Trapped with a Way Out

by Jeffery Martinez

  "Did you do the stairs and the hall?" A tan thumb jerked back at the end of the stairs. Vincent's eyes followed the direction.

  "Yeah."

  Rodriguez's hand dropped to his pocket and he scowled at his socks as he began to walk down the rest of the stairs. "You don't have to do all the extra stuff, okay? You can just let us do it…"

  "Where's the mop, Rodriguez?" Vincent cut in as they continued to walk when they reached the tiles.

  The teen sighed away his irritating guilt, and spoke. "I'm showing you right now. You use the Swifter for the tiles, switch the pad, and then use it for the wood with a different spray I'll get for you."

  Vincent nodded, though Rodriguez wasn't looking at him. Once the Swifter was revealed, Rodriguez left to tackle his parents' room while Vincent started to 'Swift' the tiles in the kitchen. It was kind of fun, so he continued down a hall, to the stairs, and down the corridor that led to the laundry room and the other guest room. He changed the pad, and continued on with the piano room. Then, he concluded with the dining room floor. When he had returned all of the supplies he had used to their rightful places, the boy stood in the kitchen and gazed at the stools while he leaned on the counter before the sink. As minutes ticked by, his fingers tapped restlessly on the granite counter top and he shifted his weight from one leg to another. With a sudden huff, he pushed himself off the counter and strolled away from the kitchen, burying his hands into his pockets. He skipped one of the three steps leading into Richard's office, and moved directly to the sliding glass doors. He paused when he saw a figure working under the blaze of the cool winter sun, holding a long, metallic blue pole with a net fixed at the bottom of it, skimming leaves and dead caterpillars and bumble bees from the surface of the pool.

  Rodriguez looked up, surprised when Vincent opened the sliding glass door and walked towards the edge of the pool. "What are you doing out here? Taking a break?" Rodriguez had had to take a few liberating breaks so far, so he didn't blame Vincent. These were pretty strenuous chores…

  "No. I'm done."

  The pole stopped moving and the green gaze stayed with the black clad figure as it crouched down to analyze a caterpillar that was twisting about in the water. It was too far away for Vincent to scoop it out, so he just watched the drowning, fuzzy insect. You have the damnedest luck, Vincent thought to himself as he watched. You could have been born in a meadow out somewhere, where there aren't any pools or pesticides, but no. You had to be born here so you could drown in this freaking chlorinated pool…

  "What do you mean you're done?"

  Red looked up at Rodriguez and noticed that he had stopped working. Vincent blinked.

  "I'm done. I did all the rooms you told me to do, and the kitchen. I cleaned all the floors, did the dusting. There wasn't any trash to pick up, though, so it was fast work." He was reminded of the trash bag William had left in the kitchen. They had given him relatively easy rooms to clean.

  "Oh." The net pushed the chlorinated pool water as it swam about, picking up a few drifting particles. It was quiet for a while and Vincent returned to watching the drowning caterpillar, and then a few nomadic leaves. He heard the water move and saw the ripples travel to his end of the pool as Rodriguez worked. Vincent spoke to his reflection.

  "Can I try?"

  "What?" Rodriguez stopped again, lowering the pole so that the net was resting on the bottom of the pool and he could gently lean on it.

  "Can I clean the pool for a bit?"

  Rodriguez gave the pale teen an incredulous look, then frowned and bent his head as he began to clean again. "No. You've done enough. My mom's going to get mad if she thinks we made you do all of the chores. You've already done a lot, Vincent." Now I have to check and see how much he actually did. The blonde sighed regretfully at the water. He probably did a sloppy job…he had to have done a sloppy job, to get done so fast… Darn. And how am I supposed to clean all that before Mom gets home without him noticing? Maybe I can take him home really fast…no, that'd take too long. Rodriguez worked one of his shoulders that seemed a bit stiff. Maybe we'll get out of having to do those rooms… It was Mom's idea, getting Vincent to help. She can't punish us by making us do those rooms again… But the guest room…she always checks that one, and the dining room. Darn it…I really…

  "Can I just try for a sec, Rodriguez? Come on, don't be so stingy. I rarely ever get to be around pools, though I've cleaned a few. People don't mind having me in their backyards, there's never that much to take, anyway. Except inner tubes, and floaties…and nobody wants to buy those used when you can get them so cheap at the store."

