The sound of frantic button-mashing filled Kelvin's small
cluttered living room,
accompanied by the occasional rustle of snack
bags and muted crunching.
The glow from the TV lit up the room,
casting shadows over the mess of controllers,
soda cans, and discarded popcorn on the table.
Kenny groaned dramatically as he slammed
his controller onto the couch,
his face twisted in frustration.
"Ain't no way, Dawg, I'm finna start tweakin' out.
Nah this game is rigged!" he exclaimed,
throwing his arms up in disbelief.
"What is that combo, this game is ass!"
Kelvin, lounging casually against the
armrest of the couch with his controller
resting in his lap, smirked.
"Face it nigga, you're ass.
But that's okay. You'll always be my son."
Kenny whipped his head toward Kelvin,
his glare sharp but playful.
"Aight, lil bro," he fired back,
his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Kelvin raised an eyebrow and leaned back, unfazed.
"Nah, lil bro is crazy," he said smoothly,
his tone calm and unbothered.
Hunter, sprawled out on the carpet with his
controller in hand, burst into laughter at their exchange.
"Nah, Kenny's just bad under pressure.
Dude crumbles like a wet paper towel
whenever things get intense."
"See what your not gonna do is talk shit on Twitter,"
Kenny muttered, reaching for a handful of popcorn.
Without warning, he chucked it at Hunter with a smirk.
"I'll really come over there, and milli rock you boy quit playin,
and I might even consider getting sturdy on your shit."
Hunter ducked just in time,
popcorn scattering harmlessly across the floor.
His laughter only grew louder,
tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
"Hey, don't waste the snacks,
man! Kelvin's mom will kill us if we make a mess!"
Kelvin snorted,
already queueing up the next round on the game menu.
"Nah, she's more likely to yell at Kenny for being loud.
She's got it out for you dawg."
All three of them cracked up,
their laughter bouncing off the walls and filling the
room with that familiar and easy energy they'd always shared.
As their laughter died down,
Kelvin turned to Hunter with a questioning look.
"So, what's the deal, Hunter?
Are you staying the night or what?"
Hunter hesitated,
glancing at the time on his phone.
It was already past nine,
and his dad would probably want him home soon.
But Kenny had brought a whole stack
of games to try out,
and the night felt too fun to cut short.
"Lemme call my dad," Hunter said,
pushing himself off the floor and
heading toward the kitchen for some quiet.
He tapped his dad's number and leaned
against the counter, waiting as the line rang.
Roger picked up after the second ring.
"Hunter? Everything okay kiddo?"
"Yeah, all good," Hunter replied quickly.
"Hey, can I stay the night at Kelvin's?
Kenny brought some games I wanted to try,
and we were just getting started."
There was a brief pause on the other
end before Roger's familiar chuckle came through.
"You know, I was about to call
and tell you I wouldn't be home tonight anyway."
Hunter raised an eyebrow,
his lips twitching into a grin.
"Oh, yeah? What're you up to, old man?
Staying out past curfew?"
Roger laughed heartily.
"Don't push your luck, smartass.
Let's just say I've got plans."
"Uh-huh, 'plans,'" Hunter echoed,
his grin widening.
"You're being way too vague, Dad.
Should I be worried?"
"Not unless you plan on telling
your friends your dad's cooler than
all of their parents combined,"
Roger shot back, his tone light.
"So yeah, you've got my permission to stay out.
Just don't trash Kelvin's house, alright?
And keep your phone on."
"Bet," Hunter said, chuckling.
"You have fun with your 'plans.'
Try not to get into trouble, yeah?"
"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing,"
Roger replied, clearly amused.
"Alright, kiddo, I'll see you tomorrow.
Be good."
"Got it. Night, Dad," Hunter
said before hanging up and
heading back to the living room.
When he stepped in, Kenny
and Kelvin both looked up expectantly.
"Well?" Kelvin asked.
"We're good," Hunter announced with a grin,
plopping back onto the floor.
"My dad's staying out tonight too,
so I guess we're both living the wild life."
"Wait, your dad's staying out?"
Kenny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yup," Hunter said,
shrugging as he picked up his controller.
"Don't ask me what he's doing.
He said he has 'plans.'"
Kelvin leaned forward, grinning.
"Plans, huh? Nah, your dad out there mommy hunting?"
Kenny's head perks up, then he starts chuckling.
Hunter snorted, shaking his head.
"Man I don't wanna think about that.
Let's just play the next round."
As the game loaded,
Hunter couldn't shake the small pang of
curiosity about what his dad was really up to.
But for now, he shoved the thought aside.
Tonight was about beating his friends at their own games,
and he wasn't about to let them off easy. "Speaking of cheeks clapping, when you fuckin' Jessica?"
