“Rae … Rae …” I heard a man whisper.
I shot up, ready to defend myself against whoever was there. My hand flew on it’s own at the figure beside me and a firm hand stopped it before making contact.
“Well, it’s good you can at least somewhat try to defend yourself,” Javi said.
I wasn’t wearing a bra so I snatched the covers up over myself.
“Knocking is this crazy new thing people do, have you heard of it,” I fussed.
“I don’t have to knock in my own house,” he said as a matter of fact.
Huh? His house??
Shit, was this his bedroom?!
<
It seemed like Fletch and I were both just constantly being pulled in different directions. He was now 20, and recruiters and scouts were stalking him like prey. Of course, the 49ers were his only interest. Over the next semester and the course of football season, different teams were trying to meet with him, and trying to get him to go visit their operations. It was exhausting for us both and because of Scott’s directive, I couldn’t go with him. The promises of fame, money, endorsements, etc., none of it mattered to me, but I would see that twinkle in Fletch’s eye every time he came home. I didn’t want to admit what was starting to stare me in the face, but our lives were pulling us in very different directions. Either he was flying off somewhere or Toby was coming to fly me to D.C. I insisted that I could get there on my own just fin
As if all the shit I had going on wasn’t enough, I still had finals in two weeks. I had a huge paper to finish and I had no drive. There really wasn’t even anyone I could talk to about this, I couldn’t let anyone know about the potential danger. Corey got in my head and I was now paranoid. Every little noise, every shadow that followed me when I was out of my room. Fletch was being very distant, and blamed it on all the stress he was under, he had even been sleeping in his room some nights, which really hurt. One night I was so lonely for him, I went down to his room to see him, but there were a lot of guys in his room playing video games and being rowdy, so I just left. I had just finished my last final, and I was feeling pretty good about it. I wandered back to my room, ready for a nap and fou
It had been a week since I had last seen Fletch. I felt numb, I felt lost. It just didn’t seem real. I had very vivid dreams where we were together, he was holding me … and yet I’d wake up to an empty bed. I spent hours looking at our pictures, remembering his hands on me. Remembering our trips and our hot sex. I was never going to feel him like that again, never feel his warmth that came to mean everything to me. It was my comfort, my safe place.A few days later I was settled into an apartment ... in Javi’s building. Coincidence? Scott knew I was in a fragile place, mentally and he did everything to keep me busy. Toby was constantly around, I think he had a crush on me, but he wasn’t my type. Hell did I have a type?
~This is part two, Javi's story~I saw things, things no child should ever have to see.I saw my mom shoot up, I saw her almost overdose multiple times. I saw her fucking men, I was forced to watch her get raped more than once.I saw drug deals, I saw people get stabbed, get shot.It was south central Los Angeles, in the late 90’s and shit was just always crazy. The woman who gave birth to me, Lydia, had left Mexico when she was 17 for a better life. She came with a pimp, who promised her the world and then left her as soon as she got pregnant from a john.Lydia should have never have gotten pregnant, and even after that, she could have put me up for adoption, but she was selfish.
I had just turned 13, and sure enough, nobody gave a damn.Lydia and Roy fucked like rabbits and rarely got dressed, it was disgusting so I hardly ever went home. I started finding abandoned houses to go into, which wasn’t hard.You are probably wondering why I call her Lydia, and not mom. Well, she’s not my mom, she hasn’t done a damn thing to deserve that title.She keeps me around to get money from the state, and to try and look like a good mom to her parole officer, plain and simple.I was starting to get a bit of a reputation around the neighborhood for my boxing skills and I finally had something to look forward to, and a way to channel my anger.You might say having my as
Things were pretty good for the next eight months or so, I lost a couple fights, but I won about a dozen. The problem you have when things are going well, is that someone is going to want what you got.Drug dealers for example ... their problem is they get a little cash and want everyone to know it. I did everything possible to hide it. I didn’t want anyone to know what I had.I had nearly $11,500 saved now. I didn’t spend my money on anything. Guys from the boxing club invited me out to eat all the time, let me go home with them to crash sometimes. I was making them a fortune. If they were willing to pay, I always let them.I started thinking about the best way to keep the cash, especially if I was going to travel. I couldn’t risk travelling with that much just on me.
I was shocked at how easily I was able to get to Phoenix. Nobody questioned me, nobody said shit.I got off the bus and found a diner. I had cheeseburger and chocolate shake, and it was fucking amazing. I got a phonebook and called a couple mid-level hotels until I could find one that would let me book over the phone with a card.I used my best adult voice and mentioned I would be travelling with my son, and wanted to know if he could get a room key if I dropped him off on my way to a meeting. They were reluctant but I was able to convince them it was legit.I waited about two hours to leave and it took me another half an hour to walk there.I was hoping to get a different person than the one I had spoken to … and I did. The girl at the des
As it turned out, Candy was pretty much the nicest person I could have ever encountered. She had been abused by her step-father and ran away to escape it. We ended up having a lot in common and I did my best to help her around the house.I wasn’t much of a cook, but she showed me a couple of basics. After a few days, she asked if I wanted to stay longer.“I didn’t have any ID or working papers when I started at the diner. The owner, Cal, he’s real nice, doesn’t ask a lot of questions as long as you show up on time and do your job. Want me to ask if he’d hire you to wash dishes and bus tables? We actually had someone quit last week.”I thought on that. I wasn’t the washing dishes type and I wasn’t sure how well I would do having a “boss&rdq