  "I said no." Rodriguez grumbled impatiently as he dragged the net around the corner of the pool. Vincent watched him quietly for a while, and then redirected his eyes to the clearing water.

  "Do you think the pool's too cold to swim in?"

  The jock grumbled again but consented to give an answer. "Not really. We can warm it up a little, or we could heat up the Jacuzzi."

  "You have a fucking Jacuzzi too?"

  "Don't cuss!"

  Red stared at the moving figure now, taken aback by his biting tone. The eyes narrowed. "Sorry." He glared at the pool, wishing away his own growing bitterness. "You don't have to act so goddamn bitchy…"

  Rodriguez blew out a growl, fixing his glasses and then stepping along the perimeter of the pool. "Sorry…I'm sick of cleaning." He paused. "Do you know what time it is?"

  "No."

  "Can you go check for me?"

  Vincent waited a moment and then shrugged as he stood up and went to the glass doors. He came back and crouched beside the pool again. Rodriguez had moved closer to his spot now. "It's almost one." The sound of splattering water drew the boy's eyes and Vincent watched Rodriguez lay the pole on the ground with an easy smile. "Great. We can take a break for lunch."

  "Fat ass and his food." Vincent mumbled to himself as he stood again, but then he chuckled at his words and cracked his neck as he passed into the office. In the kitchen, Rodriguez opened the fridge and looked through its contents. He flipped a bag of tortillas onto the counter, followed by a bag of shredded cheese. As he got himself a plate, he spoke.

  "Do you want a quesadilla?"

  Not expecting the question, Vincent hesitated. Now Rodriguez was looking at him, holding a plate in his hand as he waited for Vincent's 'yes' or 'no'.

  "Sure."

  Rodriguez retrieved another plate and commenced the process of making their lunches. The prepared tortillas were popped into the microwave, one at a time, while Vincent was told to pick out a drink and to pour some cranberry juice for Rodriguez 'while you're at it'.

  When they went to sit at the stools under the hanging lamp lights, Vincent was looking at Rodriguez's brown, leather flip flops. They were nice… He focused on his hot, cheesy, quesadilla, his mouth beginning to water with the thought of more food, though he wasn't especially hungry at the moment. Rodriguez was on his third bite when Vincent took his first.

  "Good?" Came a muffled voice and Vincent glanced at the boy beside him and nodded slightly.

  "Do you eat these a lot?"

  "Not really." Rodriguez munched on his food, stopping to take a sip of juice as Vincent chewed his own lunch carefully. William arrived after a few minutes.

  "I thought I smelled food." She breathed in the scent and sighed, tossing another trash bag towards the sink, creating a group of three white bulbous forms. She went to the refrigerator and ended up making her own quesadilla. Rodriguez had slowed, taking smaller bites, trying to prolong his break, so he was still eating when his sister set her plate on the counter, near him, and began to eat while standing. William was leaning on the edge of the counter when she looked over at the boys. "How much have you guys done so far?"

  Rodriguez spoke first, while Vincent's reluctance to answer presented little competition. "I finished both of the bathrooms, I started my room and then did half of the pool." He took a bite and swallowed seconds later. His remaining quesadilla was used t
o indicate Vincent. "He finished everything already."

  The blue gaze grew a little, staring at the telling green eyes. She would check the rooms and start on the touch ups that would be necessary when she finished her food…and her other chores. The girl began to eat at an un-leisurely pace. Rodriguez noticed and it sent his eyes to the counter as he forced himself to stuff the rest of his food into his mouth. He rinsed off his plate and left to finish cleaning the pool while Vincent saw him go, still chewing on his food. His eyes shifted over to William as she ate steadily. Vincent managed to finish all of the food and his blank features were directed to the cleared white surface of his plate. "I can help with anything you…"

  "No. I'm good, Vincent." William threw the last bite of her lunch into her mouth and went to the sink to wash off the grease and put her plate in the dish washer. She came back and took Vincent's plate and glass and she loaded them into the dishwasher, dumped in some soap, snapped the cap that would hold the powder, and the machine beeped when she pushed the start button. Instantly the sound of water and mechanical movement hummed from the dishwasher, the noise drifting after the girl as she left the kitchen. Vincent sat on his stool, unmoved as his unfocused eyes watched the time on the microwave. It was a little after one. He sighed and thrummed his fingers on the counter and then folded his arms and rested his head in them. Something seemed off with the siblings today. It must be the cleaning. Work was making them…mad…impatient…something. Oh screw them. He was bored.

