Straight from the Heart

CHAPTER 2
A BOND BETWEEN FRIENDS
As Jamaal entered middle school, it seemed as though a whole new world opened up for him. He firmly concluded that he no longer wished to be let down by adults that he expected to accept him for who he was without placing conditions on how he should dress, act and/or behave. In being let down by the adults that he thought would love and embrace him during his lowest points in life, he began to question whether the significant adults in his life really loved and cared about him at all. His thoughts were “if they really loved and cared about me, I wouldn’t be hurting so badly and crying all the time.”
To avoid dealing with the pain that he was experiencing on an almost daily basis, Jamaal began to associate with older youth at his school. Guys that he thought had it “goin' on.” Upon entering middle school, Jamaal quickly developed a special friendship with a fifteen-year-old male named Trevon. Trevon was extremely smart; however, he refused to attend class and was repeating the eighth grade for the second time. Trevon appeared to be cool and was someone that Jamaal looked up to. They attend Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School and have begun to hang out on a daily basis. Jamaal’s experience in meeting and getting to know Trevon is depicted in the true-to-life narrative that follows:
Trevon notices Jamaal from a distance and waves while beckoning him to come over as he calls out, “Hey Jamaal! Over here.”
Jamaal hears Trevon calling and begins to feel excited and encouraged as he heads in his direction. As Jamaal approaches Trevon, he calls back in a cheerful tone, “Yeah, hey! What’s up?”
“Not much man, I just needed to chat with you for a bit,” replies Trevon in a solemn and low keyed manner.
Jamaal can sense that Trevon is in a serious mood as he responds with a look of concern, “Yeah man, what’s up? Is everything okay?”
Jamaal is someone that Trevon has taken a special interest in and has been keeping an eye on like a big brother over the past several months. During his brief interactions with Jamaal, Trevon concluded that Jamaal was someone that he could trust and depend on. However, he noticed that Jamaal did not appear to be himself and could tell that he was becoming increasingly withdrawn, isolated and depressed over the past couple of weeks. So Trevon figured it was time for him to intervene by doing something to lift Jamaal's spirit, as he openly shares his thoughts and observations stating, “Jamaal man, you know I’ve been watching you, and I noticed that you seemed to be a little down over the past couple of weeks. It almost seemed like you had just lost your best friend.”
Jamaal is taken aback by Trevon’s comments which he knew were true. However, he had no idea that others could pick up on the fact that he had been feeling like life was no longer worth living, as his mood shifts to sadness.
In picking up on the shift in Jamaal's mood, Trevon extends the invitation for Jamaal to hang out with him and his friends as a way of bringing Jamaal out of his sullen mood, as he comments, “Hey man, I didn’t mean to throw you off. I hope you know that you are always welcome to hang out with me and my peeps.”
Jamaal responds in a solemn, yet nonchalant manner, as he shrugs his shoulders stating, “Yeah, I know.”
Trevon cares deeply for Jamaal and doesn't like seeing him in a sad and despondent mood because it reminds him too much of his life and how he often felt when he was Jamaal's age. While looking Jamaal in the eyes, he places his hand on Jamaal's shoulder, as he confidently states in a highly animated fashion, “I tell you what. It sure beats hanging around this joint. Walking around feeling all sad and what not.” Trevon begins to think about how fortunate he is to have people in his life that he can turn to for support when he is feeling down and ready to throw in the towel as he comments, “As a matter of fact, I’m heading over to meet with the crew in a few. Hey, why don’t you join me? You can hang out with me and my boys.” For Trevon, hanging with his crew is what keeps him emotionally grounded and motivated to live to see another day.
Jamaal is excited about the idea of spending time with Trevon and his crew, as his mood becomes more upbeat and positive. However, his naivety causes him to inquire about how they will be spending their time, as he excitedly responds, “Yeah man, I would love to hang with you and the crew; but, what do you guys do when you get together?”
In realizing that Jamaal has no idea what he and his crew do when they get together, Trevon attempts to protect him from the truth by stating, “Oh, we just get together and chill. You know.”
Jamaal has a look of bewilderment, as he hesitantly replies in a naïve, yet honest, manner firmly stating, “No man, I don’t know.”
Trevon attempts to put Jamaal’s mind at ease as he replies, “Man, you know. Skip class, hang out at the mall, shoot hoop, chill until it’s time to go home. You know the routine,” Trevon chuckles as he inwardly reflects on how naïve Jamaal appears to be while secretly wishing that he could go back in time to the innocence of his own childhood.