REALLY ✓

27: The Black Truth

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     JUDAH's POV:

"Fuck! This isn't working!" 

My fist slammed to the nearest wall and my eyes scrunched in pain. My head was spinning and I was staggering all over the room, hitting the furniture all around me.

After our talk and Blondie took off running, it was as if she took my sanity along with her. I couldn't blame her for leaving though. I said some pretty shitty things to her.

I wanted her to leave me alone and that was what she did. But when I saw her took off with Blake in his car, for a split second there I wanted to bang my fist on the car window, telling her to get off.

But I had no right. She was way better off.

After she was gone, I was left with this void and anger. I was mad—at myself, at the world, and at everything. There was so much anger in me and I was desperate to numb the pain, so I headed over to Castro's.

Castro's was the bar that Max's family owned. We hung out here all the time, and this was where Max would run his business. In daytime, this place was just your typical bar. But at night, Max had turned the basement into an underground fighting ring. A lot of money an drugs were involved, and it was everything that a kid like Max and I ever wanted. He got all the money he wanted and I got all the highs—it was a beautiful friendship.

Our friendship began when I first moved back to Hawaii early in the summer. I was just riding through town when I saw some guys were harassing this redhead girl. No, I ain't no knight in a shining armor, so I didn't wanna get involved, especially after I told my ma I was gonna stay out of the trouble. But then, the girl started to fight back and she kicked these guy's asses. I thought that was pretty badass, so I stayed and watched. The girl was Ava, and she was winning, that was until one of the guys started to pull a gun out. That was when I knew I had to step in.

I ended up saving her life that night. She told me about who she was and that her brother would reward me generously for what I had done. I didn't care for all that reward bullshit, so I told her to shove it. But then she told me about Max and his people and all about the fighting ring. I thought the whole fighting ring stuff was pretty damn cool and I got curious, so I asked her to take me there.

That night, I ended up entering the fighting ring because I just wanted a good fight. I didn't think much of it, but I ended up winning the whole thing. Little seventeen-year-old fucking boy from fucking nowhere got all the glory. Max was quick to notice my talents and he put it to good use. I'd beat up guys who owed him money or guys he'd want information from. Soon enough, I became Max's second-favorite killing machine. The first one is his .45 semi-automatic ACP handgun. But unlike his first favorite, I never actually killed anyone. Yet.

Now I was in the back room of Castro's, alone with Ava and I was downing all these pills, chasing some nonexistent high. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get her off my mind. No matter how many I took, my chest wouldn't stop aching in pain. So I got up and started raiding Max's desk drawer. I knew that Ava always kept the extra stuff lying somewhere in here. 

"You've already doubled your dose, Judah. Slow down, you're gonna kill yourself!" Ava sounded worried. She swiftly put herself between me and the desk.

"I need something stronger!" I protested as I pushed her away.

After a good minute of rummaging, finally I found a packet filled with white powder stashed at the bottom of the drawer, complete with a new syringe, spoon, and filter. When I managed to pull it out, Ava was quick to snatch it away from me.

"No, you've had enough," she said rather sternly.

"Give me the damn bag goddamnit!" my fist connected to the desk, making a loud thudding noise.