O3.
Maree
"That poor man," my mom pouted. I had just got done telling her about the events that took place at the mall yesterday. "You said he didn't defend himself?" I shook my head before biting into my sandwich.
"Nope, he just stood there. I think he was trying to be the better person. After all, he is the adult." I shrugged. Personally, if I were Chris, Tamir would have got his shit rocked. There's no way I'm 'bout to let a nigga pour soda on me.
"He seems so lonely, Ree. I never see anyone come to visit him and the neighbors said that they haven't even met him yet. I wanna do something nice." my mom smiled. Shaking my head, I stood up to dispose of my trash. My mother is constantly trying to do 'something nice'.
"What could you possibly have in mind?" I sighed. She took a sip of her beverage before speaking.
"I'll bake him something. Maybe a cake or cookies. Or a pie. Eh. I'll figure it out." she chuckled. We shared some laughter before I made my way up the steps. I went into my room and flopped onto my bed. I tilted my head up to get a good view of the clock. 11:26 AM. Groaning, I threw my head back and stared at the ceiling. It's Sunday and I'm bored as fuck. Good grief.
Chris
I wonder why she looked so exhausted. She just plopped down on her bed as if she had the most tiring day ever. The day hasn't even started yet. Licking my lips, I took the scope off of zoom and placed it away in my closet. Watching her has become a bit of a habit. I don't get much from it but I enjoy seeing her face. I slipped into my house slippers and walked downstairs.
After grabbing a cup of coffee, I went into my room entitled 'Artistic Escape'. This is where I come to draw, paint, sculpt, or anything else creative to free my mind. I grabbed a spray can and shook it up. Once the red color touched the white walls, I was in my zone.
— Time Skip —
Three hours. That's how long I've been in this room painting and drawing. One emotion that took over at a point was frustration, stemming from that kid at the mall. The other emotion was admiration and that went towards Maree. She's such a beautiful girl and my thoughts of her are growing immensely. Although I have a vivid picture of her beauty plastered in my mind, I was incapable of drawing her. I felt as if I wasn't capturing her looks perfectly enough.
The doorbell rang, breaking me from my thoughts. I wiped my blue paint stained hands on my sweats. Jogging to the door, I opened it, being greeted with Maree.
"Hi, Chris. Uh, my mom and I baked all of this stuff for you. Yeah, we're a little abnormal." she giggled. I laughed a bit and took two of the pans away from her, leaving her with one.
"Follow me." I instructed, leading us into the kitchen. I placed the tin pans on the island. She did the same with the one that she was carrying.
"What did you guys make?" I asked, attempting to spark up conversation.
"This container has red velvet cake in it. That's actually pretty delicious by the way. This one is my mom's signature fudge brownies. And last but not least, I made you my M&M monster cookies. You'll love those the best." she bragged before laughing. I joined in as well and sat on the stool. She followed suit, making herself comfortable.
"Why'd you guys bake these for me?" I asked out of curiosity. She placed a free strand of hair behind her ear. I noticed she does that whenever she's stalling for the perfect answer. She did that when I questioned her age, only to make herself seem older.
"Well, I told my mom about the mall incident. She felt bad and we decided to bake for you. Don't look at it as complete pity though. We just figured you were a little lonely. That's why I came over here to invite you over for dinner." she smiled pleasantly. I bit my bottom lip as I contemplated whether or not I should go.
"Sure, I'd love to come over for dinner." I grinned, making her mirror my expression.
"Great. Dinner starts at eight. That rhymed." she laughed to herself before standing up. Her random behavior was the cutest thing ever. I was hoping she wouldn't leave just yet. Her company was beginning to make me happy.
"Maree, do you have a minute? Can we, you know, talk?" I asked nervously, hoping she wouldn't reject me. A warm smile took over her face before she sat back down. I opened the container with her signature cookies inside and ate one.
"These are good. You're interested in culinary?" I asked, taking another. I gestured with my hand for her to get one as well. She took one and took a small bite out of it.
