The 'Cousins'

Part Thirteen: The Sharp Horns of Jess's Dilemma

A/N : Follows on directly from the last chapter. Greg had finished dressing Jess's leg in his motel room and probed casually to find the identities of the three boys he bumped into whom Greg thought put acid on his tyre. He knew they worked closely with Gleitner, but dropped a bombshell when he brought the man's name into the conversation.  

Jess panicked when Greg mentioned Felix Gleitner and ran out of the room. It took him by surprise and he didn’t know how else to react.  Lights had swirled in his head.  He had felt the need to get out of that room and bolted for the anonymity of the dark, damp evening air outside the door.  Jess needed to keep these parts of his life separate, but that didn’t seem possible anymore, now that Greg knew about Felix.  Jess moved as fast as his injured leg would carry him. He rushed past the motel clerk without speaking to him, out, onto the sidewalk of Main.  Jess turned South and hurried through the bright pools of light spilling out of Harry’s Place. There were no streetlights on the next block. Once he had disappeared under the cloak of darkness  over the sidewalk, he slowed down to take a deep, cooling breath.

His heart beat furiously, coursing blood through his veins that sounded in his ears like the beat of a bass drum in a rock band. Jess began to think more clearly as his pulse rate came closer to normal. Greg’s words tonight had painted a bright picture for his future.  The challenges of trading sounded exciting.  But the question of why Greg was changing his own agenda, to stop here in order to help him, just because he wanted to help him still did not add up to the boy.

Jess’s thoughts were broken when a car drew up alongside him with a swish of tyres.  The passenger door opened. A girl’s voice called his name from inside the car.

‘Jess, there you are I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?’

She rushed out onto the sidewalk and grasped Jess by the shoulders; her face grim.

Jess shrugged. ‘Hi Melissa, I’ve just been out. That’s all. What’s the problem?’

‘You didn’t come down to Harry’s tonight. I waited for you. I saw you go off with Kyler, Billie-Joe and Leon- you know they are not good people.  They’re with that Felix.  I hope you haven’t been doing those things for that Felix after all; have you Jess White?’ her voice rose a pitch as she worked herself up.

Jess shook himself free. ‘Nah, I’ve not been with them or Felix. I’ve been with Greg.’

He made to walk on, but she grabbed and held onto his arm. Her voice rose even higher.

‘You’ve been with Greg – the guy that bumped you? But I saw you go from school with Kyler? ’

Jess pulled her hand away from his arm. ‘Yeah they took me down to Greg’s place. That’s all. It’s no big deal.’

‘Oh my God!’ her hand flew to her mouth, ‘no big deal you say. Indulging in sin is no big deal? They wallow in sin like pigs in mud, all of the time. You stay clear of all of them.  That includes that English guy.  He’s with the Devil too. I can smell Hell’s brimstone on him.  I told you already they are evil and you stand to lose your immortal soul Jess White.  Unless you listen to me.’  Her voice, already high pitched, rose yet further; Melissa was now close to hysteria. 

Jess was in no mood for her strictures. He wanted to get to his bed space. He had a lot of thinking to do. He rubbed his leg that was starting to ache from walking too far and too fast.  But Melissa wasn’t finished with him just yet.

‘Don’t you walk away from me Jess White. I’m not done with you. You have to go pray and repent now. You must beg for God’s forgiveness, on your knees.’