely could not have done this with out her.