Chapter six

Micah Armani Valentine
Atlanta, Georgia
September 2nd, 2024

Valentine Residence
10:00 AM

Brushing my teeth in front of the bathroom mirror, I glanced at my phone buzzing incessantly on the counter. I ignored it. Mondays were slow for me, thanks to my late arrival schedule. With only three classes before lunch, I didn’t have to rush like most people.

The house felt unusually quiet. The twins, Maya and Sophia, had gone back to college yesterday at North Carolina A&T, leaving just me, Aiden, and my dad around here. Moving them back into their dorms was exhausting, and I was still feeling it. But their dorms were fire—way nicer now that they were juniors.

After spitting out the toothpaste, I splashed water on my face and did my minimal “skincare routine,” which basically consisted of washing my face with Cetaphil and throwing on some cocoa butter. I don’t know how girls layer up all those serums and oils every morning. Props to them, I guess.

Today was going to be chill. No work, no drama. I planned on taking Aiden out somewhere after school since I wouldn’t have basketball practice or anything. With the twins gone, it was just us boys holding it down at the house.

I grabbed a dark gray Essentials hoodie and the matching shorts, keeping it simple for the day. After lotioning up, I put on my black Nike ski cap and slipped in my silver stud earrings. Dressing up was my thing, but I wasn’t about to go all out today. I pulled on my black Yeezy slides over some black socks, sprayed on the Valentino cologne Jasmine, my stepmom, got me, and grabbed my white Sprayground backpack.

Heading downstairs, the silence reminded me everyone was already gone—Aiden at school, Dad at work, and Jasmine probably running her salon. I grabbed a fruit bowl and a bottle of water, then stepped outside to my car, a white Honda Accord. Every morning, I smiled looking at it. Paid off and all mine.

Pulling out of the driveway, my car’s Bluetooth connected, and my phone buzzed with a call from Cameron.

“Yo, what’s up?” I said as I answered.

“Bruh, have you been on TikTok?” Cameron asked, sounding way too hyped.

“Nah, not yet. Why? Something funny go viral?” I chuckled.

“Nah, bro. You. You’re what’s going viral.”

I frowned, confused. “Me? Viral? What are you talking about?”

“Nigga, Maila posted a TikTok of y’all, and it’s all over my FYP,” Cameron explained, laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

“Ohhh, I know what you’re talking about.” I smiled, remembering the video we made at the fair. “But going viral? That’s crazy. Hold on, I’m about to pull up to school.”

“Bet.”

15 Minutes Later

Walking down the hallway, I spotted Cameron and Keith by my locker, both of them grinning like fools.

“The hell y’all so happy about?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Bruh, just check your phone for once,” Keith said, shaking his head.

Pulling out my phone, I finally scrolled through my notifications. My eyes widened at the sheer number of likes, tags, and comments.

“What the…” I muttered, clicking on the TikTok. It was the video of me and Maila singing in the car at the fair. Watching it made me smile.

“Man, she’s so pretty,” I said under my breath.

“Nigga, look at the likes,” Cameron said, leaning over my shoulder.

My jaw dropped. 2.1 million likes. 900K shares.

“This is crazy,” I laughed, scrolling through the comments.

User 1: Is that Micah Valentine 👀👀
User 2: Not Maila gotta man… I’m obsessed 🤭🤭
User 3: They matching omg 😍
User 4: Isn’t that Micah the basketball player?

I looked up, stunned. “Bruh, this is insane. People really think we’re a thing?”

“That’s not even the funny part,” Keith said, shaking his head. “There’s edits of y’all all over TikTok. Like, full-blown fan edits.”

“No way,” I said, laughing. Keith pulled out his phone and showed me one. It was clips of Maila and me set to some emotional R&B track, complete with slow-motion transitions and captions like, “Relationship goals” and “When opposites attract.”

“This is wild,” I said, laughing as I watched the edit. “People out here making us a whole couple.”

Cameron smirked. “Yeah, and the comments are crazy. You might as well lock it down now, bro.”

“Man, shut up,” I said, rolling my eyes but smiling. “Hold on, though. Let me troll real quick.”

I clicked on the video Maila posted and typed a comment: “My dawg 😉”

“Nah, you’re feeding into it now,” Cameron said, shaking his head.

