Jem…Chapter 52

Chapter 52

It’s a pure moment.

Sunshine and love and me just really able to be myself and still loved by my father who’s holding me in my arms. Like I said I swear that I could feel my Mom’s presence with us in this whole moment.

Our first real father daughter talk and one that left me feeling loved and treasured. What girl big or little can say that that’s not something that I’ll treasure forever?

I take a huge breath while still in his big strong arms and I just hold my breath and take this in. Every feeling every single sight and sound of this. I exhale and lean back and rub at my eyes.

“Oh…man…”

“You okay honey?”

Okay that just makes me smile that he’s like that but that’s just my Dad.

“Yeah I just didn’t realize that I was carrying all of this stuff inside. I thought that I had been dealing so good with this and how big it is.”

“Yes and you might be My little Angel but you’ve always had this thing where you tend to shut things in and cover them up and act like they don’t bother you.”

“Sorry Dad.”

He rubs my back. “You come by it honestly honey you get that from me. It’s one of the amazing things about your mother.”

“What is?”

“She can just some how make me breathe.”

“You keep talking like she’s still here Dad, I think I really kind of get it now. I swear that I felt her.”

“I feel her all the time Angel, I talk to her all the time. Like I said she’s my best friend I’ll always talk to her even if she’s not here right now.”

I get up and straighten my clothes a bit not that I really need to given as I’m really dressed down but it just feels better. “I didn’t think that I believed in that stuff.”

“I don’t I believe in her. And if there was any possible way for her to be around then she would and even if all that stuff’s not…I’m a widower it keeps her alive for me.”

I hug him and he hugs me again but this time it was him need ing one and he does this very, very guy ragged inhale and a sigh and he kisses the top of my head, well my forehead neither of us are the big tall guys.

Powers…We’re Irish, we’re wiry.

And I can’t help but smile just because.

“Anything frozen in there Dad?”

“Yeah there’s ice cream.”

“Okay it’s likely melted.”

I get up head out into the hall and look for the ice cream first and I’m not seeing any there?

“Mmgn-you’kay?” Brooklyn asks from the living room where her and Kimmie and mike are sitting all together on the couch eating what’s the melting ice cream with plastic spoons that I think we had from take out.

I walk over and sit my butt on the coffee table and take Kimmie’s spoon and help myself to a spoonful of ice cream. I can’t help it… I moan a little bit. “I love Cookies & Cream.”

Mike smiles. “There was more so I put them in the deep freezer in the basement Brooklyn well…’ he blushes.

“I like my ice cream after my Mike cream.”

He turns so red that it’s really funny even if it’s a little eew over the thought of that as an ice cream topping. I pass the spoon back.

“I came out to Dad.”

There’s a huh? Look form everyone but Mike. He sits up from where he’s lounging and gives me a hug.

“I thought this was where things might take you.”

“Yeah, I’m actually pretty good about it.”

“I’m not stereotyping angel but even if you went a goy changed right now and shaved you head bald too I’d still think that this is more you that being Jason.”

“What!!!” Both the girls exclaim at the same time.

I smile and I look at them both. “I’m staying.”

“You’re staying?” Brooklyn asks me sort of repeating me.

“Like for real…” Kimmie’s asking and honestly I think there might have been a little hope there.

“Yep, I can’t help it this is just me. I wasn’t unhappy, unhappy with the way things were but I’m just so much more me as angel so it’s kind of a done deal.”

They both hug me pretty fast and pretty hard and I hug them back and both of them are crying?

I actually get it. I do.

“I’m not going anywhere girls, I’m not and Dad’s cool with it that’s why he’s here.”

“Dad’s awesome…” Brooklyn says with a sniffle into my side. Kimmie’s nodding into me. “Wish he was mine…”

“Well he did say when I asked him what all the groceries were for that he had for daughters to take care of.”

“He did?” They both sort of do in stereo.

Kimmie looks at Brooklyn a sec and looks at me. (Sniffle.) “Even me?”

……………….Daddy’s and super powers…

“Yeah Kimberly even you.” Dad says from the archway between the hallway and the living room.

She tears away from me. “Really, really, really!?” she literally hurls herself at him in a hug and he catches her and pulls her off her feet into his arms.

“Yeah of course really. I love all of you girls. All of you! Angel came to see herself her with you girls, because you made it say for her to be herself and you even love her for it. You get back from life what you put into it. Your sisters and if you’re sisters then you’re MY family.”

