I Have to Go

New York; 2.15 a.m.

   "Hey, what can you do? Did you sing, right? Maybe it'll work." we stopped at a quiet street, there's just about 3 or 5 cars that cross. On the each other side of the street, there is a lot of rows of small stores and some cheap apartments. The sidewalks is slightly damaged and a few people passing by, but not as much as in the downtown, because it's 2 in the morning.
   "Yeah, I sing."
   "Let's find a less amusement bar, your voice may sell."
   We walked until our eyes caught a three little bars on the sidewalk, he looked at me, give me a time to choose which one we should go. And I chose the center one.
   He get into the bar and I followed, "Are you sure?"
   "Yeah, what's wrong?" he looked around the bar.
   "What if we suddenly expelled?" I talked to him with a low voice.
   "Just go into the bartender, buy a cheapest drink. We think about how to pay it later. I'll take this." then he left me.
   I ordered a cheapest drink and I didn't touch it at all when the bartender finally gave me the drink. My finger is just dancing around the glass. After a few second waiting, he came out from a room and he was running towards me. He pulled my hand and I fell the glass. Make a noise. I can see someone came out from the same room where he came and said, "Don't come back!" in a high tone. I heard the bartender said that he want me to pay.
   "Sorry, we'll come back!" I shouted.
   We're finally out of the bar, we stopped about 3 meters from it when we started to heard someone shouted inside the bar. He pulled me again and we're running to nowhere. After we ran far enough, he was laughing, but not laughing at me. I don't know why he's laughing and I'm not physically able to run again. So we stopped. We can heard our breath panting around the quiet atmosphere. And he laughed.
   "Did you think this is funny? Running from the bar because we didn't pay?" I said.
   "The man in that room thought that I was a thief. I didn't have a time to explain why I was there but he just showed me a gun so I ran." he controlled his breath. "And you know, I was laughing because I did something fun with a stranger."
   I looked at him. He was so kind, he's really want to helped me get home. I can see his little long hair dangling on his face and he still looked at me so we chuckled.
   He was looking around, trying to found some ideas but he looked at me again. "Hey, I'm Jase. Jase Howard. Who are you?"
   "Alanis Bradshaw."
   "Nice name, Aly. Don't you mind if I called you with it?"
   I smiled, "Every people called me that."
   "Alright, Aly, are you hungry? My friend live near here. A full belly might give us an idea."
   I nodded then smiled and we walked side by side. "So tell me about you."
   He looked at me, gave me a 'are you sure want to hear this?' look. He smiled and he started talking,    "I'm a student and this is my last year on high school."
   "Oh, we're on the same age!" I cutted him spontaneously.
   "Really? Oh, nice!" he shouted and we laughed. "I lived with my parents at one of the house on that housing." he pointed towards areas that tend to be higher and I can see the housing. "After I graduated from high school, I'm going to college and I would like to live alone outside the city."
   "Oh, wait, you said your night was already ruined before I showed up, what's that supposed to mean?"
   He looked at me, and he looked shocked. "My night," he looked at the sidewalk, his hands in the pocket. "I broke up with my girlfriend tonight."
   I didn't know what to say, I just looked at the same sidewalks with him. "I'm sorry."
   "No, that was okay. I found you in the middle of the night and we both doing something fun." he chuckled. "I was in the store at 1 a.m. because I was back from my friend's house and I don't want to be home."
   "I see, maybe it will reminds you something about her."
   He smiled then he changed the topic. "How about you? Tell me yours."
   I sighed and started talking, "I was the only child and I lived with my aunt because it's closer to school." I stopped talking. "The rest is not interesting."
   "Oh, come on, don't make me curious." he begged, "or maybe you'll talk when we dine. So, welcome to the most comfortable house in New York."
   We are in front of a modest home. There are a few stairs from the sidewalk to reach the main door made from the wood with an artsy carving. He knocked it and no need a long time, a boy who looked at the same age with us came out with a face that looked just waking up. He grabbed his glasses and wore it. "Why are you knocking at my door when the owl is not ready for their dinner? If my parents is here, they will killed you until you die. Come in." he let us to go inside the house. "Hey, girl, who are you?"
   I'm about to answered his question but Jase was already answered it. "Alanis Bradshaw. She's my new friend and we need your help."
   "Alanis. Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Cody."
   I smiled to him, "Nice to meet you too."
   "So what you guys need?" Cody let us sit in the living room.
   "We came here for a food." Jase said.
   "There's some instant food in the kitchen." Cody looked at me. "Did you just need a help?."
   Jase stood up and walked to the kitchen while I talked with Cody. "Jase took me here and I didn't want to bother you." I speak awkwardly. It's just like Jase forced me to asked for help to Cody. "I was from Boston. I came here for an audition and I was being theft so I have nothing left but I should get home in the morning." I looked at Jase an he raised his eyebrow. "Look, I didn't ask you for help, I just, I just, told you why I'm here."
   Jase throw a snack to us and he put a two glass of water before he throw his body on the couch. "But she gotta need it. She need your help. Would you mind to help us?" he opened the snack and started to eat. "Hey, where's your brother? He always had a brilliant ideas."
   "I would like to help you, but, HEY, DANNY, SOMEONE IS WAITING YOU DOWN HERE!" Cody shouted and there's a noise at the upstair.
   Someone is walked through the stairs, "Who's that?"
   "Jase and his new friends. He asked you for a help."
   He was ran toward us. He wore a dark colored hoodie, ripped jeans and big dumb boot. He took my glass of water and drink it in one sip. "Don't eat a chinese food there, about three blocks from here. And if you don't have a money to pay, they really know how to kungfu." he put the empty glass in front of me. "So, hey, you are my brother's new friend? I'm Danny, nice to meet you, girl." the boy who named Danny was smiling at me.
   It took a couple second for us before Jase explained what was happened to me this day.
   "You want to get home? Alright, you can get home but let me drink as much as that chinese food stop burning my stomach." then he took the empty glass and filled it with a water.
When he walked to kitchen, Jase whispered something to me. "He look stupid but he can be trusted."
   I smiled. When we're just waiting for Danny, I asked Cody to lend me a phone.
   "There it is." Cody pointed a phone house near the bookself.
   I called my aunt, but there is no answer so I left the voice message.
   I go back to them and I can see Danny was already in the couch.
   Jase looked at me. "How it was?"
   "I left a voice message. Hope she get it soon." then I sat down.
   "So you wanna go home?" Danny asked me.
   "It should be like that," I was looking at the clock. "but I just have about thirteen minute left to be here if I want to get home right at 7."
   "This was so late, there is no bus or train right now. They'll operate again about six in the morning. Or you'll spend all your money to get a taxi? Don't be a fool." he looked at me. "But maybe this is work." he grab his phone and called someone. There's no answer but he still tried to called. "No answer. Maybe he's busy with a girl and drunk. I was going to borrow his car and drive you home."
   "Thank you." I smiled slightly. I know there's no hope left anymore.
   "Why don't you stay here for a while?." Cody asked.
   "I really think so, but—" I took a deep breath and didn't continue the words.
   After a little talk, Jase and I left the home. Saying a huge thanks to them and we walked again through the cold.