Turning A New Leaf

Thirty-Three

"I can't believe Brad is in jail," Kali snickered as she sat on her mother's back deck, sharing a joint with Krist.

"Fuck, can you imagine being locked up with him?" Krist chuckled, "He's probably gotten his ass beat a good fifteen times today."

"Maybe he joined a gang," Kali cackled, passing the joint to her brother, "He's gonna come out with teardrop tattoos with 'Thug Life' on his stomach."

Krist was laughing so hard that he could barely even hit the joint right, "With his Prison Mike lookin' ass," he added.

"I know, I know it's not funny, but oh my god...I just keep picturing Brad like that. It's so freaking funny," Kali was bent over in her patio chair, laughing so hard that tears rolled down her face.

"Remember when Terry from Reno 911 went to jail, and he was like, 'I started two gangs, the kitties and the grape slushies'? Walkin' around with his shirt tied up, that's Brad." Krist howled with laughter.

"Ew, I don't want even to imagine that," Kali coughed.

Krist spit out the side of his mouth, "Dude, not even playing. Imma sock his ass up when I see him next. He's such a fuckin' lame, dude, for real."

Kali picked at the frayed hem of her jeans, "I know, right? Has anyone checked on Brooke?"

"Yeah, Atira went over there. Guess Brooke is hella fucked up."

"I know with the DV stuff. There's an automatic restraining order put on. You think he's gonna have to move here with mom?" Kali wondered.

"I hope not, I don't even want to come over here if he does, and I don't need Rocco around some violent ass cluck."

Kali leaned back in her chair, "Would you have ever thought in a million years that Brad would have done something so stupid?"

Krist shook his head, gazing at the Columbia River. "Never. It's kind of funny that out of the three of us, I'm the only one of us who's never gone to jail."

Kali tilted her head, "Dude, what are you talking about? You got arrested when you and Cami's brother were breaking into cars down at Vancouver Lake."

"Bro, they literally just had Mom and Bill come get me down at the police station. I never got booked or nothing."

Her grey-blue eyes widened, "Oh, you're right."

"That's actually funny as fuck to think about."

"Super weird," she murmured.

Kali was by no means a thug, but she'd gotten picked up and arrested several times during the Portland riots, never was locked up more than a day or two. Usually, the group she would protest with would post her bail, and she'd be out the same night. Krist always described her charges as "rich white kid crimes" because it seemed the people constantly getting picked up were rich white kids.

"Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to tell," Krist told her.

Kali rolled her eyes, "Who am I gonna tell? Pat?"

She had a point there. "Atira's pregnant."

Kali's jaw fell open, "I knew it! I totally had a feeling she was!"

Krist cocked his head, "How?"

Kali smirked, "Because I saw a pregnancy test in the bathroom at y'all's wedding. I didn't say nothing because I wasn't sure who it belonged to. If her friend hadn't been there, I would have just asked, but I was worried that maybe the test was her friend's." Kali's cheeks reddened, "Also, Mom kinda confirmed it for me. She told me the other day."