  Vincent abandoned his stool and gave his company to the pool instead. Rodriguez was scraping the sides of the pool with a metal bristled brush that had replaced the net on the end of the blue pole. The boy didn't say anything to the new arrival. Vincent watched him.

  "Yo."

  "What?"

  Pause.

  "Fat ass."

  "WHAT?" Rodriguez snarled, glaring at the amused pale features. His temper cooled, sending Rodriguez grumbling around the pool as he scrubbed with the brush. "Sorry. What do you want?" If you cuss I'm going to yell at you again, his frown said in the absence of words.

  "I'm bored, fat ass. Entertain me. You're being a lousy clown. "

  A scoff was given to the black haired teen, and Rodriguez smirked to himself. "Don't call me fat."

  "Then I'll just call you an ass."

  "You're a butt, Vincent. Leave me alone, if this is all you're going to do…"

  "You're a butt."

  "You're a butt." Rodriguez countered with a faint growl.

  Vincent stared at him until he was sure the other teen was looking at him. "I'll fight you if you say that one more time."

  Rodriguez was quiet. Then he frowned, beginning to become annoyed again. "You're a distraction." He muttered to the blue pole as he forced it to scrape the side of the pool.

  Nothing else was said as the meaningless chitchat became too tiresome to keep up. A white face gazed at its reflection in the caterpillar-less pool as the sun journeyed overhead, even after Rodriguez had finished and gone inside. There was nothing better to do, so Vincent went inside to get out of the sun, debated on whether or not he would play the piano, decided against doing so because he didn't feel like 'distracting' the Rodriguezs, and instead plopped himself onto one of the white sitting chairs, folded his arms, and fell asleep. Sleeping was less boring than staying awake at the moment.

  It's a nice tune. I wonder if I could play it on the piano?

  Vincent's sleep fuzzy mind was still muddled as he followed the sound that was coming from one of the kitchen cupboards. He opened the door and picked up the origin of the ring tone. It was Rodriguez's cell phone.

  Rich ass, fat bastard… Vincent glared at the iPhone and then lost the expression as the phone continued to ring and he looked at the caller ID. Heinkel Wolfe. That was the cross-dressing blonde that liked to wear sunglasses… Vincent carried the phone with him as he left the kitchen, returning to the white sitting room as he tapped on the touch screen and brought the cell to his ear.

  "Hello?"

  "Hey Alex. I just wanted to make sure about the time you gave me, earlier, for tonight. I know you said six, but we were wondering if you could pick us up at six thirty instead, because…"

  Just how long would it take until she stopped talking? He had expected her to say 'Hi' and then he could tell her that he wasn't Rodriguez, but the girl wasn't giving him a chance to say anything. So…he had no choice but to cut her off. "Yeah… Sorry. I'm not Rodriguez."

  Dead silence came from the speaker, and for a moment Vincent thought that Heinkel had hung up on him, but then an irritated voice shot into his ear. "Who is this? I don't like jokes like this. Who are you?"

  Vincent sat on a white sitting chair, hearing the cushions sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back into the chair. "I'm bored as hell at the moment."

  Hostility touched the girl's tone now. "Who are you?"

  "If I tell you, you'll hang up on me."

  It was quiet. "Where's Alex?"

  "I think he's cleaning his room or something right now. I haven't seen him in a while… What time is it?"

  "It's past two."

  Pause.

  "Who are you?" Heinkel demanded.

  "I told you. If you know who I am you're going to hang up on me. Hey, I have a question, since you're a girl. Do you think…would you be flattered if someone said you were cute like a rat?"

  "Excuse me?" The girl was obviously offended, so Vincent shook his head and leaned over to rest one of his elbows on his knees.

