The truth About cypher ✓

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"When is your birthday?"

Brutus had asked Laila the night when they were in jail. It had been silent for a long time and Brutus could sense her fingers itching, she was gonna start fidgeting. Brutus hated that.

"2nd February." She replied not paying much attention to Brutus.

The boy nodded, waiting for her to ask his birthday, continue the stupid conversation so her head would stay clear of those cravings, craving to touch, to pluck, dig her nails, and bite her lips. He wanted her to just stop fidgeting.

"Well, my birthday is on 2nd April." He continued the conversation by himself.

"I know."

"You do? How?"

"Because you're the biggest joke after clown's day." She smirked looking at the boy instantly freeze. He was expecting that roast out of nowhere. Laila smiled. She genuinely smiled. Laila wasn't stupid, she knew he was trying to calm her down and she was too nice to let his efforts go in vain. Brutus's face turned sour like he had one of those candies filled up with salt and lemon. Laila hated sour candy.

"I found it the day I was stalking you. Remember those days? When the most fucked up thing you had done was ignore me and all I wanted was to get in the coding club?" she sighed. "Good ol' normal days."

Brutus wondered what normal felt like. From what he can remember his life had always been fucked up. It had been fucked up before they ended up in jail before they stepped in Proshchay even before he met Laila. He was blessed with a life where he did not have to struggle to put food on the table. He did not have sibling rivalry, not that he had those, to begin with. It was just his parents and him.

Actually, scratch that, it was him and his legal guardians.

"Do you want gifts for your birthday next year?" Laila asked Brutus, snapping him into the present.

"Don't know. I can always use some new controllers, maybe a car or a flat. But why wait for birthdays when you can get gifts anytime." He stated giving mixed expressions.

"They're called gifts for a reason. You're supposed to receive them on special occasions. Otherwise, it's just shopping and demanding." Laila muttered softly before lying down on the floor. She was getting tired.

Brutus thought over what gift he needed for his birthday next year. Maybe freedom.

The campus had stalls put up for teacher's day celebration. A parade was marching down the central road, blocking Dimitri's car from accelerating. Dimitri was driving his Lexus LX as slowly as possible but he was an impatient man. Sitting beside him was Brutus, eyes roaming around the crowd, watching the parade. Laila was seated behind, texting someone from her phone.

"We're going for an underworld party tonight Mr. Dimitri, I don't think college should be our top priority right now." Laila huffed, getting annoyed by the amount of music playing outside. The teacher rolled up the windows, fixing his rearview enough to see the girl acting like a brat.

"Well you see Miss Akhmetova, you are still a senior student preparing for her unit tests and I am still a professor." He paused. "We need to do our part in this society and educate ourselves so we don't end up being dumbfucks."

Laila chose to ignore her teacher, pretending like she didn't see the amount of hypocrisy he's coated within.

"What is this parade for? Kazan is too busy to celebrate teacher's day anyway" Brutus asked sounding drowsy.

"Today, along with teacher's day, our country also celebrates the Day of workers of criminal investigation. Kind of ironic how those are going to be guarding today's mafia meeting." Dimitri laughed as Laila and Brutus joined him. It was funny, protectors of law protecting criminals on the night of their celebration. It was fucking hilarious.