ZOEY AKILA bennet !
sugarhill, marie's apt
featuring; @itszoeyb .

AFTER THAT DAY neither zoey and ddot had talked or even seen each other due to it being the weekend afterwards. when monday came around, zoey knew that she had to focus on her studies. she spent all her time studying and attending classes, trying to bury her thoughts of ddot.

but, every time she saw the pink binder that held the lessons of her and ddot, she was reminded of him and felt the urge to call him. despite the thought she refrained to do that, thinking she'll probably be annoying him.

"he can't buy another one?" jahzara asks as she plopped down next to zoey who had finally snapped back, listening to their conversation with furrowed brows.

marie shakes her head—licking her blunt close. "no. the chain was originally from him grandma and he just added the picture in it."

zoey's eyes widen a little now she had finally understood what topic they were on. ddot's 'missing' chain. in zoey's mind she was trying to convince herself everybody had forgetting about it but obviously it was still a trending topic.

suddenly, she remembered that the chain was at her house, stuffed in her pink wallet. zoey felt embarrassed and guilty for having it, but she decided to keep quiet since their really wasn't any other option.

jahzara lets out an exasperated sigh and clicks her tongue disapprovingly. "i don't even think he lost it," she says, her voice tinged with skepticism. "what if he just misplaced it?"

zoey internally thanked jahzara for saying that but marie was so quick to prove that theory wrong. "no but—it was on him right before right?" jahzara nods, "exactly so somebody's broke ass stole it."

zoey felt grateful to jahzara for her input, but her relief was short-lived. marie quickly refuted jahzara's theory. "no, but it was on him right before, right?" marie interjected. jahzara nodded in agreement. "exactly, so somebody's broke ass stole it," she concluded, her voice laced with irritation.

zoey felt frustrated that the conversation had turned into blame fest. maybe if she didn't steal the chain none of this would be happening, but there was no turning back now.

zoey spoke up in a soft voice, offering a different perspective. "what if he just forgot to put it on one day and thought he might've left it somewhere, but it's actually at home?" she suggested. She looked over at her friends, hoping to gauge their reactions.

jahzara's face was agreeable, but marie's expression remained bland. zoey felt disappointed that her idea hadn't been received more warmly, but she just shrugged the feeling off,

she knew that if marie was ever to find out that she had stolen the chain; all hell will rise.

"but did y'all see hear we would get a bunch of new kids? ion know but i'm excitedddd." zoey changes the subject, clapping her hands in excitement. marie eyebrows raise, now herself was interested.

jahzara let out a frustrated sigh and kisses her teeth disapprovingly. "each time we expect new kids, they always either come out disabled or ugly as hell," she complained. she waved her hand dismissively, as if to say that it wasn't worth discussing any further.

marie let out a soft laugh, but aoey's enthusiasm was still palpable. "no but seriously, i'm excited! do you think i can make a new friend?" zoey asked, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

jahzara let's out a a smile at her friends cute antics, "awww. of course you gon make a friend; everybody lovessss you z."

zoey waves her off with a big smile expressed on her face. "stopp."

sugarhill, harlem, kennedy heights highschool .

ZOEY SAT IN her first period class, doodling in her notes since she had already did the assignment way before they had gone over it. she knew she had the smarts so why bother do it if you already done it.

this was one of the classes she shared with ddot, but as usual, he nowhere to be found. when she had walked into the classroom and saw his seat was empty, knew that she wouldn't be able to annoy him during math class, a frown crept onto her face, disappointment written all over it.

the math teacher called zoey's name, interrupting her deep focus on the assignment. she lifted her head up, her attention now on the teacher. "mrs bennet are you done with your assignment?" the teacher asked.

zoey nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

her math teacher was someone who knew zoey was always the one to finish her work either on time or beforehand since she posted all the work online too.

"well will you do me a favor and walk down to get the new kid? show him around too—he's new around this neighborhood."

zoey had to hide the small burst of excitement that sparked in her chest—she was gonna meet a new person and make potentially a new friend. she nodded frantically, getting up from her seat to get the hall pass before walking out the door.

zoey walked down the stairs to the main entrance with a cheesy smile on her face, she hoped that the new kid would be at least nice so she could actually make some new friends.

she was trying to come up with something interesting to say to this person, hoping to make a good impression. in all honesty zoey really wanted to be friends with them because the only person she had been interested in spending time with was ghosting her.

zoey walked inside the office, and the first thing she saw was a boy sitting on the cushion chairs. he had fair brownskin with

to this person, hoping to make a good impression. she really wanted to be friends with them because the only person she had been interested in spending time with was ghosting her.

when zoey walked in the office the first thing she heard was the sound of the assistant principal telling the new kid about the basics in school.

