I hurried to the exact step where we had found Ruby.
Passed out, curled up tight, probably trying to save herself. Or maybe she had been waiting to die. To just make it all end.
I crushed the ghost of her on that step and kept going up.
When I got to Garcia’s door, I ran everything through my head.
All I wanted was to check the bathroom and get the ring. The fifty cent ring that mattered so much to Ruby. And by doing that maybe Garcia would realize who Ruby was with. And he would stay the hell away from her.
That… well, that would have been in a perfect world.
And nobody lived in a perfect world.
I pounded my fist against the door.
Garcia opened it and I wasted no time as I grabbed his shirt with my left hand and swung with my right hand.
So much for talking, Kip…
Garcia flew back and I stepped in the apartment and shut the door.
A girl jumped up from the couch, screaming, grabbing for a blanket to cover herself up. Her clothes were scattered all over the floor. The place was trashed. There were empty bottles, crushed cans, and other stuff that I had no interest in seeing.
All I could picture was Ruby sitting on that couch with Garcia, him giving her stuff and then making moves on her that she wasn’t sure she wanted him to make or not. Or worse yet… how many times did that shit happen to her? With how many guys? Was that how she valued herself and her love?
I had gotten myself distracted enough that I forgot about Garcia.
He punched the right side of my face.
“I’ll fucking kill you for coming here,” he growled.
He made a move to the right and I jumped forward. I tucked my shoulder into his gut and lifted him. I ran him back to the wall and threw him. He went up over the entertainment center stand. The large TV turned sideways as he fell over a speaker and hit the floor.
I was right there, putting my foot to his chest.
“Do you remember me, Garcia?” I asked.
“I know who you are. Where are your two boyfriends?”
“I’m alone,” I said.
“What the fuck do you want?”
“Stay away from her,” I said. “Don’t text her. Don’t call her. Understand me?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I pressed my foot and he grabbed my ankle.
He groaned in pain.
“You know who I’m talking about,” I said.
“Ruby?” he asked. “You’re here because of her?”
“She was here. You picked her up. You got her wasted again.”
“She fucking called me, asshole,” Garcia said.
“What?”
I felt nails sink into my neck.
Then someone was on my back.
The girl from the couch only weighed about ten pounds.
She let out some hissing sound.
“I’ll kill you first, motherfucker,” she said into my ear.
I stepped away from Garcia and he put his hand out and climbed to his feet.
“Hey, baby, it’s okay,” he said. “Jessie, let him go. I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“I’m not going to hurt a girl,” I said.
“Jessie, move,” Garcia ordered. “Stupid bitch.”
Jessie popped off my back.
“I was just helping,” she said.
Garcia moved toward her and she screamed. She ran to the couch and tripped, covering herself up like a scared child.
I grabbed Garcia’s arm and pulled him toward me. “I don’t even want to know what you do to them to get that reaction.”
“It’s called reminding them who’s in charge,” Garcia said.
“You ever put your hands on Ruby?”
Garcia grinned. “What is this? You’re some fucking rich dude trying to save the loser girl? Come on, brother…”
“Do what I say and nobody gets hurt,” I said. “Ruby called you?”
“Fuck yeah she did. She said she was bored. Needed something. What was I going to say to her? No? Come on… she and I had a good thing for a long time, brother. More than you could ever understand. She was my neighbor. I was the dorky boy and she was the ugly girl. We watched each other grow up. That was real shit between us.”
I curled my lip. “I’m telling you right now, if she ever does that again, you ignore her.”
“I don’t know who you think you are, brother, but this is where I tell you to go fuck yourself.”
“I’m not here to start a fight with you.”
“Tell that to my nose.”
“I need to check your bathroom.”
“What?” Garcia asked, laughing.
“She left something behind. A ring.”
“A ring? Wait… that stupid plastic thing? Are you kidding me? You’re falling for her and that shit ring?”
I swung my right fist through the air and Garcia cringed.
I didn’t hit him this time. “Just show me the bathroom.”
Garcia pointed.
I pushed him out of the way.
“What the fuck is your problem, bitch?” he growled at the girl on the couch. “Don’t ever get…”
I walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
It was fucking disgusting. The heater was rusted. There were holes in the walls. There were black marks of mildew all over the shower. The faucet looked half eaten away by… dirty water? Mold?
Everything was a mess.
Nothing had been cleaned in years.
I checked the left side of the sink.
Nothing.
I felt like something was going to start crawling toward me from the piles of filth collected where the wall met the floor.
I looked at the right side and that’s when I found it.
The plastic ring. With the obnoxious big, plastic, pink diamond.
Hooked to what looked like a shoelace turned into a necklace.
I grabbed it, balled it up, and stuffed it into my pocket.
Ruby called Garcia.
The thought hit me hard.
It was something I’d have to deal with later.
I opened the bathroom door and got a taste of my own medicine.
A fist right to my face.
