Find another Keisha (A forever fanfiction)

Keisha was halfway through her community service shift, dragging a half-full trash bag along the sidewalk. Her edges were sweating out, the vest was hot, and every second felt longer than it was. She leaned down to grab a crushed Red Bull can with the trash picker, eyes squinting from the sun—then she saw him.

Justin.

She blinked, standing up straight. "Justin?"

He gave a small nod and held up a trash bag like it explained everything. "Figured I'd help out."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you came to help me pick up trash? That's your game now?"

He stepped closer, trying to keep it light. "I mean, you tell me. You seem to know a lot about my game."

Keisha tilted her head, arms crossing. "I'm just saying... word gets around."

Justin's smile faded just a little. "Yeah... 'cause you would know."

That line hit harder than it should've. Keisha's whol face dropped. She didn't say anything, just gave him one last look, shook her head, and turned away, walking down the block like she couldn't even hear him anymore.

Justin stood there, jaw clenched. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, the screen lit up with a message from Keisha:

just forget it. go find another keisha. i'm not interested, and i'm definitely not special.

He exhaled hard, staring at the message. His chest tightened. He typed quickly:

can we just talk? please. i messed up.

But the next message came faster than he could process:

stop texting me!!

Justin sat down on the edge of the curb, phone still in hand. His knee bounced up and down, foot tapping fast like he was trying to shake it all off.

It was getting dark now. The sun dipped behind the trees and the sky turned dusky purple. His Uber had been waiting, but when he glanced up, he saw the car pulling off—too late.

"Damn," he muttered, standing up and walking toward the corner.

He didn't look both ways.

HOOONK!

A silver car swerved and screeched to a stop just a few feet from him.

A girl jumped out of the driver's seat, looking panicked. "Oh my God! Are you okay?! I didn't even see you!"

Justin took a step back, heart racing. He looked up and saw her—long braids, wide pretty eyes, hoodie halfway zipped. She was short, but the way she stood made her presence big.

"Yeah, I'm good," he said, catching his breath.

She looked him over. "This is my first time driving by myself... I swear I wasn't trying to kill you."

From the passenger seat, her friend leaned out the window and mumbled, "Damn... he fine."

"Shut up," the driver muttered, cheeks flushing pink.

"You sure you good?" she asked, turning back to Justin. "Like, can I get you home or something?"

He started to say no, but then turned and saw his Uber disappearing down the street.

He sighed. "Actually... yeah. That'd be cool."

She smiled a little. "Hop in."

⸻

The car was quiet at first, just the low hum of the engine and soft music playing from the radio. Justin buckled his seatbelt in the back.

"What's your address?" the girl asked, keeping her eyes on the road.