Dark Times

Tar Beach

"Let's skip." Garrett whispered to Lani as he walked past her.

she smiled following him, she caught up catching a hold of his jacket. she was already puffing out breaths when he stopped at the gates in the parking lot. Her face was all red, some of her hair falling into her face.

"Where to?" she breathed.

"the beach." he smiled

"In November?" she laughed at the though of anyone getting close to the permanently fridge water of the Atlantic, especially in that cold month of November.

"yeah, It'll be fun." he smiled pulling her with him.

-----

once the motorcycle's engine cut Lani opened her eyes. she looked around at the building infront of them.

"what-"

"shh." garrett smiled pulling her inside, and up the stairs to the top of the building.

"thought we were going to the beach." Lelani laughed looking around

"Yeah, Wela called it the tar beach." he smiled. "this is where she hung around a lot when she immigrated her. this place is a reason my mom came to be."

"ew! I didn't need to know the last part." Lani laughed hugging him.

----------

Felicia sighed walking into Garrett's room picking his clothes up off the floor muttering meaningless things in Spanish.

"did a hurricane blow through here?" she sighed looking at his closet. She began pulling the clothes draped over things out planning to wash them, already knowing they were dirty. She pulled up a hoodie that she didn't remember Garrett ever having.

"Houston boxing gym." she read.

she knew the name sounded familiar, and the jacket had started to look familiar too.

it was Austin's.

she sighed laying on his bed, knowing he wouldn't want her to mess with it. as she walked back to the closet something caught her eye. One of Carmen's shoe boxes. Felicia slowly opened it half expecting Carmen's heels to be in there. she couldn't help the breath the left her lungs when she saw all the money in the box. She was now seated on the floor counting our the rolls of bills.

when did he start saving money, how did he get all of this? she thought looking at the hundred-dollar bills.