by Susan Reid
“Well good evening, you’re looking…wow,” He raised his brows with a wink and smiled at me after setting the platter of pot-stickers down, once Jenna moved the sushi platter aside.
“Thanks, this sake is just what the doctor ordered, it’s good.” I commented, finishing up what I had in my cup.
“Not too much, the doctor doesn’t want you getting wasted or sick. In fact, I’m cutting you off in particular after this one. I don’t think I could sneak you guys another one even if I wanted to anyway,” He continued with emphasis towards me, after setting the new bottle of sake down.
He bent and squatted on his haunches so that he was face level with us, and he began to massage my shoulder.
Jenna waggled her brows at us as she drank her Sake.
China and Vanessa moved to slide back into our booth once again.
“Oh come on Joel let’s not play good cop, she needs this and you know that. Besides, I’m driving.” China replied giving him a playful shove.
“You’re driving? Okay then I stand corrected, I’m cutting you off now too.” He then said teasingly taking the bottle of Sake he had just set down, back.
“I can handle my liquor thank you. Don’t play Joel, especially when your tip is on the line,” China kidded as she reached for the Sake he commandeered.
“Speaking of cop,” Jenna smiled big and glanced from me to China, Vanessa and then Joel.
Oh please Jenna not now.
I regretted telling her at all, but it was too late. I flushed with a pleading look but she ignored it.
Damn, everyone followed suit and their eyes went from her to me in anticipation of finding out what she meant by that —may as well get it out now I supposed.
I sighed and shifted not wanting to meet Joel’s eyes, yet.
“Star here has a date with one tomorrow.” Jenna then grinned.
Everyone’s mouth dropped.
I didn’t want to look at Joel at first, not sure why but I did anyway.
“You plan on breaking the law?” He joked with a chuckle.
“Wait, why is this the first time I’m hearing this? What cop?” China then asked affronted with an accusing stare at me.
“That’s what I’m saying.” Vanessa added.
“I just met him. I was gonna tell you, I mean —it wasn’t like you weren’t gonna meet him when he picked me up anyway.” I told China.
“Yeah and he’s working the campus too so we’ll all get to see him.” Jenna rubbed her hands together with a grin.
Joel stood back up with hands on hips, and though he was smiling I could tell by the look on his face he seemed…bothered by the news.
“So you have an actual date-date huh? Is he taking you to the show?” He asked.
“No.” I simply said.
“You’re not going? I thought you were?” Vanessa whined.
“So did I but wait, I’m still stuck on being the second to know this,” China held her hands out to halt further conversation.
I sighed looking at Joel.
“Well, I wanna meet him too. He’s gonna have to pass my standards too, cop or no cop. What time is he picking you up?” He then asked.
“Look, for all I know this may end up being just one date so no need to get all crazy.” I replied speaking to all of them.
“What’s his name?” Vanessa wanted to know, a gleam in her eyes too.
I didn’t want to say it.
“A cop huh? Yeah, what’s his name?” China insisted crossing her arms over her chest now.
I hesitated and finally sighed in defeat.
“Cam.” I finally replied.
“Cam?” They all repeated in near unison.
“Yes.” I said.
“What, like short for Cameron or something?” China asked.
“I suppose, I don’t know.” I shrugged one shoulder.
“You don’t know?” Joel raised his brows.
“Maybe it’s just Cam!” I blurted in exasperation, as I poured more Sake and tossed it back.
The alcohol was getting to me now, and I was tired of twenty questions.
“Alright, calm down girl.” Vanessa giggled.
“Yeah, well I’ll let you guys get back to your…therapy of spirits. Hey, you guys should go up and do a song or two before you leave, I beg you. Cause after all this…that I’d wanna see. Don’t let her black out.” Joel then said making a circular motion around the Sake, and then to China, referring to me with a smile and a wink. He stood up and moved down two tables behind ours to take their order.
“That was an utter look of hurt and jealousy if I ever saw it.” Jenna then commented.
“Yep,” Vanessa agreed as she sorted through the pot-stickers.
I shook my head, even though I knew they might be right.
“Alright spill, I want details.” China then demanded.
~~~***~~~
After a few more cups of Sake, my confession to China about Cam, and three, horrid, out of tune old school songs, I was done. I had to be up early in the morning anyway to head to the YMCA. What kind of role model would I be to the kids, coming in hung over, puking, off balance and possibly breaking my own neck, while teaching a whip back or even a round off back handspring for that matter?
I was getting sleepy anyway, but I knew that Jenna, Vanessa and China were nowhere near done hanging out yet. Someone had suggested going dancing, and I heard something about a party that one of the fraternities was hosting, but I declined.
The cold blast of air conditioning bathing my face was like heaven, taking away the still lingering effects of my second puke session. I would have rolled down the window and stuck my head out for some fresh cold air, but possibly being beheaded by a road sign wasn’t the way I wanted to go.
We were in China’s Range Rover. I lay back in the passenger seat with a plastic grocery bag China so thoughtfully tucked into the front of my shirt like a catch all bib — just in case I felt the twinge again.
