Malia&Khari II

Thirty Two.

Washington, D.C.
Later that night...

Khari put his hands in his coat pocket as he wandered down the streets of D.C. He needed some time to himself, to think and to process what happened today. It was something he learned from Dr. Reese. She taught him that he needed to navigate his feelings and understand them. That was what he was attempting to do now and he figured that he would roam around town until he was satisfied. He felt like a regular person again so he wanted to do regular things. He just hoped that it wouldn't backfire on him.

He smiled as people passed by him. He took a few pictures and signed a few autographs. It was great to know that people here viewed him in some positive fashion. Downtown was alive on a cold night for some reason. Maybe because it was the holiday season. Thanksgiving was in two days with Christmas creeping closely behind. It was actually Khari's favorite time of the year. However, his mother's death anniversary was approaching which clouded everything.

At this point, he was tired of feeling pain. It seemed to follow him throughout his life. Some he brought on himself, but most just came out of the blue. His father walking out on him and his mother, his mother getting killed, Randy getting killed, Malia losing the baby, and his grandmother dying was just too much. However, he overcame all of that. Although Makayla's words stung, it seemed like that was something he'll just have to get over as well.

If they came from Maya, maybe it would've been different. Makayla had been the little sister he had always dreamed of having. Over the years, he believed that they had formed a bond. But, he was wrong. Or, at least he thought he was. He knew that Makayla's loyalty would always fall with her big sister, Malia. But, Makayla had been the one who he leaned on after he tried to commit suicide. She was the one who called everyday to check up on him. She was the one, besides Malia, who seemed to care about his mental state.

Maybe it was a front. It didn't seem impossible now. Khari walked into a bar, which wasn't crowded much to his liking. He sat down, and looked around. It seemed to be a place where the most sophisticated people come after a hard day behind a desk. "What you havin'?" The bartender asked.

He looked up, and shrugged. "Umm, cranberry juice." The bartender raised her eyebrow. "What?"

She shook her head, and proceeded to fix his juice. He looked up at the television that was positioned on the wall seeing Duane's face plastered all over the screen. Khari's lips formed into a tight grin as the bartender slid his drink in front of him. "Karma is a bitch, Guerra." He mumbled to himself before taking a sip of his drink.

His lawyer had informed everyone that Khari didn't want to go through the traumatizing process of a trial. Khari just hoped that the evidence was so great that they wouldn't want to go to trial either. He looked to the right of him, seeing a familiar face. The man was laughing and talking with some other men, but all Khari saw was red. Before he could calm himself down, he felt himself get up to go confront him.

When he knew it, he was standing in front of the table with his fist balled up. Christoph looked up, taking several sips of his drink. He dismissed the other men, signaling that this was a private matter. Looking back at Khari, he motioned towards the chair. "Take a seat." He said with his thick German accent.

Khari took a deep breath, placing his hands back into his pockets. "I think I rather stand."

Christoph let out a small chuckle, shrugging lightly. "Suit yourself." He held up his drink. "Brenda, send me another one." He called out to the bartender. She nodded her head, and he returned his attention to Khari, who didn't blink as he stared at him. "You was always a weird kid. What do you want?"