CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 74: PREACHER

When Rockie invited me to hang out with him and the gang at a new bar on Friday, I didn't really care to go, but I knew I should try to stay on good terms with him so I went anyway.

"Do you guys wanna sit outside?" Rockie asked us. "We should sit outside."

We agreed and we sat at a table in front of the bar. It was late, but there were plenty of animals walking by on the sidewalk which meant we probably wouldn't talk much about work.

"So, Crypto," Duke said. "I heard you went on a date with Diesel."

"Yeah," Rockie said. "Good on you, bro!"

"Well, it wasn't really a date, date," I told them.

"Aw, he's embarrassed," Duke said.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Rockie told me. "We don't judge. You can like whoever you want."

"Yeah," Cam and Jordan agreed.

"It was nothing, really," I said. "Just a one-time thing."

"It didn't go well?" Rockie asked me. "Was it because he made you think he was gonna kill you? You know he was just teasing, right?"

"Yeah, but he's not really my type," I said. "And it wasn't a date. It was just a meeting."

"Sure looked like a date," Duke said.

I covered my face. "You got that picture?"

"Everyone got that picture," Cam said.

"Diesel is not gonna be happy," I said.

"What's he gonna do? Terminate everyone in the Family?" Jordan asked.

"I think it's good to be open and honest," Rockie said. "There's no need to hide your true self. We're all family."

"Testing, testing," said a guy over a speaker.

We looked over to see a large goat or ram-like creature standing on the sidewalk with a microphone and speaker. There was some type of antelope next to him holding up a large sign that said 'THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH! REPENT!'

"Oh, boy," Jordan said. "We're in for it now."

"I see everyone's having a good time out tonight," the street preacher said over the loudspeaker. "Everybody's enjoying themselves and having fun, but what happens if you get in a car accident on your way home? What happens when you get in an accident with someone who's drunk? What happens? You're not thinking like that. 'It's okay. That's not gonna happen to me. No, it's okay. I'm just tryin' to get drunk. I'm trying to have fun with the boys. I'm trying to have fun with the girls.' That's why people are coming out: to have fun, to please their flesh, to have a good time."

"Hey! Go preach to someone else!" Rockie shouted at him.

"Yeah! We don't wanna hear it!" I said.

"I'm preaching the wisdom of God," the preacher said.

"God's not real!" someone from another table shouted.

"You guys are empty inside," the preacher said. "You hate yourselves."

"I ******* love myself!" a girl shouted back.

Everyone cheered.

"Your livers are full of alcohol but you're empty!" the preacher said.

Everyone at the bar booed.

"That's why Jesus says you're drinking from the well of the world, you're gonna be thirsty again, and again, and again, and next weekend, you're gonna have to come out here again 'cause you didn't get satisfied tonight!"