by David Sharp
Jason was stunned, yet turned on by the idea behind the command. “Alright.” He wanted to say more, or better yet make out more, but he held his tongue. The same tongue that had tasted Adam’s a moment before. He felt Adam’s lips on his again and let himself go. The world rushed around, nothing mattered for a second, a second that felt like eternity.
Adam broke off the kiss leaving Jason dazed. Kelly and Tanya stared and smirked, an untold private joke danced in their eyes. Jason smiled, not noticing the shift in Adam’s hazel eyes. A strange animal call caught their attention.
“What the hell is that, a cat in heat?” Tanya blurted out.
“I heard it the first night on the street,” Kelly said, the fear creeping into her voice.
The catcall was answered. The second sound came yowling from somewhere on the opposite side of the street, somewhere unseen.
“We have to go.” Adam tensed up.
Jason mouthed the word, “Wow.” A mixture of emotion flowed through him and it took him a moment to move his legs. Adam tugged on his arm.
“Come on,” he said leading the way.
Jason let himself be taken. Kelly and Tanya sped up to match Adam’s brisk pace. They left one colorful shop behind after another, until they crossed a side street.
Around the corner, on the other side of Westheimer, Knappy walked into view from behind an abandoned red brick building. Through dark sunglasses, he watched them. A trench coat covered his body, arms hidden inside. The slight waver of a smile pulled his thin lips tight.
“Why is he doing this?” Kelly turned away from the sight of the punk quickening her pace.
“Don’t go so fast.” Tanya limped along trying to keep up.
“Just stay with me and don’t look back,” Adam ordered.
Jason stumbled and stole a glance back at Knappy and felt the cold eyes behind the dark lenses follow him.
The sidewalk led them farther down the increasingly sordid strip. Trashy fast food dives, tattoo parlors, bars, and sex shops dominated the path. Syd and Hex pretended to shop off a sidewalk sale rack in front of a resale shop named Taxi Taxi. Syd held up a flowery hippy blouse and grinned maliciously. Hex plainly stared with no pretenses as they came closer.
“Look, it’s those punks.” Jason pointed out the obvious.
Adam dead stopped and Jason ran into his back bumping him forward. Kelly and Tanya stalled before colliding.
“What’s happening?” Kelly trembled.
“Crazy… it’s broad daylight,” Tanya said in shock.
Syd and Hex edged closer, while across the intersection the light turned green and Knappy strolled into the crosswalk.
“They’re coming,” Jason said.
“Shit… Run!” Adam bolted.
There was no time to think, so Jason followed Adam as he ran down the side street, then zigzagged into the neighborhood crossing lawns and crazily turning corners. Kelly lagged behind pulling Tanya along with her. I hope they can keep up. The adrenaline pumped through Jason’s heart. He stayed close not wanting to lose Adam. This is scary, yet exciting in some twisted way.
Adam chose a path between two houses towards a gap in a rotten, wooden fence. They followed him through, out into an alley. Panting and out of breath, the foursome collapsed on the gravel and grass. Hidden between rows of houses, both ends of the alley were clear, but being in the middle was unnerving. Adam crawled to the hole in the fence and peeked out.
“Are they out there?” Jason crawled next to Adam not daring to poke his head farther than he had to.
“No, I don’t think they chased us.” Adam kicked his leg back softly knocking Jason to sit on the hard ground with him.
“Oh my God,” Tanya said as she held her lower side in pain. “Are you guys trying to kill me?”
Kelly walked in circles like a trapped animal, eyes everywhere. “This is nuts. Why won’t they just leave us alone?”
“I think this has something to do with John.” Jason got up and looked both ways. “I mean we have been in his car.”
Adam slowly got up avoiding the broken fence. “I told you we should have left.”
Tanya scowled. Her eyes were on Jason as she tried to work the cramp out of her groin.
Kelly panted in frustration. “What does that have to do with us?”
“We are all connected. They know all about us from John.” Jason looked to Adam for confirmation.
“You’re right. They are looking for CJ. Liev is pissed that I haven’t taken the car back and… and found him.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Can’t those crackers see we aren’t with him?” Tanya absentmindedly massaged her kitty and roughly pulled her hand back in realization.
