“Gentlemen I request that you release my client right now.” In walks Jackie Reynolds, my father’s top lawyer. “I believe you are wasting your time.”
“Excuse me Mrs. Reynolds but we have three beat up boys who say Donovan Pierce attacked them.” Stonem says.
“Well do you have other witnesses?”
“I don’t think we need any.”
“Well I have witnesses who say your three clients attacked Donovan Pierce’s friend making fun of his disability. Then they committed a very horrible act and beat him up in front of their peers. Also, Henry I find it very odd that you’re here when you’re a part of the organized crime unit. Does my client look like Al Capone to you? I don’t think Anderson would appreciate personal vendettas being masqueraded at routine police arrests, do you?”
Whoa.
“Now Henry, unless you want to waste your money and make a fool of yourself by going to court on this, then I suggest you stop your little vendetta and release my client.”
I don’t even try to hide my grin.
Thank you, Jackie.
*******
C: “I need to see you. Meet Me at our spot.”
“Ok I’ll be there at 5”
I really am glad Claudia text me. I need to explain to her how sorry I am. I’m also nervous as hell. She probably wants to end things with me, for good, because of the fight with Eric and his friends.
I’m hit by a very broad shoulder as I drop my cell phone on the floor.
“I’m sorry” I say as I scoop up my phone off the floor at the police station.
“I bet you are.” I glance up to see a cop staring at me with a smug look on his face.
This is the usual treatment I get from cops.
“I hope you know your father won’t be able to protect you for long.” Stonem says walking past the cop to get to me.
“You know your problem is with my father, not with me.”
“Oh come on Donovan, you’re a smart kid. It’s inevitable. A kid like you, the way you grew up. I saw Eric’s face, it was just the beginning, soon you’ll snap. All that anger inside of you is just itching to come out. There isn’t any good in you.”
“Donovan, lets go” Jackie says pulling my arm.
“You just wait Pierce. You and your father will be sharing a jail cell years from now. ”
“Donovan.” Jackie says again.
I clench my fists as we walk away. I swear if we weren’t in a police station I would beat the shit out of that guy.
Who the hell is he to label my future? I could give a shit about any of these people. I know it’s not right, but the asshole in me just wanted to answer him and say, “Well your daughter doesn’t think so.”
In the end I would never say it. For Claudia, I wouldn’t.
*******
After leaving the police station and having a very long talk with my parents. I headed straight to Claudia. I told my parents I was going to the library for a school project and that it will be an all-nighter. They’re having a date night so it was easy for them to say yes. They have date nights every Friday.
Once I enter the house, I see Claudia in the giant foyer pacing back and forth, glancing at her phone.
“Hey.” She stops once she hears me.
“Hi.” She says quietly.
I don’t know where to start. I guess I should just go with the first thing that crosses my mind.
“I’m sorry” We say in unison.
I guess that’s the ice breaker for us because we laugh at our cute moment.
She pauses and looks at me with her beautiful gray eyes.
“I shouldn’t have said those things” She says.
“No. No. I know why you said it. I shouldn’t have listened to my sister.”
I take a step towards her.
“And I shouldn’t have brought your sister in it. Of course you would stick up for her, she’s your sister.”
She takes two steps to me.
“Yeah, but I just didn’t have to be an ass about it.”
I take two more steps toward her.
“And I didn’t have to be a bitch.”
She takes her last step putting us inches from each other. I can smell her usual coconut smell she has from that scented lotion she uses. I missed that smell.
“And my dad he is such an ass, I can’t believe he...”
I collide my mouth with hers, interrupting her. It’s that kiss that happens when you miss someone. I put all my sorry and please forgive me in that kiss as I break the seam of her lips with my tongue and softly and attentively explore the inside of her mouth with it.
I release the kiss still holding on to her face. She places her right hand on mine and softly kisses the palm of it. I close my eyes at the feeling of the simple touch. She glances back at me.
“I really missed you” She says softly.
“I really missed you too. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again”
“Why?”
“Because of the fight, with Eric” I say brushing her hair from her face.
“Donovan”
“I just thought, that you thought, I was a monster like everyone else.”
“Well.” She gently places her other hand on my face and rubs my cheek. “Everyone else doesn’t know you like I do.”
Claudia
We settled on the air mattress sitting Indian style. I could tell he wanted to talk about everything that had been going on.
“I just don’t want you to think I’m a bad person” He says looking down at his hands holding onto mine.
“Hey,” I lower my head to get him to look back up at me. “I don’t think you’re a bad person. I mean it did scare me seeing you beat Eric like that, but I wasn’t scared of you Donovan. I was scared for you.”
His brow scrunches up, shocked at what I just said.
“What?” I ask.
“I just never expected you to say that.”
“Well, I guess you don’t really know me like you think you do.” I smile at him and he smiles back.
He slowly drops his smile and focuses on his thoughts.
“When it comes to people I love, I get angry. And Jason had some rough stuff happen to him so I really am protective of him. I mean I know he talks a lot of stuff and acts tough, but in reality he’s different”
“I understand. If anyone ever did anything to Jade or my dad, no matter how much he pisses me off, I would probably do the same.”
If Donovan thinks that makes him a bad person, than he’s better than I thought.
“Yeah, about your father” I knew he would be the topic of discussion.
“I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“So, what happened at the police station?”
“Nothing my lawyer called him out and everyone knew they didn’t have a case.”
“Yeah, it’s like he’s getting desperate or something. What was he even doing there? He works for the organized crime unit.”
“Yeah my lawyer pointed that out to him, but his battle is with my father, not me.”
“I wish our parents did different things. I wish we had normal teen issues, not star cross lover issues.”
