The young and lazy hood was leaned back against Jose's couch with one leg hanging off the couch and the other propped up on the arm of the chair. He held a special comic book in his hand in front of his face and although it was a good and expensive comic, he had a question floating around in his head.
"What d'you remember about my ma?"
Jose, who had been sitting at the kitchen table looks over at Curly. He had been eating a plate of food before he turned in for the night. "Your ma? I remember she was a real sweetheart. I mean, til she got hooked but..it happens."
When it came to feelings about his Ma, Curly became puzzled. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to have unconditional love for the woman who brought him into the world or if he should hate her for her mistakes. Because of her awful mistakes, he had mental and physical scars that reminded him of all he missed out on during his childhood. He couldn't help but think and wonder, if she had never gotten hooked, would he be apart of a gang? If his dad wasn't dead where would they be? Gloriana Shepard had to have been crazy, no sane woman could ever do so much wrong to her children.
"We tried to help y'all out but your Ma...she was persistent. You always loved your Ma so we figured you'd come to us when you were ready." Jose explained.
That bit had been true, Curly was the one who stayed attached to his Ma the longest. Always behind her, he had been her shadow when he was a child. They had special moments between themselves that he'd think back on sometimes late at night. He couldn't remember when he had cut the ties between the both of them but it had taken a long time.
"What happened between you and mis Tio's?" Curly asked.
Jose let out a soft chuckle before shaking his head slightly. "They ain't tell you by now? It was over your Ma and that dumb-ass Daddy of yours." Jose snickered.
For most of Curly's childhood and teenage years, he hadn't heard a word about his father. He had been a hushed topic, sort of taboo. He had no knowledge of what he was like and he could on rely on his memories of him which were completely unreliable being that he was only about 8 when he died. And most of those memories had been pushed to the back of Curly's mind.
"What he do?"
"That's a story for a 'nother time. Si?" Jose said as he rinsed his plate.
Curly nodded and his eyes followed Jose as he walked away. The atmosphere had become tense after he brought the questions up, it was obvious Jose didn't want to talk about it and he didn't want Curly knowing about it. It was as if the whole family kept secrets and Curly was the only one left out of the loop. He was sick of them feelings as if he couldn't handle the pressure. Curly shook his head and sat up, tying his shoes and slugging his arms through his jacket. He needed to take a walk, the car didn't have any gas and he knew the air would feel good on his face. And besides, he liked to look at the full moon.
Curly found himself on the other side of town in a small store. He handed some cash over to the cashier for a record. He had been planning for a few days to come buy the record and give it to Daisy. He hadn't intended on doing it tonight but he figured he should do it as soon as possible. He knew she would smile when she saw it, Daisy loved The Supremes and she loved Diana Ross. She always hummed along to the music. Curly thought she deserved something nice for always being there for him when he needed it. He hadn't had Jimmy to lean on, but he had her. And she never judged him when he unloaded his thoughts, she took it and received it.
As Curly walked away from the store, he could hear his feet crunching the rocks below his shoes. After a few minutes, he could hear more footsteps pick up behind him. He felt like the biggest idiot once he realized that his "company" had trapped him in an alley.
"Well. If it isn't Baby Shepard." A low voice snickered as Curly turned around.
He immediately tensed and hunched his shoulders. The habit was a defense mechanism. He had to be prepared for what was about to happen, he'd either A. Get jumped or B. Get killed. Tiber Gang was ruthless. He looked around to check his surroundings, there were about 3 guys who circled him. Curly's eyes traveled to their hands and their belts to see if they had any sort of heater on them. It didn't look like they did, they seemed to be a little intoxicated. But you could never be sure about what people had on themselves. Curly felt like an idiot and at the moment, he could understand Tim's frustrations. He could hear Tim's monotone voice going on about how he never thought things out and how he'd get hurt one of these days. Curly was feeling like today was the day. He was sure of it.
"You fucked us over big time!" a kid said.
Curly's heartbeat quickened as he tried to think over his little bit of options. He was about 10 minutes away from Daisy's neighborhood, which meant he was just about fucked. He would never be able to make it there. He had to think quick and swift. If he wasn't, he could end up dead. Curly grumbled to himself when he noticed that there were four guys and not three. The fourth one had been leaning against the wall father back. He looked to be the devious ring leader.
"I'm tired of you Shepards, thinking you're big and bad and shit. Give me this shit!" The kid growled. He leaned over to snatch the record but Curly moved it behind his back.
"Don't touch the record." Curly warned.
He knew he was in no position to act like a tough guy, he was beyond nervous. But if he let them have the record they'd underestimate his abilities. He would be even more of a target and so would the Shepard Gang. He wasn't going to bitch up for them and give in to their antics. He'd remain cool and calm, just like Tim would've reacted in this situation. Like he had been trained to do.
"Shepard got a girlfriend? What's her name, bet you I'd take better care of her than you do. Fuck her right." The kid teased, getting the other hoods to get in on the joke.
Curly rolled his eyes at the vulgar comments. He had been relieved that he hadn't gotten Daisy involved in any of the gang activities, if they knew her name and who her brother was, they would have loved to use her against them. Especially because she had been a virgin, Tiber was cruel to go through with their threats. The thought of it made him sick to think of what they were capable of. He hated it.
"Enough fucking around." Another kid said, the one who had been leaning against the wall.
He noticed that one of the kids whipped something out of his pocket. It shined from the single street light in the alley but from where Curly was standing he couldn't figure it out. It looked to be like some kind of debris, some sort of metal or shank.
"Bobby, get him from the back." The kid ordered.