  "No. Let me explain. Is a rat that's soft, clean, blonde and white, eats ramen or whatever out of your hand and licks your fingers when you put them near its face, a cute rat? It's friendly and clean as hell and loads of other people, guys, say it's cute, but do girls just not get it? You guys just don't think rats are cute?"

  A very confused Heinkel stammered, collected herself, and then frowned at her phone while someone else asked her who she was talking to, and that she shouldn't talk to some guy she doesn't know. "I don't know… But…no. I bet some girls think rats are cute… Why?"

  "I told Female Rodriguez that she was cute like a rat and she got mad."

  "Female Rodriguez?"

  "Rodriguez's sister. Her name's William. Blonde, blue eyes…"

  "Yeah, yeah. I know her. Do you?"

  "Since…only yesterday, I guess."

  Heinkel stared blankly at the wall of her bedroom while a hand was tugging on her sleeve to get her attention. She blinked. "So you're at Alex's house right now?"

  "Yeah."

  Her eyes narrowed in thought. "Are you one of Alex's friends? Do I know you?"

  "…Kinda. And we go to the same school. I know you. You're Heinkel Wolfe. We've been going to the same school for four years now…I think. But…okay. You wouldn't mind if someone said you were cute like a rat?"

  "N o…I mean yes. I don't want to be like a rat at all. Even if it's cute."

  "Who are you talking to?" Yumie badgered her friend as the girl continued to give these strange responses. "Don't talk to some weirdo. Are you nuts, Heinkel?"

  "Shh! Yumie, I'm trying to figure out who he is. He goes to our school."

  "He could be lying." The black-haired girl grumbled as Heinkel seemed to be listening to the person on the phone.

  "Is someone else there with you?" Vincent was sitting upright again. He thought he heard someone coming, and he looked around but no one came into view.

  "Yeah." Heinkel responded while Yumie told her not to tell the 'weirdo' her name.

  "Who?"

  "It's none of your business." Heinkel snapped, becoming more cautious now about what she was doing. She looked at Yumie and pointed at her door. "Go get a phone. Call Alex's house and ask him if he lost his cell or if someone's at his house." Yumie agreed with this plan so she dashed out of the room and was dialing on the phone as she ran back to her friend's bedroom.

  "Fine." Vincent frowned as he heard muffled voices. "You don't have to tell me, I don't really
care. Do you have brothers or sisters?"

  "No. I'm an only child."

  "Me too. Hey, are you going out with Rodriguez or something?"

  "What?" Yumie was listening to the line ring for the first time as she saw her friend's face color a little. "No. Alex and I are only friends." This response calmed Yumie, so she could focus on the phone in her hand.

  Vincent was distracted by the ringing that filled the Rodriguezs' household. "The Chief is calling…"

  "What?"

  "I think Rodriguez's mom is calling because all of the phones are ringing. Damn. How many phones do they have? They're freaking everywhere."

  Heinkel's eyes widened a little and she looked at Yumie. "He's really at Alex's house. He said the phones are ringing."

  Yumie stared at Heinkel, biting her lip when someone picked up the Rodriguez's house phone. "Hello?"

  "Hey, Alex…"

  "Shit. How many girls are calling him? How freaking popular is he? Or is this like his own freaking harem?"

  Oh my God. The girls looked at one another as they heard the same voice on their phones. Yumie's mouth creased as her teeth clenched. "Who are you?" She growled.

  Vincent paused. "I'm not going to tell you. You'd hang up. I promise. You don't really want to know. But, who are you?"

  "Give the phone to Alex!"

  Yumie's heightened volume rung in Vincent's ear, forcing him to cringe and take the phone away from his face. He returned it, annoyed. "You don't need to yell. I can hear you perfectly fine when you don't yell. You want to talk to Rodriguez, I'll go get him. But it might take a while if he's not in his room. This house is a goddamn mansion, and I might get lost…. If I do, would you call up a search party for me?" Vincent was chuckling as he got out of the chair and headed for Rodriguez's room. "But I have to warn you. Rodriguez's not in a good mood. He's been cleaning all day. It's just his fault. He's so fucking slow it's unbelievable. Can't believe he's an athlete. Pampered, rich guys bug the shit out of me…when they act all whiney and crap."