Law and Order- complete

IX

The longing for a car of my own amplified to the highest extent when China parked her old Ford Expedition at the end of the driveway, along the street. It let out a hoarse groan as she pressed on the breaks, followed by a hiss. The dark blue SUV had chipped paint, and looked to be at least twenty years old, but it suited her well, and she drove it comfortably.

I close the curtain on the living room window and turn around to barely face Miranda, who watched Criminal Minds on the TV, nearly dozing off despite it only being 8:30. Ellen stayed upstairs after her shower to do some research, but I don't doubt she'll sleep as well.

"Alright mama, I'm leaving." I tell her, and she gives me a grunt in response, telling me that she's already out of it. I make my way out the door, being sure to close the door quietly to avoid waking her.

I zip up the all black jacket midchest. The longsleeve shirt I wore underneath it was a vneck, so it left the skin bare to the chilly and clear night. Above me, the clouds move fast across the dark blue sky. Stars are barely visible behind the fog of pollution from the large city. Our neighbors, al elderly, are lights out, leaving the neighborhood noiseless. I can only hear the sound of my vans against the concrete in a slight jog to the Expedition.

"Hey." I greet China as I open the creaking door. Her call is warm and smells undeniably like marijuana. There's some trash on the floor that I have to step over, old McDonalds bags, Wendy's cup and some brown napkins. The old radio plays Kanye West at a slightly high volume. She has to raise her voice to speak, turning down the sound as she does.

Her curly dark hair is in a high ponytail, showing off her heart shaped face. I'm envious of the fact that her skin bears no makeup, it's raw and I can tell by the slight discoloration and blemishes, but she looks great. We almost match, her hoodie is a dark blue with California in white letters stitched onto the front, and her feet clad in black sneakers.

"Do you have the address?" She asks me as we get to a stop sign. "Um..." I trail off mindlessly, tapping through my snapchat to find Ramon's thread. I scroll up a bit before seeing the street name. "Oh, it's 16 Bit. I know where that is, it's on Tremont." I say in realization. I've been once my senior year of highschool.

The drive is filled with small talk. I learned that China is a year older than me. She has five siblings, and she's the oldest. Jordyn, her younger sister, goes to the same highschool I went to. I returned the conversation, telling her the truth about my adoption. It feels weird at first, but China is really easy to talk to. She chuckles throatly, and I'm grateful she doesn't have an obnoxious giggle. She maneovours her truck effortlessly, tossing a jeaned leg up to hang out the window and tap her fingers on her thigh at red lights to the heavy rap. I noticed her favorite artist is Kendrick Lamar. Apparently, she'd been to a concert back in 2018.

By the time she parks the large truck, I feel exhausted. The lifley conversation seemed good enough to end the night on. The building is large and fits right in on the street in the middle of its surrounding restaurants. Parking was difficult to do, but we managed a spot behind the dumpster. Outside the brown bricked building were LED lights that flashes blue, inviting in customers. 16 BIT in large neon letters plastered across the front. The outside was humid and reeked of alcohol and ciggarets.

I send Ramon a quick text, telling him we're outside. Within minutes, he comes outside clothed in a yellow and black flannel over a gray hoodie and dark denim jeans. His curly hair is tied up into a bun, the familiar goofy grin plastered on his face. His smile is contagious. I feel like I don't appreciate him enough. As much as he annoys me, he's a decent friend.

He says hello to China, remembering not to shake her hand. This earns a small laugh from her. Ramon tells us that Amanda is inside, waiting. So we finally head in.