I’m tearing up because…well fuck it this is sweet and he’s my Daddy being a real father and it’s choking me up and…

And it’s perfectly cool for me to let my heart be my heart.

Then damned Mike. “That’s another reason why I’m staying…family…I’m tired of moving around…I want to stay here…with my girlfriend and my.” And he pulls me from the coffee table to the couch. “My sister.”

He hugs me and I hug him back and that’s kind of what it feels like Mike’s that close that he’s more than a sorta cousin. No, he’s family.

At the risk of sounding non-girly I feel like Kevin Costner in his version of Robin Hood in the scene where he finds out that Will Scarlet is his brother.

“I’ve always wanted a brother.”

“Good…that actually means a lot Angel; I’ve always wanted to have sibs too.”

We hug and it’s sort of a group thing when we all get up together to put the stuff away. Its early afternoon but we’ve got stuff to do. We play at the Amsterdam Pub tonight at eight tonight and it’s a flat hundred bucks plus whatever we get into tips.

Rayne comes down and we’ve got a lot of stuff. Dad bought lots of stuff and this is stuff I hadn’t really seen in our house for awhile. I look at him. “Okay Dad what you had Mom with you while you were shopping?”

He blushes even as he’s eating the soup and the sandwich that I made for his lunch. “No it’s just that was the kind of stuff that your mother used to buy and like and with all you girls here I thought that you’d be all into the rice and the pasta and the salads and veggies and stuff.”

I hug him and so do the girls. “Daddy that’s sweet…stereotyping but it’s sweet.”

There’s a lot of stuff that was on sale I saw the flyers online the other day but well there’s a lot you can do with hamburger and there’s those packages of the cheap frozen turkey legs and there’s a whole lot of hot dogs and chicken legs you know those economy pack things and a lot of veggies. There’s a lot of stuff that comes in packs of three’s like hearts of romaine and bell peppers and such now but he got those bags you buy for bulk too with stuff like snow peas and bean sprouts and jalapenos, cucumbers and onions and carrots and even a veggie pack for stems with the cabbage and parsnip and turnip and then the mini bags of like baby carrots and the bigger bags of stuff that I’m grateful for getting.

I know it’s all mommish of me but I’m really glad to see the bags of stuff and I grab an apple from the several bags of them and start munching on it. Apples Are and awesome fruit actually especially when you’re performing. High in energy and water they’ll help me at least keep going.

Brooklyn has this look on her face at a lot of the stuff. “Wow we never really ate like this at home…I think my system might just go into shock.”

I grin at her. “You’ll get used to it.”

I look at the stew pack of veggies and at Dad. “Is this our’s or is this a very big hint?”

“Both?” He looks at me hopefully.

I smile at him and kiss his forehead. “Done deal I take it the meat’s here too somewhere?”

“In the tub.”

I go looking for it. Yep it’s corned beef. Not the canned stuff though that’s good too but it’s the real deal and when you get it in a plastic tub like this they’re selling it in the corning liquid.

I smile. This is actually one of my families long standing favorite meals. It’s something that both of my sets of grandparents made. “Okay I was planning that we were going to have a big roast beef dinner on Sunday with all the trimming but I can make this instead.

He and Mike both ask. “Can we have it tomorrow?”

God…I must really be a girl y’know because they’re doing the whole cute guy puppy look and its working.

“Fine on one condition guys.”

“Okay what?” Mike asks.

“We need some yard work and stuff done. Summer time’s coming and I want a garden in the back yard and the house needs some work. You guys come over tomorrow and we’ll make a day out of it as best we can.”

“As best we can?” Dad asks.

“Rayne’s got to work and the girls have detention.”

“Detention on a Saturday?” He looks at them.

“Private school.” Brooklyn says.

I end up getting stuff put away and dishing up the leftover soup with the chic-peas in it and Dad has some of that too and between him and Mike and Mitch who comes through the door after Rayne let him in smiling at me before coming and giving me a long shower fresh kiss and a cuddle. “I called him when I saw your dad was staying and thought it’d be likely we’d be having a late lunch together.”

“Good idea.”

Anyway like I said it’s like they haven’t eaten bread before because they clean us out of all the homemade bread that I’ve made and the rolls and they even clean out the cookies. Well it’s not just the guys we all eat even Rayne who just killed off her breakfast has some bread in the microwave heated enough to melt the butter along with her coffee.