Kenny asked with a sly grin,
leaning forward on the couch like
he just dropped the hottest take of the night.
"WHOA! How the hell did we get here?"
Hunter blurted out, his eyes wide as he
clutched his controller like it was a lifeline.
"He's got a point," Kelvin chimed in,
shrugging casually as he adjusted his position on the couch.
"That girl is all on your dick nigga."
Hunter shook his head,
already feeling the heat rise to his face.
"Man, c'mon. Y'all are wild for
even bringing this up right now."
Kelvin smirked and threw his hands up.
"Nah, nah, don't try to dodge this bro.
You've been close with Jessica for two years
now—two years—and still no cheeks, no lips, nothing.
You gotta be gay, bruh Couldn't
be me brotha, what you tryna fuck us?
Kenny burst out laughing at Kelvin's remark.
"You're holdin' onto Jessica
like she's a friendship bracelet."
Kenny responds finally .
Hunter sighed heavily,
the weight of their teasing getting to him.
"Look, I'm not gay," he said firmly,
his tone a mix of irritation and embarrassment.
"I just… I don't wanna fuck things up, okay?
I really like this girl.
She's the only girl I even talk to."
"Man, you sound like a pussy,"
Kenny interjected, shaking his head with exaggerated disappointment.
"Hunter, you gotta get in there before somebody else does.
You think niggas are out here are just waiting
for you to grow a pair?
Nah, they're making moves right now."
The room fell into a more serious tone,
Kelvin leaning forward slightly as he
tried to read Hunter's face.
Even Kenny paused his usual antics to glance over,
though his expression still carried that mischievous edge.
"Man, fuck that shit," Kenny said finally,
breaking the silence.
"You're out here actin' like some
whack-ass anime protagonist."
Kelvin snorted, unable to hide his grin,
but he quickly composed himself.
"For real, bro, you need to be more on point.
If you keep holding back like this,
you're gonna die a virgin.
Ain't nobody got time for that."
"Bro, are y'all not hearing me?"
Hunter said, his voice rising slightly.
"I don't wanna lose her.
Jessica means a lot to me, alright?
Girls don't usually talk to me at all.
And now that I've got the one girl I actually
care about in my life,
I'm not tryna fuck it up by moving too fast."
While Hunter was speaking,
Kenny was in the background
adlibbing Hunter mocking him but also calling him loser
and a pussy, "you don't even attempt to talk to other girls."
Kelvin tried to listen intently but begins to crack
a smile hearing Kenny's adlibbing.
"Bro, can you stop?!" Hunter snapped,
turning to Kenny with more seriousness than usual.
"My fault gang"
Kenny responds chuckling stopping his mockery.
Kelvin leaned back against the couch,
giving Hunter a more thoughtful look now.
"Aight, lil bruh, listen.
Don't let what Kenny's doin' distract you,
but he's lowkey mimicking what you sound like accurately."
Kelvin shrugged, his expression somewhere between amused and exasperated.
"From our perspective,
you're just full of excuses.
You're oblivious to the obvious, bro."
Hunter furrowed his brow.
"What the fuck are you even talking about, Kelvin?"
Kelvin smirked knowingly,
leaning forward as if to emphasize his next point.
"Let's put it like this:
what happens if Jessica spreads her legs and says,
'Come 'ere'? You gonna sit there and go,
'Oh, I dunno how,' or are you diving the fuck in?"
Kelvin continued,
"Look, lil bruh, I can't let my homie fumble
a bag that's basically being handed to him on
a silver platter.
Life doesn't give you shit you can't handle.
Jessica's into you. You can handle her."
Hunter stared at Kelvin,
his defenses cracking under the weight of his words.
"Trust me," Kelvin added,
his tone softening slightly but still
carrying that signature bluntness.
"You can do this bro.
Stop overthinking and just go for it."
Hunter glanced down at his controller,
his fingers idly pressing the buttons as his
mind raced. His friends were idiots—sure—but
deep down, he knew they weren't entirely wrong.
Still, the idea of taking that next step with
Jessica felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.
"Alright," Hunter muttered after a long pause,
his voice quiet but resolute. "I hear you."
"Atta white boy!" Kenny shouted,
throwing an arm around Hunter's shoulders.
"Now let's get back to this game.
Kenny, chimes in
"I'm about to cook y'all for real this time."
Kelvin smirked, grabbing his controller.
"Man, shut up.
You couldn't win if we gave you cheat codes."
Hunter chuckled despite himself,
his mind still lingering on the conversation.
As much as Kenny and Kelvin got on his nerves,
they always had his back.
And maybe, just maybe, they were right.