Diamond in the Rough

Doug McCray leans against the hood of his truck, his arms folded across his chest. It has been seven years since he has last saw or even spoken to Jem and the thought of reconciling with him in the parking lot of the bus station isn't where he would have chosen the meeting.
His eyes glance at the faces of the commuters who have stepped off whatever bus, heading for a cab or a ride with whoever is collecting them.

Doug watches Jem as he saunters towards him, his bag swinging by his side and a cigarette clamped between his lips. He looks different, bigger and stronger than he did before. He looks a little more mature, his expression still as mean and fearful. He looks hardened by his second stint in prison.
Jem walks straight to him and pulls his partner in crime into a brief hug.

"What you doing here?" Jem asks as he stomps out his cigarette.

"I came to pick you up"

"Cool" Jem replies and climbs into the truck."Stop by the nearest bar"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Sure"Jem smiles

"Whateva" Doug mumbles as he pulls out into the main road. If he's having to go to a bar with Jem he'll have to come clean.

"Bud light" Jem says to the barman "and a?" He motions to Doug.

"Soda and lime"

Jem stares at his friend, his brother who has wimped out a beer. Normally Doug would be ordering a round of Jameson's with every beer. This wasn't the Doug McCray he knew and love and respected like a brother.

"Soda and lime, huh?"

Doug sips his drink. Being in a bar this early in the day had once been a routine, an addiction to the smoky atmosphere and whatever was available to quench his thirst. He learned that nothing ever did and the more he drank the more of an asshole he became. He would get into fights and become the one person he hated.

"I don't drink"

"You don't drink?"Jem scoffs "Jesus, things have changed around here"

"It's called progress. Anyway, I wasn't a good person when I was on that stuff"

Jem nods. He remembers the times where they would hit a bar as early as noon, drink away their cares until they headed back to the three storey house they shared, bottles of whisky and crates of beer in tow. After half their supplies they were consumed they would get high on whatever they could, oxy's, cocaine,speed. It didn't matter what it was, it only mattered as long as they got high.

"What happened to the good old Dougy McCray?"

Doug looks up at him briefly.

"I changed, Jem. I didn't like the person I was back then."

Jem drains his first beer and orders another. He licks his lips greedily after a long drink, the cold and taste a missed feeling. He's really missed this.

"We better go. Krista's making dinner" Doug says getting up from his bar stool.
Jem ignores him and downs the shot of Irish whisky, his third so far and he's only been out a few hours.

"Since when did Krista cook?"

"Probably a micro-meal. Come on, let's go"

"So, she's got a kid?" Jem asks Doug as if he was never told about Krista giving him a niece.

"Yeah, little girl called Shyne"

"Cool. Whose the dad?" Jem eyes his friend suspiciously. Even in prison he had heard that Doug and Krista were on and off, but that was two years ago and his niece is two already.

"She doesn't know" Doug sighs "She tried to say she was mine"

"And is she?"

"Nope" Doug admits

Jem nods silently. He doesn't know
whether to believe him or not. Krista had a way of screwing with people's minds and lives, especially if she didn't get her own way. Jem knew that his younger sister has a reputation for sleeping around and caring more about drugs and partying than her two year old kid.

"She said she's yours"

Doug pulls into the side of the street and switches off the car.

"Shyne's not mine, Jem. She told me and everybody else that she was. I told her we'd get some DNA done and she backed off and said I wasn't."

"Krista told me, kid. You've got nothing to worry about. I know you ain't the daddy"