The Greys in Between

V: A D A M (part two)

"I will never forgive you, James."

"Anna, don't say-"

"Don't say what? Don't say the fact that you broke my heart?"

"Anna-"

"No. James, I don't want to see your face again."

"Anna, please. Let me explain-"

"Explain? Explain? No. You had fifty chances between that day and now to explain." 

"But, babe, it's only a taco."

"ONLY A TACO?"

I start laughing uncontrollably and suddenly the house lights lit up my face, blinding me.

"CUT! CUT, I SAY!" The director yells to the cameras as he waddles over to us. Mr. Tan was a pudgy man with a stress-stubble harvesting across his accented gray cheeks. That day he decided on wearing a pinstripe suit with an array of gray splashed on his tie. 

"What the hell was that, Adam?"

"Mr. Tan, that is the result is an idiotic script," I reply with a certain cockiness.

"No, Taylor. That is the result of a half-assed actor." I laugh at his comment.

"If I'm such a bad actor, I quit. Find a better guy to play James." With that, I march out of the studio.

I hear short and strong steps following me, turning around, I see that it's the girl who plays Anna. Doris, I think she said her name was. 

"You can tell Mr. Tan that I'm done. No bribes."

"Funny, I'm not messaging pigeon. I came to tell you something else." Doris says, rather confidently.

"Well, what is it?"

"There's an amazing bar across the street and four buildings down." Okay, so?

"Would you be interested in going there and just," she exhales loudly and throw her hands up "just, live?"

"Why the hell not?" I grin widely and follow her out of the studio.

****

"So do you only act?" She asks me after we reach the bar and order a beer. 

"Nah, it's a job on the side," I say and she laughs. I didn't think it was funny.

"So, what do you do?" She asks, leaning in a little bit too close.

"I teach English Literature to ungrateful seniors,"  I say leaning a bit backward.

"Really? At which school?" She leaned back to a normal position so I think she got the message.

"Copper Valley." She grins so wide that it reached her eyes.

"Seriously? Me too! I teach sixth-grade science!"

"That's awesome!" I pause and think whether I want to ask my next question or not. I decide to ask it.

"Did you teach Jake Andrews?" Her eyes lose their warmth and start staring down to the floor.

"Yes. Ages ago." She says quietly. What's up with that?

"Why so sad? Was he a menace in sixth-grade as well?" I ask, trying to add a little positivity.

"No, nothing like that," She says and plasters on a fake grin. "he is exceptionally smart for his... situation." Situation?

"Doris," she looks up, but her eyes don't meet mine. "what's Jake's situation?" I say gently. I really do care about my students, but this may be a bit too much caring. But still, I need to know so that I can help him.

"He's an orphan, but I'm sure you knew that." I nod. I did, it came in his private file.

"But, what you don't know is how he became an orphan." It's my turn to lean in close. I suddenly see all the freckles on her face, how a few can almost join up to form Orian. She is quite attractive I have to admit.

"You see," Doris continues "Jake's parents are still alive. But they are very, very bad people."

"Doris, who are they?" I can almost see the pelts of sweat drip from her forehead.

"They're the founders of Snakebites."

****

We left the bar and I offered to walk her home. She declined, said that she had a Hover. But, we did agree to meet there, at the bar next to Celestial Theaters, again tomorrow afternoon. 

Tomorrow afternoon came.

I reached the bar and sat at the same counter as yesterday. I waited. And waited. And waited.

She didn't show up.

Furious, I leave a tip for the bartender and leave with my head pointed down to the concrete. Out of nowhere, I hear the ambulance sirens rush down Hollywood. Disregarding it, I keep walking. And walking. And walking. 

I reach home and turn on LANews to see what the ambulances were for.

"...a Hover accident. Witnesses say that she was going extremely fast and completing multiple spins in the air as if she were putting on a show for the passer-bys. When all of a sudden she slips off the Hover and plummets...to her death." Scenes from the events come up and I feel my muscles contract. Why would they? A picture of the victim projected on the screen, and I turned on my side and moaned. I knew why now. 

It was Doris. Doris is dead. 

☾☾☾☾

Song: That's What I Like by Bruno Mars
Next Update: IDK, but sometime either this week or this weekend.
QOTC: Did you guys expect Jake's background was so... mysterious?
Side note: Guys, feel free to DM me questions, ideas or we can just talk! I will answer directly or publically, depending on what you tell me. If you give me an idea, I might as well dedicate a chapter to you!
ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING ME TO #581  IN MYSTERY/THRILLER! LOVE Y'ALL!