"Actually, no. I don't want to pursue a future in culinary. I really want to be a psychologist. I'm interested in the way people's minds work." she explained, pointing at her temples.
"Is that right? I'm getting my Master's degree in the medical field. I hope to someday be a psychiatrist." I shrugged. She gave me an impressed look and leaned forward.
"Is school hard?" she asked with eagerness. I laughed at how wide eyed she got over our small conversation. I guess college meant a lot to her.
"Nah, not really. At first it was because you were over analyzing shit, ya know? Like, you thought because it was college, that it was gonna be extremely difficult. You just need to go there with an open mind and be willing to learn. You'll do great, I just know it." I grinned at her. She seemed a bit confused by my last statement. I read it on her face.
"How do you know?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, you seem very focused on academics. I mean, you were so intrigued by college that it led me to believe that you're a scholar in school. When you do get that degree, you'll be the best damn psychologist to do it. You have the proper people skills to work with others. I don't know, you just seem ambitious." I shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. I didn't mean to tell this girl all about herself like that. She's probably thinking that I'm a creep.
Maree
That had to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my future goals. Not even my own family supports my dreams like that. While my mom wanted to me follow after her, my dad wanted me to follow after him. Nobody ever asked me what I was interested in and actually gave a fuck until now.
"Thanks, Chris. Believe it or not but what you said meant so much to me. At least somebody's in my corner." I noted.
"Do you not feel supported?" he asked. I shook my head 'no' and stared at the marble counter top. I heard him sigh heavily as he prepared an answer.
"Listen, I felt the same way when I was younger. My mother was a lawyer. She didn't really take a mental aspect into anything. Very unemotional woman. Everything had a logical explanation when it came to her. To me, I thought there was more to why someone did things. She didn't agree with my argument so she kicked me out when I was seventeen." he lectured. I felt so bad. You could clearly hear the sorrow in his words.
"Wait, because you thought a different way, she kicked you out? That's terrible." I said. He nodded in agreement at my words.
"That's just how my family is. I've been on my own ever since. Jumpin' from state to state. I've been avoiding 'em. All they do is show disapproval in everything I do. That's why I stay to myself." he sighed. I didn't want to show him pity because he's had enough of that, I'm sure.
"Not to change the subject but, where are you from?" I asked.
"That's fine. I'm from Virginia." he smiled proudly.
"What states did you move to?" I asked.
"Let's see," he began to think, "Connecticut, Oregon, Arkansas, I stayed in Utah for while. Hated it. Uh, Kansas, Minnesota and then here." he rambled.
"You moved that much? Lucky." I giggled.
"I love to travel and see new places. There's more to life than just what you were born in. There's different customs and values. I hope to move out of the country at some point." he smiled. My phone vibrated on the table, interrupting our conversation. I apologized with my eyes before looking at the text message.
From: Moms
are u still at chris' house? did he say yes for dinner? if so, come home to help me cook.
I sighed and clicked the bar to type in my message.
To: Moms
chill with the ?'s and yes to both questions. i'll be home in a sec.
I sent the text and watched as the bar filled up. When I looked up, Chris was looking at me.
Chris
While she responded to a text message, I stared deeply at her. Her beauty was remarkable. Not only her looks kept me in awe but her personality. She's just so gentle and caring when it comes to people. Never once did she judge me and she was all ears while we spoke.
"Earth to Chris?" she giggled, waving her hand in front of my face. My face flushed of embarrassment. I wouldn't be surprised if I was turning red by now.
"I-I'm sorry. Just starin' into space." I said, adding a slight nervous chuckle.
"It's fine, Chris but I have to go. My mom wants me back to help with dinner. You still comin' over, right?" she asked, pointing at me.
"Absolutely." I smirked. We walked to the front door and stopped once I opened it. "Tell your mom that I said thanks and I'll be over soon."
"Sure thing. See you later, Chris." she chuckled before turning on her heels. I waved and closed the door. Now, off to prepare for dinner with my new neighbors.