MJ and Louise sat behind Wisha's truck as he offered to drop Louise home. MJ looked at Louise, "Are you sure?"
"Yes,"

"Don't you think it would be better if we leave it to Tony?" He asked him as they stood in front of the pool for their physical education class the next day.
"No, I want to do it,"

"What if you aren't able to win against him?" MJ asked him as he sat behind in during their mathematics class.
"Nothing would change. I'm not losing anything," Louise said, without turning back.

"What if you are never good enough?" MJ looked into his eyes.
"MJ... Can you please let me piss?" Louise looked back at him, and they both stood before the urinals, MJ was face to face with Louise while peeing.

Every day, after school, Louise would go to Tony's gym. There he would help him with his form, and train him. He would bulk up with protein shakes, increase his diet, and eat more veggies and meat. He was also coming to the band practice every day early in the morning, after which, they'd lock the room up and Zalia would simply borrow the key from MJ if she wanted to practice with her band that day. Angela taught Louise about her little rolls, her moves on the instrument and her motivation to do better every time. 

Still, it sucked that Mr Wilson would not let them sing or make more songs because of the fiasco they pulled last month. How could he still be upset about it? Were they really not going to perform at all that year? It was winter already, Zalia would graduate next summer, she'd never see them perform live. That hurt MJ's heart. He wanted to show her how good he was when he took music seriously. 

Which, he didn't. 

MJ did not care about music. He only joined it because he knew Louise would. And through music, he could grow closer to Louise, and find a friend in him! And he did! Ryan and Jerome too! Oh, it was much too delightful to have nice friends after so long. Friends you could be silly around, friends with whom you could create something music and hopefully, friends that he would never lose, even after they were adults. 

Zalia met MJ while returning home one afternoon, they walked back together. Louise had gone to Tony's gym. 
"I like how Louise finally has a purpose in life. Henry is a great motivator,"
"He beats the motivation into people," MJ thought about what e said, he really did force Louise to change. To change himself and become more serious. Wait, if Louise became too serious, would he start hanging out with more serious people and ditch MJ? Aw hell nah! Now, MJ was a little anxious. 

He had to stop Louise. 

Nah, what kind of friend would he be if he stopped his friend from achieving greatness? Now, this was a dilemaa. Try to reason it out MJ, what good has being too serious ever got people? Stress...which causes Malaria! Wait, what are west Africans so stressed about, then? They must have someone like Henry around them....besides not having enough water. Now, hold on. That was quite racist. But putting that aside, coming back to Louise. See! He's slipping from my thoughts! Being too serious, that's definitely bad for you. It makes you see life without any filter of temporary suffering, because suffering is forever. Man is a fallen creature, think about it. When was the last time you genuinely felt happy inside? Everytime you have good things happen to you, they are inevitably ruined. 

You loved the girl? She left you 
Because you cheated on her!
But still!

Your brother praised your good cut.
A pigeon shat on you next. 

You enjoy a nice ice cream on a winter night
You wake up with a cold the next morning. 

You try hard to impress a girl 
You end up getting pegged.

Life, it never really lets you catch a break. Being too serious over that, makes one nothing but miserable. Wait, MJ, you are not even serious, yet you still are miserable. How does that work? Ugh! All these thoughts! What to do? Be an enemy to a friend to stop him from becoming your enemy to just anticipating what is about to coming, being zen and letting it go like water.

Like water... 

"Henry is a piece of shit! I hate that fuck!" MJ finally yelled as his brain fried inside him, "If he would suddenly disappear from this world, everyone's quality of life would become significantly better. His absence makes this world a little better place to live in,"
"It must be intolerable for you then, to be in the same class as him?" Zalia asked.

"Yeah, but someday, I will beat his ass up and then I could tolerate him,"
"So much hate from a kid. That can't be right, for either one of you,"

"I'm not a kid, Zalia, I'm fifteen soon,"
"Sorry, big man," She smiled and looked ahead. Oh fuck, MJ thought, it must be one of those things. It must be sexual tension! Or maybe you're just overthinking it MJ, she just ran out of topics to talk about. 
"So, Zalia, what kind of guys do you like?" MJ asked. 
She smiled at him, "Someone who is not fourteen," That was a strike. 
"Aw come on! Apart from that!"

"Frankly, I don't know. I've never been in love before. I just want to fall in love organically. I like doing cheesy things. Like glances at him when he's not looking," I will stare my soul of you! MJ stared at her without blinking his big green eyes. He looked like a two-eyed cyclope! "What else?" He asked her. 

"I like having short conversations when him and I are finally alone," See, we're doing that now! "Watching him do the things he likes..." She always watches me when I play my electric guitar...probably because she's teaching me but still! That counts, okay?! Zalia is totally into me! "Read something I wrote to him..." Oh fuck... She hasn't written anything to me...

