“That damn dog makes the hair stand up on the back of my head,” Dan remarked. “He mimics you like a pet monkey.”
Demon immediately growled and started yanking on Dan’s work boot.
“Did I say pet monkey? Sorry… sorry… I meant loyal friend.” Dan extricated his foot from between Demon’s front paws in slow motion.
“Gruuumph!” Demon sat up, somewhat mollified.
“His vocabulary keeps growing. Joanie should be up to his level in another year or two.” Mike received a punch to his shoulder from Joanie pretending outrage.
“He’s managed to help you swerve attention away from tonight’s MMA idiots match-up.”
“Arf!” Demon took up a protective stance next to Mike.”
Mike’s Mom, Jenny pointed a warning finger at Demon with exaggerated menace. “One more arf out of you and the next treat you get will be at the kennel.”
Demon immediately backed away from Mike while shaking his head.
“Traitor.” Mike held up his hands in surrender. “I’m done for the night. I need sustenance. May I be excused to go find some leftovers?”
“Very well, young man but we’re far from done. Your plate’s warming in the oven. Your enabler here can fill me in on tonight’s insanity. He’s already eaten.”
“I’ll sit with you, Mike.” Joanie followed her brother into the kitchen with Demon prancing alongside.
Dan waited until the two were out of the room before speaking. “You probably had this figured out already but Mike’s using all his latest adventures to-”
“Get over Laura,” Jen interjected in Dan’s explanation. She shook her head slowly, mouth turned up at one corner with a knowing expression. “This still doesn’t let you off the hook for allowing him to fill in for his romance with getting beat up like a real life ‘Fight Club’ addict.”
“I see you’re in blame mode so fire away. He’s not doing drugs, putting on a dress, or getting drunk. At this stage we can guide him with advice, but issuing edicts for him to not do something he has a passion for ain’t happenin’. I’m not backing your play on this one so let me know if you’ve already decided to go it alone.”
Jenny’s features softened. She took Dan’s hand in hers. “I wouldn’t do that. It’s just that MMA stuff is so dangerous. He looks horrible. Is it working?”
“If you mean helping him forget Laura, it is to a certain extent. He won’t be able to do anything but train for a while so we won’t have to sweat out any matches for maybe a couple months. Mike won with a submission hold. The loser looks a hell of a lot better.”
“He’s won four in a row since starting. I guess he must be good at it. Should we take him over to the emergency room?”
“The doctor they have on staff there reset it and gave me a prescription for pain killers if he needs them. Other than that he said to watch for any breathing problems. Not much you can do with a busted nose besides ice it up. Stan and Jerry were great in his corner. They’ve memorized all the stuff from that Ultimate Fighting reality show and they’ve really picked up the finer points in patching cuts and spotting weak points Mike may miss. They’re coming over tomorrow afternoon to watch the game. I told them they could have a couple beers. Mike’s driving them.”
“Dan, you don’t think Mike will keep doing this goofy extreme fighting stuff, do you?”
“I don’t know, Hon, but you better be prepared to back him on whatever he decides. He has an uncanny knack of doing the right thing. If this fighting gig helps him we’ll have to support him. Has he heard back from that weasel we have in congress about his request for a recommendation to the Naval Academy?”
Jen shook her head with more than a little angst. “No, and I don’t want to even think about that. Jesus… extreme fighting and then he decides to try for the Naval Academy. What’s next?”
“He’s looking into ROTC around here so he can work at the shop and get his degree locally. The Air Force ROTC guy at the high school recruited Mike for his senior year by promising him a chance at the Cal State Berkeley Air Force ROTC through the Aerospace Department on scholarship. That would be good news. I already told him he’d have to do Berkeley on scholarship because we’d have to win the lottery to afford that place.”
“Oh goody… he can get shot down instead of shot up. What’s the good news?”
Dan chuckled, putting an arm around his wife. “He’d be staying here at home for four years minimum to get his degree unless you chase him out on his own.”
“Point taken.”