The kids grabbed Curly's arms that made him drop the record. The one with the metal, Bobby, had been behind him. From glancing behind his back, Curly could finally see that it was a screwdriver. Curly tried not to show his sneaky grin, if he survived this ass kicking, he was lucky to have gotten a name from it. He repeated the name several times so he could remember his name. Bobby. Once he found him, he'd be sorry he did. Curly had to face it, there wasn't a point in running away. He was in their turf and if he ran and they caught him, they'd come back with more and they'd kill him. He'd just have to take his chances.
"You try anything funny I'll drive this shit in your spine." the kid whispers.
Curly's stomach drops at the threat. The mere thought of the screwdriver driving in his back made him extremely nervous. Out of all the weapons, it could've been a knife or even a homemade shank and he wouldn't of been this vexed, but a fucking screwdriver? That was beyond sadistic. The other kid grins with a rare look of evil, he was the kind of person who enjoyed watching people suffer and cry out from pain. He smiled as he stepped forward, positioning the brass knuckles on his fingers. He draws his hand back and throws multiple punches to Curly's face. He tries to block out the pain and take the punches, he thinks of another time but his body can't keep up with the pain. When they're done, he's unconscious. They throw him to the floor like a worthless piece of paper and run out of the alley as they heard sirens a few blocks over. In Curly's fuzzy, dark mind, he can just hear Tim saying he told him so.
When Curly finally regains his consciousness, he's clutching the record to his chest. His eyes bolt open once he realizes he's on the ground in an alley that wasn't his turf. As he moves, he can feel the pain shooting through his body, more specifically his ribs and he's scared to move. Scared he'll make his injuries worse. For a moment, it's hard for him to remember what happened to him until it flashes back to him. He had been jumped and a kid named Bobby pressed a screwdriver to his back. Curly sat up as fast as his ribs would let him, the only thing on his mind was getting out of that alley before they came back for round two, they'd be sure to kill him then.
He was more than lucky to even be alive as of now. Curly couldn't shake the feeling of how dumb he had to have been for even stepping into their turf during a gang war. He quickly stood up and bolted out of there before anyone could realize who he was. Going back to Jose's was too far and he wouldn't be able to make it without passing out again. If he went back home Tim would for sure be pissed off. So he ran to Daisy's house, her light had been off but he still lazily knocked on her window, slumped against his shoulder. He was relieved when he saw a sleepy-eyed Daisy appear at the window.
"Curly? Are you alright?" Daisy yawns as she rubs at her eye.
"No." Curly answers honestly. He can feel a cold sweat running down his back. "I just got jumped and I needed somewhere to go."
Daisy's eyes go wide from shock, she steps away from the window and helps Curly come in. He had used most of strength to make it to her place so he wasn't surprised when he stumbled onto her floor. She had made sure he was sitting upright before disappearing for a second and returning with ice. She frowned as she crouched and pressed it to Curly's face. She looked as if she'd cry any second now.
"Curly what the hell were you doing walking around so late?" She hisses.
Curly lets out a breath before putting putting the record on her bed. "I was getting this for you."
Daisy smiles like he knew she would. It's a sweet moment as she looks over the record and then at him before pulling him into a soft hug and pressing her lips to his head. He can't help but slump against her being that he had no energy to sit up on his own. He could feel his eyes sinking and the feeling of him sleeping was overcoming his body.
"Curly you didn't have to. You could've gotten killed." She whispers.
The pair sat on the floor as she gently wipes at his face, cleaning it as she goes. It stings and he can barely focus but he refuses to react to the pain. He knew he had scared her, seeing him battered and bruised. He didn't want her to worry but he couldn't think of another place to go. She softly whispers a prayer, one that he recognizes. His mom used to recite it with him, only it had been in Spanish. Her soft voice had been a comfort. How ironic, who would've guessed he be hearing this prayer after yet another severe beating.
"Here take your shirt off. These are old Willy's gym shorts you can wear." She says as she hands them to Curly, helping him pull the shirt over his head.
Curly sleepily pulls himself out of his jeans, he notices he's good blood everywhere. He hadn't even thought of going somewhere else to change, once he noticed Daisy's blushing at the sight of him in his underwear. He had forgotten how modest she was. "Willy would sure laugh at this sight."
"He probably would." Daisy says quietly. "Now get in the bed." Daisy orders as she helps Curly up.
She flicks the light off and Curly's eyes close quickly. He's still awake for the time being, his mind running wild and thinking about that damn screwdriver drilled into his back. Within seconds a disaster could've happened because of a screwdriver. He had to have been a nutcase. Worse than Andrew from the Shepard Gang.
"Curly you'll be careful next time?" Daisy asks, he can feel her hand gently moves across his waist.
"Yeah.."
The sit in silence for a little bit. It hurts to move so he stays on his back. He couldn't imagine what he would've done without her. "Dais?"
"Mm?"
"He had a screwdriver pressed in my back." Curly whispers.
Daisy lets out a soft sight. Her breath is shaky as she caresses Curly's face as softly as she can. She doesn't say anything and she doesn't have to. In fact, Curly prefers that. Her actions were enough words for him. He feels a stray tears roll out from his eye and he sure that she knows. He felt vulnerable once again, just like her at the diner. He's finally opened up. He figured it was about time.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..
Comments!
Phoenix Arisin
Thanks for liking the plot! I just finished planning the rest of the story out. And yeah I'm trying to into more detail about Curly's childhood in terms of who raised him and how (probably more in the next chapter). Thanks for liking Connie, I was scared people wouldn't like her. I love her character and I even debated on making a story of her own for her. Poor Connie, she's got a crush on Curly :(. And I try to make Curly protective of Daisy because she's the only person who really understands him and also he feels like he should protect her innocence. Thanks for reading!
I look forward to hearing everyone's feedback :)