"or watching him achieve his dreams. I like passionate boys," I'm passionate! I remember that one time I built a damn six foot tall card pyramid, in that time I could've had a whole ass relationship, get married, get divorced, lose my house, my shit, become homeless and broke, hate all women, go gym, sleep there because duh, I'm homeless, lose faith in the world, and then get killed by a raging Rhino on the street...Don't ask me how the Rhino got there. 

"Boys who love something strongly." I love Louise so much, that counts. "It can be sports, music or books,"...Music for me :I don't know, it's so adorable to share their hobbies with them. Their love for things makes them so attractive," I'm so attractive. Right now, I 

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away," Zalia smiled at me. 
"You totally like me, don't you?" MJ smirked. 
"No,"
"Oh...Sorry, I got carried away too,"

"Hah, what kind of people do you like?"
"I like hot girls,"
"Louise is not a hot girl," She smiled.

"Louise doesn't need to be. He's so much more to me than just a hot girl,"
"Mhm... Like what?"
"Louise is..." MJ looked at the Asphalt road, the voice of the birds on the trees around them, walking under the shade of Giant sequoias, those trees were huge. America was such a beautiful country, MJ wished the Americans took more care of it. Californian forests were bright, lively, almost intimidating, passionate...he means so much to him, "He is my best friend,"

Zalia smiled, "Only friend, huh? You sure you're not in love with him?"
"What?!" MJ stopped. 
"WHAT?" They both turned back. It was Pedro! Or Peed. He had been following them. 
"Peed, why are you here?" Zalia asked. 

"You guys, I need your help," Peed was not high, "I like a girl," 
He was high. 

. . .

Louise was working hard, doing his last set of crunches. He had taken membership at a gym nearby his place so that he could go work out anytime he felt like it. He was about to finish. It was his last set! He got hard, "What the fuck?!" 
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. HENRY? 

Louise covered his penis with his T-shirt and got up, "Oh my God, Henry comes here?!" 
Henry walked around with his trolls, posing with the instruments and making TikTok videos, but not really working out. He was just occupying equipment and pissing everyone else off. Turns out, he was taking the gym trial with his trolls. Louise ran ahead and hid inside the locker rooms. He could hear Henry come towards the locker rooms, so he hid inside a locker. Henry came in and took off his sweatshirt, he started flexing his muscles. He wasn't big, just toned. 

Louise held his breath while Henry's trolls began clicking his pictures in the locker room, while he was flexing his muscles, "This one is totally Instagram worthy," Henry looked at the pictures, "I will make this my new profile picture," They chattered as they walked out of the locker rooms. Louise took a sigh of relief when suddenly MJ called him, "Hello,"

"Hey Louise,"
"What do you want?"
"How do I unwrap a condom? I've never used one before,"

"WHAT?!"
"I know, I could've googled it but digital footprint. What if my future employer sees that I googled this shit while I was teen. I would be unemployed!" 
"You'd be unemployed regardless. And who in her right mind would let you wilfully fuck her? Who are you with right now?"
"Zalia,"
"WHAT?!" Louise got up, "I'M COMING THERE RIGHT NOW!"
"What? Hey, don't ruin my fun," Louise hung up. He decided to get out of the locker when two guys came in butt naked, "Is anyone here?" One of them was tall, bulky and looked like bad news. He had tattooed everywhere, and pants that read, "MAN!" He had a well groomed beard, broad shoulders and an excellent form. Louise did not want to come out before this particular guy left. He remembered this guy. He had been staring at Louise as if he wanted to beat him up everytime he saw Louise get to a machine before him. He stood inside his stall quietly.
"Is anyone there?" He asked again. Then, he turned back at the guy he came there with and they started making out aggressively. 

'WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!' Louise did not want to see that. He closed his eyes. That's when the bigger guy pushed the smaller guy against his locker, and made out even more aggressively. 

'Oh my god, why do these people not get a room! I don't want to see this shit, or hear it! Louise covered his ears.

Some guy came in, he saw them. 'Yes, my saviour! Stop these weirdos and report them!' At that moment, he looked like Jesus Christ to Louise. No, like literally, he had a long beard, except that this guy was butt naked too. This guy joined them.

YOU FUCKING WHORE!

Suddenly, MJ called Louise and while trying to mute his upcoming call, Louise accidentally picked it up. MJ heard everything behind Louise, "Er..." Louise is having sex with other guys?
"Mitchelle, where are you, sweety?" 
"Hold on," He hung up and immediately called Zalia, "LOUISE LOST HIS VIRGINITY!" He looked at the girl in front of him, "We're totally twinning this," 

-To be continued