“Not a lot does make sense out here,” Adam said wistfully. “CJ owes a lot of money on top of the bullshit he pulled.”
“Great, no matter what I do I can’t get away from that loser.” Tanya shook her head in disgust.
“He’s not our problem.” Kelly looked directly at Tanya and said, “Not anymore.”
“What else happened to John?” Jason was upset that he had spoken, but it was too late.
“I told you already,” Adam said.
“I suspect you haven’t told us the half of it,” Kelly said in a fierce manner.
Tanya broke in. “I don’t care about what he did.”
Jason, feeling he had already crossed a line, dared to go further. “Tell us the rest, Adam.”
Adam combed his fingers through his hair not liking the turn to interrogation. “Fuck, he’s been in trouble for a while. Look, John ran off and he can’t come back no more. That’s all.”
“And they don’t want us here either,” Kelly said.
“You know what? I’m fine with that.” Tanya conceded.
“So Liev wants us to go back home away from this. And the others are going to make sure we do.” Jason glumly accepted it.
“That is why you can’t stay.” Adam emphasized with his eyes towards Jason.
Jason caught the look, yet he felt stubborn. He wanted to stay, see his band, and maybe have time to convince Adam to go with him. There was still time to turn him, convince him these streets were not the only ones. “We party tonight, get our stuff, then go, okay?”
“Will you take us?” Kelly batted her eyes her mood change severe to behold.
“I guess I will… now.” Adam’s demeanor changed slightly.
“One night – no more,” Jason promised. He sensed something was off, but his tenacity to do what he wanted prevailed.
“I want a hit of that stuff you put in Jason’s pocket, before you fags start making out again.” Tanya turned the conversation around.
“You want to do it now?” Jason dug into his pocket pulling out the blue tabs. Getting a closer look at them he noticed that they had specs of white like a breath mint.
“Yeah, I’m game.” Kelly hovered closer.
Adam subtly moved away.
Jason watched him edge back. He wanting to say something to make him understand he was on the same wavelength. If we could go somewhere else things would be different, the problems here would not matter. It could be a fresh start.
“Are you sure, Jason?” Adam asked one last time.
“I’m sure,” Jason said dumping the contents of the bag, four pills, into his hand. “I’ll give them to y’all, but we should do them later,” Seeing Adam’s look, he regretted it.
Kelly and Tanya each took one and placed it on their tongues.
Adam slid one slowly off of Jason’s hand and said in a sigh, “So be it.”
Jason did the same with less enthusiasm and could taste the acidity of the dissolving pill. He watched Kelly and Tanya as they swallowed theirs and moved his to the edge of his mouth. The group left the hole in the fence behind and walked down the alley. Jason knew he would be sick if he swallowed his bitter pill. The bile was already rising in the back of his throat. He coughed into his hand depositing the partially melted pill into his palm. Kelly and Tany
a were ahead giggled and whispering secrets. Beside him, he watched Adam spit into the weeds and gravel. Did Adam spit his out too? It struck him as strange. Yet, he had done the same. He dropped his hand casually to his side and let the pill fall into his tracks behind him.
Adam looked like he wanted to say something substantial. A conflict spun behind his hazel eyes. “This is a bad idea.”
“I know my life seems to be full of bad ideas.” Jason made light.
Adam grabbed Jason’s arm stopping him for a moment as Kelly and Tanya continued ahead. “Promise me that you will go home after the concert.”
“It will be late.”
Adam gripped tighter. “Promise me.”
“ Okay, okay, we will leave after Institutionalized plays their last song.”
“Good, I’ll get the car in a little bit and park it in the lot.”
“That’s cool, but are you going to stay and see the show?”
“I will come in for a second, go get the car, then come back and take y’all home.”
“Alright… will you stay with me for a while and chill out after we drop them off?”
“I guess I can, for a little bit.”
“I’d like that.” Jason was conflicted and did not know what he wanted more, to be alone with Adam or to see the band. I can do both.
