khalil.

.

“I will for real cry like a little baby if something happens to Shelly. She’s been with me through so much, dude. I’m not ready to say goodbye.” Lucky put a hand on his chest as they walked together and jutted out his lip in a small pout. Another reason was because he bought that car with his mom and there were so many good memories had in there. “A real Coloradan? Does that mean people will stop calling me a transplant and telling me to go back to California?” He laughed even though he totally got why people got so upset with all the California and Texas people moving there. Snow driving was not their strong suit and they were making the cost of living sky rocket. As they followed them he got to thinking about smoking weed in school, which was something he was totally familiar with and got in a lot of trouble for in the past. “Hey so, if they catch us are they going to kick us out into the storm? They wouldn’t do that right?”

-

“Fingers crossed you won’t have to say goodbye,” Khalil smiles over at Lucky, lifting their hand and physically crossing their fingers. However, he does steer clear of the word ‘promise’. The last thing he wants to do, now or ever, is place a promise he couldn’t see through to fruition. Mother Nature, the wondrous beauty that she is, is highly unpredictable. In good faith, he can’t swear Shelly will be okay, because he simply doesn’t know if it’s entirely true. Khalil eases into a laugh that easily turns into an amused laugh. “I don’t know, man. I mean after all of this,” He gestures to their current circumstance. “I think they’ll have to give you just a little credit,” Their smile grows when they look at Lucky again before turning their attention in front of them, the door to the janitor’s closet only a few feet away. Khalil skips over to it, making a grand gesture of opening the door and motioning for his roommate to take a step inside. “What? No! I’m pretty sure that’s like illegal. They’d be sending us to their deaths,” He says casually as he steps into the closet and closes the door behind him. “Not like literal death, though, but maybe,” The attempt to make it better is there, but he simply can’t lie to Lucky. “But we’re good in here,” Khalil grabs a towel, bending over to seal the crack under the door. “We’re safe.”

~

It probably would’ve been polite to get up and out of someone else’s space, but Felix always preferred striking up conversation than taking the polite and pleasant approach to life. Besides, things happened for a reason, didn’t they? And of all the cots to fall into, this one’s owner seemed pretty relaxed, and Felix could appreciate that. Not everyone was able to take them in stride so easily. “That is a very good question. Maybe a window was left open over the summer or something? And so said bird just came and went as they pleased, building their nest over time,” it wasn’t a bad space for a bird, Felix figured. “You’re definitely special. I like to think I’m more graceful than what you just saw. Would you believe I actually dance for a living?” They joked, smiling at Khalil and then offering out their hand. “I’m Felix. And you have a very nice set up here. The aesthetics are good, the vibe is pristine.”

-

Khalil nods along to this stranger’s very believable explanation of how birds find a way to do their nature thing even in the midst of being trapped inside something man made. Never mind that this person they don’t know and have never seen before sits in their cot with them. Weirder things have happened, he guesses, and maybe this happy accident will lead to greater things. It’s cool how life works out that way. “I feel like there’s something super fake deep about birds being stuck in a building and still finding a way to make it into a home. Or maybe it’s not fake deep at all, maybe it’s really poetic,” He chuckles a little. “Oh, well thank you. That’s very nice. You’re very special too,” Khalil nods along before laughing in full. “Hey, listen. We all can’t be graceful 24/7. Dancer or not,” He teases lightheartedly, his eyes falling down onto the outstretched hand. Scrambling, he reaches out his own hand, shaking Felix’s. “Khalil. It’s nice to meet you, Felix,” He smiles, dropping his hand back into his lap. “Thank you, thank you. I really tried making it a little home away from home. I’m glad someone’s noticing my efforts.”

Lucky paused for a silent celebration when he got the response from Khalil. “Fuck yeah,” he whispered to himself. Then the phone vibrated again and he hit himself on the forehead. “Duh, Lucky.” He quickly typed a message back.

The gym? I think? There’s basketball hoops. It has to be the gym.

He stayed off to the side while he waited for his roommate to come save him from the clutter of people and tense vibes in the room. “Yo!” he shouted as soon as he spotted Khalil. He perked up and jogged over to close the distance between them, giving them the quickest of one armed hugs. “Holy shit, dude. Winter here is nuts. I thought I was going to freeze to death in my car.” A terrifying and very real thought he’d had while waiting for his dad to pick him up. “Hopefully it’s still there on Sunday and I can get it out.” Something else that would severely suck if he had to somehow replace the vintage land rover he loved so much. “Anyways,” Lucky lowered his voice. “Where are we smokin’ at?”

