Zack and Elliot are sitting up front in the Mystery Machine. Zack gets out of the car and takes my hand. I follow him into the back of the car where we both park ourselves on top of some throw pillows.
"Elliot is driving us to the shop, then he'll go home and we'll smoke smoke while you tell me what happened." I nodded. Elliot drives off, looking at me through the rear view mirror every once in a while. Zack sits next to me, hugging me as though it'll squeeze all my sadness out. I turned my head toward his and whispered in his ear.
"They kicked me out." Zack didn't seem all that surprised by this, he just hugged me tighter. He stayed there with his arms around me and gave me a four word reply:
"I'll take care of you." He holds his face close to mine for a few seconds, then Elliot's van jolts to a sudden stop. Zack has been cock-blocked by physics.
Zack goes up to some teenage grease monkey and starts the process of reclaiming his car. Mr. Grease Monkey gives Zack his keys and he drives up near the van to retrieve me. I escape to Zack's car, and before I shut Elliot's door I hear him call.
"You kids have fun!" Before he drove off. I got in Zack's vehicle and he pulled of the lot without saying a word.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Just a gas station. Gunna get some snack fixins." He turns into the Mobil parking lot and enters the store with me in tow. Zack fucking attacked the shelves. He got bags of chips, Monster, and a liter bottle of Coke just because. A few candy bars, specifically Kit-Kat's and Reese's, were added to the mix before the cashier rung up $15 worth of food stuffs.
Zack carried the bag back to the car, set it on the passenger side by my feet and began to drive off.
"Where are we going now?"
"It's a surprise... A surprise that might take a while." He got on the highway and kept driving until we were towns away from home. There's nothing I think Zack would drive to for the first few miles into town, until we reach a looming parking garage, which Zack started driving through. We passed floors and floors with barely anything on them until we reached the top. Zack parked on the west side to make the majestic sunset available to us. He then pulled out some papers, a grinder, and a bag of weed.
"To mourn the death of of life with your parents," He ground the weed. "and celebrate the fact that you're safe with me." He twisted the joint and handed it to me, along with his lighter. Ever since I was 12 years old and smoked my first joint, Zack always lit it, and he always said something before he did.
It's part of some religion to do that; I don't know which. My point is, it's cool. So I turned the wheel and pressed on the gas.
"May my family never cage me again." Not the best line, but I didn't care. I was hot-boxing in a seldom-used parking garage with my best friend. Zack pops in a CD, and my ears are exposed to the music of Chance the Rapper. Zack passes over the joint and a Monster. I take a hit, then a sip, he does the same when I pass both items back over to him.
This pattern keeps on going without much talking until the sun goes down and the CD comes to a stop. All I can really see is the glow of the buttons on the dashboard and the roach in the ash tray. After another minutes of silence, I hear Zack moving around in his seat.
"Hey, Darcy."
"What?" Before I could say anything else I feel Zack's lips on mine... Only it's not one of those kisses you read about in books. It's not full of "love". It's not filled with "want'. It's not "urgent"; and it doesn't make me want it to last forever. It feels like Zack telling me everything is going to be okay.
A few moments later it's over, and I can almost feel Zack grinning next to me. I choose this moment to pose a question that would kill any semblance of mood.
"Are you going to tell your dad that you want to take me in?"
"Eventually."
~
Paranoia-Chance The Rapper
