Chapter eight

Micah Valentine
Atlanta, Georgia
September 6th, 2024 (Friday)

Walking out of school, I was dead tired. All I wanted to do was go home, hit my bed, and sleep for a solid eight hours. But my stomach had other plans—I was starving, and there was no way I was eating whatever Jasmine decided to cook tonight. Her meals were always… an experiment, and I wasn’t in the mood for mystery flavors.

“Hey, Micah! You look nice today,” a girl called out as she walked past me, flashing a bright smile.

“Appreciate that,” I replied, barely glancing up from my phone.

A notification from TikTok popped up on my screen—another tag in an edit someone made of me.

I opened it and let out a small laugh. I can’t even lie, this shit is fire. The clips were smooth, the transitions were on point, and the song choice? Perfect. It was almost enough to make me forget how tired I was.

“Yo, Valentine!” Cameron’s voice broke my focus as he jogged up to me. “You tryna take me to Chick-fil-A before the game?”

I raised a brow. “Cool. Where’s Keith?”

“Already in the car,” Keith yelled, honking my horn like he owned the damn thing.

I turned to Cameron and shook my head. “How the hell he get in my car before me? And don’t y’all have cars of your own?”

“Man, I hate driving,” Keith said, leaning out the window with a grin. “Plus, your fat ass always getting food, so why not ride with you?”

I laughed, cranking up the car and pulling out of the school parking lot.

“Yo, the game’s away, but it’s a small school,” Cameron said, leaning back in his seat. “We got a good chance of smoking them.”

“Facts,” Keith nodded. “But hey, for my birthday, what y’all getting me?”

“Nigga, it’s a surprise,” I said, glancing at him.

Cameron leaned forward from the backseat with a smirk. “I’m bringing myself. Maybe a bad bitch if I’m lucky.”

“What happened to Kamiya?” Keith asked, turning to him.

Cameron sighed dramatically. “Man, I’m sick of her games. I want a real relationship. Feels like I’m walking in circles with her.”

Keith shot him a look. “And what about you and Maila?”

“What about us?” I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the road. “We just cool.”

“Cool? Man, what’s wrong with y’all?” Keith said, exasperated. “Y’all should lock it in so we can all go on triple dates.”

“Yeah, ’cause screw my happiness, right?” Cameron laughed.

“Nah, for real, Micah,” Keith pressed. “You telling me you don’t like Maila?”

I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’re still getting to know each other, so it’s not like I’m out here deciding shit right now. We’re just friends.”

Cameron leaned back with a grin. “If that’s true, tell her friend to stop being so mean so I can lock in.”

We pulled into the Chick-fil-A drive-thru, and the boys went ahead and ordered their food. When it was my turn, I checked the time: 4:30. Maila probably wouldn’t eat until after the game since she always got caught up in cheer and always said she didn’t have time. My stomach might’ve been growling, but hers probably would be too by the time the game ended.

“Lemme get two spicy chicken sandwich meals. One with a water, the other with a strawberry milkshake,” I said to the cashier.

Keith’s head shot up. “Damn, bro, you eating all that?”

“Nah,” I said, handing over my card. “Maila doesn’t eat until after the games, so I’m grabbing her food now.”

Cameron and Keith exchanged a look before breaking out into synchronized teasing. “Awwww!”

I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Here we go.”

“See? You feeling her,” Keith said with a smirk. “You just don’t wanna admit it.”

“Yeah, ’cause you’ve never bought me food for practice,” Cameron added, crossing his arms in mock offense.

I shook my head, grabbing the drinks. “Nigga, yes, I have. All last year. Stop capping.”

“MICAH!” The associate at the counter called out my name, handing over the bags.

I grabbed the food and turned to find both Keith and Cameron grinning like they just discovered something groundbreaking.

Keith nudged me. “You’re playing it cool, but we see it, man. You don’t do stuff like this for just anybody.”

Ignoring them, I walked out of Chick-fil-A and headed for the car. “Y’all need to mind y’all business,” I muttered, tossing the bags in the backseat.

Cameron climbed in, still laughing. “All I’m saying is, if you locked it in with Maila, maybe her best friend would stop giving me the cold shoulder. Teamwork makes the dream work.”

I chuckled as I started the car. “So that’s what this is really about? You and Maila’s friend? Bro, just talk to her. She probably thinks you’re playing games like you always do.”

Cameron threw his hands up. “That’s the thing—I’m not! I’m serious this time.”

“Sure you are,” Keith said, side-eyeing him.

10 Minutes Later – Away Game Field

Cameron headed off to warm up with the team while Keith and I made our way to the entrance gate, scanning the crowd for the girls.

That’s when I spotted Maila. She was mid-backflip, landing effortlessly before standing with her hands on her hips. As she turned, our eyes locked.