It’s just a late lunch but it’s everyone in the family too and the table’s too small and we’re crowding the kitchen and Rayne and I are standing and doing those lovers together things and Brooklyn’s on Mike’s lap and the house is alive.

When you have a family like this though it’s a good time and you always end up going through things.

Brook gets up and her and Mike start the dishes and Rayne looks at Dad. “Hey Remy why don’t I show you the backyard and around outside and everything?”

I’m sort of curious and sort of not about that. I’m sure she want’s to talk to Dad about me staying Angel. Kimmie’s out in the living room setting up our stuff for practice and I start to put stuff together.

Yes more cooking well baking and I whip up another big, big batch of bread dough and that can take as long as it needs to, to rise and I start in on biscuits because if I’m making biscuits I can make pie dough and with the apples in the house I’m making apple pie.

And I use one of my mom’s tricks. I take the peels and the cores and put them into the food processor and buzz them up when I’m done and I put them into a pot to boil with some sugar and some cinnamon and a little pinch of both nutmeg and a little all-spice. People don’t really use the all-spice but it’s one of those things that we do in my family. It comes from Dad’s side of the family. I just let it boil like crazy as I make the pies and toss the big chunks of apple with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon and cornstarch it’s about seventy percent corn starch and the thing is it’s just to coat the fruit. It’ll thicken everything.

The leftover dusting stuff I take when the reused apple broth is done and I whisk them together after I strain the pulp away and make a sort of slurry that’s like that glazy stuff in canned apple pie filling only mine has all the good stuff that the skins and the cores had in it.

I pour the stuff off and put them into the oven taking the biscuits off. Mitch gets to have hot buttered biscuits for helping me peel everything.

The house smells amazing.

Kimmie’s actually smiling and dancing as Mike and Brooklyn join her in the living room and I make cookies.

Fun neat baking fact…

If you’re making pies, you’re partway to making biscuits because just add a few things and pie crust is biscuit dough but if you add sugar to that and an egg or two the you have cookies. They’re the plain white sugar kind but that’s the best cookie dough in the world.

Push a big dent in the center of those cookies and you can fill them with all sorts of goodies like jams and jellies. Add some lemon zest and some juice and you’ve got lemon cookies.

I make a whole bunch of them and I cover most in wax paper then cling film and I put them into the freezer uncooked. Just take them out and by the time you have the oven heated and a pot of coffee brewed they’d be thawed enough to bake.

Rayne comes in and she looks at me and she shakes her head. “You’re always doing this.”

“We gotta eat.”

“Yes but we have food you’re always making stuff.”

“Yes and we keep running out.”

“I’m just saying you don’t have to be the kitchen-bitch y’know.”

“I like doing this, you girls might not but this is part of me honey. I actually really dig doing all of this stuff and if I’m in the kitchen a bit more than some people in exchange for us all having fun and being together than it’s even more of a bonus to me.”

“Okay I guess I’m just nervous at being around this stuff and over eating and getting fatter.”

“You’re not fat.”

“Angel…”

“Guys!?”

There’s a whole house saying. “You’re not fat!” to her and she ends up turning a serious shade of red but at the same time she’s smiling.

I kiss her…then take a few steps and kiss her and pin her to the counter and reach up and wrap my arms around her neck and do my best little feline press into het and keep kissing her over and over.

“Mmm…what was this for?”

“Working out?”

“Mmm…working out?”

“Kissing burns calories.”

“Oh…really how many?”

“Who cares...? Now get back to working out you.”

“Oh…yes ma’am…”

I so just got a little thrill off of her calling me ma’am. And that kissing actually leads to us touching each other and making out and doing that long sexy kissing with our tongues where they’re role-playing that they’re other parts of our anatomy.

Mitch get’s up and leaves the kitchen as red faced as his son gets. At least he comes by that honestly and we kiss as the others are in the living room and we just get lost in each other…I had no idea that the feeling of her eyelashes brushing my cheek could make me gasp.

Or that I really, really love her hands on my butt and my hips or when they’re sliding back and forth between both.

Or just how much I love her scent, the taste of her lips, the feel of her body…the way her hair feels like silk sliding through my fingers…

I’d be still doing it if the oven hadn’t dinged.

Good lord my body is absolutely humming.

I just got the pies out of the oven and the kitchen door is open and the mooches are all there. Kim’s looking at me with these huge eyes and I roll mine. “But Angel please…I’ve never ever had hot homemade apple pie before…!”

