HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE (LGBTQ+)

33

When Locke met with Sterling, it was late evening and dark out. They got out of their cars, parked under a bridge, an old spot where they used to hang out with Asa. Sterling had three tough looking guys with him, wearing dark clothes and carrying masks in their hands.

    "Hey," Sterling said, clapping Locke on the shoulder. "Let's hear it."

    Locke leaned up against the side of Sterling's truck. "Asa's in some kinda trouble, but she's dealing with it, and she wants our help with something she can't get to right now."

    Sterling spat on the ground, scuffing it across the gravel with the toe of his shoe. "Okay."

    Locke glanced up at the three guys, but they were out of earshot, talking amongst themselves quietly. "Remember seeing her the other night? Persia's husband, Jayce, did that, and she let him, because Persia asked her not to hurt him. If she actually fought back, he'd be a goner."

    Sterling laughed.

    "Well, it turns out that he's still a wife beater. She let Jayce have her for nothing, and now she wants help getting revenge. Which is what we're gonna do."

    Sterling nodded, cracking his neck. "How much damage can we do to that piece of garbage?"

    "Not enough to put his life in danger. But enough to leave an impression. Asa wants him to know that it can't happen again."

    "Got it. What's the plan?"

    "His car is at their house right now. We'll pick him up and take him back here."

    "And Persia?"

    "No idea. She doesn't have a car, so it's hard to know where she is."

After discussing the plan, the five of them drove to Persia's house, shrouded by the darkness of the night. The lights of the house were on, and the neighborhood was spaced out enough that people wouldn't be able to easily see what they were doing.

    "I see him. He's in the living room."

    "Anyone else home?"

    "I don't see Persia."

    "But his car is still here. Where would she be?"

    "Forget it, it doesn't matter. We're gonna take him and his car. Let's go."

    The door was unlocked when they opened it.

    "Cocky bastard," one of Sterling's guys muttered.

    Persia's husband was lying on the couch, snoring loudly. The tv was playing some kind of late night porn as they snuck in and hoisted him up. Locke shuffled through Jayce's pockets, pulling out his phone and car keys.

A little boy walked through the doorway into the living room just as they were carrying him through the front door, and he stopped in his tracks, blinking at them.

Mike. Joe's son.

If Mike was there, then Persia was definitely inside too. Locke and Sterling glanced at each other, but they weren't gonna stop now.

Mike watched them as they resumed. He walked to the open front door as they quickly carried Jayce's limp body toward the truck, and asked loudly, "What are you doing with my uncle?"

They ignored him, and he turned around and ran back through the house, calling Persia's name. Jayce didn't even stir as they shoved him into the truck and hopped in, slamming the doors as they went. Locke slid into Jayce's car, cranking it hard and fast.

Suddenly, Persia came running outside after them, Mike trailing after her. Her eyes were wide as she waved her arms at them, calling out something they couldn't hear in their desperation to escape.

    "Shit," Sterling cursed as he stepped on it, barrelling out of the yard.

    They all drove away, leaving the house behind. Locke tossed Jayce's phone out of the window, watching it slam onto the pavement and smash to pieces under Sterling's truck wheels.

    They stopped back under the bridge, pulling Jayce out of Sterling's truck. He was waking up at this point, and they dragged him over to the river under the bridge, shoving his head into the water. He spluttered, shaking his head, water droplets flying everywhere.

    "What the fuck!" he cried out, looking around frantically, his words still slightly slurred from the alcohol, but he was mostly sober. "Who the hell are you guys? What's going-"

    Sterling kicked him in the ribs, punching the rest of the words out of him. He crouched down, lifting his head by the hair, looking into his eyes. "Wanna know who we are? Take a guess."

    He blinked, wheezing, then his eyes narrowed in recognition despite the mask Sterling was wearing on his face. "You're with Asa, aren't you?"

    "Sure are," Sterling said, nodding.

     "Did she send you?"

    Sterling hit him again, ignoring his question.

    Locke knelt down in front of Jayce, smirking as he looked back with contempt. He flicked his lighter, burning the end of a cigarette, inhaling the smoke and blowing it in his face. "Asa let you beat her the other day, without knowing that you're still abusing her sister behind closed doors."

    Persia's husband scoffed. "None of your business what I do with my wife."

    Locke stood up. "Oh, yes it is. And now, you're gonna pay for it."