* * *
Joanie put the warmed plate in front of her brother, checking out his face uneasily. “Wow, Mike, you look bad.”
Mike shifted the ice pack he was applying so he could eat. “Thanks, Sis. Like I told Mom, it looks worse than it feels.”
“It looks like it hurts like hell.”
Mike laughed, grimacing when the sudden facial movements sent sharp needles of pain through his upper face. “Okay… maybe it does look like it feels. It’ll be better once I ice it for a while.”
“This is probably a rotten time to ask for a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“Tricia wants to camp out at Hetch Hetchy near Lake Del Valle next Friday. A bunch of us are going including at least four parents. She wants to have a Friday the 13th party away from the regular campsites. One of the parents managed to get permission to use the Hetch Hetchy site. Mom said I could go if you and Demon chaperoned.”
“How many do you mean by a bunch staying at this coed campout?”
Joanie blushed. “There’ll be parents there… and probably twenty kids.”
Mike smiled as Demon perked up from under the table, his nose sniffing the air as it jiggled the table cloth. “I think Demon smells something rotten, like how four parents can keep an eye on over twenty teenage sex fiends.”
Joanie sat down, grabbing Mike’s right hand with both hers. “Please Mike? I’ve been doing really good since last year.”
“I know. What do you think, Demon?”
“Arf!” Demon launched across Joanie’s lap.”
“Thanks Demon.” Joanie hugged the dog while enduring a licking assault.
“Okay, we’re in. What kind of festivities did you have in mind?”
“Just a big campfire, music, and ghost stories. Nothing’s going to happen, Mike. Everybody’s heard about the Demon. I’ll tell everyone you and Demon are chaperoning. My girlfriends already want to have your babies.”
Mike gulped his mouthful of Pepsi just in time to keep from spewing it painfully out his nose. He choked a little while pointing threateningly at a laughing Joanie. “Not… not funny!”
“It’s true. You’re a legend. All the parents love you. All the boys want to be like you and all the girls want to be with you. Ride the wave.”
Mike looked at his sister wondering if he had missed some transition period. Joanie had lost her little kid sister look. At fifteen she coped with her own popularity and problems - some of it directly related to their last Halloween near disaster. Hearing her needle him with sexual innuendos gave Mike an uneasy feeling Joanie might have picked up a defense mechanism to cope with peer pressure. When Mike started eating without commenting, Joanie took his silence instead of laughter as an indication she had crossed a line.
“I was joking, Mike.”
Mike nodded, ice pack moving along with his head. “I know. You surprised me a little. Anything going on I should know about?”
Joanie’s face reddened. She glanced down at Demon as if he might have an answer. Demon slid down off Joanie’s lap and took up an inquisitive posture next to Mike. “It was just a joke, guys!”
Receiving another bout of grinning silence from her audience Joanie sighed. “A guy’s been interested in me. I’m not allowed to date yet and he’ll be at the 13th party.”
“Hence your suave sex cracks at big brother to show me how cool you are?”
“I can’t help it if you’re so fragile a little dig cuts yo
u to the bone.”
Mike chuckled and Demon flopped contentedly, head on paws. “Is he in your grade?”
“He’s a junior this year. His name’s Brad Sanderson. He-”
“The Brad Sanderson who troops around with his own retinue of girl groupies?”
“See! This is why I didn’t want to say anything. If a popular guy’s interested in me it’s not because he sees me as attractive. It’s because I’m a fugly easy lay, right?”
“Why the defensive attitude, Sis? I’d be the same as a stranger on the street if I didn’t point out some obvious signs all might not be as it seems. You would admit every girl hanging on him in the school hall was in the same position you’re in right now. It doesn’t mean Brad’s evil or that you couldn’t have a good time with him. It means you need to have your eyes open going in.”
“Like you with Laura?”
“Ouch!”
Joanie giggled. “Okay… I see what you’re sayin’. I need you to give me a little space at the lake though if he does show some interest.”
“Of course. I won’t be breathing down your neck. Demon will be right next to you just in case Brad gets kinky.”