Of course I gave in because well honestly neither had Brooklyn or Mike and Rayne was even looking longingly at it. And it’s been a long time too. I know pies are usually best or better sometimes when you let them cool but not when you have ice cream in the house.

Again it’s lots of fun and burning lips and lots of smacking and I’m glad that I made four of them. One get’s eaten right up. One I send off with Dad and Mitch and the other two are for here.

I look at the clock and we won’t need to have supper. “Hey guys why don’t we head over to The Amsterdam and check it out I’d like to see the stage and everything and see what we’re going to be dealing with.”

Rayne nods and the others do too and we head upstairs and get changed and I don’t over do it but I un-scrunch my hair and give it my usual k-pop and I toss on some jeans and one of my sweaters with the big wide neck so that I can do that off the shoulder flash dance thing and at the same time sort of show off my shoulder and bra strap without a whole lot of cleavage. Some perfume on and a pair of sneakers and I’m set and gram my purse and meet the others.

We take a guitar and an amp with us just in case and one of the computers and we head over to the Amsterdam pub and it’s a good sign in my book that there’s some cars there but the sign says closed.

I knock and have to do so about five different times before this older guy opens the door looking like a forty something grunge rocker. “Yeah who are you?”

“Uhm Hi, we’re Starlight Butterfly and we’ve got a show here tonight. Can we come in?”

He actually huff’s at me and closes the door in my face. I’m blinking still when I hear him bellowing at someone inside. He yanks the door back open. “And you’re here now ‘cause?”

“Stage and sound checks.”

He shut’s the door in my face again and more yelling. Brooklyn quips in a bad UK ish accent. “Wot’s the password?”

He yanks the door open and stares at her.

“Okay, the boss says you can come in I guess it’s alright.”

“Thanks!” I purposely hit him with bright and cheery and happy. He doesn’t look like a bright and cheerful and happy kind of guy.

I’m even almost tempted to start talking in valley girl just because but I don’t really want to give the guy here in charge Mr. Ingram the wrong idea about us. I do sort of push past/squeeze through as fast as I can before he can do something with the door again.

Besides Raven’s starting this whole shtick by saying to Brooklyn. “He said it was alright?”

Brooklyn nods. “S’aright.”

Kimmie goes. “S’aright….”

The Mike chimes in with what was for what ever reason. “Yip, Yip, Yip, uh-huh, uh-huh.”

The guy stares, glares…

Both Kimmie and Brooklyn look around and in stereo go. “Yip, Yip, Yip, uh-huh, uh-huh.”

The guy stares and his eyes are bloodshot and he might be a little hung over for this… he raises his hand and covers his face and walks way. Not saying anything he just turns and he walks away.

I grin but the others are laughing and they’re having fun.

It’s a nice place and they’re actually working with some of the staff here getting ready for tonight. Clean tables and chairs and the floors are being scrubbed and I can even catch a glimpse of them making stuff up in the kitchen for tonight.

From the outside this place has that Swiss style of gable roof to it and they kind of go with that and that whole eastern European taste of things.

Inside it’s a lot of wood and brass and nice but still a pub for sure but with a decent dance floor and a good sized stage. I walk around looking and ask one of the waitresses here filling the ketchup bottle. “Hey where can I find Mr. Ingstrom?”

“Right up there hon he’s in the office.” She points and there’s a set of stairs that are right beside the bar and the door to the kitchen that leads to what might have been a warehouse office. This place certainly might have been a small one before this I get a good idea of the size and square footage as I climb the stairs.

The door’s open and there’s this really rough looking guy in a black t-shirt and jeans with a lot of tattoos and this ex-biker or some other tough guy tattoo’s.

I knock. “Excuse me Mr. Ingstrom?”

He looks up at me. “Uh-huh you’d have to be Jem right?”

“Uhm Yessir…” I’m sort of surprised that he knows already.

“It’s the hair. I’ve seen the cartoon.”

“Really, daughters?”

“Sisters and I was outnumbered when it came to the remote.”

“Oh sorry.”

“Forgettaboutit.” He said it like well just like that. I smile in return. “Cool.”

“So you’re here to do stage and sound checks?”

“Yessir.”

He’s smiling now. I keep saying someone runs a business and giving you a gig a little manners and respect goes a long way and attitude doesn’t.

“Good, actually I think you’re like one of the only bands that’s ever even thought about it.”