Keith grinned. “Bruh, the internet is about to run with this.”

“Good. Let ’em,” I said, laughing. The bell rang, and I slipped my phone into my pocket.

“I’ll catch y’all at lunch,” I said, dapping them up.

“Keep us updated on the wedding plans, Micah!” Keith called after me, making Cameron crack up.

I shook my head, laughing as I walked down the hallway.

After making it to the third floor, I opened the door to class, and the room went quiet with whispers trailing behind me as I walked to my side of the classroom.

I tried to ignore it, but the energy in the room was obvious—people were still talking about that damn TikTok.

As I settled into my seat, I caught sight of Maila sitting by the window, fixing her hair. The sunlight lit her up in a way that made me pause. She was gorgeous, man.

It had been two days since we last talked. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I wasn’t trying to come on too strong. I didn’t want to mess up whatever vibe we had going.

“What’s up, pretty?” I said, setting my bag down as I took the seat in front of her.

“Hey, Micah,” she said, her smile bright as ever.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again, her fingers playing nervously with her nails. “So… um, I’m really sorry about the video. I didn’t think it was going to blow up like that. If you want me to delete it, I totally can.”

“Chill, it’s cool,” I said, laughing lightly.

“Wait, you’re not mad or anything?” she asked, looking genuinely concerned. “Because the comments—”

“—are hilarious,” I cut her off with a smirk. “Nah, I kinda figured people would think we’re dating. Honestly, I don’t even care. I mean, we know the truth, right? We’re just friends. You my dawg.”

Maila smiled, her expression softening. “Okay, because I didn’t want you to think I was trying to be messy or anything.”

“Nah, I don’t see you as that type. Plus, that TikTok was hard. And the vlog? It was cute,” I said, leaning back. “But them edits, though? They got us out here looking like we’re about to get married or something.”

Maila laughed, and I couldn’t help but notice how her smile lit up her entire face. She had the prettiest smile.

“But you never sent me our dancing TikTok,” she said, tilting her head.

“Oh, shit. I forgot about that,” I said, pulling out my phone. “I’ll post it and tag you, alright? But, damn, you got a serious following on TikTok. You an influencer or something?”

Maila shrugged. “Not really. I just record myself to different songs, do quick vlogs, and post photo dumps. They just get a lot of attention.”

“Yeah, I see why,” I said, looking at her. “You a pretty girl.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she just smiled and looked away.

Class started, and I turned around in my chair, jotting down notes for the bell work. The teacher, Mrs. Kayden, stood at the front, her voice carrying over the room.

“So, students,” she began, “today we’re going to be dissecting livers and hearts. You’ll make a chart labeling each part of the heart and describing its function.”

The class groaned collectively, and I shook my head.

“Since this is a lab, you’ll need a partner. Go ahead and grab your aprons, gloves, and goggles while I get the materials.”

I turned around to Maila at the exact moment she turned to me.

“You wanna be partners?” we both said at the same time.

We laughed, and I nodded. “Fasho.”

I grabbed my stuff and moved to her table, sitting down on the stool next to her.

“This is about to be disgusting,” I said, putting on my goggles and gloves.

“Really? You don’t like the idea of seeing organs? I’m actually excited,” Maila said, tying her apron.

“That’s because you wanna be a nurse,” I said, shaking my head. “You need to be able to handle this. Me? I barely like seeing my own skin get scraped.”

Maila laughed softly, adjusting her gloves. “Not you remembering my career,” she said, her tone light but warm.

“Of course I remember,” I said, shrugging. “I pay attention.”

Before she could respond, Mrs. Kayden placed a tray with a heart on our table, and I immediately recoiled.

“Ewww,” I muttered, leaning back like the heart might jump at me.

Maila burst out laughing. “Oh, come on, Micah. It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? Man, this is straight out of a horror movie,” I said, shaking my head.

Maila picked up her phone and started setting it up on a small stand. “This is too funny. I’m going live.”

“Oh, hell no,” I said, quickly running a hand over my hair and adjusting my hoodie. “Lemme fix myself up first. Can’t be looking crazy on your live.”

She shook her head, her laughter spilling out as she hit the button to start the livestream.

“So, guys, we’re in health class dissecting hearts today,” Maila said, holding up the tray.

