LIFE AFTER DEATH.

STRANGER DANGER

I was dazed. I narrowed my eyes and stared behind me to make sure the strange boy was talking to me.

" s**t, " He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, " Did you hear me? afro? I'm spending the night here. " He moved over to the sofa and bounced on it.

I stood in silence, still trying to process what was happening.

" Who are you and why are you here? " He asked me.

I got even more confused. There was a strange boy that I didn't know, inside my room and he was asking ME what I was doing there.

" Can you talk? " He asked, " No? Well s**t, I can't do hand language. "

" Sign language. " I corrected, " It's called sign language. "

His eyes got bigger, " So you can talk, that's a relief. "

" What are you doing in my room? " That was a question long overdue.

" YOUR room? " He appeared surprised, " Wait, who are you again? "

His questions were pissing me off, " Excuse me? you're in my room and asking what I'm doing here? "

" Relax, " he scoffed, now standing and walking toward me, " That hot chic is your mom? "

I began slowly retreating from him, " No, my... my aunt. " That was difficult to say.

" I can see the resemblance, " he winked.

For some reason, it made me shiver. I now saw his facial features very clearly. That was the first time I had a white person in the same space as mine. He had very muscular facial edges, his chin was acute, his nose was small and his dimples were so pronounced that even when he spoke I could see them. He had grey-colored eyes, and a fresh little scar on his cheeks. I wondered if it was from the fight that took place earlier.

" What... what are you doing here? " I snapped out of my lucid thoughts.

" I'm sorry, " he demonstrated with his hands, " I didn't expect to see you here today. "

I was concerned, " You come here often? "

" Yeah... I mean, it's mostly empty. "

I didn't know how to feel about what I just heard, " Why? "

" Whenever I... whenever I fight with my folks. "

" So that person inside your room is your folk? " I immediately regretted asking him that question.

His facial expression changed, and he appeared more disturbed.

" Were you spying on me? "

" No... "

His gaze was trenchant, he knew I was lying, " Yes, I was, but__

" So how much did you hear? "

" Don't worry, I didn't hear anything. I could barely even see who the folk was. " I moved over to the window.

" You should learn to mind your business afro. "

" Hey Curly, you're literally in my room. " I emphasized.

"As I said, I didn't expect to see you here. " He winked again.

" Can you please leave? " I gestured over the window. I took notice of the fact that I was new in town, a stranger in my room, was out of place.

" Where's Tess? " He asked, looking around.

" I don't know who that is. " I realized I had conversed with him way longer than I should have, " Please leave. "

" You have to let me stay... please. " His eyes fell and his voice became crooked, " If Tess was here, she would have let me stay. "

I turned over to where I first saw him, his

room. The window was still open, and I wondered if the 'folk' was still inside.

" Why can't you go back? " I asked, almost whispering.

" There's... there are some people I can't face, at least not tonight. " I could tell it was difficult for him to say that. I understood his plight, I remembered how many times I wished I could escape my mother. Hell, I wished I could escape aunt Vivian.

" Well? " He pulled me out of my thoughts again, " Can I stay? " He went over to the bed this time and bounced on it.

" Fine, but you're sleeping on the couch. "