Jason gave Christy a long stare. He didn’t quite know how to respond to the question. He didn’t know because he didn’t understand it himself.
“Who is John and Arnold?” He asked himself in his head. They were both tiny miniature figures. John’s face was ripped, most of his skin was peeled off, and he had blaring red eyes like a traffic light. Before, when Jason first started seeing John he would not talk, only appeared to him randomly and followed him. John always smiled when Jason was about to, or do something bad. He was there smiling when Jason was in the broom closet with Violet, who is one of Christy’s close friends.
Arnold on the other hand was unlike John completely. Even though he was a miniature figure like John, he was a bit taller, maybe a few inches. And the skin on his face was fully intact and not peeled off. Though he did not smile, he always maintained a straight composure, emotionless. Unlike John, Arnold did not like it when Jason did something bad or immoral. Jason would always see him frowning while he was getting ready to do something bad, but he will see him smiling whenever Jason was about to do something good. He had a baby face which was completely white. He also had no facial hair. The top of his head was bald, he had no ears. Just like John, when Jason first started seeing Arnold he would never talk, only follow him around. Now he was a chatter box.
“Come again?” Jason asked Christy as he stared at her and blinked a few times.
“I said… Who is John?” She asked again.
Jason started to gather his thoughts in his head. “Bae, it’s my PTSD.”
“It’s acting up.” He said.
“It’s making me see things that aren’t there.”
“I just saw a clown in the street, and I saw a little tiny miniature dude hovering over your head.” He said.
Christy sighed. “Are you serious?” She said.
Jason gave Christy a straight face. “Dead serious bae.”
“That’s why I was telling you, I need to hurry up and go back to your house and take my medicine before things get worse.”
“Omg.” Christy said.
“What?”
“Bae if you’re gonna take your medicine you’re not gonna do it at my house, you can do it elsewhere.” She said.
“Fine. I’ll just do it at the train station.”
Christy stared at Jason. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you have to smoke at the train station?” She asked.
“Because I don’t wanna be sober when I jump in front…”
“OKAY JASON!”
Jason stared at her. “Okay what?” He asked.
Christy didn’t say anything, she continued to stare at Jason and blew wind from the side of her mouth. Once Jason saw that Christy wasn’t going to respond he turned around and continued walking, Christy followed behind him. She thought that they were heading back to her house, but the direction they were heading was not the way to her house. She wanted to ask him, but she didn’t want to open her mouth and talk, she was still mad about earlier. Instead of her asking where they were heading to, Christy stopped walking and called out Jason’s name. Jason then stopped and turned around and looked at Christy with her arms folded across her chest.
Jason stared at her for a few seconds, then he finally knew what Christy wanted.
“We’re going to Joe’s.” He said.
Christy was about to ask why, but then she remembered that she had given Jason some money earlier.
“Do you wanna just go to the house and I can meet you there?” Jason asked.
Christy thought for a moment. She definitely did not want to walk all the way to Joe’s house, even though his house was just one town over. Something was still bothering Christy which was making her reluctant to leave Jason by himself.
She slowly shook her head from side to side while frowning. Jason looked at her and put on a straight face.
“I want you to go home.” Jason said,
Christy shook her head from side to side again. Jason took a few steps towards her and he grasped her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes.
“GO HOME!” He said.
“I don’t want to Jason!”
“Why not?” Jason asked.
“Because Jason… You’re crazy. You said that you was gonna jump in front of a train and kill yourself.”
“Bae I was only yanking your chain when I said that.”
“Whatever Jason, I’m not going.” She said.
Jason stared at her for a few seconds.
“You a weirdo, why would you wanna follow me around?”
“Jason you’re the weirdo, saying that you gon’ jump in front of a train and kill yourself.”
“I TOLD YOU I WAS ONLY YANKING YOUR CHAIN!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe lived one town over, on top of an inclining hill, and apartment houses were on the side. Jason climbed up a few steps and arrived at the front porch, Christy was right behind him. He opened up the screen door and balled up his fist and knocked on the outer door. After a few seconds the front door opened up, behind it was an older lady, she looked as if maybe she was in her 60’s, She was African-American, her hair was dreaded, she had on a long blue shirt which almost stretched down to her knees, she smiled and smelled pleasant.
