It was called Smallville because it was a small town. Everybody knew everybody.
Drey Willis hopped on his bicycle and began pedaling slowly so he could nod his head, say hi, and holler at the too-familiar faces he would encounter shortly. He turned to wave at Miss Peach sipping away on her wooden porch, surrounded by colorful, potted plants. He hollered at Grumpy Joey who was struggling with the saloon door again as he rode past.
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Drey wiped his face with the back of his sleeve and pushed to pedal harder just as Manny was coming along with his old, rusty pickup.
"Morning Manny!" That was his favorite adult. He was the person who first took him to his father's grave and taught him to swim.
"Easy, kid" they exchanged a knowing smile.
As he arrived at Pentle where he gathered with the boys to decide their plans for the summer, he was greeted with the biggest smiles and fondest looks in all of Smallville.
"Yo Drey, seen this?" Freckled Benny waved a flyer to him as he slowed down to park his bike.
He wiped his face with his sleeve again, a little habit he had picked up from Manny, and snatched the flyer from Benny. His eyes scanned through then shot up with excitement evident in them.
"Yeah bruh, the talent hunt is back and this time, you're going in!" Yelps of excitement exploded from the boys as they ran around hugging and ruffling each other's hair.
"Hey, it's just two weeks until registration is over so you got to head over to New York soonest."
Drey's smile widened at the thought of New York. He had spent the previous summer working at two part-time jobs while volunteering at the library with the boys just so he could save up for this competition.
"You know what y'all? I'll head back home and show this to Ma then commence preparations ASAP."
"Yo Drey" Stefan's big, dark eyes met with his "Don't ever forget or look down on us when you become a star"
"Jesus Stefan, you're becoming a girly, emotional creep" Another bout of laughter erupted from the boys as Drey hopped on his bicycle again leaving Stefan to be teased silly. Ma was still home when he got back.
She was on a night shift at the community hospital so she could spend the day with her 12 and 7-year-olds.
"Hey, you're home early" She handed him a chilled cup of orange juice which he gulped in seconds. He simply dropped the flyer before her and tapped on it.
"Oh, the talent hunt."
"I'm going ma, this is my biggest dream"
"Son, we've talked about this. You cannot do music. You have to go to school and get an actual job"
Drey rubbed at his temples. They had spoken extensively about this and each time, they went back and forth until they concluded that he would give it a try. Now that the opportunity was here, he didn't want to go through that process again.
"I would never become a star this way, ma"
"Hey, look at me. Whether you do music or not, you are a star. Okay? My star. I mean how many kids your age have the kind of influence you've got? Listen, Drey, I know you want to be a celebrity but please, for my sake, let this thing go"
"Being a celebrity is not the point ma. I want a better life. For me, for you, for Andrea…"
"We have a good life, You're just not seeing it!" Drey scoffed and wiped his brow with his sleeve.
"You're still scared that I would end up like dad, aren't you?" He could see his mother freeze. Her lips and hands trembling concurrently.
Drey walked away from her without another word. This fear of hers had become a barrier to him. He could barely take a step without hearing about how his father died while trying to do something similar. He headed over to the one place he could get comfort.
"Yo kiddo, you okay?" Manny raised a concerned brow as Drey wheeled his bicycle to the auto shop, he was obviously downcast.
"Ma won't let me go for the talent hunt this year"
Manny sighed. Last year when Drey had come into his shop yelling excitedly about a talent hunt that could change his life forever, he had been the one who spoke to his ma about it.
"Can you listen to yourself, Manny? You don't love my son more than I love him! I say he's not going and that's final!"
"But Mrs Willis, Drey's destiny is different from his father's. Besides Drey doesn't do street music. He doesn't keep wild friends, he's going for a harmless competition…."
"My Peter didn't keep bad friends either. But you see Manny, anywhere music is, you easily find trouble. So I say no!"
He had to tell Drey to wait another year, as his Ma was skeptical because he was still young. But now that it was happening all over again, Manny didn't know what to do.
"Listen to me Drey, your ma just wants the best for you. I say you give it more time, maybe you can pursue your music when you're all grown and in college. But now that you're under her roof, let her win. It's what your father would have wanted. Someday you'll surely be able to reach your dreams."
And once again Drey Willis hopped on his bike, keeping the past before him and returning to Smallville to live the small, simple life his mother wanted.