Nobody Likes The Gray Area

Spooky Szn

  "Surprise me," I say, grinning with excitement. "Just don't take me to some isolated cabin in the woods and murder me."
    His face contorts with confusion. "What?" he questions.
  "We've only known each other for, like, four days, and my dad told me that kind of stuff happens on dates. Not to mention, it's Halloween."
  "Oh, I forgot," he says. "Well, we're not going anywhere remote. Don't worry."

    I get cozy in the passenger seat so I can relax for the rest of the ride. Then, I lean toward the radio and turn the volume up. Old school rap plays from the speakers. 

  "I took you for a classical person," I tease.
  "Oh, yeah? What genre do you like? Bubblegum pop?"
  "Of course not!"
  "..."
  "OK, I do, but I like R&B and a little soul too."
    He raises a brow with amusement. "My mother liked R&B too. Aaliyah, TLC, Jodeci...and some others. Do you know any of those?"

    I had been wondering why Huey and his brother live with their grandfather instead of their parents. Obviously, I couldn't ask because it would be too personal for him to talk about upfront.

  "Yeah, I love Aaliyah and TLC! You should let me play some of their songs. Do you have an AUX?"
  "Hell no. That's more of Riley's thing."
  "Oh c'mon, Huey!"
  "Look in the glove compartment. Her old CD's are in there."

    My heart melts. Aw, he kept her music. That's so sweet....

    I open the compartment and find old albums from several old R&B artists and the car's instruction manual. I fish around until I find an Aaliyah album. It's her first one: Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. Aaliyah leans against a brick wall in a hat, shades, and baggy clothing. In the background, some bald guy in shades is lurking around. Maybe it's R Kelly? I blow on the cover and wipe the light sheet of dust off of it.

  "So, why is R. Kelly not in jail since he was peeing on little girls?" I ask.
     Huey rolls his eyes and groans, "Don't get me started. Riley and I were at the trial when he caught a case, but he still won. His lawyer pulled the race card."
  "That's so dumb," I complain. "I mean, there was clear footage and everything!"
  "Yeah, I said same thing." He shrugs. "It felt like a lost cause, but at least there's a documentary out now."
  "True."

    I take the CD out of its case and put it inside the disc slot below the radio. The radio begins to load.

  "So, what Aaliyah song was your mom's favorite?"
  "'I Gotcha' Back'," he says. "She used to play it all the time."
  "I like that song too. Should I get her other album and play it?"
  "Nah, it's cool."

    The intro of the album begins to play. As the different tracks play, I sing along and laugh at how annoyed Huey looks, until I get tired and end up drifting off to sleep.

...

Happy Halloween! Sorry it's so short, but I felt the need to update to celebrate!

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