The Little Spot on Lennox

 It started with Malik sayin’, “Man, I’m hungry hungry. Not that lil’ snack hungry—I'm talkin’ real-life struggle hungry.”

Soon as he said that, everybody in the group chat came alive.

Jay typed, “Lemme grab my shoes. Where we goin’?”
Tiana: “Ion care where, long as the food hittin’.”
Dre just sent the eyes emoji, which meant “I’m in.”

Snackin’ & Vibin

 It was Saturday afternoon, and Jayla texted the group chat like she always do: “Y’all tryna go out or nah? I’m bored.”

Five minutes later, everybody hittin’ her back with “bet,” “say less,” “on my way.”
Jayla smiled. She already knew—soon as folks got bored, they looked at her to make something happen.

They all met up at the little food truck park down on Maple, the one always smellin’ like fried somethin’ and somebody’s grandma’s kitchen. Soon as Jayla stepped out the car, that BBQ smoke hit her like a hug.

Crown Like Mine

Ariyah been lovin’ her hair since she was little, but today? Today she felt extra cute.

She stood in front of her mirror, long kinky curls spillin’ down her back like a whole waterfall of sunshine. “Mmm-hmm,” she said to herself, fluffin’ the ends, “y’all can’t tell me nothin’ today.”

Her grandma poked her head in the room. “Girl, you still in here playin’ in that hair?”

Crown of Clouds

Amani stood in front of the mirror, her long, kinky hair stretching toward the ceiling like a soft storm cloud. Today was picture day, and her stomach fluttered with the usual worry. Her classmates always whispered things like “Why is it so big?” or “Can you flatten it?” And even though she tried not to let it bother her, the tiny questions felt like tiny pinpricks.