Chapter 1

What Is This?

Christy’s 14th birthday is on June 08th, a couple days after school closes for the Summer Break. Jason already celebrated his birthday on April 26th. He took Christy out to the movies and Red Lobsters and bought her some flowers. They were a bouquet of Red Rose Petal Flowers.

“I got these for you bae…” Jason said when he surprised her with the flowers from behind his back.

“Awwww, they are soooo cute!” Christy said as she took the bouquet of flowers and held it up to her nose and sniffed them.

“Bae it’s your birthday, how come you’re the one giving me gifts?” Christy asked Jason while smiling.

“I just love you so much, and I love to make you happy” Jason said.

“Your happiness is my happiness.”

“And plus, this is the first birthday I get to spend with you. I want it to be special.”

Christ began to blush and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Awwwww.” She said as she smiled.

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I’ve grown to appreciate Christy more after being stabbed and hospitalized. You always grow to appreciate the little things in life more after you have a near death experience. I’m not saying that Christy is little or anything like that, she’s probably the biggest thing in my life right now. That is, after “Allah”. Abdul has told me much about Him.

“What is He?” I asked Abdul while laying down in the hospital bed after being stabbed. Abdul lifted me up at the train station and carried me all the way to the hospital after I was stabbed and bleeding profusely.

“Jason, when referring to Allah it is not permissible to label Him as a ‘what’, rather a ‘Who’” He said to me.

I was still confused, I didn’t know “Who” He was and what He is.

“Okay, could you please tell me ‘Who’ He is?” I asked him.

He stared at me for a few seconds without blinking with a blank expression on his face.

And then he stood up and slowly walked to my bedside and placed his hands on the bed.

“Jason, in the beginning there was nothing, and only Allah existed.”

I stared at him. “But… what does that mean?” I asked him.

“It means that Allah is the Only God and He is the only One Who deserves to be worshipped.” He said.

I paused for a few seconds as I looked at him.

“But… what does that mean?” I asked him again.

Abdul looked at me and began to laugh.

“Enough of that now Jason.” He said in between laughter.

“Are you hungry… Do you want me to get you something to eat?” He asked me.

“Umm… I don’t want to… impose or burden you or anything like that.” I said to him.

Abdul’s eyes widened and he immediately responded.

“Oh no, no, of course not, you’re not imposing, just tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you bro.” He said.

I paused for a few seconds. “Well… okay… if you insist.”

“Would you mind getting me some Oreos and Apple Juice.” I said to him.

Abdul gave a wide smile and began laughing. “Damn bro, you sure love Oreos.”

“I got you though, you want me to get you the double-stuffed or just the regular jawns?” He asked me.

“The regular jawns. And instead of the Apple Juice could you get me some milk.”

“I got you bro, coming right up.” He said then he walked out the room.

About 10 minutes later he walked back in holding a plastic packet of some Oreos and a milk carton of Chocolate Milk. He placed them on the bed.

“They didn’t have the regular white milk jawns, but I got you Chocolate Milk, is that cool?” He asked me.

I quickly picked up the plastic Oreo packet and ripped it.

“Ahhh! Thanks bro! Yeah, that’s cool, just as long as you ain’t get me the pink milk jawn.” I said to him.

“I hate them jawns.” I said.

“Yeah, I hate em’ too, what flavor are they?” I asked him.

“Idk bruh, Allah knows best. All I know is it tastes disgusting.” He said.

I smiled and began to laugh as I delved a round Oreo into the square milk box.

“You want some?” I asked as I held one out to him.

DuLi reached out with his hand and grabbed it.

“Yeah, I’ll try one.” He said as he bit it and began to chew.

He closed his eyes as he chewed on for a few seconds.

“These jawns popping!” He said.

“I know right!” I said back to him.

DuLi then picked up his coat and bag. “Well I’m finna leave bro, I’ma let you get some rest.”

I looked at him and lifted up my eyebrow. Bro, but you just came in 30 minutes ago.”

“I gotta dip bro, I’ll be back tomorrow.” He said then he walked out the door.

I was left alone on the hospital bed. The doctors and nurses told me that the stab wound almost punctured through my spleen, and if I had come to the hospital a few minutes later then I would’ve been permanently paralyzed. But still, even though I knew that I was very fortunate I was still lonely. The oldhead and mom came to see me a few times with Cecilia, they stayed overnight but I told them to go home and get some sleep.

I talked to Christy on the phone a few times. She wanted to come see me, but I told her not to. As I looked around the empty hospital room I began to regret that decision. I picked up the phone next to my bedside and I dialed Christy’s number.

The phone rang once and she picked up.

“Bae what’s wrong, are you okay?” Her soft voice came at the other end of the line and she asked me.

I paused and didn’t say anything for a few seconds.

“Yeah bae… I’m cool. DuL just left.” I said to her.

“Oh okay, did you eat?” She asked me.

“Yeah, I had some Oreos. I’m just…” I said.

