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CHAPTER 2: JULIUS

I splash cold water on my face as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The bathroom lightbulb keeps flickering. Damn it, Dante. I thought you fixed it earlier. I swear, that guy needs a new lightbulb in his head sometimes.

Dante starts banging on the bathroom door.

"Yo man, are you taking a shit? Hurry up, and let's get this burn going. Your pre-workout is on the counter!"

I open the bathroom door and hit Dante's shoulder.

"Bro, I thought you changed that lightbulb earlier? It's still flickering."

"I did? Is that one not good either? We can stop by Walmart on the way after the gym. Fuck, I hate going there on the weekends. How the fuck did Kimi work there for 3 years?"

"Dude, I don't know. Sometimes I wonder about her workload as it is. She is the only streamer that I know that works full time, attends college full time, and streams. I worry about her."

I rub my chin at the thought of Kimi. She has the most beautiful honey-colored skin. She isn't too dark but not too light. Her wavy curls are always lying nicely on her back, whether messy or neat. Today, on the webcam, she was in her pajamas, with no make-up, and was naturally beautiful. I have had a crush on Kimi for two years but never dared to ask her out. I always hesitated because I didn't want it to interfere with work or get rejected.

"Yo, quit zoning out, bitch. Get your pre-workout in, and let's go. Quit thinking about Kimi."

I zone back in and see Dante tying his Nikes. I walk towards the front door and grab my pair from the shoe rack and sit down next to him.

"D, you better not let Kimi see your dirty shoes. She will cuss you out in a heartbeat." Dante grins at me. His stupid laugh kills me.

"Man, I know, but Kimi is kind of cute when she is mad, probably why I always tease her."

I tie my right shoe and grab a couple bottles of water from the fridge. Dante and I open the garage and hop into my Dodge Durango.

"You know only assholes drive these cars, right?"

"Bro, how many times will you tell me that?"

"Probably till you trade it in. It's spacious, dude, but you look like an asshole."

"Whatever, man." I roll my eyes and shake my head. Typical life with this guy. Then again, I give him shit too.

I start to back out from our apartment's garage and make my way to the entrance gates. Man, I love living in Miroza at Ridge Hill, but it can be a headache during the weekend. Dante turns on the Bluetooth and plays some Bad Bunny. My favorite artist. I could listen to Bad Bunny all day.

I can see Dante texting on his phone from the corner of my eye. I could briefly see he sent a text to someone without being obvious. I couldn't catch the name, though. When Dante looks back up from his phone, I pull into our usual parking spot at Planet Fitness. I give Dante a bro-fist and start our regular workout routines. Dante and I do our own thing at the gym for two hours most of the time. Time to feel the burn JC.

****

I always end my work out on the treadmill. Dante and I usually do 2 miles on the treadmill before leaving. I notice Dante walking up towards me as I jog in place on the treadmill.

"Hey dude, I got a missed call from Kimi's brother. It's weird. He never calls me. I'm going to see if everything is okay." Dante walks out the front doors, and I see him pull his phone out and start the call.