Wishes Come True

JAMAL'S POINT OF VIEW.

Being in New Jersey at this time of the year, or any time of the year, or better yet, being in New Jersey at all, ever, was not in my life plan.

I hated New Jersey when my mom and I first moved here, and not just anywhere, but in the worst part of it, in the ghettos, not that before we lived in a better side of another city because she liked drugs and she never could hold a job longer than a few weeks, so, we were always poor, but at least in California was warm.

Anyway, I hated it until I met him, then, I loved it and wouldn't have traded it for any luxurious, warm island in the entire world.

I met him two days after we moved, I was coming home from school, and two guys picked on me. They were much bigger than me, and they pushed me around and ripped my only jacket, which was not very warm as it was, but it was better than nothing.

I was on the ground when I first heard his voice, yelling at the guys to leave me alone, and when I looked back, I saw the most beautiful boy I have ever seen in my life.

My fast heartbeats that were almost cracking my ribs from fear started racing even faster, but now it had nothing to do with fear.

And that was the moment when I realized that I'm gay.

He was exactly the opposite of me, tall, about 5 ft 10, when I was barely 5 ft 5, his light brown hair with natural dirty blond highlights was in beautiful waves that were reaching his shoulders, while my hair was jet black, not Afro-textured because my dad was white and my mom was just half black, and not curly, but straight, short on the sides, and just a bit longer on top, his skin was white and flawless, while mine is, as he used to put it, a sandy complexion, smooth, and just a tad tawny, and as he came closer, I instantly fell in love with the most mesmerizing baby blue eyes I have ever seen.

I was so enchanted that I didn't even realize that I'm still on the ground, I wasn't even cold anymore, I was... floating, unable to take my eyes off of him.

I remember how he smiled at me soothingly and extended his hand for me to take it, which was big in comparison to mine, and it took me a few to recover and take it, then, with a gentle but firm grip, he pulled me off the ground and guided me so I would be hidden behind him while he and his best friend took care of the bullies.

“Are you hurt?” I remember him asking with worried eyes while looking at me from head to toe, looking for injuries, and if I wouldn't have had a darker skin tone, I'm sure that I would have been fire red.

I couldn't talk, I couldn't answer, so I just extended my hands and showed him my wounded palms, which he took and examined, then, with a gentle smile he looked back into my dark brown eyes.

“We'll fix that, but first, take your jacket off. It's wet and ripped.” He demanded in a soft voice, and I shook my head.

“I.it's f.f.fine...” I stuttered like a small child, and, as I felt again that hot wave washing through me, I looked away, afraid that he might see that I like him.

“Sweet. But give me the jacket.” My heart skipped beats and flipped inside my chest for the first time in my life when he called me sweet, and I remember that my stomach literally turned upside down, giving me the impression that I'll throw up from giddiness, and of course, it's useless to say that I couldn't answer, my voice was lost, so I just shook my head.

I was ashamed to tell him that I don't have another one, and I didn't even want to think about what mom will do to me when she'll see it, but at the time, nothing else mattered.

“Ok, then. I guess I'll have to take it myself.” When I heard that, my head snapped at him, but before I got the chance to say anything, he was unzipping it, then wrapped me in his red jacket, which he most probably took off when I was looking at my worn, ripped, shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

I wanted to protest, but before I got to open my mouth, he talked.

“It looks better on you.” His voice was smooth, and even if he was 14, it was deep, and because of it, I experienced the first shivers that turned my skin into goosebumps.

The jacket reached my mid-thighs, and it covered more than half of my hands, leaving outside only a small part of my fingers, I knew that I look ridiculous, but I felt good, and the scent of fresh detergent that smelled like earth smells after the rain, made me feel safe, and that was another feeling that I never felt before, but God knows that I wanted never to end.

“N.no... It d.d.doesn't...” I stuttered again, and I'm certain that he thought that I have a speech impediment.

“What do you say, Dee? Who's right?" He asked his best friend, Deshawn, who later became my best friend also, and who ended up to be my worst enemy.

“He looks hilarious but sweet." My fake best friend answered with a huge smile, which at the time seemed genuine, and I hid my face in the jacket so they wouldn't see my enormous smile.