It’s called earning respect.
Not demanding it or taking it.
You earn it.
I can throw on some blades and do the same thing.
I can jump on a bike and do the same thing.
After my really quick skate, I flip the board up with my right foot and I hand it to Peg Leg Mikey.
“What’s going on?” he asks. “Something bad happening? I haven’t seen anything going on today. It’s kind of early though.”
Hanky climbs out of the halfpipe. “My fucking ass hurts.”
“I bet that’s not the first time you’ve said that,” Taz says.
“Funny,” Hanky says.
“You see anyone around here yet?” I ask.
“Anyone?” Peg Leg Mikey asks.
“He’s looking for uppers,” Les says.
“Shit,” Hanky says. He grins. “You want to climb up in that, huh, Mac? Fuck yeah. I get it. That shit is so smooth and fresh and clean and… and…”
I nod to Taz.
He throws a quick fist and shuts Hanky up.
One punch and Hanky spins around, holding his face.
From the corner of my eye I see everyone watching me.
I grab Peg Leg Mikey’s shoulder and lean toward him. “Don’t tell anyone why I’m here. Let them sweat and shit their pants. Okay?”
“Not a problem,” he says. “And good luck. I hope she comes back for you, man.”
“Me too,” I say.
I walk from the skate park to the beach.
I spot a group of the surfers standing at the shoreline, eyeing the waves, pointing, talking.
Van and Clay both look at me.
They look like they belong in a fucking cologne ad.
They each have long, blond hair that’s greasy in a cool way because it’s from the ocean. Their skin is tanned from the sun and their muscles have been earned through surfing.
They run the surfing crew and as long as they don’t bump up against me, we’re always solid.
That means anyone from their crew who needs something from me knows to go through them first.
I won’t sell to anyone without making sure Van and Clay are cool with it.
Not that it’s a big fucking secret or anything but the reason why I do that is because of Van’s little brother.
Jesse was a little badass of a kid. Born because Van’s father fucked some random woman one night, but that never mattered to Van. He took care of Jesse and loved the shit out of that kid. They were only three years apart in age but it always seemed like Van was a lot older than Jesse. I figure that was because Jesse had no home life or structure. He was just a wild kid.
And by wild… he would do anything.
To cut this fucking story short, Jesse got high as a kite and tried to do some kind of a crazy dive off a cliff. All to impress some girl who he’d been flirting with all night. I even heard she begged him not to jump off the cliff.
But that was the thing with Jesse… if you told him not to do it, he was going to do it. You were better off telling him to do it because then he’d talk himself out of it.
Fucked up, I know.
Jesse jumped, did a few flips, and then hit the water headfirst.
I heard he was dead the second he hit the water.
Other people said his neck was broke and he drowned.
Anyone who said that got their face smashed in.
I made sure to take care of Van when it came to that shit.
He was hurt for a long time.
And that’s why I take care of him still.
Nobody gets a thing from me without Van and Clay’s approval.
Van starts to turn and I wave him off.
I’m not here to see him.
I’m here to see…
“Jolie,” I whisper.
I turn my head to the right and smile.
Guess who’s walking up the beach toward me?
7
Jolie didn’t come alone.
Violet is by her side.
And they’re almost wearing the same clothes.
Really short shorts and oversized hoodies.
Both hoodies are gray.
Their legs are long and tanned.
They could possibly pass for sisters… or maybe just cousins.
Jolie is fucking beautiful.
She’s not wearing a lick of makeup while Violet has plenty to go around.
Jolie’s lips are thin, meant for kissing, leaving my heart jumping around inside my chest, all the while my mind is wondering what in the fucking hell am I actually trying to accomplish here.
Honestly, I’m not sure.
I just have this feeling that Jolie is going to be everything to me.
And to become that sense of everything, we need a beginning.
And here it is…
“You showed up, sweetie,” I say to Jolie.
I move toward her to give her a hug.
She hugs me back and I memorize the shape of her body.
I break the hug and turned toward Violet.
“Come here, sweetie, I won’t leave you out,” I say.
I hug Violet and I’m surprised she hugs me back.
I don’t give a damn about her body though.
My eyes go right back to Jolie after I break the hug with Violet.
“You really showed up,” I say.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Jolie asks.
“I figured your tight ass friend would have kept you away.”
“I’m standing right here, asshole,” Violet says.
“I know you are,” I say. “Wish you weren’t. Again… don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
Violet slides her hand into Jolie’s hand. “Nope. I’m not going anywhere.”
I grin.
This game is going to be really fucking fun, huh?
“So what do you want to do?” I ask. “We can surf, skate, walk, talk, find a way to ditch your friend…”
Jolie smiles.
Her cheeks blush a little.
“Well, fuck, they showed up,” Taz says from behind me.
“Yeah, they did,” Les says.
He moves with smooth precision as he cuts between Jolie and Violet.
He breaks their hands apart and I grab for Jolie’s hand.
