My head was in so much pain. Hitting it against the concrete will do that to you though. I shook my head as I stirred a little bit in pain. I felt pain shooting up the side of my leg and around my right hip. I think that's where I fell first before my face hit the ground.
I was scared to open my eyes. I felt my hands being tied up behind my back against a cool chair. I already had an idea of what could be going on but I didn't want to face that reality. I heard footsteps traveling down the stairs and I knew someone was coming my way.
Not wanting to risk any confrontation I keep my eyes closed and decide to play dead. I don't anyone to talk to me.
I felt someone's breath on my face as I started to sense a source of heat coming closer to me.
"You're not fooling anyone, Karma. Open your eyes." Dammit
I open my eyes to be met with hazel-green ones as Jesse stares directly at me. He's about a few inches from my face causing me to jerk my head back in surprise as I begin to realize how close he is.
He grabs a chair and turns it around, straddling either side. Something he seems to have a habit of doing.
He looks at me for a while before sighing heavily, "Why do you keep reappearing in my life?" he asks, "I'm starting to see where the origin of your name came from."
I drop my mouth in shock as he stares at me blankly in all seriousness
"Why do you keep shooting people in front of me? How are you apart of a gang and you can't even murder someone correctly?"
"Listen here you little---"
"And how dare you! You're mad at me? When I called you out on being a gang leader, which you clearly are," I say as I look around to make a point, "You had the audacity to sit here and say that I 'listen to gossip'. You sat there and gaslighted the fuck out of me just for my suspicions and everyone else's suspicions to be true." I say letting out a breath in disbelief. I'd cross my arms if it weren't tied to the back of this chair.
"And another thing---" I cut myself off as I widen my eyes when I see that he's pulled out a gun and is holding it directly aimed at my head. The same way he killed that guy in the alley.
"Are you gonna continue?" he asks, the gun held tightly in his grip as I shake my head vigorously from side to side, swallowing nervously.
"I thought so." He lowers the gun and places it on the ground right next to the left leg of the chair
"Ok." he raises his hands in mock surrender, "Yeah. You're right. I lied. I run gangs that run in the U.S and Italy, and I've kept my identity a bit under the radar so yeah I had to stretch the truth a little bit," he says.
"I don't owe you," he points at me, "Or any of those sons of bitches that go to that school a damn explanation for why I do what I do."
"While you're out here trying to figure out why E=mc^2 or whatever bullshit we learn in calculus, I have to focus on things, not even someone as smart as you would understand. You and your little first world problems." he shakes his head. "So excuse me for not writing, 'I'm a gang leader' across my forehead. My apologies." he says sarcastically and rolls his eyes.
I have a question but I'm too afraid to say it out loud. I think he expects an answer from me though because he's looking at me and staring at me like I'm dumb or something.
He motions his hand over at me to speak probably because he saw the way my lips curled into my mouth to keep silent
Mustering up the courage to speak, I ask. "So...like...now that you've kind of explained your side of the story." I trail off feeling awkward for asking, "Can I go home? I'm way past curfew and my parents don't know where I am?" I ask hoping that he just has mercy on me and lets me go.
Ooh please have mercy on me! Take it easy on my---shit--focus Karma!
Jesse looks at me in confusion as he begins to stare at me again. His mouth opening but no words come out, "So I just confessed to you that I am not only apart of a gang, but I run it, You've watched me kill someone twice but this one you were actually sober enough to remember it, and now your biggest concern is whether or not I'll let you go on time so you can get back to your parents?" he shakes his head.
"Well, technically it wouldn't be on time. I'm sure they're probably deciding my punishment as we speak."
"Oh yeah and what would that be? You give up your phone for the weekend?" he laughs casually throwing his head back as some hair falls onto his forehead in the process.
"Actually no. I'd probably have to wake up earlier on Saturday to clean the whole house and I probably wouldn't be able to leave the house ever again for any after school activity even though they already grounded me from leaving to do anything at all so."
Jesse snorts out another laugh as I hear footsteps coming down the steps and my heart drops at who I see.
I see Ryan and some other guy walking slowly down the steps. Ryan rushes and pushes the other guy out of the way when he sees I'm awake.
"Oh my God! Karma! I'm so glad you're ok" he bends to my level in this chair and squeezes the life out of me. "I don't know what I'd do if you died on my watch. Paola would skin me alive if she knew about any of this."
I shake my head and try to shrug him off of me as I look at him in confusion, "You are going to tell her about this situation you got going on right?"
He turns his head to the side and backs away from me slowly, "Umm..." he trails off.
"No. He won't and neither will you." Jesse cuts in. "Did you not hear anything I just told you?" He narrows his eyes at me.
"Well yeah but that's practically his girlfriend!"
"Practically doesn't mean official and even if they were official I'd still say no."
"If he doesn't tell her and she finds out later she'll be crushed," I say
"Well good for me." he says "One less person to worry about," he mutters lowly.
"I don't understand how you don't care for anyone but yourself---" I cut myself off as I feel my stomach start to grumble and I realized I forgot the most important thing.
"Where's my food!" I shout in disbelief that I haven't eaten all day.
They all look at me in confusion for the billionth time tonight before the other guy who I have yet to learn the name of says, "Oh yeah the box of Chinese you dropped when you hit your head! Yeah, good lookin' out little mama. I tore that shit up! I was starving and Jesse--" he looks at Jesse accusedly before rolling his eyes, "--Forgot to tell the housekeeper to go shopping again." he says before going back on his phone, "I honestly thought you weren't gonna wake up again though."
I drop my head and sigh as I feel tears threatening to come out of my eyes. Call me a baby all you want but I really do treasure food and this imbecile really ate the only food that I was counting on when I get home. If I get home.
Speaking of which, "Can I go home now!" I almost whine "If tying me up is punishment for watching you all kill someone trust me when I say, my parents are Nigerian immigrants and will definitely handle me when I get home." I reason with them trying to get them to leave me alone and let me go home but Jesse's other friend, who I've decided that I'm just gonna call him Scooby since he wants to eat all my damn food and be a fatass, can only sit there and laugh at my pain.
"Wait what? I thought you were Hawaiian?" Ryan says and I almost groan out loud as Jesse starts laughing again.
"You've already missed curfew so why don't you stay awhile?" Jesse asks and as I go to speak he cuts me off, "Not that it was a genuine question. I'm keeping you here overnight. You've seen too much and I need to make sure you don't try to call the cops if I just let you leave right now."
"You think I'd call the cops and admit myself to the police that I witnessed a murder, twice, so the rest of your gang can fuck me up whilst your prison? Are you dumb?"
"Oh. I like her." Scooby says nodding his head, chewing on his gum with his mouth open "I see it now, Jesse."
Jesse freezes and looks up at him as I try to decipher what he meant by that. Quickly looking back at me, I raise my eyebrow at him in question wanting to know what he'll do with me.
"Cy, go order some food." Jesse gets up from the chair and goes to a closet in the back of the room, I think we're in a basement, he opens it and grabs a pair of sweatpants and a T-Shirt. It's most likely his and he chucks it at me as it lands on my lap.
Raising both my eyebrows he says, "Change into that. You're staying here." and he goes to walk past Scooby and Ryan as he walks up the stairs and they follow him.
I look at my current situation and sigh loudly, "Well it's gonna be pretty hard to do since I'm still tied to a chair, jackass!" I yell in their direction hearing Jesse walk down the stairs slowly as he stops a few inches from me and sucks his teeth before walking behind my chair and undoing the ropes.
I'm totally getting sent to Nigeria now. There's just no avoiding it.
————
Uh oh :/