* * *
Someone had my left arm tight and the guy holding my right arm was the guy that had been with Garcia when we busted in the first time.
Polk.
Garcia had a different look to him with his boys there attacking me.
They dragged me to the living room and Garcia stood there, pacing left to right.
“What do I do now?” he asked. “I could probably squeeze some money out of this. Bet your Mommy and Daddy would hate to hear about their boy being in this place.”
“I got what I wanted,” I said.
“You took what you wanted. And you didn’t even ask nicely.”
“Stay the fuck away from her,” I said.
Garcia stopped and grabbed my jaw. “Get it through your head, brother. She called me. She begged me to pick her up. She begged me for a little happiness in her life. So I gave it to her. And now you’re going to attack me for it? Alone? You must be as stupid as you are rich.”
I spit in Garcia’s face.
He stepped back.
He wiped his cheek.
“Hey, Reg,” he said to the guy I didn’t know. “I think we should give him a tattoo. Cut right into his pretty, rich boy skin and make sure he never forgets us.”
“Nice,” Reg said.
“Reg,” Polk said. “Just don’t spell the word fuck wrong this time.”
Garcia laughed.
I hurried and pulled my arms together as hard as I could.
Reg and Polk stumbled a step.
I felt Reg’s grip loosen just a little.
I focused there and pulled my arm free.
I punched Reg as hard as I could and then punched Garcia.
Polk swung and hit me in the stomach before I could get to him.
It was a good shot and it made me drop to one knee.
“I’ll cut him myself,” Garcia said. “Right across his fucking neck.”
I threw my shoulder forward and hit Polk in the stomach.
I was free but far from safe.
I made it two steps before Garcia grabbed me.
The apartment door opened again and I knew if it was more of Garcia’s crew I was really done for.
It was Pres and Barr.
“Holy shit,” Barr said. “Did I miss the party?”
“Oh, fuck,” Polk said.
I threw an elbow back and hit Garcia in the face.
Barr dove toward Polk.
Pres walked up to Reg.
Reg nodded and was ready to throw a punch.
All Pres did was lift his shoulder, hitting Reg so hard in the jaw, the guy dropped like he had no bones in his legs.
Barr took Polk to the floor and stepped on his chest.
I had my hand to the back of Garcia’s neck, forcing his face again the wall.
“You’re a dead man,” Garcia said.
“No, I’m not,” I said. “Don’t make me come back again. Three strikes and you’re out. Understand?”
“Fuck yourself. And your boyfriends. You have no idea what I’m-”
I pulled Garcia’s head back and slammed it against the wall.
He fell to the floor.
“Did you get what you came for?” Barr asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Didn’t know you were going to show up.”
I stepped toward the open door and Pres blocked the way.
“Got something to say, Pres?” I asked.
He didn’t have anything to say.
Instead, he punched me harder than Garcia and his crew could ever punch me.
Chapter 9
‘Please don’t fight them, Kip. Okay? You don’t know who they are. You don’t know what they’re capable of. This isn’t some dumb school fight, okay? This is serious. They have guns. They have knives. They’ve hurt people. I think… I think they’ve killed people. Okay?’
‘Even more of a reason to go after them,’ I say. ‘I don’t want you to end up hurt. Or… gone…’
‘I’m fine. I swear to you. I’m fine. I know what to do. Just stay away.’
‘I can’t do that, girl. I can’t watch this happen. You think nobody cares about you? I do. I fucking care about you. I care about you so much you-’
She slaps me.
And she knows how to slap hard.
It’s hard enough that I lose my breath for a second.
My eyes tear up.
I almost see stars.
She holds her hand, obviously in pain.
‘Stay the fuck away, Kip,’ she says. ‘I’m not your fucking project. I’m not your girl to save. Go find someone else. This… us… it will never be real.’
She walks around me and I reach for her hand.
She punches my hand away.
I felt a hand slip into mine.
I turned my head and did a double take when I saw it was Tinsley.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, girl.”
“You should go talk to him.”
“For what?” I asked.
“I know everyone is worked up.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“He cares about you,” she said. “Barr too. I think they love you. Like you all love each other. Not in that way but as… family. Brothers. You know?”
“I made it clear what I was going to do,” I said.
“And you’re fucking insane for doing it.”
“Of course I am,” I said. “What else would you expect from me?”
“Kip, can I ask you something?”
I lifted her hand holding my hand. “You’ve got me trapped here, girl. I have no choice but to let you ask me anything you want.”
“Why Ruby?” she asked. “And do you really like her? What is this for you? This isn’t you. Not that I care about who you sleep with or whatever… but…”
“I know,” I said. “This isn’t me. This isn’t my style. This isn’t what I do. I’ve passed up on hooking up with beautiful girls all because the thought of Ruby seems better worth my time. I just busted into a drug house to get some fifty cent ring for her.”
Tinsley gasped. “Now it makes sense. That’s the ring she lost? Are you kidding me? You put yourself… you could have died, Kip. For a plastic ring?”