Les is a good friend.
A really good friend.
He doesn’t like why I’m here, but he knows how to be my wingman when I need one.
He sets his sights on Violet.
Taz lets out a whistle. “You don’t have another friend, Jolie?”
Jolie giggles.
I look back at Taz. “Switch it up, bro. Use your left hand.”
“Fuck you, Mac,” Taz calls out.
“You’re a scumbag,” Violet says to Les.
“Dirty talk works for me, babe,” Les says.
“Come on, quick,” I say to Jolie.
She looks back at Violet.
She bites her bottom lip.
I had already started walking.
Gently pulling her along.
Jolie finally comes with me.
We start to run together, down to the water.
“We’re going in,” I call out to her.
“No,” she says. “I can’t get wet.”
“Oh, I think you can, sweetie.”
I pull her toward the ocean.
She’s laughing and screaming at the same time.
Begging me not to pull her into the water.
She’s worried about her phone.
I love watching her run with me.
And when we get to the water, I quickly stop, but I pull her toward me.
She jumps to not hit the water, which is funny as hell to see.
Her hands grab my shoulders and now I’m holding her.
My hands touch the back of her bare legs, holding her eye level with me.
She gasps for a breath and my eyes burn at her.
“I’m not that much of an asshole, sweetie.”
&n
bsp; Her hands push at my chest and I put her down on her feet.
She’s taking deep breaths as I nod to Van.
He jams his board into the sand and walks over to us.
“Hey, I’m just fucking around,” I whisper to Jolie. “Okay? Same with Violet. Nothing bad is going to happen, sweetie. We’re all just hanging around. This is Van coming over. He runs the beach with his surfing crew.”
“Runs? Crew?”
Jolie’s eyes flicker when she asks those questions.
I can’t wait to dig into who she really is.
And why.
“Yo, brah, what’s up?” Van asks.
We bump fists and then hug.
“This is my sweetie,” I say to Van as I nod toward Jolie. “This is Jolie. She doesn’t even know how pretty she is. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t sleep at night thinking about her.”
“What?” Jolie asks.
“Fuck, brah, have you been breaking into your own shit?” Van asks.
“No, I just know what I want and love,” I say.
I wink at Jolie.
She steps away from me.
“You taking her up on the rocks, brah?” Van asks.
“That’s my plan,” I say as I stare at Jolie. “Just keep everything clear for me. For a little bit. So I can show her around.”
“No worries there,” Van says. “It’ll be clear all day and all night.”
“Keep it that way until I tell you,” I tell Van. “I might need more than one night.”
“Right on, brah,” Van says.
We bump fists again and I reach for Jolie’s hand.
She pulls away. “What is this?”
“What?”
“You’re telling some guy that you love me? You don’t even know my last name. Who are you?”
“Wait a second, sweetie,” I say. “If this was such a big deal then why did you show up?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “Violet tried all night to talk me out of it.”
“So you were thinking about me all night?”
“I heard things about you, Mac.”
“Of course you did. Everyone hears things about me.”
“Yeah, but what’s true?”
“Everything and nothing at the same time.”
“This was a mistake,” Jolie says.
I laugh. “Of course it was.” I get closer to her. “You getting anywhere near me is a big mistake. But you can’t help yourself, right? You want to know everything. The same as me, I want to know everything about you. They call you an upper. Because you’re rich. But I’m even richer. And they respect me. They need me. The same way I need you.”
“You don’t need me, Mac,” Jolie says. “This is probably the same thing you do with every other girl you meet.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not.”
Jolie purses her lips for a few seconds. “I want to ask why me, but I know you’ll say something stupid.”
“Or, I’ll just tell the truth,” I say. “I’m really good at-”
There’s a wild scream to my right.
Jolie looks first, then she covers her mouth.
Then she screams…
“Violet!”
Taz has Violet over his shoulder and he’s running toward the skate park.
Les is chasing after them.
Violet is screaming for help.
Her fists are smashing against Taz’s back.
Of course that means Jolie is running that way too.
The ever-loyal friend she is to Violet. Feeling guilt for dragging Violet here the same way Violet felt guilty dragging her here yesterday.
And there I am, shaking my head, knowing I need to get in the middle of this shit.
All I want is a few minutes alone with Jolie to figure out why the hell I’m falling in love with her without knowing a thing about her. Because she’s damn right. I don’t know her last name. I don’t know anything about her. Hell, she might even have a boyfriend. She could be engaged. Married. Have a kid.
Who the fuck knows, right?
I start to run and I pass by Jolie.
Then I ease by Les.
Nobody expects me to be able to skate like I can. Or surf. Or run.
I’m fast, but not fast enough to get to Taz before he gets to the top of the halfpipe.
He makes a move like he’s going to jump.
Violet screams again.
I catch up just as Taz puts Violet down.
She has tears in her eyes.
“Oh, come the fuck on,” Taz says. “I was just messing with you.”
