"Don't be scared yo, he's just messing," said Cheeto reappearing from David's shadow.

"You're still here? I thought you left to run a marathon," David frowned looking at Cheeto.

"Haha Nah man I'm here," Cheetos's nature was to avoid confrontation, and downplaying criticism was his preferred method.

"So who's that guy? You know him?" asked David.

"Psh. 'course I know him. I know everyone son!" Cheetos smile a constant fixture, especially when feeling needed.

"That's Alex and his War Dogs, they cool if you don't mess with them. Nobody be messing with 'em tho! Other groups try to push in on their turf but boooy they learn real quick what's up. Haha"

"Groups? You mean gangs. They didn't seem that cool with you hiding," said David.

"Nah, I mean they can be rough but it's cuz everyone wants their spot. But they alright. I kick it with them sometimes. Haha check it out, last time they had me down half a bottle of tequila, then drove me to the St. Thomas bridge and threw me out the car with no pants on. It was a trip!" Cheeto laughed while David looked on with bewilderment and disgust.

"That's not funny. Why would you let anybody do that to you?" David's back muscles, and arms tightened forcing him to take a deep breath to relax.

"Haha nah, it's all fun."

They continued down the block for a while, Cheeto bragging about other encounters with "group" members he'd had over the years. David's mood fouling with every story but offering little to no response, now more convinced why leaving was the right choice.

"Ohh snap wait up dude I wanna stop here. There's this one fine hayna that I wanna talk to. Come with me dude. Maybe I'll impress her with you here, being a navy seal and all," Cheeto eagerly waved to David to follow.

"I'm a ranger not a seal," said David.

"Whatever man be cool," Cheeto continued.

They entered a local Youth Center, the only one in the neighborhood the kids could go after school. It was not as ran down as one would expect it to be with a couple of outdated computers, a black yard with the mandatory basketball court and a dirt grass lawn where the kids ran and played. There were some arcade games about 20 years old, as well as various pool table games. It also offered activities like arts and crafts, basic computer classes, and tutoring, and even had music instruments that resembled antiques but not the good kind.

The children loved this place because it was somewhere to go other than the streets, cleaner than the alleys and they could get the attention from adults they needed. Without the fear of reprimands or being forced to do things that they didn't want to do. It gave them control over trivial things like what books they could read, or what videos to watch between National Geographic's wild Kingdom, Sesame Street or Bill Ney the Science guy. It was a place that still valued the innocence they possessed and tried to shelter them from the coldness of their world.

"Hi Cheeto! How's it going?" asked one of the receptionists in an overly animated way.

"Hey hey Cleo I'm good. How are ya?"

"Cheeto!!!" screamed a group of kids who saw him come in and lunged at him.

No surprise the children loved him, after all he was a big kid just like them. Cheeto played with them as much, if not more than any of the other volunteers, even though he didn't work there. To Cheeto, the kids where the only ones he felt completely comfortable with and could relate to. He had no problem being his true self around them.

"Lla, lla! Get of me you little leeches!"

"Geez Cheeto you're so nice," Cloe shook her head smiling.

"Cloe, Cloe, let me talk to you," Cheeto approached the desk making his way through the kids and leaned over to Cleo.

"What's up Cheeto?" Cleo leaned on her desk, her left arm flat on the table and her right hand supporting her chin.

"Hey, is Claudia here?" he asked in a low voice.

"Cheeto you're so dumb! Haha!" Cleo shouted laughing, slapping Cheeto on the shoulder.

"Yes she's here!" Cleo said, her eyes wide open, shaking her head.

Claudia was one of the most popular volunteers that ran the center was a young woman named Claudia. She was loved by everyone, especially Cheeto. Claudia was 'his girl' as he called her. A beautiful girl, simple in nature, she was not quite a tom boy but not a girly girl. The daughter of a local mechanic and eldest of a family of four with three younger brothers, Claudia was responsible for taking care of them and her dad. She helped her mom with the up keeping or the house and the family. Something that she always hated to do but did so because she was told to, by her mother.

As they walked into the yard David could tell that this place was in serious disarray. It was not completely run down but not for any lack of trying. There was graffiti on the four feet tall cement fences and also on the walls of the building. The colors on the walls were old and dilapidated. So much so that the only touch of paint was that from the tagging. The field was more of a dust pan than anything else and the very little grass that was present was dry and not looking too much of life. There was a black top basketball court with old rims that of course had no netting in them since they were constantly stolen. The backboard and rim were old, rusted metal. The court was small too. Just shy of a regulation full court.

There were no trees anywhere in sight. Only dry and grit filled bushes that corralled the field. There was a 9 feet metal linked fence that surrounded the whole yard. Since this was the only real piece of playground for blocks, the center shared it with the community and almost everybody in the neighborhood could use it. In fact it was used by everybody in the neighborhood for various purposed.

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