“Are you Joseph’s friend?” She asked. She talked with a Jamaican accent.
“Yes, you’re his mother?”
“I am. My name is Alvita.”
“Nice to meet you Ms. Alvita, is Joe in?” He asked.
“He is, he’s upstairs in his room with his friend. First door on the right.” She said.
Jason figured that the friend that Joe was upstairs with was Jerry. Jerry was a mutual friend between Joe and Jason.
“Thank you.” He said as he stepped in.
Christy followed behind him. As soon as she stepped in Jason introduced her to Alvita.
“Ms. Alvita, this is my wife Christy.” He said.
Ms. Alvita looked at her and smiled. “Nice to meet you dear.” She said.
Then she drew her body in and hugged Christy. She hugged back.
“Nice to meet you too. I love your hair.” Christy said.
“Thank you dear. I love yours too.” She said as she brushed her hand across Christy’s long black hair.
“Are they extensions?” She asked,
Christy shook her head from side to side.
“My moms’ is longer.” She said.
Alvita smiled, then she turned towards Jason.
“Would you like me to call Joseph down?”
Jason shook his head from side to side and turned towards the stairs.
“That’s okay, you said that he’s in his room right?” He asked.
“Yes dear. First door on the right.” Alvita said as she pointed.
Jason then began to climb up the stairs, Christy followed behind him. There was a tan hard carpet covered on the floor, it stretched up to the stairs, Jason wondered how they managed to get the carpet on the stairs like that. The thought vanished from his head when he got upstairs and stood outside of Joe’s door. He knocked twice softly, no answer. He knocked once again and waited. After a few seconds the door began to open up. A girl stood behind the doorway, she was medium height and had short blonde hair. Her arm and legs were covered in tattoos. She was very pretty, she twisted her face as she looked at Jason.
“Who you?” Jason asked.
The girl smiled. “I’m Sarah.”
Sarah was the girl that Joe recently started dating and she lived on his block. She was a bit older then Jason and Christy, she was around the same age as Abdul.
“Hi Sarah.” Christy came from behind Jason and said.
“CHRISTY!” She said then she threw her arms around her.
“Omg I haven’t seen you in forever, how have you been?”
Christy brushed her hair with her fingers and smiled. “I been good.”
“What about you? I saw you at the gym a few weeks ago, but you was talking to this woman and looked busy.” She said.
“Which gym?” Christy asked.
“Planet Fitness.” She replied.
“Oh yeah, that was just my mom, she gotta membership there.”
“I gotta membership there also, you can start coming with me if you want?”
Sarah smiled. “Yes omg, thank you!” She said.
“I hate going there with my mom.” She said.
Christy smiled. “You’re welcome girl. I wish you would’ve told me earlier, I’ve had a membership there for like a year now.”
Jason began to walk into the room. “Is Joe inside?” He asked without turning his head.
“Yeah.” Sarah said.
Joe was laying on his bed watching TV. The tan carpet that was on the floor downstairs and went up the stairs also covered the inside of Joe’s room.
“Yo bro…” Jason said to Joe.
Joe’s head was rested on a pillow as he was watching TV. He lifted it up and looked at Jason. Once he saw him he immediately got up all the way from the bed.
“BRRUUH!” He said as he walked up to Jason and gave him dap.
A dap is like a small handshake or a fist bump. Jason returned the dap and smiled at his friend.
“You good?” He said to his friend,
“Chilling bro. How you?” Joe replied.
Christy and Jason were on the other side of the room talking. Jason and Joe were both standing up close to the bed.
“Why you ain’t call?” Joe asked.
“I was close by, and I already knew that you was going to be home.” He said,
“Your moms let me in, I ain’t never know that you was Jamaican.” Jason added.
Joe laughed. “Yeah bruh, I got that jawn in me. Why you think I be smoking so much?” Joe said.
Jason laughed out loud and gave Joe another dap. “Yo bro you got some gas?”