“Yeah.” He laughs at my statement. “But everything happens for a reason. If our dad’s occupations were different, I wouldn’t have gotten to meet you.”
I tilt my head and blush.
“I guess we really are a modern day Romeo and Juliet” I say laughing.
He laughs with me.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I just wish we could be together somewhere in a public place where there isn’t any judgments. A place where no one knows who we are, they just know that we’re two people who are crazy about each other.”
“So you’re crazy about me, huh?” He arches his eye brows and gives me a cocky smile.
I playfully punch him on the shoulder.
He pauses for a second and thinks. He slowly smiles to himself.
“What if I told you there was a place we could go where hundreds of people could see us and not know who we are?”
“I would say, let’s go”
Chapter
8
“A Moment of Clarity”
Donovan
After I came up with my brilliant idea, we waited for Emile and Jade to meet us at our spot. Once they both got there, we hopped in my car and drove off.
“Don’t get too close shorty.” Jade says to Emile from the backseat.
“Hey baby, don’t knock it till you try it.”
Claudia and I laugh.
“This place better serve alcohol and we better be able to get some.” Jade says annoyed. I hope we can win her over.
“Yeah they do, me and Emile know the owner.” I tell her.
“So, it’s 21 and up?” Claudia’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“Yep” Emile says.
“So how do you know the owner?” Jade asks.
“He’s Emile’s uncle”
“Wait are you sure no one is going to be there that you know?” Claudia asks.
“Oh, yeah. None of our friends know about him letting us in. He use to just sneak us and Chris in.” Emile informs her.
“We first started going there when we were about fifteen.” I say
“Good Times” Emile says.
It was good times, the three of us cruising through the city when Chris got his license. Ella use to get so mad that we didn’t bring her with us, but there was no way we were going to bring our fourteen year old little sister. Not that being at a twenty one and up club at fifteen was any better.
“Well midget, I guess you’re good for something huh?” Jade says rudely, but it also sounded a little flirtatious to me. I think Emile is growing on her.
“Oh I’m good for a lot of things baby”
“Ew” She scoffs.
Claudia and I laughed at our friends while I continued driving. The city was about an hour away from Eastbrook, so we all just sat back and cranked up the stereo.
Claudia
Right when we got there, Emile’s uncle was waiting outside in the alley where there was a side entry way into the night club. A valet guy came running to the side to park Donovan’s car.
“Uncle Luke!” Emile hugs the equally short dark haired man with a porno mustache. I swear he looks just like Mario from the Mario Brother video game.
“Emile! Glad you could come.” Uncle Luke has a very thick New York accent.
Uncle Luke releases his embrace with Emile and turns and looks up at Donovan.
“Donovan” He says, hugging him. “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too Luke.”
“Listen, I’m sorry about your brother. He was a great kid.”
Donovan stood there for a second looking down at his feet. It hurts me seeing the sadness in his eyes when he thinks about brother.
“Yeah, he was.”
Uncle Luke turns to me and Jade with a smile.
“Well, who are these two lovely Ladies?”
“Hi. I’m Claudia” I say putting my hand out to shake his. I gesture towards Jade. “This is Jade.”
Uncle Luke grabs my hand along with Jade’s and kisses them. The touch of his porno mustache tickles.
“You did good boys.” He winks at us. “Well ladies. I’m Luke and you are more than welcome at my fine establishment. So have a great time.”
“Thank You” I say.
“Now get in there! Have a few drinks on me, but not too many Emile your mother will kill me”
“Thanks Uncle Luke.”
As we enter through the side door Jade whispers in my ear, “Well I see dwarf syndrome runs in the family.”
I laugh hysterically. I am not going to be able to take her and Emile tonight. The two of them together is pure comedy.
“Be nice.”
We enter the main room and it’s a completely different atmosphere. Wow, so this is a 21 and up club. The bright lasers beaming like some type of rave. I see so many people dancing freely to Rihanna’s Diamonds. The bar is literally glowing with highlighted blue lights. Waitresses are walking around with bottles that have sparklers peeking out of them. I look at Jade who is smiling as hard as I am. It’s as big as three mansions put together. Uncle Luke has done well for himself.
My reveling of the establishment is interrupted by the touch of Donovan’s hand grabbing mine and locking my fingers with his. I glance up at him as he smiles at me showing, how happy he is.
He was right. This is a place where we can be free, where we can be us, where we can be an actual couple.
After a few drinks, I am definitely buzzed. We got our own VIP section next to the dance floor. I am too geeked right now. It’s my first twenty one and up club, and it’s awesome. I’m here with my best friend and my boyfriend. I like the sound of that, my boyfriend.
I brush the top of Donovan’s hair playfully. I don’t know if it’s the liquor, but I’m extremely attracted to him right now. He looks at me with that sexy grin that makes me warm and funny inside.
“Are you drunk?” He asks me.
“No! Tipsy, but not drunk.”
“Well maybe you should slow down”
“Don’t be a prude now.”
“Yeah!” Jade slurs out. “Don’t be a prude Donovan”
She starts laughing hysterically.
“Now you are definitely drunk.” Emile says.
She looks back at Emile.
“You know Emile even though you’re a midget, you’re kind of cute.”
“I know” Emile shrugs.
Our laughter is interrupted by Jade’s scream.
“Oh My God! It’s your theme song!” She says to me and Donovan.
We both look at each other confused than back at her.
“What?” I ask
“Well, one of them, but I was listening to this one day and I immediately thought of you guys, I mean listen to the words. If our love is tragedy, than why are you my remedy, clarity and all that bullshit.”
Love and Hate (The Pierce Family Trilogy) Page 16