“I don’t think so!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr…” Demon perked up enough to issue a low pitched rumble at Joanie.
“C’mon! He won’t even talk to me if the hellhound is dogging me.”
“Demon can be very sweet and unassuming with strange boys, right D?”
“Arf!”
Joanie peered suspiciously from Demon to Mike, while leaning back, folding her arms and completing the body language equivalent of disbelief. “I think you two rehearse this stuff at night when everyone goes to bed.”
Both Mike and Demon immediately assumed a confused expression of consternation together, eliciting a sigh and giggle from Joanie.
“Couldn’t he trail me without Brad seeing?” Joanie gave up on ever being chaperone free at the Lake. “Demon sneaks up on everyone in the house and scares the crap out of us. I’m sure he could skulk along without Brad noticing.”
“What about it, D?”
“Arf!”
Mike smiled at Joanie. “Deal - no big brother spy so long as Demon keeps an unobtrusive watchful eye on you.”
“Thanks, Mike. Can I watch the game with all of you tomorrow? I heard Connie and Janis are coming.”
“Where’d you hear that? I thought the guys were just coming over.”
“I saw Connie at the mall yesterday. She said they’re coming whether Jerry and Stan like it or not. They want to see the Demon.”
“Arf!”
“I have no objection. Maybe they’ll pick up the guys so I won’t have to chauffeur them around. What’s with the sudden interest in Connie and Janis?”
“They’re funny and the way they needle the guys constantly is really entertaining.”
“Fine. They’ll get a kick out of what I have in mind for Demon tomorrow.”
* * *
Demon met the arriving guests at the screen door with tail wagging as he pranced back and forth. He wore a miniature Oakland A’s yellow and green t-shirt with matching ball cap complete with cut out slots for his ears. The cap was of course turned around backwards. Mike’s friends erupted in laughter for many moments. When they were inside a hug fest ensued with the Rawlins’ house canine star.
“This dog is so amped,” Janis marveled, holding Demon’s face between her hands while Connie hugged him. “He’s friggin’ adorable. You hide the killer inside very well, D.”
“Arf!”
“I’m glad you and Connie came.” Mike fended off Stan and Jerry’s rough scrutiny of his face. “Lay off, you guys! One brush up against my nose and you’ll make me cry in front of the girls.”
“It looks a hell of a lot better than I thought it would,” Stan told him. “You did a good job keeping the swelling down. There’s hardly any raccoon eye look at all. I guess we better sign you up for another bout next week.”
“I don’t think so.”
Connie and Janis then took turns apprising Mike’s damaged nose, clucking with disapproval. Janis immediately held up her cell-phone and took Mike’s picture.
“Hey! No pictures. I know you, Jan. It’ll be up on your damn My Space or Facebook pages in moments.”
“Calm down, Dempsey. I skipped the usual outlets and tossed it off to Laura’s inbox.”
“Oh thanks.”
The phone rang five minutes later as Mike guided his guests into the living room where his Father had arranged a viewing area with accommodations for their guests. Mike’s Mom walked in with their portable phone in hand, grinning at Mike.
“It’s Laura.”
Mike ignored the catcalls from his friends, taking the phone with only a slight painful stabbing sensation in his gut. He walked out of the room. “Hello?”
“Mike… what the hell did you do to yourself? Your Mom says you’ve been doing that Ultimate Fighting crap. Are you mental?”
The anger in Laura’s voice annoyed Mike. The stabbing sensation disappeared. “Hi Laura. Nice talking to you. How have you been? You sound a little out of sorts. May I suggest opening up a can of mind your own business?”
Laura’s silence made the next few seconds seem like hours as the stabbing sensation returned.
“I…I’m sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean it to come out like that. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Jan snapped the damn picture and sent it before I knew what happened. They’re all over watching the ballgame. She should have sent you a shot of Demon. I dressed him up as-”
“She sent one. He looks incredible. Is something wrong? Why are you fighting?”
