♂◈ Adam ◈♂
I
can’t catch a break. Every move I make kicks me a step back in life. I thought
running from Leto would give me the fresh start I needed. Instead, I’m still
running, broke, and stuck in a dump off the highway.
Hungry
to the point of dry heaves, I need cash for food. I try begging, and a few men
respond by shoving me into the road. Panhandlers aren’t welcome here, they
claim.
Desperate,
I even talk up a couple of truckers at the gas station and offer to trade
blowjobs for cash or food. This gets me punched in the face by one guy and
threatened with a gun by another. Doesn’t anyone just say “no” anymore?
I have
one option left, and that’s to steal. In the convenience store, I walk down one
aisle after another, trying to snatch anything I can. Unfortunately, the woman
on duty watches me the entire time. I see her in the corner mirrors.
Disappearing
into the bathroom, I hope to lose her attention after a few minutes. I spend
ten minutes hiding inside. I wash my face and drink from the faucet. Using the
water, I try to smooth down my scraggly beard and organize my blond hair. If I
can look halfway presentable, I might be able to hitch a ride. Or at least, the
clerk won’t give me the stink-eye. Of course, I hope she’s forgotten I’m even
here.
Instead,
I find her waiting for me when I come out. “Buy something or leave.”
Searching
the gas station parking lot for fallen change, I find two pennies. The trash
cans are nearly empty, and the crap inside isn't edible. So, I’m left with the
plan to rob the next person who pulls into the gas station.
The
rain and darkness conceal me squatting behind a black ashtray dome. I
considering going after a family in a mini-van, but the kid staring from the
back window kills my confidence. What if I traumatize him and he never
recovers? Am I willing to ruin a child’s life for a few bucks?
So I
wait and wait. People come and go, but there’s always too many at a time. The
weather conspires against me too. Cold mist soaks through my shitty black
jacket, leaving me to shiver violently. By the time a Harley-riding man shows
up, I’m ready to kill or die just to get shit over with.
The
biker is bigger than me, but I’m desperate, and he looks tired. His frame grows
bigger the closer I get until I realize he’s several inches taller than my six
feet. With a face covered in a thick, dark beard, he might not even feel my
punch.
“Not
even close,” he says without flinching as he easily deflects my strike. “Are
you even trying?”
“Yes,
I am.”
He
pushes me back but not too roughly. I even suspect he wants me to give it
another try.
“Just
give me your wallet,” I say, puffing out my chest and standing as tall as my
tired legs will allow.
“Why
would I do that?”
“To
avoid me hurting you.”
A
smile twitches at his lips. “I’ll think about it while I’m inside. You wait
here.”
Standing
dumbly near his bike, I don’t know what to do. Should I look for something to
hit him with? I laugh at the stupidity of the thought. The biker isn’t getting
his ass kicked by me. No, I’ll find someone else. Or try dumpster diving again.
There must be food around here. An unguarded dog’s bowl perhaps.
“Hey!”
someone yells, and I immediately panic that the biker called the cops. I turn
to find a few guys my age approaching from the back of the gas station. “Are
you still offering blowjobs for cash?”
I long
ago learned not to trust a smile. My uncle smiled a lot when he beat on my aunt
and me. Then she ran off, and I was the only one around to see him smile. These
guys are smiling with their lips, but their eyes shine with menace.
“Naw,
man. That was a joke,” I say, backing away and nearly toppling over the Harley.
“I say dumb shit when I’m drinking.”
“Are
you sure? I mean, you sounded convincing earlier.”
The
blond guy in the front does all the talking, but I don’t remember him. Plenty
of people have come and gone in the last five hours. Maybe he was one of them,
but I doubt it. However, the scrawnier guy in the back does look familiar.
Yeah, that’s the little twat who ratted me out to his friends. Now they want to
roughhouse with the queer.
“I’m
good,” I mumble and fist my hands in my jacket. “Just waiting for my friend.”
“You’ve
been hanging around for hours, asking to suck guys off. Now that someone wants
a blowjob, you get shy,” the guy says and reaches for me. “Don’t be a teasing
bitch.”
I
smack away his hand just like the biker did with mine, but my tough stand only
pisses off the guy. Grabbing for me again, his fingers snag my jacket. I
instinctively kick him in the shin, putting what’s left of my strength into
this one move. I pathetically hope my meager attempt will hurt enough to give
up.
“Fuck
him up,” he growls while bouncing around on his good leg.
Two of
the guys start throwing punches while the scrawny fucker backs away. I really
wish I could hurt him, but my main concern is to remain in one piece.
Shoving
my shoulder into one guy’s stomach, I manage to shove him back. I picture
myself as a linebacker taking down the quarterback. Except this asshole refuses
to go down, and his friend punches me in the kidney so hard that I think I’ll
fucking die.
My
knees hit the concrete, sending blinding pain through my half-frozen body. I
cover my head and realize I can’t even crawl away. Balling up, I pray they
don’t kill me. Though after the way this day has gone, I’ll end up with a
broken back. On the upside, maybe I can get a damn meal at the hospital.
My wildly
beating heart makes me nearly deaf to my ass-beating besides catching a muffled
cuss word and a wounded grunt. I count in my head to distract from the pain. I
reach twenty when the blows suddenly end, and I look up to find a new scuffle a
few feet away.
The
biker slams two of the guys into each other. Their faces collide, and I hear
their teeth shatter. Crawling away from the fight and past teeth chunks, I spit
up blood. Numb from the cold and pain, I glance back at where the biker
casually beats the absolute crap out of the assholes. They end up bloody on the
ground by the time the scrawny asshole tries to run. My bearded savior rips the
shoes off one of the fallen losers and throws it at the coward.
Even
in pain, I laugh at the sound of the twerp crying out when the shoes knock him
down. My smile fades as soon as the biker stalks in my direction. I stare up at
him, praying he’s done with kicking ass for the night.
“Stand
up, kid.”
I do
as I’m told. Unsteady on my feet; I force my gaze to meet his. I pretend I’m
not a starving, battered, and exhausted piece of shit looking to survive the
night.
The
biker studies me from my feet to the top of my matted blond hair. Finally, he
shakes his head and lets out a deep sigh.
“You’re
more pathetic than a wet kitten,” he says and kicks a pair of teeth away from
his boot. “Do you have anywhere to go?”
“No.”
I know
I should lie, but I can’t when he’s staring at me with his smoky eyes. He hands
me a candy bar and can of soda.
“I
assume you haven’t eaten in a while.”
Shaking
my head, I tear open the candy wrapper with my teeth before biting into the
chocolate. I follow each bite with a gulp of soda. Through it all, the biker
silently watches me until I shove the last candy chunk into my mouth.
“If
you steal from me, I’ll skin you alive. Do you understand?” he asks. Without
waiting for an answer, he throws his strong leg over his Harley. “Get on back,
and I’ll let you bunk at my place for the night.”
No way
would I normally climb on behind a stranger capable of the kind of violence I
just witnessed. I’ve been called dumb plenty of times in my life, but I’m not
that fucking dumb. This guy might be another Jeffrey Dahmer, and I’ll end up in
his fridge. If anyone’s unlucky enough for that shit to happen, it’s me.
But I
do climb on behind him because I’m out of options, and he’s the only person who
hasn’t treated me like shit today.
I’ve
never ridden on the back of a bike before, so I grab onto his jacket and
struggle to keep my balance. He never looks at me, asks my name, or shares his.
The biker revs the engine, and we ride off into the misty night.
I
glance back at the bloody assholes and find them still reeling in pain. My
mouth hurts like a motherfucker, but I still smile like a fool.