"and yes, you are advised to-" mrs. jackson's sentence was interrupted by zoey's entrance. the kid's eyes immediately fell on zoey as mrs. jackson made her presence known. zoey politely waved and sent a small smile in her direction.

"oh! this is my lovely student, mrs zoey bennet—she's gonna be the one to help you get to know the school better, okay?" the boy nods his head causing mrs jackson to clap her hands enthusiastically. "good! this is caleb williams and zoey you know what to do."

zoey smiled and nodded, then waved over to the boy with the taper fade haircut and brown skin. he was wearing a black t-shirt and amiri denim jeans that fit him perfectly. zoey couldn't help but notice the friendly vibes he gave off.

the boy's warm smile was infectious, and zoey felt herself smiling back at him. his eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, and zoey couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

when the two walked out of the office he was the first one to speak up first, "ya names zoey right?" he asked in a soft tone. zoey nodded, and he continued. "that's a cute ass name." he complimented her in a calming voice.

zoey didn't even know if she could even smile harder then she already had been because of the short compliment, she quickly found something to say back and decided to comment on the tattoo he had on his lower arm.

"thank youuu. i really like your tattoo—it's really pretty. and i really like your hair it looks so smooth. i like taper fades you know? they always look so clean and smell good—omg you smell good." at this point she was just rambling but it didn't fail to put a smile on caleb's face.

"oh word? thank you lil lady." he replied to her—unfazed to her rambling which made zoey smile even harder.

as they walked down the hallway together, zoey felt a sense of comfort around him. she had a tendency to attach herself to people too quickly, but something about him felt different. maybe it was the way he spoke to her, or the way he made her feel at ease. whatever it was, she liked it.

they came to a stop at the lockers, and coincidentally it was in font of her own locker. "this is my locker—oh we might have close lockers check your thingy." she referred to the paper that held his locker number along with the floor it was in.

"uhh i got 327." he looked down to zoey who clapped her hands, jumping up a little. "i have 328 so we're locker neighbors!"

caleb let out a small laugh at her childish antics but he honestly found it cute with the way she could say anything like that and not think it was embarrassing. he liked how vocal she was with her thoughts, the way she could just let words fall out her mouth.

he honestly found it cute, amusing.

zoey proceeded to open her own locker to see what she herself left in there. "oh do you have any extra classes? like computer or anything?" she mumbled before going on a ramble of how complicated things where in the school with all the extra classes.

while caleb just leaned his head against his locker that was next to hers, zoey's voice wasn't annoying with the amount of talking she does, it was actually soothing he could almost fall asleep to it,

"caleb? do yo usage any extra classes i said?" zoey repeated her words from earlier causing caleb to avert his eyes at her when she heard the locker shut.

he looked down at the paper, trying to place his eyes on where the extra classes where. until he found them. "oh shi i do have computers." he laughs under his breath lightly.

zoey frowns a little—she was really hoping caleb got band just like her so they could have played together. it may sound weird but she really wanted to spend time with him now, she was just being friendly.

"what? is computers bad?" caleb furrows his brows seeing the little frown on her face.

zoey waves it off, a warm smile making its way on her face. "no i don't take computers so i just hoped we would get the same class—but it's fine."

caleb took her word, nodding.

zoey continued on showing caleb for the lady 5 minutes of class they had left, since why not? she already did all her work in math so there wasn't really a reason to go back in if she had finished everything she needed to do.

unknowingly to her when she had left math class was the exact time ddot had entered the class from the back door, the first thing he had noticed when he walked in was her empty  seat.

but the thing was that it wasn't necessarily empty due to the fact her white backpack was placed on top of it with her work sheets spread around the desk, he was honestly confused.

it wasn't like he cared, because he didn't. but he had been in the class for more than 20 minutes and zoey still hadn't entered the room. so he had gotten up from his seat, leaving the class yet again to skip since if zoey wasn't there what was the point.

this morning was the worst he had ever experienced. he had woken up feeling like he was trapped in a nightmare. he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he couldn't stop thinking about his grandma.

as he got ready for the day, he felt like he was moving through mud. everything felt slow and heavy, and he couldn't seem to shake the fog that was clouding his mind. he tried to distract himself by listening to music at a low volume, but it didn't help. he was still trapped in a puddle of his own thoughts.

