Free Black by T.l Smith Page A

fuck if you know what I mean?” He picks up a beer a starts drinking it. “Keeps on going on about you being in love with that chick you kidnapped.” My back straightens up, and he notices my reaction. “Oh shit! Who is she?” His hand slams down on the table, demanding an answer and wanting to know out of curiosity.
    “No one,” I say, ending the conversation. Usually Jake knows me well, reads me well, except he wants to dig. He knows almost everything there is about me, so he’s not happy about not knowing who she is.
    “Black…” he warns.
    “Jake…” I say back.
    “Just tell me this much. Is she a gymnast? If she is, can I have a turn?” My head shakes at him, always about the sex. “Come on, brother.”
    “Go and take your play thing home, and don’t bring her back.”
    “Give me a sec,” he says, picking up his keys and running out the door. It takes me a moment to notice movement over my left shoulder, and when I do my gun is raised straight at the intruder’s head. Hayden shakes, his eyes start to fill with tears. I lower the gun and tuck it back in my pants. Usually I wouldn’t even have it on me, but my mind is not thinking straight. It’s all over the shop.
    “Your old man do that?” I ask him, reaching into the fridge to pull out juice for him. His face is bruised, worse than it usually is. He’s gotten a beating, a terrible beating. He takes the juice, wiping his tears away, his blond curls now longer than the last time I saw him.
    “I hate him,” he whispers angrily. I pat his shoulder and he takes a seat on the bench, where Jake was sitting. “Is that girl gone?” he asks, looking down the stairs then back to me. I nod my head and Jake walks back through the door, stopping when he sees Hayden, then smiles and sits next to him.
    “Boys slumber party, I reckon,” he says, pulling Hayden to him. Hayden smiles up at him. Jake knows his story, he’s seen him here enough.
    “I don’t do slumber parties.” My mouth contours.
    “Ah, shush up, you baby. Alcohol, movies, and more alcohol. How could you not want that?”
    “I don’t.”
    “Well, pig shit and bubble gum. And while you’re at it go and put on a pink shirt, might lift those spirits.” He chuckles to himself.
    Idiot.
    “Mr. Black only wears black,” Hayden pipes up. Jake looks down at him and smirks. Most kids would be afraid of him, he isn’t a friendly looking guy. He’s covered in ink, piercings through his face. Not Hayden though, he lives with demons, they assault him daily. To him we are his saviors. What a poor fucked up boy he’ll grow up to be, because we’re anything but.
    “You know of Black’s mystery woman?” Jake asks him. I turn my back and grab some food out to feed the kid since he doesn’t eat well. So when he’s here he eats as much as he can.
    “Yeah, she’s pretty,” he says. I roll my eyes and curse while grabbing a bag of chips and handing it to him. Jake looks up to me. Curious now. Hayden doesn’t waste any time opening the packet and eating them.
    “Just tell me her name?”
    “Rose…” He straightens up, he knows that name. That’s when I started hanging with him just as she left. He knows of her but doesn’t actually know her.
    “The same Rose?” he asks.
    I look to Hayden, who’s not even listening, and answer him, “The one in the same.”
    “Shit, no wonder your boxers are in a mess.”
    “Are not!”
    “They so are. She was the one you took that night, wasn’t she? The druggie?”
    “Yes.” I grit my teeth. We don’t touch druggie hookers, they’re too much of a risk. They steal, lie, and cheat. Anything to get what they need.
    “You, my friend, are officially fucked. Fucked like a motherfucker.”
    “I know.”
     
     

 

    He’s ignoring me, I know he is. I just don’t understand why. My call goes unanswered, my text messages unnoticed. I don’t understand why? I want something more from him, I just don’t know what that is. Or even why. It’s