Labyrinth | ✓

t h i r t y - f o u r t h ♂

Bite.

Every bite I took on my taco, there was a brief moment filled with many strong flavors. Most came from the ground beef, but there were also the crunchiness of the fresh lettuce and earthy taste of the cheese. They were spreading all over my tongue like a wildfire, but they all faded away before I got the chance to savor them. I decided to bite more, trying to enhance the seasoning.

"You said you're full but you eat like a fucking pig. Well done, dude." Asher snorted as he swallowed the first bite of his food. At the same time, he steered his car to the right. "If you're really starving, I could have bought you a bunch of tacos."

"One is enough." I muffled as I chewed my food, as I looked through the window. I stared at some random people that were walking to their respective places. Mostly they were in groups of two, although I saw some alone or with a larger group. I breathed heavily, before nibbling again on the tortilla.

"Dude, you gotta learn how to lie, because nobody ain't falling for that." Asher let out a loud sigh, as he diverted his attention from the road towards me. "You really should eat more than that."

"What are you, my father?" I found myself giving Asher an incredulous look. Simultaneously, I mentally clamped my hand against my face.

"Just a friend worrying about your well-being."

It just felt weird seeing someone who used to despise my guts now considered me as his friend. I probably thought about it so many times, but I couldn't help it.

"Instead of worrying about me, how about worrying about yourself instead?"

As if on cue, a BMW suddenly appeared from around the corner and was about to cut through our way as to get to the other side. It all happened too fast, but from what I remembered, Asher abruptly pushed on the brake. As a result, my body hurled towards the front, losing all my balance. I instinctively groaned at the sudden change of momentum, but fortunately, the seatbelt held me down from being thrown too far. When I regained my awareness, Asher punched on the steering wheel, inducing the most loudest honk that made my heart drop.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed, holding his breath and cursing. "The fuck's that car doing?!"

I didn't answer him, instead I observed the driver. I couldn't see his face clearly, but judging from its postures and physique, I assumed that it was someone within our age range. He was holding something, probably his phone, which was the reason why he didn't see us coming. Asher only shook his head in disapproval as we watched the car took off without a word, as if nothing happened.

"That was so fucking close! Thank God, I wasn't speeding up, or else we might have been dead by now." Asher exhaled profusely. "This is why you should never play your phone while you drive, dammit!"

While my orange-haired friend continued complaining, I remained silent as I finished the remains of the taco. After all, this situation was pretty much mundane and always happened within the community. I had normally heard loud honks, followed by an angry stream of words from the drivers in Downtown.

"You okay?" I decided to ask out.

"Yeah, yeah I am. Almost lost my taco, but it's fine!" He said between his chuckles. "Geez, if not for you reminding me, I wouldn't have seen the car coming!"

"That's why." I muttered under my breath, before I disposed the wrappers on the small trash can.

The rest of the ride consisted of me directing Asher towards my home, to which he had no idea where. When we arrived at my home district, Asher was still halfway on finishing his food. After the near-crash incident, he kept his eyes on the road; nothing seemed to distracy him. He didn't pay much attention on finishing the taco.