Tidal [HIATUS]

ten

"Do you have any plans for Halloween?" My boss asked as he walked out of his office while I waxed a set of rims.

I shrugged. "Probably head to a party or something, I don't know." He nodded and closed the door behind him, me following to the front desk. "Hey so.. is it cool if I get off a bit early today? I gotta head to my granny's house." He looked down at his watch and nodded.

"Yeah go ahead. Just get here an hour early for your next shift, alright?" I nodded, already starting to the back room to collect my bags and stuff. That's when I remembered the money I had.

"Oh Ron, hold up." I grabbed my backpack before jogging out of the room, digging in my bag for the rubber-wrapped bills. "Remember that car we were talking about?" He nodded, eyes widening slightly when I pulled out the payment. Cash. "Here's all of it. I also have a couple more hundred in there to cover the maintenance cost that I'll be doing.. in here?"

"Well I- alright." He chuckled softly and spread the stacks out when I sat it on his desk. "I'm going to go ahead and trust you on this.." My smile started to grow when he reached into the desk and raised up a single key on a hook. "It's yours."

I slowly grabbed the keys and for some reason, they felt like a brick of gold in my palm. I now had a car.. let's fucking go. "Thanks, Ron." I swung the key on my finger as I walked out and headed over to the car I had to fix up just a bit more. It required a new paint coat, the interior could use a bit more work but it wasn't anything I couldn't do.

All that mattered is that I have a car.

"It's pretty dope." I looked up and watched Abe boldly walk through the shop toward me. "Little tune up, new coat, it'll look brand new."

"Do you want to die?" I asked when he nonchalantly leaned against the hood of the car.

"Nah." He replied, sighing as he looked over at me. "I just wanna talk and you don't have to reply but I'm gonna talk. I'm sorry, okay? I freaked out and ran like a pussy bitch and I'm sorry. I never meant for you to possibly get caught up or to leave you hanging.. I'm just new to this shit."

I stared at him blankly when he glanced away from the ground to look at me. "What you mean you're 'new to this' you were affiliated before me."

He snorted, his head shaking as he looked away again. "Nah, I wasn't." He wasn't? "Ghost? My brother? He would never let me join but I was his little brother so people just figured I was riding with him. He just went to jail for gun charges so I was finally ready to ride. But I guess I wasn't really ready."

Though I understood where he was coming from, it still wasn't cool. "I get it, you freaked out but I stood in a home watching a guy hold a fucking shotgun to my cousins chest and I didn't run cuh." He sighed when I pulled the door open and slid in. "I fought back. So you need to figure yourself out 'cause I don't trust you not one bit right now."

I slammed the door shut and he quickly backed away when I ignited the engine and drove out without giving him another glance. I'm a sympathetic person, okay? I care and I give and I'm understanding but I couldn't just let this go, you know? He ran out on me. That's not what friends do.

I didn't wanna get too angry while driving so I turned the radio on and let it go for the time being. Though this car was beat down and old, I still bought it with my own money which gave me a prideful feeling. So, the splutter of the engine didn't shake me as I drove through the streets to my granny's house in my car. My car.

-

"You don't have to convince me, Karu. I believe you." Jhené said over the phone as I swallowed the Oreos, trying to convince her that you couldn't eat Oreos without milk.