Jason was asking Joe if he had some marijuana that he could purchase off him. Even though there were plenty of other drug dealers around that Jason could grab from. He preferred to get his illegal drugs from Joe, because he knew him and they were both friends.
Joe laughed. “Always bro, what you need?”
Sarah laughed out loud as she was on the other side of the room talking to Christy.
“OMG!” She said.
“YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!”
“Serious about what?” Jason asked.
Sarah and Christy both looked at him. “Mind yours BOY!” Christy said.
Jason turned his head towards Joe again. “Whatever.” He said.
“You got that jawn for me?” He asked.
Joe then went under his bed and pulled out a shoebox. There were many dime bags inside of it. A dime bag is a big jewelry bag in which .5 grams of marijuana is contained in it.
Joe pulled out one dime bag and gave it to Jason, and Jason handed him a $10 bill. A dime bag of marijuana cost $10, that’s why it’s called a “dime”.
“What you finna do now?” Joe asked Jason.
He was asking his friend what he was getting ready to do now.
“Finna go back to Christy’s crib and blow this jawn down.”
He was telling his friend that he was getting ready to go back to Christy’s house to smoke.
“You walking back?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, her house like 10 minutes away.”
“Walking distance?”
Jason nodded his head up and down.
“That’s far bro…”
“Hold up lemme ask my mom if she can just give ya’ll a ride.” Joe said, then he headed to the door and walked out the room.
A few seconds later Jason turned his head to where Christy and Sarah were standing, they were still talking. Jason dropped his arms to his sides and walked up to them.
“And what are you two beautiful young ladies discussing?” He asked.
Christy and Sarah both started laughing. ‘Nothing!” Christy said.
“Did you get your medicine?” She asked.
“Yeah I got it, we bouta dip, come on.” Jason said to Christy as he turned around and started walking towards the door. Christy followed behind him.
Once they got downstairs Joe and his mother Alvita were both seated on the couch. Once Alvita saw Jason coming down the stairs she got up from the couch and grabbed her keys from the living room table.
“Come on dear, I’ll drop you and your wife home.” She said.
“Thank you very much Ms. Alvita.” Jason said as him and Christy were coming down the stairs.
Alvita smiled to Jason “You’re welcome dear.” She said as she opened the front door.
“Ard bro, I’ma holl at you.” Jason said to Joe. He gave him dap and headed out the door, Christy followed behind him.
Alvita’s car was a Blue Mustang 1960 GT. Alvita walked to the car and opened the door to the driver seat. While she was inside she reached over and opened the passenger door. But Jason wasn’t going to go in the passenger seat, for it was only for one person. He was going to sit in the back with his wife.
“I really like your house Ms. Alvita, and your car as well.”
“Thank you dear. Yeah the exterior looks nice, but the maintenance sure puts a hole in your pocket.” She said as she laughed.
Jason and Christy laughed along with her.
“So how come I don’t see you more often at the house. Joseph says that you’re a really good friend and he has told me so much about you.”
“Maybe next time you can stay for dinner.” She said.
“Yeah, that would be…” He began to say.
“He only goes to Joe’s house to pick up his medicine Ms. Alvita.” Christy cut him off and said.
“Omg.” Jason said as he lowered his head in shame and began to rub the bits of hair on it.
Alvita laughed out loud. As the car drove past a local store Jason immediately remembered, he never got roll ups.
Rollups were the supplementary item for marijuana. Jason preferred to get the Bluntvilles, because they were cheap and already pre-rolled. He was about to ask Alvita to stop at the store so that he could pick up roll ups, but then he figured that may not be such a good idea. He reached in with his head and whispered in Christy’s ear and told her that he had to get roll ups.
“Omg.” She sighed and said.
“Just tell Ms. Alvita to drop you off at the store and take me home. Cause I gotta take a shower.” She said.
Jason nodded his head. He then turned towards Alvita, and was about to ask her. Then Ms. Alvita reached in the drawer next to the dashboard in the car, she opened it and pulled out about 10 vanilla blunt wraps.
“I always keep some in stock, take one dear.” She said.