“Thanks so it’s alright if we do that and get things ready and stuff?”

“Sure, just tell me what you need if anything.”

“What’s the crowd like?”

“Older, late twenties and up, working class we’re just that that live band pub that you go to on the weekends.”

“So pretty much a rock crowd?”

“Pretty much.”

“Cool, that’ll help with our playlists.”

“Good the right music makes people want to dance and when they dance the get hungry and thirsty and I sell more stuff.”

“Uhn we have cameras and a tip box and stuff is that okay?”

“Tip box?”

“We share with the staff evenly.”

“Fine by me then. And the cameras?”

“We put a lot of stuff up online and with face book and stuff.”

“Huh and that helps?”

“Sure does it’s kind of our bread and butter aside from the live shows we do in town.”

“I was thinking about doing something like that.”

“You should get someone in who knows what their doing and then you can get your pages…can I use your computer?”

“Uhm…sure...”

I walk in and I wait until he’s got his stuff saved and everything before brining up the stuff for our site and I show him even the Lucky’s commercial that we’re running too before some of our videos.

He’s looking at the hits and stuff. “That many people are watching you girls?”

“Yessir.”

“And you’re doing a commercial too?”

“Yessir.”

“So how much did that cost Charlie?”

“Nothing sir, it’s us operating in good faith.”

“Good faith? Isn’t he sort of taking advantage.”

“No, not at all actually we’re treated really well everytime we show up.”

“Huh…so is this helping his sales?”

“I think so, we haven’t really sat down and talked really about it and it’s not been that long but there’s lots of advantages to this stuff.”

“There is?”

I get up and sort of pace. This is something that I’ve been thinking of.

“Okay you know that there’s a certain bunch of people that prefer the indie scene for their music. Go out to clubs, see a band and have a good time.”

“Yes.”

“And there are those that are like this from all over the province, the Country and even the world.”

“Okay…”

“Well you can find places that cater to this online. You get a page up and running and you feature on it that you are a live indie band supporting establishment and they’ll take notice. The people looking for a good time take notice, bands looking for a gig take notice people start showing and the best thing is once you get going you can get the costs back.”

“Okay that sounds like a good idea.”

“The internet is the new best word of mouth.”

“Uh-huh…and getting my money back?”

“You’re bringing in tourists, put up some links to several websites like this one you’re doing and they do the same for you and then you’re bringing in people like I said from all over which makes you look good in the eyes of the chamber of commerce her in town and not just that but there’s both federal and provincial tourist grants that you can use to offset the costs.”

“So the government will help pay for some of the costs.”

“Exactly? Are you a business major Jem?”

“Nosir, I just listen to guys like you and learn and take some of the stuff I know and add to it.”

“So if I paid you could you set this all up?”

“I could try but you wouldn’t have to pay me.”

“No?”

“Nosir like I said just common decency.”

“And here I thought the concept of being honest and trustworthy died out a generation or two ago.”

“It’s coming back sir, with everything the upper two percent have done to everyone and the state of things maybe it’s time for honor and goodwill to happen again.”

“You sound like my father, he’d have approved of that.”

I smile at him. “I’d like to meet him someday.”

“He passed away awhile back.”

“You have a picture?”

“Here.” He passes me one from the shelf behind his desk.

He’s a handsome older man and he’s actually got this rough but decent look to him. I’m looking at it and he’s on the line at one of the GM plants. “He looks like a tough guy, fair but tough and not a bullshitter.”

He laughs. “Yeah that’s about right. I wanted to open a flashy place like one of those dance clubs and pull in all the tourist cash and the college one but he told me those places were a dime a dozen. Give the locals a good place, a good place they can really call their own and they’ll keep you going when stuff gets hard. He was right, I’m still here and I’ve lost count of those little dance clubs.”

“Good points and it’s a nice place. I bet just from looking that a lot of the staff come here when they’re off duty even.”

“Yeah, them and their families and stuff.”

“Well that’s because maybe this is a whole lot more home that being at work.”

He’s looking at me.

I shrug. “Family is everything right?”

He nods.

“You married?”

“Uhm pardon?”

“Sorry, it’s just I have literally never in my life met a girl as beautiful as you are Jem and who just seems to get all the stuff that’s important to me.”

“Oh…” Okay I’m seriously blushing at that and he’s…okay maybe sexually I’m in the grey zone still but he’s attractive…but he’s still not Rayne. “Wow…uhm…I’m in a committed relationship….but again Wow?”

