by H. T. Night
She smiled. “Well, despite popular opinion, I’m still very much a girl, and I like girlie drinks.”
“Trust me, you are very much all girl—or all woman—from where I stand.”
“Are you flirting with me Josiah?”
“Maybe,” I said.
We stopped walking and I leaned up against a tree. Yari sat on a giant rock next to me. I looked down at Yari—and decided that we needed to get real. “So what the hell is all of this, Yari? And please be honest with me.”
“What is what?”
“Hellbangers Ball back there. How many more Rubidouxs are going to want a piece of me before the night is through?”
Yari stood up and walked over to me. She was pretty tall for a girl, just a couple inches shorter than me, which put her at about 5’8”. She looked directly into my eyes. Damn, she was gorgeous. “Well, I can’t tell you everything; at least, not yet.” She then reached out with her left hand and started to play with my bangs. “But you do sort of have that blond, surfer-boy thing going. I guess you stick out here.”
“You think?” I said, trying to sound casual and confident. I had to admit, she made me nervous...in more ways than one.
Now she began to stroke my longish hair. Her red painted nails scratched my cheeks lightly as she did so. “You’re very cute, Josiah.”
“Thank you.” I said completely thrown off my game. “You’re pretty cute yourself.”
“Cute, huh? Like a kitten?”
“Cute like a lioness.”
Yari laughed but remained very much in control. “A lioness, huh? I just might devour you watch out.” Yari leaned her body up against me.
“Please, no more biting.”
“I promise.” Now Yari ran her hand up my thigh. “So, is it fair to say that you like me, Josiah?” She was pressing all of her weight up against me now.
I swallowed.
“Oh, my,” she continued. “I think you do like me, Josiah. I can feel you.”
Yari’s hip had now pinned mine up against the tree. I stood my ground and instinctively licked my lips.
“So you think I’m going to kiss you, huh? And why would you think that?”
“I don’t know...maybe it’s because you’re kind of pressed up against me, and by now I’m pretty sure you would know if I’m circumcised or not.”
“Oh, you’re definitely circumcised.”
She leaned in and gently pecked my lips. I gently pecked her back. That seemed to be the invitation she was looking for. She moved in even closer and now used the tip of her tongue to slowly lick my lips. I stood there like a trained tiger. I wanted to pounce, but I allowed her to play her game. She licked my top lip first and then my bottom lip. She reached her hand down and slid it up my thigh, stopping just short of touching my livelihood.
“I think I’m going to save some for later,” she said. She then eased off me. “We should probably go back.”
“Really?” I said, completely shocked.
“It’s probably a good idea.”
I adjusted myself and hid the disappointment in my voice. “Hey, it’s your party.”
She patted my cheek. “Trust me when I tell you that it will be well worth it. But I do want a taste.” Yari leaned in again and kissed me passionately. It was the perfect kiss. She came in slow and very sensual. Then there was a slight build up to just enough passion that it ignited all my senses. Now my hormones took over. I pressed her up against the tree. I grabbed her thigh with my left hand, and slid my fingers slowly up her dress. I was just about to touch her pantyline when she grabbed my hand.
“Like I said. I want to save some for later.”
“I guess you’re the queen of this jungle.”
“That I am.”
“Wow...what a night.” I adjusted myself and did a little shake dance to get the blood to other parts of my body.
Yari looked over at me. “You’re cute, Josiah. Almost too cute.”
“You should see me fight. Trust me, there’s nothing cute about that.”
“Someday I will.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
Yari and I walked back to the party, which had devolved into something that looked straight out of Lord of the Flies. Shirts off and barefoot, people were dancing around fires in a ritualistic way. Either that, or they were drunk out of their gourds. Also, there seemed to be a lot of birds flying overhead. I hadn’t noticed that before. The birds were large and black and they appeared to be ravens. Maybe they were attracted to the fires? I didn’t know, and I honestly didn’t care—especially after that amazing kiss. Hell, it was all I could do just to keep my feet planted on the ground.
Still in a daze, we walked together to the same log I had previously sat on. Atticai saw us and came over.
“Hey, Josiah,” he said, “let’s have a little chat.”
Was Yari part of his harem? Did I just make a huge blunder that would probably get me killed? Yari patted my hand reassuringly. I wasn;t scared of Atticai—hell, I wasn’t scared of anyone—but if that weird bastard attacked me, I knew I was in for the fight of my life, especially with all of his friends around.
Anyway, I followed Atticai over to his van. He got into the driver’s side and I got into the passenger’s side. He turned the key in the ignition just enough to power up. He turned the radio on. “What’s your music of choice?” he asked.
“I don’t really care. Whatever you want.”
“I actually like some classical. But the stations out here on the West Coast would rather go under financially with some God-awful hip-hop station than to give Mozart and Bach a chance.”
“I actually like classical.” And I really did, too. I had a “music appreciation” class back in high school and had been introduced to all the greats in classical and jazz.
Atticai said, “You don’t strike me as the classical music type.”
“You’d be surprised what I like.”