“Nah, don’t put that thing too close to me,” I said, covering my mouth and leaning as far away from the heart as I could.

The viewers were rolling in, and I glanced at the screen. “Damn, Maila, you got 3,000 people watching this already?”

She glanced at me, grinning. “What can I say? People like my lives.”

The comments started pouring in.

User: “Are y’all a couple?”
User: “Why she sitting so close to him tho?”
User: “Maila, you’re so pretty!”

“Damn, Maila, they love you,” I said, reading a few of the comments out loud.

“What are they saying?” she asked, moving behind me to look at the screen.

“Mostly compliments. But they’re also asking if we’re a couple.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “No, guys, he’s not my boyfriend. We just met like, what? Two days ago?”

I nodded, grinning at the camera. “Yup, just friends. My dawg.” I held out my fist, and she dapped me up with a small laugh.

User: “Y’all are lyinggggg.”
User: “The way they’re sitting tho 😏.”

“Man, these comments are wild,” I said, shaking my head. “But, aye, y’all making edits of us? Tag me. I wanna see what y’all come up with.”

“Tag me, too,” Maila added, her smile lighting up the screen.

After a few more laughs, she set the phone down. “Alright, Micah, let’s get to work. I’m guessing you’re gonna write while I handle the actual dissecting?”

“Exactly,” I said, pulling out my pencil. “Ain’t no way I’m touching that thing.”

She shook her head, laughing as she leaned closer to the tray. But as she started cutting into the heart, the smell hit me, and I gagged a little, turning my head away.

“Oh, come on, Micah,” she teased, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “It’s just a heart.”

“Just a heart?” I said, giving her a look. “You really out here like this is fun. I’m just trying not to throw up.”

She laughed again, but there was something different about the way her laughter lingered this time—soft, almost teasing, like she was enjoying watching me squirm.

“You’re lucky I’m doing all the hard work,” she said, her hands steady as she moved the scalpel over the heart.

“I mean, that’s what you signed up for,” I shot back, smirking as I wrote down notes. “Future nurse Maila over here dissecting hearts like it’s nothing.”

Maila glanced at me, tilting her head with a playful smile. “And what about you? What are you gonna do if this was a real emergency? Faint?”

“Probably,” I admitted, leaning back on the stool. “If it’s not on a basketball court or in my uncle’s garage, I’m useless.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “At least you’re honest.”

The live was still going, and the viewers were eating up our back-and-forth. Every so often, Maila glanced at the screen, her smile widening as she read the comments.

User: “The chemistry is crazy though 👀.”
User: “Micah looks so protective next to her lol.”
User: “Maila, blink twice if he’s your man!”

“You see these comments?” I said, pointing at her phone. “They’re relentless.”

“I told you! They’re always like this,” she said, setting the scalpel down for a moment. “But I don’t blame them. We do look cute together.”

She said it so casually, but the way my heart skipped threw me off for a second. I glanced at her, trying to gauge if she was joking or serious.

“You think so?” I asked, my tone light but edged with curiosity.

Maila didn’t look up, her focus back on the heart. “I mean, yeah. It’s just facts.”

For a second, I didn’t know what to say. I just watched her, the sunlight catching the tiny strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun. She was so close, and for a moment, it felt like we weren’t in a classroom with a bunch of people—or a dissected heart in front of us.

“Micah, you good?” she asked, snapping me out of it.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said quickly, looking back at my notebook. “Just, uh, thinking about how nasty this is.”

She laughed again, her shoulders shaking slightly. “You’re such a baby.”

“Whatever,” I muttered, trying to play it cool.

But as the lab went on, I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at her, the tension between us lingering just enough to make me wonder if maybe—just maybe—she felt it too.

Lunch
1:00 PM

I was sitting at the table with the guys. Cameron was munching on his Zaxby’s salad while Keith and Skylar were on the other side, all boo’d up as usual. Skylar was sitting in Keith’s lap, giggling at something he said, the two of them in their own little world.

“I really want some wings, dawg,” I said, scrolling through DoorDash.

“Nigga, you got a whole car. Go get it,” Keith replied, not even looking up.

“That’s true—”

“Hey, Micah.”

I turned around to see Princess, a girl I was somewhat cool with, standing behind me. She was smiling, her camera bag slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, wassup, P?” I said, leaning back in my chair.