I curled my lip. “Not all value is based on money, girl.”
“Promise me you’ll talk to Pres,” she said.
I turned and faced Tinsley. I stroked her cheek. “Listen, girl… if you didn’t break up the Rulz then nothing ever will. I’m not worried about Pres. You go take good care of him.”
“Where are you going?” Tinsley asked.
I reached into my pocket. “I’ve got to go give your hot friend her ring back.”
* * *
It was like one, long road that led to Ruby.
Pulling right up to the little beach house wasn’t an option. Last thing I needed was her grandmother to chase me around the front yard with a wooden spoon again.
I found a spot to park that was far enough away from the house but close enough to Ruby.
I sent her a text.
And I waited.
I jumped up on the hood of the SUV and just sat there.
Staring at the water.
Thinking.
Feeling my face still gently throbbing from getting hit.
Pres’s punch had definitely been the worst. Or the best. However you wanted to look at it.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and when I took it out I saw there was a text waiting from Ruby.
Look behind you. But don’t scream.
I turned my head and there she was.
In a black zip up hoodie and shorts, still wearing those impossibly white shoes.
There was just this cocky look to her… what Tinsley would call resting bitch face… but it fucking worked for her.
I jumped off the hood of the SUV and walked to her.
She put her hands out and stopped me.
“You can’t take a hint, can you?” she asked.
“What? You leaving without saying goodbye? And then lying to your best friend about it? That’s some shady shit, girl.”
“I do what I have to do to survive.”
“So I was a threat to your life?” I asked.
“You’re a threat to a lot, Kip,” she said.
“But you’re here now. Speaking of which, how did you escape prison?”
Ruby did her snort-laugh. “I told my Gram I was going for a walk.”
“Gram, huh? I like that.”
“You’ll never call her that. You’ll never meet her.”
“I already did. I probably still have a mark on my arm from where she attacked me.”
“You’re lucky it was just a wooden spoon,” Ruby said. “She’s afraid…”
“Of what, girl?”
“Nothing. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Whoa, wait a second. What’s she afraid of?”
“Kip…”
“No. Don’t Kip me. Your grandmother doesn’t deserve to be scared.”
“How do you know?” Ruby asked. “What if she’s a badass gangster?”
“Is she?” I asked.
“Fuck no,” Ruby said. She grinned. “But she’s scared. Because of me. Because of my life.”
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“No. But she dealt with stuff with my mother. And now me.”
“She should be scared of me,” I said. “Not in the way she’s used to though.”
“What about me? Should I be scared?”
I stepped toward her. “Yeah. You should be scared.”
“Then I better walk away now.”
“Or just stay,” I said.
“Why would I stay? I’m supposed to be on a walk. Nothing else.”
“Nothing else then,” I said. �
��You haven’t even asked me about my face.”
“I’ll say it,” she said. “What happened? Get mouthy with Tinsley again?”
“No. Well, the one punch was from Pres. The others… Garcia and his guys.”
I turned and Ruby jumped at me.
She grabbed my hand and pulled. “What did you just say?”
I looked back at her. “What? Now you want to hang out with me?”
“Kip. What did you do?”
“What I said I was going to do, girl.”
“Meaning?”
“You should get back from your walk,” I said. “You don’t want Gram to get suspicious.”
Fear washed over Ruby’s pretty face. The tough, badass girl that caught my attention now looked like the sad, scared, stoned girl on the steps when I found her.
“Hey,” I said to her. “Hey. Look…” I reached into my pocket and took out the ring. I dangled the necklace string over my pointer finger and held it up so the ring was right in front of her face. “I got you your ring back, girl.”
Ruby stepped back and covered her mouth. She shook her head. “No. No way…”
“Yes.”
“Why?” she asked. She lowered her hands. “Why did you do this?”
“I told you I was going to do it. You said this was important to you.”
“But why? Why me? Why do this for me?”
“Maybe because nobody has ever done anything nice for you, Ruby,” I said. “Or maybe nobody has believed in you. But I do. I care about you, girl. Fuck me, it’s not my style or the way I do things, but whatever. I can’t imagine not texting you every day. Or finding a way to see you. And when I got up and you were gone… it bothered me. Plus, you gave me fifty cents. So here’s your ring. Fair trade.”
Ruby stepped toward the ring and grabbed it from me. Her hand shook as she stared at it. She looked at me. Then at the ring. Then at me again. She slowly put the necklace part over her head.
“This was stupid to do,” she said.
I nodded. “I didn’t expect you to say thanks.”
“Yeah? Well… I didn’t ask you to go get this for me, Kip. It was my damn fault it ended up where it did. It was my fault I ended up at Garcia’s and left it there.”
“So that’s it then? You’re just going to blame yourself for everything?”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m going to do. I have to go back. So Gram doesn’t come looking for me and bring a turkey carving knife and go after you.”
KIP: a bay falls high novel Page 9