the weight of his worries was overwhelming. he felt like he was drowning in them, and it was hard to focus on anything else. he tried to remind himself that he had things to do, but it was hard to care about anything when his mind was consumed with thoughts of his grandma.

he knew he needed to snap out of it, but he didn't know how. he felt like he was spiraling, and he couldn't seem to find solid ground.

normally zoey would be there, willing to talk his ear off so he could distract himself from his thoughts. but she wasn't so their really wasn't a reason to be there anyway.

ddot was never close to either his mother like that, yes they were the normal mother and son dynamic but they weren't like that. well atleast they weren't like him and his grandma was. 

although ddot had a normal relationship with his mother, they were never as close as he was with his grandma. when him and his mom did spend time together, it was usually just small talk and catching up on the day's events.

on the other hand, his relationship with his grandma was special. they had a bond that was unlike any other. she was always there for him, and he could talk to her about anything. they would spend hours chatting about everything from school to his future goals, and she always had a way of making him feel better.

his grandma was the one person he could turn to when he was feeling down. she was always there with a listening ear and a kind word. whenever he needed advice, she was the first person he would go to. she had a way of making him feel like everything was going to be okay, no matter how bad things seemed.

ddot had always cherished his relationship with his grandma.

while he loved his mother, their relationship was nothing like the bond he had shared with his grandma. they were just two people with different priorities and interests. but with his grandma, he had a connection that went beyond words. it was a bond that would last a lifetime.

but it didn't.

when ddot received the call that his grandma had a stroke, his heart he rushed to the hospital as quickly as he could. he ran so fast that he almost broke his leg, but he didn't care. All he could think about was getting to his grandma's side.

when he arrived at the hospital, he was out of breath and his heart was pounding. he knew that death was never easy, but he never imagined that losing his grandma would hurt this much.

she was more than just a relative - she was his confidante, his rock, and his best friend.

the worst part was that they had just spent time together a few days before. they had laughed and talked about everything from school to his future. they had even made plans for the upcoming weekend. it felt like a cruel twist of fate that they had been together one moment and then she was gone the next.

ddot felt like he was in a daze as he sat in the hospital room with his grandma. she was hooked up to machines and tubes, and he couldn't believe that this was happening. he held her hand and talked to her, hoping that she could hear him. he told her how much he loved her and how much she meant to him.

hours turned into days, and ddot never left his grandma's side. he watched as her condition deteriorated, and he felt helpless. he knew that she was slipping away, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

when his grandma passed away, ddot was broken. he felt like a piece of him had died with her.

he knew that he would never be the same without her. that's why he had to switch schools, he couldn't stand being in the same school his grandma had bring him too.

and when he found the chain that his grandma had gifted him a long time ago, it looked brand new. so he got a a picture engraved in the middle of it with angel wings. so when he couldn't find it he went ballistic.

despite its age, it looked as good as new. he had decided to have a picture of angel wings engraved in the middle of it to honor his grandma's memory.

so when he couldn't find the chain the after gym had ended, he became frantic. he searched high and low, but it was nowhere to be found. he felt like he had lost a part of himself. the chain was more than just a piece of jewelry - it was a symbol of his grandma's love and a reminder of the special bond they shared. losing it was like losing a piece of his heart.

again.

and it wasn't like he didn't look, cause he looked everywhere. the boy retraced his steps and searched every inch of his room, but the chain was nowhere to be found. he felt like he was going crazy. he couldn't imagine life without the chain. it had been such a big part of his life for so long.

the only thing that was really keeping him sane even though he would never admit was zoey's rambles. and honestly he would do anything to hear her voice right now.

without the amount of talking she does it was easy for him to get his mind of things he didn't want to think about, zoey was always there to talk to him about small minded things but it always ends up into a big ramble.

so ddot walks in her hallway, his eyes red from crying earlier. he knew that he needed to see zoey—to be around her, to feel her presence, to hear her voice. he didn't care who saw him like this - he just needed her more than ever.

his eyes red from crying. He had spent the last few hours in his room, trying to distract himself from the pain he was feeling, but nothing seemed to work. He knew that he needed to see Zoey - to be around her, to feel her presence, to hear her voice. He didn't care who saw him like this - he just needed her more than ever.

ddot's ears perk up when he hears the sound of her voice, saying bye to someone in a happy tone. he realized where it was coming from so he made his way to the corner her voice was erupting from, yes he wanted her attention.