“Nothing much. We’re about to go on the field and take pictures for the football team. You wanna keep me company?” she asked, her smile widening.

The guys smirked at me knowingly. I rolled my eyes at them.

“That’s cool,” I shrugged, grabbing my bookbag and following her outside.

Princess was cool. She’d taken some fire pictures of me last year during basketball season. She was one of those people who always had good energy and was easy to talk to.

As we stepped outside, I noticed a group of people with cameras scattered across the field. My eyes scanned the bleachers, and there she was—Maila. She was sitting by herself, fidgeting with her camera, her brows furrowed in concentration.

“Aye, Princess,” I said, nodding toward the bleachers. “Maila a photographer too?”

“Yep. She’s really good,” Princess said, glancing in Maila’s direction. “But she’s kinda quiet around us for some reason.”

I looked back at Maila, watching her struggle with her camera.

“I’ve seen y’all’s TikTok video,” Princess added with a smirk. “Y’all would be a cute couple.”

“Mane, I been hearing that shit all day,” I said, laughing.

“Mhmm, it’s true though,” she teased. “Go talk to her. I’m gonna go get my shots in.” With that, she headed onto the field.

I walked toward the bleachers, and Maila looked up as I approached. She waved, and her smile did that thing—it made me forget why I was even there for a second.

“Wassup,” I said, sitting down beside her.

“My camera batteries are stuck,” she said, still fidgeting with the device, her frustration evident.

“Lemme see,” I said, holding out my hand. She handed me the camera, and I inspected it, knocking my knuckles gently against the battery compartment. The batteries slid out, and I replaced them the right way, snapping the cover shut.

The flash went off, blinding both of us for a second.

“Omg, man, that’s bright,” I said, squinting.

Maila laughed, and I swear it was the best sound I’d heard all day. “Thank you,” she said, suddenly wrapping her arms around my neck for a quick hug. “You’re so nice.”

“I try,” I said with a grin, pulling out my phone. “It’s not easy, though.”

She rolled her eyes playfully.

“I’m hungry as hell,” I said. “You got any food?”

“Ummm,” she said, digging through her bag, “all I have is Gushers and—”

“You sold me,” I interrupted, grabbing the pack and tearing it open.

“Man, I love Gushers. This is my favorite snack,” I said, nodding as I tossed a few in my mouth.

“I can tell,” Maila said, laughing softly. “But if you eat all my snacks, I’m not gonna have anything left for practice.” Her cheeks flushed slightly as she adjusted her camera strap.

“Sorry,” I said, flashing a quick grin. “I didn’t eat all day. I’m starving.”

She shook her head, but I could see the small smile tugging at her lips.

“What you doing out here, though?” she asked, tilting her head. “I know you’re not out here to watch the football players.”

I laughed. “Nah, Princess wanted me to come out here and keep her company while she takes pictures. Then I saw you, so I figured, why not come bother Maila?”

“You mean steal all my snacks,” she teased, but I caught the faint blush creeping back to her face.

Grinning, I reached into her bag and grabbed another pack of Gushers. “You caught me,” I said, popping a few into my mouth.

“Micah, you’re gonna eat all of them!” she said, lightly swatting at my arm.

“Okay, okay. I’ll save you one pack,” I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender.

She laughed again, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

Maila stood up, adjusting her bag. “I have to go now. Are you coming, or are you gonna stay here?”

“Nah, I’ll stay. I’m not about to sit and watch a bunch of dudes flexing,” I said, leaning back against the bleachers.

She smiled at that. “Okay, Micah.” With a small wave, she grabbed her camera and started walking toward the field.

As I watched her go, I heard someone behind me.

“Aye, Micah, that’s your girl?” a guy called out.

“Nah, dawg,” I replied quickly, shaking my head.

“Type shit,” he said with a smirk, his eyes trailing after Maila as she made her way to the sidelines.

I didn’t like the way he was looking at her. Something about it made me roll my eyes and pull out my phone, scrolling aimlessly.

For some reason, I couldn’t stop glancing up at her, watching as she lined up her shots. She seemed so focused, so in her element, and damn, she looked good doing it.

I leaned back, popping another Gusher in my mouth, trying to ignore the sudden twist in my chest.