11/3: Sample Sunday

Transparent image with hands crossing at the pinkies with a red infinity line.
A black woman with afro, large hoops with white straps.A black man with beard, gold chain.Grey text boxes with “Ares C. Sutton” and “Nova R. King” in box

Please note this is an unedited scene removed from my novella coming soon:

Ares Sutton Jr. Age 6

 Catch me if you can! Nova runs away from me, those loud beads clanking against each other as she takes off. I always let her get a head start but her beads are so loud I can find  her anywhere. Once she gets a faraway distance I take off, my little legs moving as one. I pause not to listen for those tell tale beads. It’s quiet. Too quiet for Nova King, the grade A motormouth,as her mama says, I hear her hard breathing and take off, I follow its sound until I find her behind a tree. GOT YOU! I exclaim sharing her . She screams ARES, you can't sneak up on me like that geez, I almost had a heart attack!, Quit being a drama queen Nova Rae. I won fair and square. It's your turn to chase, Girls don’t chase boys! She yells. Since when? I question, since Daddy said I’m never supposed to chase a boy,  that was yesterday. I stood there confused. How come girls weren't supposed to chase boys? I didn’t understand. How come I can chase you but you can't chase me? That’s dumb we play tag all the time. You chase me, I chase you.  It has always been that way.  Nova and I have been friends since her folks moved to Ryan’s Creek, why did her daddy tell her she can't chase me?  I don’t know Ares, that’s what daddy said and what daddy says goes. She plops on the ground below the tree. A loblolly pine, it's the state tree, we learned that in school last year. I plopped down beside her grabbing a line cone and  threw it as far as my little arm will let me. It flies in the air. I have no idea what to say to Nova, if Big Daddy told her to not chase boys then I guess we have  nothing to play. 

I guess we don’t have to play anymore Nov, come on, let's get back home. I stand and help her up, her forehead glistens with sweat, one of the  braids on her braided ponytail is stuck to her face. I pushed it out the way, I saw my daddy do that to my mama once.  Nova smiles at me and I swear my six year old heart jumps out of my chest. She's always been pretty but her smile is the biggest, most prettiest thing. She’s missing her two top teeth. Mine already grew back. She grabs my hand and we walk from behind the tree to the sidewalk of Main Street. It's a  hot summer day in Ryan’s creek , it's always hot in Arkansas, as we walk hand in hand back to our homes I walk Nova home first. “ Ares, promise me you won’t stop chasing me?” Nova says as we stop at the front steps of  her home.  She holds out her pinky finger. 

It's stupid but I don’t tell her that  “ I promise i won’t  stop chasing you Nova King, no matter what” I tie my pinky around hers, she and I kiss our thumbs simultaneously. Once our hands are unlinked. She smiles that toothless smile at me. I smiled back, I was not prepared for her to kiss me on the cheek. She runs in the house,giggling and slamming the door behind her. I stood there stunned,rubbing my hand to the cheek her lips touched. Nova King just kissed me. I turn to leave to see Big Daddy himself. Did he see Nova kiss me? I'm a dead man. He chuckles at my expression,my eyes are no doubt bigger than my face. I probably look like a deer  in headlights right now. 

“ Easy son,” he says, he must hear my heart beating out my chest. Always known Nova had a crush on you. She’s a handful. I ain’t gonna hurt you. Run on home. 

His words unfreeze me and I rush off the porch, just as I take off the steps and into the sidewalk, he calls my name. Yes sir? The hair on my neck is standing. That’s all this will be a little crush. You and Nova? Ain’t meant to be. Y'all from two different worlds. Remember that son. He waves a hand to dismiss me . What was that about? Me and Nova gone always be friends. She is my best friend. That’s all.I walk myself home and as expected no one is home.

