Sigh, "Cheeto, I appreciate you playing with the kids but I really wish you wouldn't excite them too much. You get them all wound up and it's really hard getting them to focus on their activities." Claudia walked out of an office struggling to carry rolls of project papers and other craft supplies trying to navigate her way through a river of children agitated by speedboat Cheeto.

"Aye, calm down girl you going to pop that big'O vein in your head. Ha-ha." Cheeto replied with the kids around him hollering, laughing and mimicking his comment.

"She's gonna pop a vein, pop a plane, poop a brain." They shouted.

"See!" said Claudia.

"It's all fun and games to you but you leave as soon as it's not fun anymore," Claudia continued.
"Well I wouldn't leave if you didn't do all that boring stuff. Let them play, let them run and be stupid." Said Cheeto.

"Hey we are not stupid, you stupid." Said one of the kids.

"Ha-ha. He said you stupid!" said one kid to another.

"You stupid!" replied the kid shoving another.

"No you stupid," continued the kids.

"Stupid stupid" yelled the kids to one another to the delight of Cheeto and the dismay of Claudia.

"You are the only stupid one here," said Claudia her voice easily rising over the chaos.

"Uhhh!!!" echoed the kids sensing the brutality of the burn Claudia just handed down on Cheeto.

"Daaaamn!" said a hurt Cheeto.

"That was harsh, and in front of my friend too. Modales," Cheeto said.

"Your manners! You haven't even introduced me," David who had impatiently been observing until now shoved Cheetos shoulder to enter conversation.

"Ahh man you gonna bust me too?" Said Cheeto as his face souring.

"Ha, I like your friend already," said Claudia.

"Psh, this suck" Cheeto pouted.

"Aye, lla lla don't get all butt hurt now," Claudia fiddled with Cheetos hair as she talked to him like a baby.

"Mirala, see how mean you are," said Cheeto shying away from her with a new found smile.

"Anyways girl check it out, this is my homeboy, D-bag."

"Este guey!" David rolled his eyes and shook his head at his official introduction from Cheeto.

"I know what that means, it's jackass. Cheeto is a jackass!" said one of the kids and now Claudia scowled at David.

"Sorry. It's what some kids called me back when I meet Charlie," replied David.

"Charlie? Who is Charlie? Cheeto! Hahaha, it's been forever since I heard anybody call him that. I totally forgot," Claudia repeated Cheetos name while poking him in the belly as she laughed.

"LLa, lla. Don't call me that. It's not a good look for me," Cheeto tried to protect his gut and pride as he backed away, noticeably uncomfortable.

"But D-bag is a good look for me?" replied David.

"Ok you kids. Why D-bag?" intervened Claudia amused by their exchange.

"I used to carry my lunch in a plastic bag and some of the kids got to calling me that. And this one won't let it die."

"Cheeto," Claudia stared disappointed at the background of the name.

"David is a Navy guy," boasted Cheeto, with a sense of pride in his tone.

"Army Cheeto. Army," said David annoyed at the grave confusion.

"Whatever man. Either way you probably a bad ass, killing mofo and shit," said Cheeto unconcerned of the difference.

"You were probably wasting fools left and right. How many people did you kill?" asked Cheeto abruptly.

David's tension grew as the unsavory spotlight shone on him, but thankfully Claudia chimed in to relief him from it.

"Cheeto what's wrong with you! You don't ask that, it's not appropriate."

"Appropriate?" asked a baffled Cheeto.

"What appropriate? He was probably like pew, pew, pew," continued Cheeto still excited.

"Pew, pew, pew? Really like that?" gleamed David. The first time he had smiled in a while.

Cheeto shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Cheeto! Come we need a fifth," shouted out some of the kids who were setting up a pickup game of basketball.

"What? He sucks," said another one of the kids.

"Na-ha! You'll see we'll beat you," shot back the kid asking for Cheeto.

"Ha-ha! Wanna bet?" argued the kids as they pulled Cheeto away with them.

"Hey, no betting!" shouted Claudia who was too familiar with the results of betting and arguing among the children.

Claudia followed shortly behind to ensure that things didn't get out of hand, but she enjoyed seeing the kids play too. In the environment that surrounded the center, the children tended to mature fast. These were some of the few instances where they seemed like children and Claudia appreciated that.

As the whole group marched out Claudia noticed David was lagging behind.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked David.

"Sure I guess I better keep an eye on Cheeto, make sure they don't beat on him too bad," David replied as he followed.

David stepped out into a vibrant yard and froze from the furious energy of children. Yelling and screaming resonated in frenetic arrays that overwhelmed him in their chaos. He had trouble tracking the fast movements of the kids, and the sounds grew in intensity causing his reflexes to shut down.

"You okay?" asked Claudia seeing David's eyes widen and his color fading.

"It's a lot of kids," David said snapping back to reality.

"Yeah they can be much, but don't worry they won't hurt you," Claudia smiled at David urging him to go on.

On the basketball court where the kids and Cheeto already assembled on the teams. The more popular and assertive kids vs. the ones who would be picked last or normally not even play at all. Cheeto was a great motivator and cheerleader.

"Alright come on guys lets smoke these foo's!" Cheered Cheeto clapping his hands.

"Haha, look at those losers they don't even have the right gear!" pointed and laughed the members of the opposite team.

"Yeah they don't even got no shorts to play in!" replied one of the kids.

Though a bit cruel and harsh, the observations were apt. The kids in Cheetos team were not all dressed or suited for the black top, and they were well aware of that. As they walked into their spots, Cheeto urged them on not to pay attention to their opponents comments.

"We don't need no gear to slam on yo face. BOM!" retorted Cheeto, makings sure to keep it light since he also cared for the rival kids as well.

The game as expected was not very competitive. The more popular, athletic kids where easily scoring and effortlessly denying the attempts of Cheetos team. He was undeterred though. Encouraging and motivating his team in misses and on turnovers.

"Haha look they can't even dribble the ball good!" mocked and jeered the other team.

Seeing his team discouraged and unsure of themselves, Cheeto rallied behind them and shouted out encouragements.

"Forget it, forget it! Don't pay attention to them. You doing good!"

Truth be told, this did very little to encourage the kids but Cheeto had enough drive for all of them. He was hustling, he was dynamic, a bonafide mass of energy. This energy is what started rubbing off on the kids, and as the game went on the score got closer and closer.

Claudia watched with nervous excitement, like a worried mother watching her children rise to the challenge. She was mostly concerned for Cheetos team because she knew the kids in that team were not to outgoing and lacked confidence. She saw them grow in confidence as the game went on and the team became more cohesive. But this wasn't a simple matter of rooting for the "good" kids that must overcome the bullying, arrogant, popular squad. Claudia also worried about the jocks. Maybe even more so. She was concerned that their bravado or their belief of invincibility would lead them to high risk behaviors that were so easily available to them. Cheeto was also concerned about this and thought if he gave them a challenge, actually pushed them they would realize they are not untouchable.

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