Hood Ornaments

Tori pushed the button on the phone and sighed heavily. She wasn't sure why she couldn't just ask Dell for Stick's number over the phone. She walked over to the window seat and looked into the horizon. It was steel gray and the only lavender she was able to detect was a small patch woven like thread into a distant cirrus cloud.

Since the rain was a misty annoyance, Tori decided to pull her long, thick plaits into a tight bun onto the top of her head. She grabbed hoodie that matched the horizon, shoved her new phone in her pocket, and bounded down the stairs.

She heard the tinkling of breakfast dishes being washed from the kitchen.

But there no music.

Her grandmother wasn't even humming.

Tori teetered to the edge of the small living room and yelled to Trudy,

"Grandma, do you need my help?"

Still looking out the tiny window over the sink with her hands full of suds Trudy responded.

"Nah baby, I am almost done. You go head on."

Tori smiled slightly, "How did you know I was leaving?"

Trudy chuckled, "You and that boy can't stay away from each other for more than two hours when y'all are awake."

Tori's eyebrows shot to the top of her head in curiosity and instead of teetering, she sauntered into the kitchen, head tilted with a smirk upon her face. Trudy was holding back a giggle as she was washing the last piece of silverware and placing it into the white, wire dish rack. Tori grabbed a dish towel and a glass and began drying as her grandmother was rinsing out the sink.

"What are you talking about Grandma?" Tori asked in a sing song voice.

Trudy fixed the expression on her face so it wore seriousness before she looked at her granddaughter and spoke.

"You know what I mean," she retrieved a dish towel from the drawer and began to dry the dishes along with Tori, "I mean I guess it would be okay. Y'all have known each other

since the playpen."

"Ewe Grandma, Dell is like my brother!" Tori snapped and she put a glass in the white, metal, cabinet.

"Mhmmm, to you but I'm telling you that boy likes you but is afraid of you because you are too smart. Too bad you like the goofy-looking one." Trudy’s eyes twinkled with sarcasm.

"Grandma that ain't gonna work. I do not like Tony, Dell or Malik like that. And, Tony ain't no goofier looking than Dell."

Trudy continued to pick with her granddaughter as they dried and put away the breakfast dishes. Truth be told, Trudy liked Dell, and although Tori and Dell didn't know it, he was going to wind up marrying her.

Which could be complicated.

She would have to pray the evil off of him first.

But Sticks had a tight hold.

Like a jackal on his prey's throat.

The whole city was choking.

But Trudy knew how to break free from its jowls.

How to pray for the prey and save the innocent.

Let the city say, Amen.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Tori's chatter.

"...and he is skinny, and he thinks he knows everything and has no problem expressing his wrong thoughts to everybody looking like a fool."

Trudy nodded and smiled as she wiped out the kitchen sink, "All I know is you don't have any girlfriends Tori. I hope you ain't hangin out with those boys for the wrong reason."

"Grandma!" Tori said exasperated as she shut the silverware drawer.

"I'm not talkin like that. I just wish you had some girlfriends that's all."

Tori leaned up against the counter and put her hands in her hoodie pocket where she came across her phone. She took it out of her pocket and noticed it was blinking. She was half listening to Trudy when she scrolled down to find a text message from Dell:

Yo! Where R U?

She responded:

I'll b right there. 10 min.

She shoved the phone back in her pocket.

"Who's that?" Trudy asked knowing full and well who it was.

"The only other person besides you who has my number, the less goofy looking one."

"Don't get fresh," Trudy said as she tilted her cheek upward so her granddaughter could kiss it.

"I'll be back," Tori said kissing Trudy making her way out of the kitchen.

"Make sure you turn the ringer up in case I need you! “Trudy called out after her.

"Okay!” She did just what her grandmother told her to do and turned the ringer up, and just as she did that the phone rang real loud.

"Dag, you're impatient," Tori said to no one else but Dell.

"Dag your slow," Dell quipped back.

"Nah, I had to help Trudy with the dishes you know."

"Oh."

"Plus she had to pick on me about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah she is under some sort of sick impression you and I are hookin up."

Dell frowned as he looked into his phone, "Why's that gotta be sick?"

Tori looked into her phone with the same frown, "Really?"

"I'm jus sayin," Dell answered still frowning.

Tori rolled her eyes, "Jus stop sayin it,"

There was an uncomfortable lull of silence and Tori realized that she didn't hear any background noise.

"Why is it so quiet?"

"Chu mean?"

"Tony and Leek?"

"Oh they went home."

"Tony too?"

Dell was now smirking and rolling his eyes, "Yes genius that is usually what they means."

"Shut up. You still at the waterfront?"

"Yeah but I am walking toward Stick's building now."

"Okay, I don't know the minutes on this plan yet so let me hang up. Keep walkin, we'll meet up."

"Tor it's Saturday all minutes are free."

"Not the point, I don't know what Trudy did, so I am hangin up."

And with that, Tori hung up leaving Rondell walking towards his uncle's building.

Alone with his thoughts.

Thinking about what was so sick about being with him.

What was wrong with him?

The rain started to riff on concrete.

Tap-tap

Mapped thoughts scattered as raindrops splatter on sunshine dreams.

Things aren't as simple as they seem.

Will I always be mediocre?

A joke for all to laugh at.

A clown struggling to keep juggling a bunch of hand me down nothings...

No one hears it when my heart sings...

The rain continued to fall and Rondell found himself squinting.

As if his lids would protect his eyes from the raindrops. Or the sound of tires squealing against wet pavement?

Screech!

Sticks SUV pulled up, a window rolled down, a door opened, and without hesitation, Rondell jumped in. And Tori, watching from down the block, cussed under her breath.