Oh lord I have to help him shop for Mom when I'm barely coming up with gift ideas for her. Yeah this is going to go well. I wait for Mark who has his keys and once in his Challenger we're off to the stores. It's really only one store but it's in a shopping mall, one I've been in maybe three times that I can actually remember and it takes me about ten minutes just to find the store I'm looking for. The girl behind the counter is polite while Mark is in flirt mode.
"Hi, my package was shipped here instead of my home address," I said to the girl.
"Yeah, we get this mix up with a lot of incoming shipments, invoice," she asks and I produce the copy.
It takes her a minute as Mark figures out we're in a jewelry store. I watch him begin to look hard at a couple things while my package is found and brought to me. I sign my name and turn to leave but now Mark is stuck on some necklaces.
"I got my stuff, ready to go," I ask and he speaks but doesn't look away.
"Think Mom would like a necklace that reads 'Cougar'," Mark asks and I watch as the sales girl visibly pales at the gift idea.
"First off hell no, second what were you planning on getting her," I ask him in reply and he shrugs.
"I don't know, maybe a new coffee maker or something," Mark gets the words out and I want to hit him with something that would hurt.
"Excuse me, Elizabeth," I ask the girl who helped me," This is Mark, he's my step brother and he's a bit of a moron…"
"Hey, I'm not dumb," Mark retorts but I continue.
"Help him, make sure he gets something tasteful that he chooses and if he complains call this number," I write down the number of Mr. Delauter," it's his father. He will straighten him out if anything goes wrong. I'm getting a pretzel."
I turn and leave Mark with the nice lady behind the counter and head to the food court. Beginning of Christmas week and the food court is packed as people take a break from rushing about to get their last minute shopping done. I have to bail on a pretzel and settle for some type of lasagna from an Italian spot and large lemonade. I don't look around and get involved in other people's business as I sit and eat quietly. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to be left alone by the world but at least my company is friendly.
"Hey," Alyson says sitting down across from me.
"Hi there, didn't expect to hear from you again. Like ever again," I state keeping my tone down.
"After everything happened I kept my mouth shut about that day and when nobody asked me any questions I figured you told them I didn't have anything to do with it," She says brushing her blonde hair behind her ear.
"Actually I didn't tell them anything about us at all," I state with a smirk," I'd like to think that you didn't have anything to do with what happened to me."
"I didn't, I swear," Aly says with a little fear.
"I believe you honestly, but I think the person who turned me onto you in the first place did," I reflect on the situation and Romeo.
"So what now? You find them and take revenge," Aly asks and I shake my head.
"No, cops can't do shit without evidence and there is no evidence. Even if you were dragged in and questioned you'd only tell them that we were working on a school assignment and that's it… right," I ask and she nods with a smirk.
"Right, that whole anatomy project you needed help with. Want a refresher course," she asks and I think about it.
"I want something more… long term. Like a relationship or something," I state and she smiles.
"Well any girl who is into nice guys that are hung and sensitive in bed would be lucky to have you. As for me it's all about the money and currently I need to finish buying my Dad a present," Aly says standing up from the table," next time I'll give you a discount."
Discount sex from the, or one of the, girls that takes sex for money at school. Sounds good except I would like a girlfriend and think about my options, more like lack of options. Syd would be good but she's my friend and last time I was interested in a girl who thought of me as my friend I was crushed. Syd wouldn't crush me but it'd be awkward. I finally realize that my available dating pool is rendered down to Bridget who wants to wait till after the New Year before coming over to play around and that's pretty much it. I want to get a girlfriend I have to get out there and meet girls, except most of the females I know go to school with me and have spent three years watching me get my ass beat and heard some of the fucked up rumors about my life before the stabbing. Mark finally makes his way back from the jewelry store and we head back home. It's not a horrible feeling returning to the house but when there is a car you don't recognize it does draw concern, especially when you see the tell tale antenna out the top of the back and the extensive radio system in the front it's a police car. Mark and I get inside the house to find the detective in charge of my case, Escalante I think, is standing in the foyer speaking with my mother.
"Mr. Donnelly, I was hoping to speak with you," the detective greets me with a tight smile.
"Okay, you haven't spoken with me in almost two months but I haven't had anything to add," I keep my reply short and neutral; she is the one investigating my near fatal stabbing.
"Yes well unfortunately I'm no longer on that case," she informs me, losing a smile.
"Okay well who is taking my case," I ask curiously.
"Nobody is taking your case, with no new evidence and no leads that we were able to pan out into anything that would point to a solid identity of your attacker the case is being relegated to cold case," Detective Escalante informs me and I have to think about it.
"So you're giving up? My son is stabbed and left for dead in an alley and you are giving up," Mom asks, growing angry.
"Mom it's alright can't expect much out of the justice system anymore these days," I say stepping past Mom and the Detective.
"Mr. Donnelly, I'd like you to know that I did look into Carlos Ortega and his group. This group you think attacked you is more of a neighborhood watch group. They don't have any connections to the police but they aren't people who randomly attack and commit attempted murder," Detective Escalante says and my anger goes from nothing to everything in four seconds.
"Wait, did you just say they are a neighborhood watch group that wouldn't hurt people," I ask and I don't think anyone notices my change in mood.
"We've had them under surveillance for two months and they've done nothing criminal the entire time," She says and I scoff.
"Did you get your detective badge from a fucking claw machine at the store," I ask and she looks shocked," Don't bother you probably don't have to skill to even get one that way."
"Mr. Donnelly, Guy I'm sorry we weren't able to find who did this to you…," She begins and I let her continue," but insulting a police detective doesn't help."
"Well it doesn't hurt either considering you sat here and insulted my intelligence just now," I say it and she's confused," here let me show you."
I pull off my jacket and shirt right there in front of everyone, basically Mom and the Detective in the room and begin pointing out scars on my body and face. The bic lighter Hector accidentally burned my shoulder two years earlier, the glass from a bottle I was hit in the head with from behind, my almost permanent crooked nose from taking hits to the face. I go down a short but memorable list and Detective Escalante has a grim expression on her face.
"A neighborhood watch group? People who are protecting their streets and would never attack someone that wasn't a 'threat' to them? Is that what you were trying to tell me… ME! You can leave now," I turn and grab my package and clothes before heading up to my room.
Who is going to stop me, nobody. I can hear the detective speaking with Mother and she's very apologetic about dropping the case. I don't hear Mom's response but I know what life will be like in the near future, Hector will be thrilled he can beat me as soon as we're back to classes.
Carlos Ortega: Two days before Christmas
I don't get called in to meet with the Union very often but when I do I cancel plans to take my little sister shopping for her friends. I know she wants to get Abigail and her family something from our family. Like a peace offering or something, she even wants us to deliver it to their home the night before Christmas. She's the good girl in the family and all of us know it. I step inside the Union office, their tattoo parlor where the Old Man holds court during the week and his son Smitty runs a legitimate business doing the best ink in Texas. I nod to Vicki, the Old Man's granddaughter, before stepping past and around the counter. The Old Man is in his office looking at some papers as I knock quietly on the door. Old story, one gang leader had a meeting with the Union and didn't knock or show any respect to the Old Man before spitting in his face and leaving. They found him chained to the back of his car, it was on fire and he'd been driven around the desert for a couple hours. He didn't die quickly and somehow there was a video that went around to the other crews about respect. Thankfully I've always been polite with the Old Man and now will not be an exception.