Page 42 of Pills and Potions: Kase
I started thinkin’ ‘bout growth and transformation and?—”
“Yo, get outta here,” he said, backin’ out the room like I was contagious. “If you start quotin’ poetry, I’m callin’ your mama.”
I smirked, lowkey relieved he left before I told him I wrote a haiku about the stars last night.
I picked the cube back up and whispered, “Just one more side…”
Once he left, Porcha strolled in and smiled. She had been working for me longer than anybody, so when she sat on the edge of my desk lookin’ me straight in the eyes, I already knew she had somethin’ in her line.
“What?” I asked, leanin’ back.
“Boss man,” she said, all calm but real serious. “I need you to hear me out . Do I need to check you in with a doctor?”
My brows pulled together. “No. Why? What’s up?”
She crossed one leg over the other and gave me that look. The one that meant she’d been peepin’ everything.
“You been actin’ strange. Like… readin’ signs, organizin’ fruit, wearin’ your glasses on purpose, and—” she reached over and picked up the Rubik’s Cube “—you fixin’ this damn thing in three minutes flat.”
I shrugged. “So? That just mean I’m focused.”
Porcha narrowed her eyes. “Nah, that mean somethin’ is goin’ on. You been different ever since that girl started coming around .”
I sat up straighter, jaw tight. “That ain’t got nothin’ to do with her.”
She smirked. “You sure? ‘Cause the old Kase ain’t never sipped no ghost milk while talkin’ about star patterns.”
I rubbed my temples, frustrated and confused. “I don’t know what’s happenin’ to me, Porcha. I just know... every time I see her, my brain turns into a Google Scholar.”
Porcha stood up, fixed my collar, and said soft but firm, “No. It’s not bad. But you don’t have to change yourself because you like her. And she doesn’t have to do that either.”
I looked down at the cube in my hand, colors all lined up like my whole damn personality just got reorganized.
“She got you movin’ different,” Porcha added, headin’ for the door. “But maybe that ain’t a bad thing.”
I sat there for a minute after she left, starin’ at the damn Rubik’s Cube like it told on me.
“Nah,” I muttered, shovin’ it back in the drawer like it had cursed me. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong. I’m still me. Just… stress. Club stress.”
I stood up quick, adjustin’ my chain like it grounded me or somethin’. Walked over to the mirror, mean-mugged my reflection.
“Still that nigga,” I told myself. “Ain’t no girl gon’ turn me into no science fair project.”
But as I turned to leave, I paused, ’cause I noticed somethin’ stickin’ out my back pocket.
A folded-ass pamphlet and planetarium hours.
“Oh hell nah.”
I snatched it out and crumpled it up fast, heart poundin’ like I just got caught watchin’ a rom-com.
“This ain't nothin’. That was just for research. I was tryna see somethin’. For her. Not for me.”
Even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. My feet were already movin’, not toward the club floor, but toward the back exit. Away from the lights. Away from the noise. Because deep down, I wasn’t ready to admit it yet. But somethin’ was definitely off, so I left my club and went home to sleep that shit off.
A few hours later, I got up to work out, but for some reason I grabbed my energy drink and my glasses. When I could’ve just put in my contacts like I usually do. Nah. That couldn’t be right. I didn’t even like wearin’ my glasses. I looked at ’em sittin’ on the dresser like they called to me, like they had a damn soul and still put them on my face. The whole vibe was off, but whatever, I headed to the kitchen. Steppin’ inside, I saw Jace at the island with his little anime boo, Tuesday. She had on one of those oversized tees with some weird fox on the front, fuzzy socks pulled to her knees like she was at a damn sleepover. And they weren’t just chillin’. Nah, they were deep in some wizard warfare. Cards laid out, tiny figures posted up like medieval soldiers, spell cards scattered everywhere like somebody was about to summon Satan. Normally, I’d clown and walk off.However, I leaned against the fridge and watched. Like a damn fan.
“Y’all conjuring demons or tryin’ to roleplay virgins again?”