I should have known I couldn’t handle my liquor, but after the buzzing overtook me, I couldn’t stop, especially after we convinced Joel to bring us one last bottle before cutting us off completely. I had managed to nearly finish off that whole bottle all by myself too.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the steady bump and rocking that didn’t help the churning and warming of my already souring stomach.
“Man, you are such a lightweight Star. We’re gonna have to wait until the night of partying is almost over before you start drinking next time, I wanted to go dancing.” China said, as she changed the radio station from some alternative rock to hip-hop.
“You can still go. Vanessa told you where they’d be,” I grumbled in a half whisper half groan of the ill and dying.
She sighed, “No, I’m kind of tired anyway…oh shit!” She then hissed.
My eyes snapped open just then, and I turned to look over at her.
She was glancing in the rearview mirror.
“What?” I asked.
“Shit, shit, shit. Okay, just sit tight.” She sighed.
I felt her slow the Rover down, signaling to pull over to the shoulder, and then stopping completely as she shifted into park. I slowly sat up and turned to look out of the back windshield.
Police lights.
“You were speeding?” I whined, already afraid because even though China could hold her liquor well, the law didn’t give a damn.
“No! I don’t think so,” She panicked and wiped her hair from her face.
She turned off the ignition as she reached for her purse and dug out her wallet.
My first thought when I adjusted the seat to sit fully up, was fear. I didn’t want China to possibly be arrested for DWI.
China was breathing heavily and cursing under her breath as she fished out her license, and then reached for the glove compartment.
I tugged the plastic grocery bag from my shirt and balled it up and tossed onto the floorboard. I turned to look out of the back windshield again. I saw the patrol car d
oor opening, lights still bright and blaring as traffic passed by us in a zip of headlights while some slowed to rubber neck.
Whoever the officer was, he was tall and I immediately thought of Cam. Oh, please —a part of me hoped it was, and the other part prayed it wasn’t.
He took his time, clicking his flashlight on as he approached China’s side and tapped on the window. No, he wasn’t as tall as Cam after all from what I could see of him in the dark. His outline was nothing more than a shadow from where I sat.
China rolled it down immediately switching into flirt mode when she saw the officer and painted on a bright, alert smile.
“Good evening, how are you ladies doing tonight?” The officer asked.
There was something immediately…strange about the air and the sensation that ran through me at that exact moment, as I sat up straighter and strained to see the officer better. He leaned down into the window, part of his face still obscured and hard to see since he had the flashlight shining brightly in our faces.
I squinted and looked away for a moment. There was a strange, heat wave that came wafting into the Rover, along with something that smelled like burnt earth, rotten fruit and electricity. I wrinkled my nose in recoil.
“Hi officer, how are you? Is there a problem?” China asked sweetly, pushing out her ample cleavage, displayed perfectly in her low cut, form fitting shirt when she spoke.
The flashlight seemed to be more in my face than hers.
“Where are you guys heading tonight?” He then asked.
“Back home.” China coolly explained.
“Where is home?” he then asked.
I didn’t like where this was going, and I felt an icy knot of apprehension and fear settling into my stomach. I was completely sober now.
“North east just off the turnoff at the next exit up there.” China then said covertly not mentioning us being college students.
I was sure that she had done this before.
“What are we being pulled over for?” She then asked.
“I see. Either of you been drinking?” he then asked, totally ignoring her question.
I wondered why it mattered if I had since I wasn’t driving, but maybe he was referring to how young we looked I supposed.
“Well, I did have a glass of wine to be honest. We had dinner with friends.” China explained.
“One glass of wine? Proof of insurance, registration and licenses from the both of you,” The officer demanded, and then stepped back.
He wasn’t buying it.
“Mine? Why mine?” I asked.
“She’s not driving.” China added to my defense.
Oh crap! Apparently he could tell that we had been drinking, which meant he could still give me a ticket for being under-aged…at least that’s what it would reveal on my license since it was real.
“Licenses, I’m not gonna ask again.” He then stated firmly.
I sighed, feeling ill again as I reached down for my purse, and fished mine out of my wallet.
China sighed and handed hers along with her insurance and registration to him, and I handed her mine to give to him as well.
“Sit tight ladies.” He said as he took them and headed back to his car.
I should have known bad things came in threes, this was the third, but hopefully it wouldn’t end too terribly. In a way, I felt guilty. These bad things were happening to me lately. I was being stalked and jinxed by demons, and now maybe China would be too since she was with me.
I watched him in the mirror attached to my visor, having this strange foreboding sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Just fucking great. He didn’t even look at my breasts! He must be gay.” China stammered.
“You’re breasts aren’t even that big, China!” I argued, not believing that she was even commenting on that.
China shot me the accusing eye, “You’re one to talk Star; I was your cup size in junior high, and I’ll have you know that these babies have gotten me free drinks, free meals and out of many tickets before — thank you very much,” She pointed to her chest and defended, while insulting mine.