“I’m already taking a lot of heat for doing it. I’m competing in a sport. End of story. Let’s drop the subject. How’s college?”
“It’s wonderful. No, I won’t drop it. Why are you fighting? Is this about me?”
“Not everything’s about you, Laura,” Mike lied. “Look, I have to get back with the gang. I appreciate your concern. I’m sorry Jan worried you with that stupid picture.”
“I should have called more. I’ve been so busy and it’s complicated here.”
“Don’t apologize for keeping your head into doing well at college. I’ll E-mail you some pictures and movie from this coming weekend’s Friday the 13th camping chaperone trip at Lake Del Valle with Joanie. I’m taking Demon so there should be some funny ones.”
“Okay, Mike, but please stop fighting.”
“I…” Mike heard Laura disconnect. He held the phone tightly for a moment resisting the urge to throw it across the room. With iron control, Mike walked the phone back to its cradle in the kitchen. His Mother stopped fixing the plate of snacks when her son entered the kitchen.
“How’s Laura?”
“Doing well I think. We mostly talked about my potential as a serial killer.”
Jenny laughed. “I didn’t tell her what happened to your nose in that manner. She’s worried about you. Come to think of it… so am I.”
“Noted. Want me to take the tray in?”
“If you don’t mind, Dempsey.”
“Damn that Janis!” Mike picked up the tray as Jenny added the last treats. “How the hell does she even know who Dempsey is? She doesn’t know who we fought in WWII but she knows the name of a boxer who fought in the 1920’s.”
“I have a feeling that one’s going to stick.”
“Not if I can help it,” Mike replied over his shoulder.
Janis, who had been waiting for Mike’s appearance, nudged Connie. “Set the tray down right here, Dempsey. How’d it go with Laura?”
“We’re still friends.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Joanie’s been telling your friends about the Friday the 13th camping trip,” Dan told him, hoping to get his son off the hook about Laura. It worked.
“We want to go,” Connie piped in immediately. “We can have a separate grownups camp near the little kids.”
“What
?” Joanie jumped up from her seat, staring at the now laughing Connie in outrage. Seeing she had been handled, Joanie sat back down. “I shouldn’t have told you about it.”
“It’ll be a great sendoff before college,” Stan said. “You don’t have any problem with us tagging along, do you Mr. Rawlins?”
“Nope. I’m just glad I don’t have to go. I figure with Mike and Demon there I don’t have to worry about Joanie. There is a real sad story that goes with the Hetch Hetchy spot though. Back in the early 1990’s a bunch of college kids on a boat with no life jackets had a real bad time in the water next to the Hetch Hetchy camping area. They were all drinking and one of the young men fell overboard and struck his head. His sister was on board and watched hysterically while some of the other teens tried to find him. He drowned and they had to dredge the area for his body. There have been reports of swimmers freaked out over seeing the image of the drowned teen swimming up to them underwater, his face contorted and his hands reaching to pull them under.”
“Good point, Mr. Rawlins,” Jerry said after the story was greeted with silence and the teens looking at each other uneasily. “No boating and no swimming near the campsite. When we swim during the day we’ll go to the main beach.”
“I think that would be wise,” Dan replied. “They have lifeguards there. Although I know Mike and Joanie swim like fish anything can happen in the water. The game’s starting. Dempsey, close the blinds.”
Chapter 4
Gail
Mike, Stan, and Jerry spent the early part of Friday the 13th helping and supervising the encampment raising with reluctant assistance from the actual camping organizers. Demon fetched stakes or hammers or even soft drinks during the work in progress upon request. He obtained numerous rewards from Janis, Connie, and Joanie as they supervised the supervisors. By noontime, the tents were all up and the gear stowed. Mike gathered firewood and arranged some for Friday the 13th story night so it would be ready to light in the already dug out park fire pit. The four parent chaperones wouldn’t be on hand until after they left work. All but a few of the twenty teenagers were already there playing music and texting each other like they weren’t really in the same place.
Demon (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 1) Page 5