The South Side

Chapter 6

Ryder followed Sue through the bar, all the way towards the stage. "Don't worry, Suga'," Sue spoke over her shoulder as she walked, "I found Rick and he knows your situation. He'll help ya out."

Ryder nodded his head until he realised Sue was in front of him. "Okay," he responded quickly in hopes she heard him over the noise of the bar. 

To be honest with himself, Ryder was still a bit unsure about following Sue here, but at the same time, he knew he did not really have any other option. Sue was the only person in the area, and she willingly offered him some help; he did not have to wander the streets of the sketchy South Side and that was more than he could have hoped.

After a few more moments, Sue reached a battered door. It was to the left of the stage and had definitely seen its better days. Without hesitation, Sue swung open the door and walked in. Ryder quickly followed her once more.

The inside was completely unexpected. While Ryder had expected an office, the space behind the door was a lounge, similar yet completely different to the spaces he would hang out in back stage before a performance. It had a basic layout: two couches, a coffee table, a tv showing what's on stage, and a door to the stage itself. In that aspect, it was no different from any place he had been before, just a bit more beat up and a lot more worn; however, beyond that, the room was like nothing he had seen before. 

Ryder just stood there in shock, observing the whole room. The walls. The ceiling. Hell, even the table was covered in posters, pictures, and graffiti. Photos of various sizes were attached to the wall in any way possible: tape, thumb tacks, staples. Each photo was different than the next, featuring a variety of people. Probably locals, regulars, and musicans of the area, Ryder assumed. The posters were just as foreign to Ryder, showcasing band that a well-versed music enthusiast such as himself had never heard of. The graffiti was crazy, gorgeous, and outlandish, perfectly mixing with the photos and poster inhabiting the wall. The art featured musicans and their instruments through unique and varied styles, which slowly made their way to the floor. Yes, the concrete floor too was unable to escape the chaos, featuring more works of graffiti and art, worn down by foot traffic.

Ryder did not know how long he had been standing there, but had been broken out of his daze by a hand being waved about in front of his face.

"Damn," said a gruff voice, one that had evidently been abused by years of smoking, "You sure this kid's okay, Sue? Don't tell me he's deaf. I can't do those flippy hand signs."

Ryder snapped his head to the voice, startled by the sudden awareness of a new presence. "Oh hi," Ryder said dumbly.

Sue let out a chortle. "He's fine, Rick," she said in amusement, "Probably just overwhelmed. Lord knows how a youngin like him wandered out so far."

"I agree with you there," Rick laughed, "So kid, tell me how you ended up here. You look like a walking wallet."

Ryder crinkled his face in confusion at the man he now identified as Rick. "A walking wallet?" he asked. He had no clue what Rick meant by that. His clothes were nothing special, just his favorites from high school. How the hell did his worn, thrifted clothes make him seem like a wallet.

Rick just shook his head and sighed. "You really don't know much, do you?" he said, "Your clothes might not have a lot of dollars to them, but they're well taken care of, no rips or patches. Hell, the way you carry yourself alone is enough. Practically telling everyone you're from Downtown. Anyway, that's not important, kid. Let's just get a layout here. How did you end up here?"

"Oh," Ryder said while scratching his head nervously, "Sue didn't tell you? I thought she did." She clearly told him that Rick knew about his situation, but now, Ryder had no clue what she told him and Ryder did not know where to even start in his explanation to Rick.

Rick snorted. "Really Sue?" he said turning his head to the woman, "Let me guess. You told the kid that you told me what's going on?"

Sue smiles sheepishly in response, and Rick looks back at Ryder, shaking his head in near exasperation. "Sorry, kid, Sue's nice, but at times, that niceness almost make me think that head's for decoration," he said, "She ran in here going on about some kid being lost and needing help. Sue then ran out of here, quick as she came. Said she was bringing you to me. I swear the moment someone needs help, Sue goes on a warpath."

"Oh," Ryder responds, not really sure what to make of the situation.

Almost as if Rick sensed Ryder's unsureness, he addresses him once more. "Anyway, tell me your name kid, a bit about yourself basically," he said casually, "Then work your way through how you got here."

With a bit more assurance than before, Ryder speaks up. "I'm Jackson. I'm from downtown," he said with tension still evident in his voice, "I uh- umm..." Ryder had no clue what to say beyond that. He could not just say 'Oh and I'm a world famous musician." Ryder knew nothing about these people, so he was not about to tell a random stranger, especially one from the South Side, that he was rich and famous.

After a few moment of silence, Sue spoke up. "No need ta get all worked up, Suga'," she said with a warm smile, "This ain't no interrogation. Just tell ol' Rick here whatcha problem is."

Ryder nodded. "I- well, I got stuck in the back of Sue's truck," he said embarrassed before letting out a nervous laugh, "Then I sort of fell asleep. I didn't realise until she found me and woke me up."

After a short pause, Rick lets out a huge burst of laughter. "That's the first time I've heard a story like that," he said wheezing, barely getting the words out, "How did you manage that, kid?"

Ryder took a longer pause, trying to figure out how to explain. "I was hiding from a friend," he said with confidence, "We got into an arguement and when I saw him on the streets a little while later, I hid in the closest thing around, Sue's truck. While waiting for him to leave, the truck started moving and I couldn't get out."

Rick looked at Ryder. He had a raised eyebrow, as though he did not really believe Ryder, but the man never commented on it. He merely spoke up to give Ryder a solution. "Okay, kid, that's an easy fix," he said, "I got a landline here in the lounge. That's probably the only phone in the building. You can call home, and see if some one can pick you up."

Ryder nodded in agreement and murmured a small thanks.

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A/N: SURPRISE! I'M BACK! I did warn y'all that I would release very inconsistenly, so thanks for bearing with me.

ALSO! SPOILER! (kinda): In case you're curious, the technology (not exactly everything else) in this story is like early 80s, so cellphones were uncommon and a luxury. I plan on trying to incorporate and explain it in the next chapter, but I'm not sure how well it will go, so I figured I should throw that out there before hand. Otherwise, I'll forget that it might not be clear and probably confuse people.

Word count: 1175
Date chapter finished: 3/27/2023
Date chapter published: 3/27/2023