She smiled, waving before tapping Skylar’s arm. A moment later, she and the rest of the cheerleaders walked over to the gate.

“Here,” I said, handing her a bag and a water bottle.

Maila looked at me, confused. “Why’d you bring me food?” She peeked inside the bag, her brows raising slightly.

“Because you didn’t eat lunch, and you’re not gonna eat after the away game, so you need to eat now,” I said, leaning against the fence.

She glanced at Skylar, then back at me, her expression softening. “Thank you, Micah.”

Before I could respond, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck in a quick hug. It caught me off guard, but I didn’t hesitate to return it.

The coach’s whistle blew sharply in the background.

“Come on, girls! Line up! The bus is here,” the coach called, motioning for them to grab their things.

Maila pulled away, flashing me one last smile. “Alright, bye guys. I’ll see y’all later.” She tossed a fry in her mouth before turning around and jogging toward the bus.

I watched her go, my eyes lingering a little longer than necessary. She looked good in that uniform. Too good.

Keith snickered beside me. “Dawg, stop daydreaming and get in the car.” He tapped my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts.

Shaking my head, I pulled out my phone as we headed back to the parking lot.

Baby Bro iMessage
Aiden: Bring me candy please 🙂

I chuckled, shaking my head.

Me: Got you, lil man.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I started the car, the rumble of the engine filling the quiet night. With one last glance at the cheer bus, I pulled off, a small smile playing on my lips.

After the store run for Aiden’s candy, I settled in at my desk, working on the sketches for Maila’s cheer team. I wanted each design to match their personalities while still keeping the overall theme cohesive. My TV played in the background, showing Cameron’s post-game interview, but I was only half paying attention.

Just as I started shading in the final details, my phone buzzed with an incoming FaceTime call—Maya.

I smirked, answering the call and propping my phone against my cup of markers. “Wassup?”

Maya’s face filled the screen, arms crossed with a knowing look. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me you were famous on TikTok? My friends keep sending me edits of you and this pretty girl.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not famous, Maya. Maila just posted a video, and it blew up outta nowhere.”

From the other side of the dorm, a voice chimed in. “Is that baby Sophia?”

Sophia slid into the frame, her eyes wide with excitement as she replayed the video. “Omg, she’s so pretty! And not y’all matching,” she teased, holding up her phone to show the viral TikTok again.

“It wasn’t planned,” I admitted, leaning back in my chair. “But yeah, she’s really cool. The date went well.”

Maya and Sophia exchanged a look before Maya leaned in closer. “Sooo… am I hearing we have a pending girlfriend?”

Sophia smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, Micah, is that what we’re hearing?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Nah, we’re just cooling right now. I wanna build a solid friendship before anything else.”

Maya nodded approvingly. “That’s good. She needs to be your friend before anything happens. If you’re gonna be serious about this girl, y’all gotta have that foundation first.”

Sophia sighed dramatically. “Ugh, that’s cute. But also, Micah, you know the internet already got y’all in a relationship, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I figured.”

Maya grinned. “Well, if she’s making you of all people take things slow, she must really be special.”

I glanced down at my sketch, the outline of Maila’s cheer banner taking shape under my pencil.

“Yeah,” I admitted, a small smile tugging at my lips. “She kinda is.”

Sophia and Maya exchanged another look before breaking into wide grins.

“Ohhh, he likes her,” Sophia teased, drawing out the words.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “Y’all are acting like I just confessed my love or something. I said she’s cool.”

Maya smirked. “Nah, you said she’s kinda special. That’s different.”

Before I could argue, another voice called out from Maya’s dorm. “Who got Micah Valentine on the phone?”

I sighed, already knowing where this was going. Seconds later, Jada popped up on the screen, her hair wrapped in a bonnet, looking way too excited.

“Micah, tell me why my whole timeline is full of you and this girl. And the comments? They already got y’all married,” she said, waving her phone in front of the camera.

I laughed, rubbing my forehead. “Man, it’s not even like that.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Sooo you’re saying if she wanted to be your girl right now, you wouldn’t go for it?”

I hesitated for half a second.

Maya caught it immediately. “Oh, he’s done for,” she laughed.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “Y’all doing the most. We’re just friends right now. And that’s all I’ma say about it.”

Jada crossed her arms. “Mmmhmm. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Before they could grill me any further, my phone vibrated with another notification. A text from Maila.

Maila: Thanks again for the food today, Micah. That was really sweet of you.

I smirked before typing back.

Me: No problem. You looked like you needed it.

Maya’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Oh, now he’s cheesin’ at his phone? That’s crazy.”

I shook my head, ignoring them as I went back to shading my sketch.

They could talk all they wanted.

I knew the truth.

And the truth was… I didn’t mind the idea of Maila being something more.