“Oreos is not considered food, but okay what’s wrong?” She asked me.

“I’m just mad lonely…” I said.

“Can you come over pretty please.” I said.

“I’ll be right there.” She said.

I gave a wide smile. Then I told her thank you and hung up the phone. About ten minutes later she came walking through the door. Her long black hair was curly so I knew she just got out the shower.

“How’d you get here so quick?” I asked her. She was holding a round white bowl.

“Your dad gave me a ride.” She said.

“He wanted me to give you this.” She placed a small white bowl on the bed next to me.

I opened up the top and looked in it. “It was rice, mixed with some kind of sauce on the side. I was not familiar with it. I closed the lid and crunched up my face.

“This jawn look disgusting, I’m not eating it.” I quietly said.

“Bae your dad said that it’s gonna make you better, you gotta eat it.” She said.

Christy then sat on the bedside next to me and opened the lid on the bowl back up. She took the spoon that was inside it. I placed my hands on her legs to stop her as she opened the bowl.

“Christy… I didn’t call you here to feed me okay.” I said to her.

She then lifted her head up and looked at me.

“Mhmm…”

“Yes… tell me…?” She said.

I looked at her in the eye and began to rub her cheek.

“I called you here to stare in your eyes cause you’re so beautiful.” I said.

Christy stared back at me and her eyes began to gleam.

“Awww bae really?” She said to me with starry eyes.

I paused and looked at her for a few seconds without saying anything.

“Actually no, could you please hand me the remote, I think the Sixers gotta game today. Ben Simmons had a triple double last game, did you watch it?” I asked her.

Christy slapped me on the legs as the sheet was spread over me.

“Stupid boy!” She said to me.

I screamed out loud and began to hold my legs where she slapped.

“OUCHH!” I said.

“THAT HURTED!” I said as I continued to hold my legs.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She said as she rubbed my legs where she slapped.

I then gave a devilish smile. As soon as Christy saw this she slapped my legs again.

“You are so immature!” She said.

I then bursted out in laughter. “And you are sooo gullible!” I said.

Christy then frowned and turned her head to the side. I held the top of her head and started to rub her hair, then I turned her head to the side to face me.

“I’m just kidding boo.”

“You really have the most prettiest most wonderfulest eyes in the world.” I said.

Christy gave a short pause. “Really bae?” She asked me.

“Yes… really.”

“And you are perfect and beautiful, and I love you. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” I said.

“Awww baby really?” She asked me.

“Yes… really! Bae I wrote you this poem do you wanna hear it?”

“Yeah tell me bae.” She said.

I then reached over on the bed and took out one of the papers that the nurses gave me, I then pretended to read it. Christy put her hand over her mouth and started to snicker and laugh.

“ROSES ARE RED!”

“VIOLETS ARE GREEN!”

“I LOVE CHRISTY BECAUSE OF THE TASTE OF HER CREAM!” I said.

“Did you like it?” I asked her.

Christy looked at me with a blank expression.

“I’m leaving.” She said. Then she got off the bed and turned her head.

I grabbed her hand before she got all the way up. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to me.

“I’m sorry boo… I’m just being stupid. You know I really love you.” I quietly said to her as I looked at her in the eye.

“Awww…” She said.

I then pulled my head in closer to her and buried my tongue in her mouth. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed back. We stayed in that position for a few minutes. And then Jerry waltzed in the room. I called him earlier and told him to come in. He knocked on the closed door first. When nobody answered his knock and told him to come in he just decided to walk in.

I withdrew from Christy and pulled my head back and looked at my friend as he stood at the doorway.

“How you just gon’ come in and nobody answered?” I asked him.

“Cause I knew that she was here.” Jerry replied.

I began to laugh. “Bae can you please give us a minute?” I said to Christy.

“Yeah. You want me to get you something?” She asked me as she got up off the bed.

“Can you grab me more Oreos?” I asked her.

“And some milk, pretty please with chicken and strawberries on top.”

She smiled and nodded her head as she opened the door and walked out. Jerry then walked towards the bed and started smiling.

“You do look like some burnt sausages.” He said.

I laughed out loud and drew a straight face as I looked at him.

“All jokes aside bro… I gotta talk to you about something.” I said to him.

“Wassup broski?” He said as he drew a chair and sat down next to me at the bedside.

“Bro I gotta talk to you about…”

“You look like a caterpillar.” He said with a straight face.

I bursted out in laughter, trying to maintain my straight face composure but I failed terribly.

“Broo… ALL JOKES ASIDE!” I said to him in between laughter.

Jerry then gave a straight face and looked at me.

“My fault my fault, wassup bro?” He asked me.

“Bro… Wassup with you and my little sister.” I asked him.

Jerry looked at me and gave a short pause. “What you mean?”

“She told Christy… and Christy told me.”

“Wassup bro?” I said to him.

Jerry looked at me and gave a long pause. He began to rub his hands and then he turned his head to the side.

“Bro… I love her.” He said.















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