“Taz,” I growl.
He looks at me.
Les catches up and he’s not slowing down for a second.
He throws his shoulder into Taz and sends him flying through the air.
Taz yells as he kicks his legs, trying to brace himself for the hard hit on the halfpipe.
He crashes with a thud and gets right back up.
“You’re fucking dead!” Taz yells to Les.
Les looks at Violet. “You okay, babe?”
Violet nods. “I think so.”
“What happened?” Jolie asks as she grabs for Violet’s hand.
“We were just talking…”
“Taz is a fucking idiot,” Les says.
“Here he comes,” I say to Les. “Nothing crazy.”
Les turns and Taz charges for him.
“Shit,” I whisper.
I hurry to get between them before fists start flying.
“Not here,” I say. “Not ever. Not over this.”
“He can’t make a move,” Taz says.
“Yeah, throw her off a fucking halfpipe,” Les says. “That’ll get her panties soaked.”
“That’s enough,” I say. “Split up and walk.”
I jam my fists into each of their chests.
It’s not a warning but a fucking order.
Taz throws his hands up. “Fuck it. She can’t have any fun anyway.”
He turns and walks to the beach, lighting up a cigarette.
Les set his sights back to Violet. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” she says. “My heart is racing. I didn’t know what he was going to do.”
“He was just trying to scare you,” I say. “That’s how Taz acts around pretty women.”
“I just want to go home,” Violet says.
I grit my teeth.
“You’re safe, babe,” Les says.
Violet looks at him. “Thank you for chasing after us.”
“No worries,” Les says.
He winks at Violet and walks toward the bike bombers.
I stand there, not giving Jolie and Violet any privacy or time.
“I want to leave,” Violet says. “I regret showing you this place. I thought it was going to be fun to see…”
Violet cuts herself off.
“See what, sweetie?” I ask. “You wanted to see the dirtbags as they skateboard and blade, or ride and surf? So you could wear a top that’s one size too small to make sure your perfect tits look even more perfect? Why? So you can get everyone’s attention and then split? Huh?”
“Mac, stop,” Jolie says.
“That’s not how things are done here,” I say. “Got it?”
Jolie steps in front of Violet. “I said to stop.”
“I want to go home,” Violet says.
“Give me a second,” Jolie says.
“No,” Violet says. “You’re not getting sucked into this, Jolie.”
Now all of a sudden Violet has a sense of power. And fresh energy.
She grabs Jolie’s hand and walks away like a pissed off mother finding me with my hand up her daughter’s shirt.
At the last second, I grab Jolie’s other hand.
She looks at me, her cheeks turning red.
I grin.
I mouth the word nine to her.
She nods.
Then I mouth right here.
She nods again.
And just like tha
t, I’m going to finally get some time alone with Jolie.
“We have a problem.”
I’m sitting up in my bed enjoying a cigarette and the last thing I want to hear is Ado’s fucking voice.
I’m staring at my phone, amazed yet pissed that I can’t contact Jolie.
All I can do is think about her.
And waste time until I leave to go meet her again.
“Mac?” Ado asks.
“I fucking heard you,” I say.
“Yeah, well, it’s a problem. You wanted me to tell you if there’s a problem. There is.”
I turn my head. “Make it good, Ado.”
“You remember Nick, right?”
“Nick? St. Nick? Santa Claus?”
“Mac… I’m talking about Nick,” Ado says. “The football guy.”
“Right,” I say. “The tough jock who got rocked up on drugs and was sent to rehab and then tossed into BC to find himself so his mommy and daddy could finish setting up their manufacturing company, right?”
“That’s the one,” Ado says.
“What about him?”
“He won’t pay.”
I jump out of my bed instantly. “What?”
“He won’t pay.”
“He won’t pay? How did he get the shit?”
Ado’s face turns red.
I put my head back and let out a long sigh.
“He’s always good for it,” Ado says. “I never think twice about it. You know? I toss him the shit, he tosses me the cash, life goes on.”
“But not this time?”
“No,” Ado says.
“And why are you here?”
“He took off,” Ado says. “I was getting shit together. I gave him stuff and he backed away. He told me this one was on the house. He’s earned it. I warned him not to fucking do that. I swear, Mac, I was going to go after him.”
“What happened?”
“He showed me a knife,” Ado says.
“And you don’t have anything to match that?” I ask.
“What do you want me to do? Get into a shootout…”
I put my hand up.
I smoke my cigarette.
I always give Ado the easy route. Just to keep him busy. Make him feel like he matters. He’s not focused because of his mother being sick.
I take one more drag and nod.
Then I make my move.
My hand locks around Ado’s throat and I drive him back into the wall.
He tries to cough but can’t.
“You always take the cash first,” I say. “Always. And if you fuck up, you fix it. Always fix it. But, now it’s too late. I have to fix this. And tonight is not the night for it.”
Mess You Up (Brooks Crest Book 1) Page 6