Day 2, 11:15 AM

Zay was feeling bored and wanted to play a video game on his game system. Picking up his controller, he reflected on last night, after Tyler got back from the Cum Bucket, he had knocked on Zayvion’s door and insisted—half-joking, half-serious—that Zay come chill with him in his room. They ended up playing video games for hours, laughing, and talking trash. Zay thought it was cute how Tyler affectionately called him “Lil Z-Man,” a nickname that made him feel seen and appreciated.

As Zay selected a game, he realized he forgot his drink in the refrigerator. Feeling thirsty, he got up and headed towards the kitchen to grab his drink. However, when he opened the door to his room, he noticed his roommates hanging out in the common area, looking incredibly stylish. Demar, Naheem, and even Tyler were all dressed in trendy urban fashion. Their laughter echoed through the room, and just as Zay opened his door, he caught a slice of their conversation.

“Nah, bruh,” Demar said, shaking his head with a half-smirk. “I can’t be hangin’ with no corny-ass dudes. You show up in them clearance-rack joints, talkin’ ‘bout ‘what level you on’—you already losin’.”

Naheem cracked up. “Facts! Nigga still rockin’ that tight-ass Mario Kart tee like he twelve. I be like bro, grow up.”

Tyler chuckled lightly but added, “It’s not even just the shirt. It’s the whole… vibe. Like, you gotta evolve with the room. You can’t be stuck in middle school forever.”

The room fell into a moment of comfortable silence before Demar added, “Real talk, I don’t care how smart you is—if you ain’t got no flavor, don’t expect nobody to take you serious out here.”

That last line hit Zay like a sucker punch.

He quickly shut the door before they could notice him, his heart racing. The laughter outside felt suddenly sharp, like it was aimed at him even if it wasn’t. In a blur, he forgot all about his drink and walked straight to his closet, yanking the door open.

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As Zay glanced down at his current attire, he felt disgusted by how nerdy he looked. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and removed it, along with his white undershirt. He then proceeded to unbuckle his belt, kick off his shoes, and take off his pants. In his haste to change, he almost tripped over his own feet. 

Frustrated, Zay threw his hands up in the air and tried to calm himself down. He continued rummaging through his closet, and as he looked down at the plaid traditional boxers he was wearing, he realized that none of his peers wore tightie whities or traditional boxers anymore. Deciding he didn’t want to be the odd one out, he stripped them off as well. 

Zay kept searching through his clothes and soon realized that all of his outfits were nerdy items his mom had bought for him. He put the plaid boxers back on and took a step back from the closet. A thought crossed his mind as he walked across the room to grab his phone and call his mom.

“Hey Mom, how you doing?” Zay said.

“I’m doing good baby, just been working but everything is going well,” she responded.

“That’s good that’s good,” Zay said acknowledging his mom. Nervously Zay asks, “Do you think I can get some money to buy some clothes?”

“Since you back talking to your daddy, why don’t you ask him for some money and see what he do for you. Those clothes cost a lot of money Zayvion,” Zay’s mom responds.

“Yeah, I know, but those aren’t really the look for me right now. You know I wanna look cool ya know and I feel like some different clothes would make me look cool. So, umm, you know, would it be possible you can send me some money so I can go and get some new gear, ya know?” Zayvion responded while ignoring the things she said about his dad.

“I don’t know Zayvion, money is kinda tight,” she responds.

“Pleeeease!!!!” Zay begs.

“Well, Okay but I only have $50 but that’s more than your daddy gonna give you,” she responds reluctantly.

“Thank you mom, you’re the best, I love you!” he said as he hangs up the phone and does a little dance.

“I love you too son,” she reciprocated back before ending the phone call.

After the call, he took a deep breath. Something felt different. Like the old version of him hung up too. Zayvion walked back over near his bed and pulled on a sweatshirt, a small smile creeping across his face. He looked down at the boxers he still had on—plaid, childish, and part of the version of himself he was done with. Nah. That had to go too. Without hesitation, he yanked them off and tossed them toward the hamper like he was throwing away everything that used to make him shrink.

He grabbed a pair of sweatpants, stepped into them, and tied the drawstring tight in the front. Then he slipped on his shoes, stood up straight, and looked around his room with fresh energy.

He wasn’t just going shopping. He was going to upgrade to a new version of Zayvion.

Lead Cast

• Demar
• Naheem
• Tyler
• ZMan

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