I opened the fridge and there was nothing in it.  “ Ma?” I call out that she's usually at home already. I walk into my parents room and scream bloody murder, shut the door as quickly as i opened it , that’s an image ill never get out of my mind, my father in bed with one of the neighbors

6 years later 

Ares Age:13

 “So how about this, if we’re both still single in five years you give me a chance?” Speaking into the receiver of my smartphone, I had been feeling this girl since the moment I’d come into my teenage hormones and since she was my best friend I was trying to push the boundaries and test the waters, Nova was easily the prettiest girl in our class and it made it even better that she spoke her mind and was herself around me. “Nova?” noticing  she wasn't saying anything, I glanced at my phone to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected. “What about our friendship?” She inquired after what felt like a forever silence, making me cringe at the question. 

I wanted Nova to be more than just my friend, I wanted her to be my everything. “If we don't workout we can still be friends, that won’t change, Novey.” “Hmmm.” I could almost hear the wheels turning in her mind, I hated that I didn't make my move as soon as she changed in my eyes. I couldn't stop thinking about her in a way that wasn't appropriate for friends, let alone best friends, platonic best friends at that. “So what do you say Nov? You down or what, Five years and after that we date. Yes or no?”

Hearing her sigh hard made me nervous, when it came to us Nova was always on the fence but would jump at any other friendship, I couldn't understand it. “Okay.” my ears perked up, Okay as in yes or ok as in no? I actually knew which one it was but I wanted to hear her say it, “Yes, Ares, Five years and after that we date.” I pumped my fist in the air, for the first time I was excited about something. “Okay, five years it is, I'll be waiting Nova Rae.” “mmhmm don't hold your breath Ares Carmine.” I loved the way she said my name as soon as I was about to tell her. 

My father Ares Sr. appeared in front of my room door. “Son, tell Nova good night and come to the dinner table. Your mother and I have something to tell you.” He walked back in the direction of the living room “Novey ill talk to you at school tomorrow, i love you.” “ i love you too Ares, by.”, hanging up the phone,placing it on its charger, i stood up walking out the door with a little more pep in my step,nothing could bring me down from the fact that i was going to date the girl of my dreams, in the dining room i notice my parents sitting on different sides of the dining room table. The tension in the room was thick, causing me to shift on my feet a little. My father nodded towards the chair that I liked to call the king's chair, it was the head of the table.

 My father always said one day I would have my own seat in my own home. Sitting there felt weird to be sitting here watching my parents have a debate with their emotions and a silent conversation with their eyes. After about five minutes of the conversation my father sighed, “No need to sugarcoat it, junior we’re getting a divorce.” Just like that the Air had been knocked out of me and the milestone I had just made with nova was no longer to be celebrated.

Nova

Age:12

Did I really just agree to that? What kind of friendship is this? Am I attracted to Ares, yes but i wouldn’t want our friendship to end because we decided to see if we were compatible on different intimate levels, dating was intimate. I was scared even if it was five years away. Why oh why did I agree?  There was no way out either. In the dark of my room I shifted under the covers to get more comfortable, putting the thoughts of my best friend and this delusional pact in the back of my mind. The silence in my room is almost too much as the thoughts start to grow, could I actually fall in love with Ares? 

Wouldn’t it be awkward to kiss my best friend? A soft knock on my window has me slowly rising from under the covers, Ares ' handsome face stares back at me, he points at the lock, telling me to open it, sliding out of my bed, I tiptoe over to the window, opening it as quickly and quietly as possible. “What are you doing here?” He says nothing as he slides into the room. We’re about the same height right now but I know he’ll be up there by the time we end freshman year, Ares Sr. stands at six five.  “Can I have a hug?” there’s this weakness in his voice that wasn’t there when we hung up less than an hour ago, I open my arms and he slowly walks into them, as soon as my arms wrap around him he starts to shake. 

Wetness pools at my shoulder, “what’s wrong with my bestie” I rub his back, Ares has never shown me his vulnerability, it has me scare, he sinks to the floor, taking me along with him, “Are, what’s going on you’re scaring me”, “ My parents are getting a divorce.” Wrapping my arms around Ares’ broad shoulders, it’s going to be okay i coo, I close my eyes and say a little prayer for my best friend's heart and to mend it where it’s broken .