Adam fell into stride with Jason. Ahead of them Tanya limped less and seemed to feel no pain as Kelly laughed at the wind in the trees. Jason felt a slight effect of the drug from the residue that had gotten into his system. Emerging from the alley, everything seemed brighter with the colors of the sunset bleeding into the Technicolor neon of the cityscape at night. Jason was glad he did not take the whole pill, especially if it was having such a strong effect from such a small taste.
Damn, I am going to have to babysit them all freaking night.
Visions
Jason could not keep from looking at Adam as he led them across Westheimer Street to the chasing white lights of Visions. The marquee above, on the tall grey wall, spelled out: Institutionalized – One Night Only. The parking lot was surreal in dark and blue tones. Night had fallen leaving the brief dusk behind. The lights flashed on and off across Jason’s face.
“Holy shit, I can’t believe they are really playing tonight!”
Kelly looked from the sign to his face. “Wow, how perfect for you.”
“Kelly, it is Institutionalized. You know how long I have wanted to see them.”
“Well, they are alright… I guess,” Tanya quipped.
“Alright, are you kidding me? They rock.”
“The singer is kind of hot,” Kelly said with a smile.
“Kind of… he is a god.”
Jason could see Ian Paisley in his mind’s eye with his spiky hair, close shaved sides of his head, and tattoos that were only partially revealed from his leather pants. How he had dreamed of seeing the rest of the smooth body they were inked on.
Adam watched them, the lights masking his eyes in moving shadows. A catcall came from a dumpster near the back of the grey club building dampening the mood.
“Not again,” Tanya said and took a step back, “not while I’m tripping.”
“Why won’t they leave us alone?” Kelly reached out and grabbed Tanya’s hand.
“I wish all guys would.” Tanya squeezed Kelly’s hand harder.
Liev stepped out from behind the dumpster. He was decked out in skinhead attire from the working class boots to the red braces (suspenders). Dominate in his posture, Liev nodded to Adam making his intent known.
Wide-eyed, Adam said in a low voice, “I got to go and talk to him.”
“Adam, don’t,” Jason warned.
“I’ll be right back.” Adam broke contact and slowly walked over to Liev. He left Jason with a sideways glance.
“I don’t like this.” Jason nervously rubbed his thumb and first two fingers together. His impulse was to follow Adam, to be by his side.
Kelly and Tanya moved closer to the corner of the building, the front door beckoning them from the busy Westheimer Street side. Tanya was unusually quiet, her eyes big as saucers, while Kelly tittered. The effect of the pills had them in its thrall.
“Let’s go inside,” Kelly said in a small voice.
“Hang on,” Jason replied impatiently keeping his composure in check while repressing a laugh at their cartoonish appearance, both of them slack-jawed and goofy looking. He edged down the opposite wall, a little blindsided, by the colorful assortment of cars in the lot. Fear slowed and finally stopped him.
I can’t be afraid of Liev.
Across the lot by the dumpster, Liev and Adam met up and were instantly having a heated debated. The street noise drowned everything out. If only I could hear what they are saying. Jason took a tentative step forward and stopped dead in his tracks when Liev slapped Adam, open handed, across the face. Jason’s jaw involuntarily lowered. He watched in shock as Liev then grabbed Adam by the scruff of his neck while wrenching one of his arms behind his back. In control, Liev made direct eye contact with Jason while keeping Adam struggling under his firm grip. Jason felt trapped by the stare, unable to escape the cold blue eyes.
Liev mouthed the words, “Your ass is mine.”
Jason backed up and almost tripped on a cement parking curb. Under his breath he muttered, “Fuck this.”
Liev winked and maneuvered Adam away into the darkness behind the building. Jason wanted to be a hero, to do something. Instead, he was paralyzed with fear. At the last moment, Adam looked at him with a strange pleading on his face. His lips silently formed two words: Go home.
Jason watched helplessly as Adam vanished from sight. His thoughts raced around in a circle. How can I go home without my skateboard? Where is the car? Could I find it, if I tried? He was glad he had spit the pill out. His friends on the other hand were already messed up.
“Did you see that?” Kelly pulled Tanya’s hand roughly.
“Oh, I saw that,” Tanya replied.
