They drove through congested traffic. Through spacious and quiet neighborhoods. Through the familiar graphitized buildings and the intimate rivers and creeks. The new bland colored governmental buildings, the old-fashioned ranch styled homes, the new developed apartment infrastructures, and the brightly colored shops.

Cairo glances out the car window as he rests his head on the vibrating glass. The rumble of the engine and the jolt of the worn roads causes his head to uncomfortable bounce against the cold glass. Despite this, Cairo keeps his eyes closed until the audible spark of a lighter and the familiar scent of burning tobacco roused him from his shallow slumber.

“Barry,” Cairo meekly whispers, “Let me get a cigarette.”

Barry narrows his eyes at Cairo as he playfully makes a face.

“I wouldn’t share even if you were over eighteen.”

“Stingy.”

Cairo clicks his tongue.

“Say that again.”

A cold chill run down Cairo’s spine as he realizes he went too far with his disrespectfulness. Wait, he just acted his usual. Barry must be irritated with the long traffic instead. Either way, it didn’t bold well with him as he was now stuck in the same vehicle with a powder keg in the form of his correctional officer.

“I didn’t mean any disresp-” Cairo begins.

“Sit up straight,” Barry barks, interrupting Cairo’s halfhearted apology.

Cairo automatically bolts up in his seat.

“What are you doing falling asleep next to the driver? What’s going through that head of yours? Why are you slouching? Don’t you know slouching is bad for your body posture?”

Cairo quietly takes the barrage of berating. There was hardly a time when Barry went overboard and there was no point in getting infuriated over little things anyways. Maybe if he was younger he would’ve blown up from such things like these but not now. He was a grown ass man. Cairo is a grown ass man.

Barry finally pauses. He brings his cigarette to his lips with exaggerated fatigue only to find out it had burned itself out from the open window while he was busy scolding Cairo.

It took all his effort for Cairo to keep himself from bursting out with laughter.

“So how are things going with you and Victoria?”

The smile on Cairo’s face falters.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Cairo dryly responds, “We’re not dating.”

“Ah, is that so? I could’ve swore there were rumors of you two doing things couple related.”

“Why are you so interested in my love life?’” Cairo snaps. It irritated him to no end when people pried into areas where they had no business being.

“You think I don’t have business knowing when two of my daughter’s friends are doing something I see as unhealthy?”

“You say it’s investigating I say it’s intruding.”

Silence descends inside the car as Barry focuses back onto driving while Cairo simply gazes lazily at the changing setting.

“You don’t have to worry about it anymore anyways,” Cairo suddenly says breaking the silence, “she ended things with me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Barry quietly consoles.

“Don’t be,” Cairo cynically rebukes, “I’m not sad about it.”

“You don’t exactly look happy either.”

“What? I can’t be angry that this b- ”

Cairo stops himself. He almost called one of his friends something he would’ve regretted.

“I can’t be angry that Victoria ‘Dear John’ me? On top of all the shit I’ve been going through too?”

“Maybe it was because you had certain expectations of her without making certain commitments yourself?”

Cairo pauses, shocked at the statement.

“No,” he furiously states, “it’s because she can’t fucking sit still.”

“Mmm” Barry hums knowingly.

“What?” Cairo angrily asks, reacting to the lackluster response.

“How does Samantha feel about all this?”

Cairo’s eyes widen in surprise with the mention of Sam.

What-

“What about her?”

“I see the way you look at her,” Barry replies with a smirk, “Are you going to tell me you don’t have feelings for h-”

“I don’t have feelings for Sam. None whatsoever”

Cairo looks away from Barry’s piercing gaze.

“It’s okay to admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“That you are infatuated with your best friend.”

“Ricky is my best friend,” Cairo irritably rebukes, “are you implying something?”

“Who knows,” Barry humorously teases, “you two are awfully close.”

“Fuck you, old man.”

Barry chuckles at the joke. Even Cairo couldn’t help but smile a little at the break from the tension. He had spent three months confined inside his house on top of the two months he spent locked away in a cement cell. It was good to be out. To be out in the fresh city air, to take in the beautiful array of colors, and even to be in the company of Barry, who at least was much more tolerable then the EMP and correctional officers that reigned over him. Most of the time at least.

“Sam made her decision,” Cairo begins, “I made mine. And before you start assuming some weird visceral emotions I’m going to set the record straight. I have many friends, the closest among them but not limited to is Sam and Ricky. I love them all. No, not love as in romantic interest, but love as in family. Did I once find Sam attractive? Sure. Everyone did. But there is a definite line that a person does not think about crossing.”

“Sounds to me like you’re denying your feelings.”

“Barry that’s some dangerous talk your saying there.”

“Relax,” Barry sighs, “I’m just pulling your leg.”

“A grown man gossiping about high school drama is ‘pulling your leg’?”

Barry draws another cigarette from his carton, and while expertly steering with one hand lights the tobacco with another. He takes a deep breath and exhales the milky white smoke.

“Has anyone ever told you Cairo that you are mature for your age?”

“Yes,” Cairo reluctantly replies, “but I never believe them anymore.”

“Good, because it’s utter bullshit.”

Cairo shoots Barry a nasty look at the insult. He knew he wasn’t anything special but damn did it hurt to have someone flatly point it to you in a merciless gesture.

“‘…While these youths may appear mature and capable, they are generally naïve and vulnerable on the streets.’ Guess whose case plan this was written under?”

Cairo remains silent as he processes the foreign information suddenly provided to him.

“What? You thought the system indiscriminately fucked you?”

Cairo shakes his head in disbelief.

“It certainly felt that way.”

Barry silently steers the car into the parking lot of the school. It was a small school, with dark brown wooden frames and yellow tinted white plastered walls making up eighty percent of the infrastructure.

“Don’t feel too dejected,” Barry consoles, “there are many other individuals out there like you too. Thinking they know what’s best but in reality, are being strung along like prospectors looking for gold in the California landscape. The question is-”

Barry parks the car, pulls the keys out of ignition and looks at Cairo dead in the eye. Cairo looks back unhesitantly.

“Do you want to be a sucker? Or do you want to make your own path?”

Cairo looks up ahead at the school doors. The black metallic rails and handle of the dual entrance sway methodically as staff and students enter and exit. Some of them recognized Cairo and greeted him afar with a nod of their heads.

Cairo ponders. He knows what Barry is implying. Graduation and eventually college. Something that Layla is about to achieve. However-

Wordlessly, Cairo opens the car down and steps down from the vehicle. Looking back, he calls out, “Barry be honest. Do you really expect anything of me?”

Barry smiles.

“Of course.”

Cairo shakes his head as he heads for the school ground.

What a fucking liar.