"dot?"

there it is.

ddot lifted his head up to face zoey who was standing in front of her locker. the chirpy voice she had before, along with the smile she had on was faded from her face. now a obvious frown spread across her face.

it didn't take long for her to notice his face, it was easy for zoey to see how someone feels just from their face expression—she was just a good reader.

ddot walks over to where she was standing, seeing the sorrowful looks in her eyes. zoey didn't care that they weren't on talking terms at the moment—she was always gonna check on him.

zoey took off the hoodie that covered half of his face, her hands sliding from his hair to his cheek. "what happened?" she asked in a soft voice ddot literally melts into her hold.

this was the first time ddot was letting himself be vulnerable in a way that he hadn't been with anyone else. and it was with zoey.

"i'm sorry." he said his voice barely above a whisper. ddot didn't even know what he was apologizing for but he knew he was wrong for the way he had always given zoey a attitude when she was nothing but sweet to him.

he felt zoey's arms tighten around him, and he knew that she understood. ddot pushes his head into the crook of her neck while zoey soothingly rubbed his back. "it's okay, don't apologize." she mumbled reassuringly.

it was a obvious thing that ddot didn't know how to communicate with the girl. he would shut mumble random words hoping they would make sense because honestly—he doesn't understand half of the thoughts in his mind.

and he desperately wants them to escape his mind but he doesn't know how to. he wished he knew how to communicate with zoey with the way that she does with him.

the only thing he didn't know was that zoey would wait hours, days for him to open up. and this was the beginning of it. ddot lost in thought, zoey didn't say anything. she just stood there in front him, her presence a comforting and calming force.

the two hug in comfortable silence and zoey's mind was running with so many thoughts, this felt so surreal to her—this might even mean that he didn't hate her as much as she thought he did.

times like this was when ddot wished that zoey would start talking—he didn't know how much he had missed her until he didn't have her at all.

zoey pulled him closer, and he felt her hands run through his soft curls. "you want me to tell you about my day?" she asks the boy who nods, lifting his head from her chest, "okay.. let's jus skip—go to my house. it's fine cause none of my parents are home." she stumbles over her words

at this point she was just saying anything to make him feel better, she hated seeing him like this even though it was the first time zoey had seen him this venerable.

ddot breathes in, "okay."

zoey drops her hand to interlock their fingers together, walking to her classroom since the bell had just rung so it would be just in time to take her stuff and leave.

ddot followed her like a lost puppy, his hand interlocked with hers. he honestly didn't even belive what he was doing right now.

ddot had always been the type of person who kept his emotions close to his chest. he had a hard time trusting people, and even when he did, he rarely shared his deepest thoughts and feelings with anyone.

for a long time, ddot resisted. he didn't want to be vulnerable, didn't want to let anyone in. something he'd learned was that the closet people hurt you, hurt even more than your enemies ever will. that's why he kept his distance from people.

when zoey leaves the class, walking through the hallways and skimpily making her way out of the building she gets real nervous. this would be her first time skipping—yes she had skipped with jahzara before.

but this was as in skipping the whole day, leaving school after it had already started not like in between classes, "zo. we don't gotta do anything you don't want—i can jus leave by myself." ddot mumbled.

"no! i mean no. like no—like i wanna be here for you. like i wanna be with you. yeah. so it's fine really, i just wanna be here. with you. and then we can just talk or if you don't wanna talk we don't have to talk—unless you want me to talk. yeah."

ddot feels a small smile creeping on his face from her rambles. just like that the swarming through, they were almost invisible, unlike when zoey wasn't there to talk to him.

"well do you wanna go? cause i don't wanna force you to do something—especially when you're mad at me,"ddot furrows his eyebrows at this. "who said i was mad at you?"

zoey immediately felt embarrassed because she probably sounded like a hot mess by now. "no cause you weren't talking to me.. so i just thought," ddot winces at this cause he honestly does not know how to communicate.

"my bad."

zoey at the simple answer, the two walk to her house with zoey beginning to talk his ear off like normally while ddot just listened with his arms being swung around with the amount of force zoey was using since they were holding hands.

he didn't hate her talking that much.

F SPEAKS 💁🏾‍♀️

NOTE— honestly didn't know where i was goin wit this i jus wanted to make it long chile ☹️☹️. thoughtsss?? and yes i only feel motivated at night so that's why this is getting posted at almost 1. anyways fia loves uuuu 💗💗.