Feeling defeated, Jason turned and saw Kelly and Tanya facing the street watching traffic.
“The colors are so cool.” Kelly reached out as if she could touch the passing cars.
“Oh girl, those tracers are crazy.”
Jason glumly walked up to them, not wanting to explain how he felt. Quietly, he said, “Let’s go inside.” His friends faced him in a saner manner than their prior conversation led him to believe possible. Jason ignored them. He looked over his shoulder, and saw nothing, but darkness where Adam last was. I shouldn’t have let him go.
Kelly giggled and said, “Might as well go inside, Adam was kind of creepy.”
“You don’t know him.” Jason felt defensive and weak for not following.
“Honest, he was.” Kelly tried on seriousness and it did not quite fit.
“You have only hung out with him a day. What are you in love now?” Tanya taunted.
“Hey, enough of that,” Jason said chewing his lip. “Did you not see Liev drag him off?”
“Those are his friends and his problems.” Tanya raised a finger to emphasize her point.
“Our stuff is in his car.” Jason could not believe his so called friends.
“CJ’s car… no, John’s car.” Kelly corrected.
“Fine, John’s car,” Jason said in frustration. “We should go get our stuff out of it, right now.”
“I am not going out there with those freaks lurking around.” Kelly shook her head two shakes too long.
“Now, when I am seeing colors and shit? You have got to be out of your mind.” Tanya had her hands on her hips in her natural fighting stance.
Jason could have slapped Tanya across her face right then. “When should we go?”
“In the morning, when the sun is out,” Tanya said then half stumbled on the even ground trying to take a step forward.
Jason sighed. “I guess so. Would you call Adam?”
Tanya took a moment to decide then said, “After the show.”
“Fine, we�
��ll call him after the damn show.” Jason relented knowing the other street punks were out there. He did not want to be outside alone, especially if Liev was still around. Jason thought about what could possibly be happening to Adam and shuddered. The violence was one thing, the other was the image he could not shake of Adam licking Liev’s boots and liking it.
Nothing makes sense.
If he was alone he would have sought out Adam. With the girls, he convinced himself that his choices were limited. And it was an opportunity to see his favorite band. Jason did not know if he could enjoy it though.
“Guess what?” Tanya asked cheerfully.
“What?” Kelly played her cartoon face.
“I don’t feel my kitty anymore.”
Kelly laughed maniacally and repeated, “Your kitty.”
“Ha, ha, hilarious, Kelly, come on.”
The laugh reminded Jason of the movie, The Evil Dead. Kelly and Tanya walked past him, giggling, towards the entrance. Look at them laughing as if they are possessed by tree spirits or whatever was in that movie. He hated that they were tripping.
Jason lagged behind a moment to look at the empty space next to the dumpster. The dream of the trash falling from above while he kissed Adam returned to him. Softly he said to the night, “I hope you’re okay, Adam.”
X
The nightclub, Visions, was a kaleidoscope of bizarre people and colors. The entry fee was cheap just like Adam said it would be. Five dollars the poorer apiece, they were greeted with a packed house. Punks, Goths and plainly grungy folks were everywhere. Jason was taken aback by the crowd. He had never seen a group of misfits all in one place before. It was like his music magazine pictures had come to life. Black velvet curtains sealed off the stage. There was no music. The masses were loudly taking in anticipation of the band.
Kelly tapped his shoulder. “We are going to the restroom.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you by the stage… up front.”
Kelly’s eyes widened and she said, “Okay.”
“Come on girl, I got to pee,” Tanya nagged.
Jason watched as Kelly and Tanya were swallowed by the crowd. He was relieved they were gone. The way to the stage was thick with people and sweat filled air. He rubbed shoulders and sides with an assortment of strangers. A hand grazed his behind. He turned and could not make out who it was, so he kept his hand near his wallet in his front pocket. The lights dimmed. I have to get closer. So, he squeezed his body through the middle of a group of ratty haired vixens and pressed his arm against the sweaty side of a shirtless skinhead. For a moment his heart stopped. He was relieved that it was not Liev. Jason nodded at the stranger and moved by making it all the way to the wooden edge of the stage.