“Any more where you come from then?”

“Sorry I’m an only child, but I’m actually…honored, a little stunned but honored…I was just saying stuff that was on my mind.”

“I know, and it’s just…it’s really rare…damn I never do this kind of stuff…seriously I don’t.”

I go over and smile ant him and pass him the picture back and push it over his heart. “I’m not offended…I’m not creeped out…I’m flattered…we’re cool.”

I kiss him on the cheek. “Jake…my name’s Jake…” he breathes it out and he turns red, he sort of looks like he wants to go and hide until the embarrassment fades but it’s his office and you don’t really do that.

“Mine’s Angel Jake I think we’ll be good friends y’know.”

“Yeah me too…it feels like I owe you one for not freaking out.”

“Really can I collect now?”

“Uhm…sure?”

“I want Friday night and Saturday night’s here for the next two weeks.”

“Done!”

“Done…” I say it softly and kiss him on the cheek again and then I sway out…okay…okay yes I’m using whatever crazy thing got in his head that he’s into me but I’m a girls right…I don’t overdo it but…y’know and it kind of feels…good, odd but good that he got like that around me.

And…he does seem like a good guy.

Good man…and a good looking one. Way too old for me and like I said just to be clear not Rayne but…I think Mike…Mike wasn’t a fluke. Jake’s only the second man to get me sort of really noticing so maybe there’s some guys that fit my type.

I’m not as freaked as I was with Mike though. I mean he’s close enough to be my Dad’s age and I don’t have Daddy issues.

I’m still smiling when I head down to the others and sit on the stage going over where we’re going to put things and marking it with some of the tape and I tell the others what had happened and that we have a full set of gig’s both Friday and Saturday night here for the next two weeks.

Rayne snuggles into me. “You really had him going huh?”

I blush. “Yeah I guess, it’s just so…I don’t know strange?”

“Well he’s got good taste in women.”

Okay I’m blushing a bit more. “Yeah but we were just talking and stuff business and some stuff about like family being important.”

Mike grins at me even while he’s making tape marks. “Uhm yeah remember, sweet, pretty and smart with a heart…that’s a real turn off for a guy.”

“I know but I wasn’t expecting him to think that way about me.”

Rayne turns my head and looks me in the eyes. “Why not? I do.” She’s kissing me really deeply there for awhile and I’m kissing her back and her hands are not shy about where they feel me or that she’s pressing into me.

I’ve got that great floaty feeling again when we break the kiss. Kimmie snorts. “Dude was so watching that…territory marked.”

Brooklyn’s giggling too. “Oh he’s going to be seriously having angel and Rayne wank time tonight.”

“Brook!”

Her response to me and Rayne being embarrassed is to cackle like the ginger witch she is along side of Kimmie. Even Mike’s having a laugh.

“Ha, ha funny.” I give them the finger.

Mike quips. “Stop exposing yourself. Keep the lez-wood in your pockets Ange.”

More red.

Rayne takes my hand and my finger and wraps her lips around it…oh my…tongue swirling around…the tip of the flat of her tongue rubbing over the top pad of my finger.

“Rayne…..that’s not fair…”

“I know…” She says after she pulls her lips off my finger with a pop. Then she looks at everyone. “C’mon we should go we’ve only got four hours to get our playlist ready and get changed and then get back here.

It’s around three in the afternoon now so that’ll give us an hour here to get set up and everything.

We wave good buy to everyone and head out into the cars and head for home.

I’m going over things in my head and figuring out songs when I hear Rayne sort of mumble curse.

“What? What’s up?”

“I think we’re being followed?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, and I think it’s those guys from the other night it looks like their truck.”

I look back in the mirror and it’s hard to tell because last time it had been so dark out but I just have this feeling that it is. I call Mike on the phone.

“Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“That truck is it following us?”

“I noticed, I think it is.”

“They followed Rayne and me from our last date.”

“Huh, okay you want me to get rid of them.”

“Uhm…maybe?”

We’re in front and Mike’s actually in the rear with Brooklyn’s car in the middle and Mike stops his car and we keep going. I’m watching in the rear view door mirrors of the van as their truck drives past Mike and I see an arms come out and smash Mike’s driver’s side window shattering it with a tire iron.

“Shit! Mike! Stop the van!”

I’m getting out and Brooklyn’s getting out and yelling. “Mike!!!” As she’s running back there.