Atticai looked directly at me. I found his stare slightly unnerving. After a second or two, he said, “I see Yari’s made your list.”
Oh great, now he was going to give me the low-down. “Look, Atticai, I meant no disrespect. She wanted to walk, and quite frankly, I needed to clear my head. If you’re seeing her—”
“Relax my friend, it’s not like that. I’m just letting you know that you might not want to get too close to her.”
“Let me guess: for my own good?”
His lips peeled back into a dark grin. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Thanks, but I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”
“Consider yourself warned.”
“Like I said, ‘thanks.’”
He nodded and put his seat back and sort of waved his hands in the air like a maestro. He rolled his head in my direction. “So what’s your story, Josiah?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’ve seen a lot of stuff in my time. But I can only count on one hand how many times I’ve seen someone like you.” He paused and I wondered just how old he was. He made it seem like he was ancient, but he couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me. He went on, “And when we arrived to get Lena, there were five guys sprawled on the ground, all beat to a pulp by you.”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t take much skill to beat up a few drunk horny assholes.”
He was staring at me again. Someday I was going to wipe that weird stare off his face, but now was not the time. “Maybe,” he said. “But you also took care of Rubidoux, too. Do you know how tough Rubidoux is? He’s no push over.”
“I can fight. I don’t know what else to say. That is the one thing I do know how to do.”
“I like that. I like that a lot.” Atticai got real quiet. “Hey, check it out.” He finally found a classical music station. He cranked up the volume real loud. I didn’t recognize the piece but it was definitely classical, and that seemed to be all that was important to Atticai. Presently, the long-limbed creature of the
night seemed to be in a sort of trance. He clinched his fists and raised them to his forehead. With his eyes closed, he tilted back his head and seemed to be experiencing each note individually. The music was doing something to him. It was ministering to his soul. For a brief moment, I envied him. I envied anyone that could be moved in this way over anything. The song ended and Atticai opened his eyes. He looked at me. “That was pretty intense.”
“No kidding,” I said.
He was staring at me again. Amazingly, I was actually getting used to it. “I like you, Josiah,” he said. He nodded, and then opened the driver’s side door. “Let’s head back so no one thinks anything homo-erotic is going on.”
“I would hope not.”
“Oh, you have no idea around here, Josiah. You have no idea. Just remember what I told you about Yari.”
“Like I said, I’m a big boy; I can handle Yari.”
Atticai laughed. “Famous last words.”
We stepped out the van. I once again headed back to the clearing and planted myself on the same log next to the same bonfire. I looked around for Yari but she was nowhere to be found. Lena, however, walked over to me and sat next to me on the log.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“With Atticai? I have no freaking idea. I think he was just trying to feel me out.”
“Atticai is like that. He really doesn’t trust anyone. He likes you, though. I can tell. You have no idea how rare that is.”
“Well, one thing at a time. I’m still having a hard time digesting this entire night.”
“Why? Did Yari freak you out? Don’t let her do that.”
Lena almost seemed a tad jealous. Almost. I looked at her. She was beautiful, too. No, not everyone was beautiful here. There were some real creepy-looking guys and girls. Lena definitely wasn’t one of them. So how the hell did she get caught up in this world?
I asked, “So is this what you do? Hang out with these people in the woods?”
“You mean since Eisenhower High?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
She shrugged. “More or less. This lifestyle isn’t the norm. I know that. There’s a lot about this you’ll never fully understand.”
“What does that mean?”
“Trust me when I tell it is best not to know.”
Atticai, who had been talking to some guys near the van, high-fived a couple of them, and then headed over to us. No matter what, the man was a striking figure, and he seemed to command everyone’s attention. He was clearly the King Goth in this party of Goths. Of course, that wasn’t saying much. Still, as he headed over to us, just about everyone watched him at some point. And as he approached, Lena got up immediately and Atticai slipped a long arm over her shoulders.
“I should probably get you two back home,” Atticai said. “It’s going to be sunrise in about two hours.”
I shrugged. “Sounds good to me. I was just going out for a jog and seven hours later...here I am.”
“You guys are going back?” said a voice from behind me.
I turned around and saw Yari standing there. I had no idea where she came from and why she would be behind me.
“Apparently, we’re leaving right now,” I said.
She smiled warmly at me. “Then I guess I’m going with you since neither Atticai nor Lena can drive.”
“Neither of you drive?” I blurted out, nearly laughing.
“Hey, I never got a license,” Atticai responded, shrugging.
Now I did laugh. “Okay, now I’ve heard everything.”
If Atticai minded that I was laughing at him, he didn’t show it. A moment later, we all piled into the van, with Yari getting in the driver’s seat and me next to her in the front passenger’s seat. Lena and Atticai disappeared behind the back seats, in the space I had found myself in when I came to. I took only a quick glance at them, but they appeared to have disappeared under a blanket. What they were doing under the blanket, I didn’t want to know but could probably guess.
Yari reached out and touched my hand. “Put the seat back and get some sleep.”
