Ukufa

??? POV

"Something need to change 'bout this heat bruh, on me." Nas says. He been my friend for a LONG time, since we was literally toddlers. Anyway, on god, he's right. Summer time in New Orleans is no joke.

I look on my weather app and see its 103 degrees but feels like 110. "110 is CRAZY, God been punishing us, aint no way its legal to have us in school." I cant help but exclaim.

"Today is one them days you pop into a ice bath, especially after football practice. Tho im pretty sure it's canceled or we'll be in the school building today." Nas say. I was hoping practice would be cancelled, Days Gone had come out and I wanted to play it so bad, along with Cyberpunk it was one of my most anticipated games.

"I heard Coach Lovelace was gonna cancel the game tomorrow, it's supposed to be even hotter." I turn around and discover my boy, Terry. Terry is one of my only white friends at the school and thats only because he plays football with me.

With me playing Wide Receiver and him playing Tight End, he was sometimes with us and sometimes with the linemen.

In my senior year of highschool I was a 5 star wide receiver and planned on going to LSU. I had heard they had a good wrestling program and some archaeologists stuff also. Lord knows I love Ancient Greece and Egypt.

"Imma be real…..Lovelace aint gon' cancel practice, you know how he is. If I die…..play Cyberpunk for me and tell me how it is in heaven." I say.

Nas: "Hahaha, I got you, I got you. Anyway I got something to ask you."

"Wassup bro?"

Nas: "Your girl, Maria. She been hitting me up, talkin' 'bout some 'Heyyyy big head' and 'If I was single I'd be your girl'. She tryna flirt bruh, I dont mean to come into yall relationship but…she been hitting me up."

"....I appreciate you, ill talk to her tomorrow. Thanks."

——

We were currently in the locker room getting ready for practice, IN FULL GEAR!

Today is just sooooo bad.

I feel my face turn into a face of unease as I think about the hell we're about to endure. I reach for my football pants and feel them still soaked from the sweat of yesterday's practice.

Reluctantly I punt on all my gear. The smell of sweat enters my nose as I make my way to the field, the sound of my equipment jostling reverberates in my ears.

As soon as I get to the field I hear the famous whistle, if you weren't on the field by the time the whistle was blown, you had to roll all along the field until coach told you to stop.

"SINCE SO MUCH OF YALL COMPLAINED, ON THE LINE!!!!!!"

Coach says those dreaded words.

"*tch* get ready to run." I mumble.

——

*Breathing Heavily*

I…cant..catch my…breath.

Coach had made us do suicides, i'm on my last one. Nearing the endzone, I feel my legs start to turn to jelly, my head hurts and the last thing I see is the ground rapidly approaching my face.

"-JEREMIAH!!!!!!"

——

[Hello Jeremiah Monroe Jenkins, aka Junie/JJ]

A voice from the darkness I've found myself in asks me. How does it know my name?

"H-hello, anyone there?"

[Hehe, no worries my boy im only here for your benefit]

"W-what are you gonna do?"

[Im going to pit you in the DC universe as one of your favorite heroes]

"Whoa, ill be the Punisher?"

[No, due to your accomplishments in the future, I've chosen you to give a great reward to. In the future you would've experienced a great racially charged event that would've pushed you to strive for equality of all peoples of Earth. But your untimely death has changed that.

It would be a disservice to change your Race/Ethnicity to simply fit with a character. You'll be reborn as Black Panther along with his people, culture and technology.]

"Does that mean I was gonna be a new MLK?"

[No, you would not be MLK, YOU would be YOU]

"Wow….what about my family and friends?"

[Your family was devastated yet learned to accept your passing. Your friends were the same and your Friend Nas honored you by naming his son after you.]

Let it be known…I kinda cried, at least teared up a bit.

"T-thats…..yeah, o-ok. Can I ask for a favor?"

[Hmmm, I will grant Nas the same thing I granted you.]

"Thank you."

[Mmhm, Now go along with your new life.]