Many tickets? She was talking as if it that record was something to be proud of! I groaned. I couldn’t believe China wanted to argue about breast sizes, when we could both possibly be arrested for DWI.
“Then maybe he’s married or simply doing his job. Who cares? What difference does it make? We’re in deep shit!” I replied with a glare at her.
China huffed, “Don’t worry, if anything he’ll probably just give you a warning.” She breathed to calm herself, as she raked a hand through her short hair.
I shook my head and chewed my lip. The ill feeling from earlier was resurfacing in me, but I wasn’t so sure it was just the beginning stages of the hangover anymore.
“I will take this to court. I know I wasn’t doing anything that would warrant him to pull us over in the first place.” She then said.
“Just don’t do or say anything that will get you arrested China. He could just give you a warning too.” I told her, feeling a migraine coming on.
“I hope so. I’m not drunk, but I may not pass a breathalyzer.” She then breathed.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. When I opened them again, I saw something move, out of the corner of my eye. A shadow was rolling by the passenger side window — slowly, like black smoke…smoke with a life of its own, and it hovered near my window. Maybe that was why the cop had pulled us over. I began to wonder if the demons were causing things to happen when it involved me. I tensed, watching it roil within itself.
I knew there had been something strange, like an intense negative charge in the air around us, but I remained quiet and calm for China, and remembering what officer Cam had said to me about the dark shadows and facing them.
Show no fear or anger. Well, what did that leave then?
What did he know anyway? He had no idea, he didn’t see them, and they weren’t trying to kill him.
Surely it wasn’t going to…
I paled and felt my skin crawl. Gravity pulled the insides of my stomach towards the floorboard, what if it used — the cop the way it had used Professor Phillips? I sucked in a panicked breath and stiffened, trying to think of a plan or a defense or something.
I then looked over at China, it was obvious that she didn’t even notice the shadow, as she drummed her fingernails on her steering wheel, and watched the cop in the rearview mirror now and then.
What if — what if the shadow tried to enter her and then she tried to….no, no, I didn’t want to think of that, but it was hard not to.
I swallowed hard as my gaze flicked from her to the shadow, just to make sure it was still there because as long as I could see it, it wasn’t in her.
I wanted to tell her to just take off, but that would not go over well for her in regards to the cop who wouldn’t have understood or taken the reasoning behind our flight of panic well.
China suddenly shifted in her seat and sat up. I followed suit as my gaze followed hers.
The cop was returning, but this time he was approaching my side. Oh no, this was it. I was either gonna be arrested, ticketed…or worse.
I swallowed hard again, my mouth went dry, and I hesitated to roll down the window at all, because the shadow had disappeared, which only meant one thing to me.
He rapped on the glass with his flashlight, hard.
I slowly reached to press the ‘window down’ button on the car door console. I let it down only a few centimeters, expecting him to hand me my license and my ticket.
“Step out of the car.” He simply told me.
“What? Why does he want you to step out?” China then asked in a panic.
I wanted to ask the same thing, but I knew better.
The first thing that I did notice was that this cop had similar tattoos and markings, just like Cam did on the back sides of his hands. Those strange dark, tribal like designs seemed to move and writhe in the darkness, right before my eyes.
>
Not only was that on the level of alarming and strangely odd, it made me wonder if I were dreaming again. Was this a demon? A dark angel in disguise? A fallen angel in a — police uniform disguise? My thoughts trailed off, and in another instant, a vision of Cam entered my thoughts at that exact moment.
My heart was racing now, and I felt icy knots of pressure all the way down my spine and arms. Is that why he was telling me instead of China to get out? Either way —I wasn’t going to but I didn’t know how I was going to get away or avoid it either. If he was a dark one, why were his tattoos similar to Cam’s? I didn’t want to think about where my thoughts were going. I was being silly and paranoid again. Maybe he really was a cop, and I really was in trouble for drinking.
I was petrified on the inside, but I wouldn’t let it show even if I couldn’t feel my rubbery legs.
“What did I do?” I asked him anyway, not making a move to unlock and open my door yet.
“Step out of the car,” He then repeated slowly as if I were stupid or testing him.
I turned to China who looked on in shock, with scared, widened eyes, unsure of what to say or do, and she was ticked; walking the fine line of getting arrested just for mouthing off, which I wished she wouldn’t do. If this cop was a dark angel in disguise, a simple locked car door wouldn’t keep him from getting me, I only hoped he’d leave China alone though.
“I don’t like how he’s talking to you, police or no police. I’m gonna get his badge number and you can bet I am going to file a harassment complaint.” China spat in my defense.
Still not moving or making any attempt to open my door, I sat with my index finger poised over the unlock button in hesitation. I eyed the officer, the bewitching and dangerous scent of something foul yet intoxicating, was getting stronger.
He waited, making no further demands, offering any explanations or moves…yet either.
I began to depress the unlock button when the Range Rover suddenly revved back to life. China threw the gear into drive and it spastically lurched forward, tires squealing and the velocity slamming my head back into the seat; popping my neck.