-

ok on it

to the rescue

Khalil’s in motion again, heading straight for the gym. Fortunately, it’s not too far away, just a quick jog down until he pushes through the doors. Standing up straighter, he cranes his neck and looks around, hoping to spot his roommate. Their fingers begin creeping towards their phone nestled into their pocket, turning just as they spot Lucky coming their way. “Hey!” He smiles brightly, embracing the one armed hug that he gets. “No yeah, dude. It’s no joke. Sorry for not giving you a better heads up, but you’re a real Coloradan now,” He teases, clapping Lucky on the shoulder with pride. “The Land Rover is good and sturdy. It should be good,” Khalil nods, but then his brows lift when Lucky’s voice drops. There’s a playful mischief in his kind eyes. “Thought you’d never ask. Follow me,” He nods back towards the doors, making his way back to them and leading the charge back to the janitor’s closet.

location: gymnasium status: open

Felix was doing their best to walk the length of the gym, staying on one dark painted line for as long as they could until a cot or a person got in their way. Even then it was a competition in their own head; how few steps could they take to get back on track? There wasn’t any real goal to it, just trying to pass the time. Eventually they’d have to settle down on their own cot and try to stop being a nuisance to the already anxious townspeople, but for now they were working on getting out their own energy. As they made it to the end of the line, they pivoted easily, taking one skip forward with a sort of flourish before realizing they really didn’t have the space for that. Which meant stumbling a bit to the side so as not to crash into someone minding their own business. And then that meant Felix’s legs hitting someone else’s cot, which meant they were soon sprawled on top of it, staring at the ceiling of the gymnasium and wondering how often birds got stuck in there. “There’s a bird’s nest up there,” they said aloud, turning to look at the person who’s cot they now half-laid in, legs hanging off and almost reaching the floor. They sat up after another moment, smiling. “So how are you handling things?”

-

 “Whoa, hey,” Khalil jumps and sits up straight, the body suddenly toppling over him reasonably catching him off guard. He’s not angry in the slightest. In fact, he takes a very let bygones be bygones approach to most situations in life, this one included. Accidents happen. No point in wasting his breath on something that holds no sort of ill intent. Instead, Khalil is immediately fixed on what this stranger in his cot has to say. Tilting his head back, he looks up at the ceiling to see what they’re seeing. It’s almost immediate the way he forgets he’s partially trapped under the weight of another. “But where do you think they get the like supplies to build the nest in here?” Khalil ponders, genuinely wandering, moving his fixation from the bird’s nest to the person now in his company. Once they’ve moved, he draws his legs closer and crosses them. “You know,” He shrugs a little, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread in the blanket one of his moms made him. “Just chilling. Trying to make the best of my time. What about you? Falling on other people tonight, or am I special?” He teases, offering a kind grin.

where: high school

who: @khalil-jeff​

When Lucky finally arrived at the high school late, he took the time with his dad then went to track down his much smarter roommate, Khalil. He should have just gone when they went in but he was a moron and thought snow wouldn’t be that bad. As if he knew anything about snow. Sadly, he didn’t have the first clue where to look, which prompted him to pull out his phone instead of getting lost somewhere in the high school. 

Hey, I’m finally here. Where are you? How does this school seem bigger than mine was in Long Beach? I’m kind of freaking out.

Lucky texted and waited anxiously for a response. He hoped Khalil would have the knowledge of a place they could sneak away to and smoke. Or another idea. Anything to calm all the bad vibes moving through him rapidly.

-

Khalil checks the handle of the janitor’s closet, gently and filled with hope while testing the door to see if it’ll open. It does, eliciting a little happy dance from him just as his phone vibrates in his pocket. Patting for it, they pull it out, growing even more excited when they see Lucky’s name on the screen. Perfect, perfect timing, but Khalil’s smile falls a little when he reads his roommate is freaking out. “Oh no,” He says aloud to himself, his saddened frown deepening. Quickly, he replies. 

I’ll come get you!!

He starts making his way, on the move before it hits him. Khalil pauses, lifting his phone again.

Wait where are you?

where: their apartment who: @khalil-jeffries​

                         It was a fact that one of Lucky’s favorite things to eat was cereal. All times of the day, they could be found eating it as a snack or a meal. At the present moment they were sitting on the kitchen counter shoveling cinnamon toast crunch into their mouth and watching some random videos on his phone. He looked up when he heard the footsteps of his roommate, who was quickly becoming his best friend. “Hey! What’s up?” He hopped off the counter and closed out of the skateboarding video he’d been watching to pass the time. “Want a bowl?” Lucky pointed to the almost finished cereal in his other hand, mouth still partially full. “I can totally make you some cereal, or we could smoke, or both or not.” He shrugged then laughed. “Whatever I’m just excited you’re here.” 

-

Khalil needs a break, a change of scenery. The four walls of his bedroom seem to draw closer in on him by the minute, by the very sixtieth second. He isn’t meant to live this way, confined to a room, working on a sketch for hours on end until his fingers stiffen from the labor. Emerging to the world, they can’t help but to be happy to find Lucky in the kitchen. “Hey,” He smiles a little brighter, grateful for a human interaction after the hours of being alone. In fact, while holed up, he found himself missing the company of his roommate. “Just taking a much needed break before I wither away in there. What’ve you been up to?” He asks, genuinely curious. It might be a little too soon to say aloud, but Lucky might be the coolest friend he’s ever had. Whatever fates brought them together, he’s grateful for them. “Both. Definitely both,” Khalil nods eagerly. “You make me a bowl, and I pack us a bowl?” He offers, using his thumb to point back towards his room.