I did as I was told, since I was utterly exhausted. And as I settled into the cushions, Yari drove the van out of the flatland rocks and made for the highway. As we drove, I found myself staring at her. She was very focused on the road. No surprise there, since there was a light fog over the winding, mountainous highway. This was a very interesting woman. She was amazingly complex. I closed my eyes. I listened to the sound of the motor. It was hypnotic and soothing.
“Wake up, Sleepyhead. We’re here.” I must had fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes we were in front of my house. I said goodbye to everyone and stumbled out of the van.
Atticai called out, “Hey, Josiah?”
“Yeah,” I answered sleepily.
“When’s your next fight?”
“Next month.”
“Cool, I’ll check it out.”
I wasn’t sure what to think about that. A part of me was hoping that this was going to be the last I’d see any of these guys. That is, everyone but Yari. And maybe Lena.
I nodded at Atticai and turned around and trudged off toward my front door. The van drove away, and I could feel many sets of eyes on me. As I opened the door, something occurred to my sluggish, sleep-deprived brain. How had they known where I lived? I stopped cold. Okay, that is freaky, I thought. Then again, what was one more freaky thing in a night of 1001 freaky things?
I shrugged. Maybe Lena knew someone from high school, who themselves knew where I lived. Or not. I was too tired to care, truth be known.
When I unlocked the door, I found Tommy doing sit ups in the living room. Tommy had an incredibly strict workout routine and this morning was no different.
Tommy stopped in mid-crunch and looked up at me. “That was some run.”
“You have no idea.” I went to the fridge and grabbed the milk carton.
“You okay?” Tommy seemed concerned.
“I’m okay. Why?”
“You’ve got a bandage on your wrist and a hickey on your neck the size of a basketball.”
I had forgotten about my injuries. Tommy got up from the floor and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.
“What can I say? It was a night to remember.”
“Jo, you need to take it easy on the partying. Don’t forget, we find out who we’re fighting today.”
“I know. I just need to get to bed right now. I’m completely wiped.”
“So you’re going to skip your morning workout?”
“As far as I’m concern it is still last night. Besides, I had quite the mixed martial art workout out last night.”
“Ah, hell. Don’t tell me you got into another fight.”
I was quiet.
Tommy added, “You know we can get sued if anyone finds out who we are. We’re pro fighters. Lethal weapons as far as the state is concerned.” Tommy always liked bringing that up. “You’re not fifteen anymore, bro, and you can’t just go around bashing people’s heads in.”
“I know. Trust me, I wasn’t intending to fight.”
“But let me guess: You just couldn’t help yourself, right?”
“Tommy, look, when I wake up you can rip me ten new assholes, but right now I really need to get some sleep.”
“Alright, bro. Go to bed. No more ass kicking for you tonight.”
I laughed, which took my last bit of energy. “Thanks; good night.”
And as I stumbled down the hallway on my way to my bedroom, Tommy called out after me: “It’s morning, jerk off, and you never asked me about my date!”
“You can tell me all about it when I wake up.”
Once in my bedroom, I plugged my headphones into my stereo and laid on my bed. I had a Queen CD in the deck. Freddy Mercury seemed very fitting considering the night I had.
I closed my eyes, and I was out.
Chapter Five
I didn’t sleep as soundly as I wanted to.
I tossed and turned
throughout my slumber. Mostly, I kept dreaming about the surreal night I had had. I dreamed about Atticai, Yari, and Lena. I dreamed of kicking college punks’ asses. I dreamed of dark clearings and birds and long kisses. Some of the dreams were good; others not so much. Additionally, my body was painfully sore from the bat. It was, in short, one of the worst sleeps I’ve ever had. I eventually couldn’t take it anymore and just got up. I looked at my cell phone. It was 2:00 p.m.
I got up and my back was still killing me. Not that I expected the pain to go away magically, but, damn, it seemed even worse. I walked over to the bathroom and took the longest shower of my life. While the water blasted me, I took the bandage from my wrist and washed the wound, too. As I washed it, I took a good look at it. It was truly one of the most bizarre injuries I’d ever had. There were two perfect teeth marks on my wrist. Wyatt really feasted on my arm. What the hell would possess a guy to do that?
I got out of the shower and was drying off when I heard a squawk at the window. It was Daphne, my little red hawk friend. She was peeking through the window.
“Hey, girl. You like what you see?” I did a little dance for her.
Daphne squawked. I laughed. Apparently she liked my jig.
I went into my bedroom and looked at my cell phone. I had a missed a call. I didn’t recognize the number. It was local, so I calld it back.
“Hello.” A girl’s voice. A cute girl’s, too, if I was any judge.
“I got a call from this number—”
“Josiah? It’s Lena.”
“Oh, hello. What’s going on?”
“I got your number from Johnny Wade.” Johnny Wade was an old partying buddy of mine that apparently Lena knew as well.
“No problem. What’s going on?”
“I need to talk to somebody and...I don’t know...after last night I thought I could talk to you.”
“I was about to head down to the gym, but I guess I can talk.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, no problem. I had a pretty good workout last night.”
“The fight or the time you spent with Yari in the woods?”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
“Can we talk in person?”
“Sure, do you want me to pick you up?”