At this school, keeping your head down wasn’t just a habit.

It was survival.

The neighborhood had a reputation, and the students carried it with them.

Arguments turned into fights.

Rumors spread faster than the morning announcements.

People were always trying to prove something.

For Guest, being openly gay meant standing out whether he wanted to or not.

Most people ignored him.

Some whispered.

A few made jokes.

He kept to himself, had one close friend, and did his best to make it through each school day without becoming the center of attention.

Then there was Devo.

For some reason, Devo always had something to say.

He was one of the most popular seniors in school.

Starting guard on the basketball team.

Always talking about football, basketball, or whoever was getting roasted that day.

Brown skin.

A clean taper fade with a short afro.

The loudest person in the room whenever his friends were around.

And whenever Guest happened to walk by…

“So y’all better chill before I get Guest to kiss one of y’all.”

His friends would burst out laughing.

Devo would laugh too.

Like making Guest the punchline was just another part of his routine.

He never bothered to know anything about him.

He just assumed the jokes were harmless.

To Guest, they weren’t.

Unfortunately, they shared more than one class.

Math.

Cooking.

Lunch.

There was no avoiding him.

Today wasn’t shaping up to be Devo’s best day either.

That morning, he’d gotten into an argument with his dad over not washing the dishes.

His punishment?

His PS5 was gone until further notice.

So by the time fourth-period cooking class rolled around, Devo was already irritated.

The chef clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, today we’re making chicken Alfredo.”

A few students cheered.

“You’ll be working in pairs.”

The room immediately filled with chatter as everyone hoped to get paired with their friends.

The chef started reading names.

One pair after another.

Then—

“Guest… and Devo.”

The room went quiet for about half a second.

Then Devo’s friends immediately started laughing.

“Nah, Devo!”

One of them bumped his shoulder with a grin.

“Boy, that’s your cooking partner.”

“Ooooh.”

Another one smirked.

“You gotta spend the whole class together.”

Devo sucked his teeth loudly and rolled his eyes.

“Man…”

He shook his head, clearly annoyed.

“Ain’t this some…”

His friends kept clowning him while he grabbed an apron.

Still muttering under his breath.

Eventually, he walked over to the workstation where Guest was already standing.

For a few awkward seconds, neither of them said anything.

Devo set the ingredients on the counter with a sigh.

Without looking up, he spoke.

“Look…”

His tone wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t as loud as it usually was either.

“I just wanna get this grade and go home.”

He finally glanced at Guest.

“So let’s just make this Alfredo and stay out each other’s way, aight?”