DESPERATE

16

Jillian was startled by the second ring of the doorbell. She had completely ignored the first one. Anger stirred within her as she stormed to the door and flung it open. A cop stood on the porch, looking at her with a mix of concern and wariness. He reached for his Taser, ready to defend himself if she attacked.

"Ma'am, I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm here to ask you about that car over there." He pointed at the blue car with a smashed front bumper.

Jillian followed his gesture and stepped outside. She shook her head. "That's not our car."

A small voice piped up from behind her. "It's Vinny's car. He's dating my sister." Gail peeked out from behind her mother, clutching a barbie.

The cop bent down to examine the little girl's face. It was bruised and swollen. "Do you know where they are?" he asked.

"They're sleeping together in Dionah’s room.” Gail replied.

The cop was stunned by her answer. He looked at Jillian, who flushed with shame. She quickly changed the subject. "Gail, what happened to your eye and your forehead?" she asked, pulling her daughter closer to check her wounds.

Gail didn't remember how she got hurt. She lied and said she fell over a toy.

The cop narrowed his eyes at Jillian. The woman seemed aggressive, and he wondered if she could have harmed her own daughter. He crouched down and told the little girl, "Don't hesitate to tell me if someone is hurting you at home.”

Jillian snapped, “How dare you accuse me of hurting my own child!”

“It looks like your daughter had been beaten -,” A loud wail interrupted him.

A young man in his boxer shorts ran to the wrecked car. He sobbed uncontrollably. “Who did this to my car? How could they? This is unbelievable.”

His grandfather had given him the car as a birthday gift before he died. It meant the world to Vinny. He loved it more than anything.

Vinny felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around slowly. His eyes were red and swollen. He saw a cop standing next to a woman who was holding a little girl with a bruised eye. He asked them, in a mournful tone, “What do you want?” He just wanted to be alone. He leaned against his ruined car and cried like a child.

The cop felt sorry for the young man. He asked him gently, “What's your name?”

Gail pulled on her mother’s nightgown. “Mommy, it’s Vinny. He’s still in his underwear.”

Jillian's face drained of color. She couldn't believe her sixteen-year-old daughter was dating an older guy. She grabbed Vinny by his arm and glared at him. “How old are you? You're way too old for my daughter!”

Vinny was speechless. He stared at his bare feet. His car had been smashed by a lunatic. He had run into Dionah's mother and sister in the worst possible moment. He sobbed uncontrollably, again.

Her temples throbbed with rage, Jillian accused Vinny of taking advantage of her underage daughter. She pounded her fist on his chest, demanding an explanation. Vinny didn't say a word, just stood there like a statue.

The cop intervened and told Jillian to back off before he arrested her for child abuse and assault and battery.

Gail's heart shattered with fear. She knelt down and begged the cop. “Please, don't take my mommy to jail. She didn't do anything wrong.”

Jillian clutched Gail in a tight embrace, “I would never harm my own child. Vinny is the one who should be arrested for statutory rape, not me.”

The cop looked at them with weary eyes, “I've had a rough day. I don't have the patience to deal with your drama. Go to the police station and sort out your issues there.” He got into his car and drove away.

Behind a tree, Randall watched them with a wicked smile. He took pleasure in causing trouble for others. He remembered the video on his laptop. He had to delete it as soon as possible, before anyone got suspicious.

Lying in bed, Kenzo was haunted by the video on the laptop. The screen was cracked, but he could still make out the small figure passing by a door. It looked like Randall. Something was wrong. Was Randall spying on someone in that house? Were the people living there in danger? Kenzo wanted to trust Randall. He hated to think ill of him.

Kenzo jumped at the sound of a loud knock. He never had any visitors. Except for Randall, who only showed up under the cover of darkness.

Kenzo grabbed a baseball bat from under his bed and tiptoed to the door. The knocking turned into banging, and the door rattled on its hinges. Kenzo flung the door open and swung the bat.

Randall barely dodged the baseball bat and lunged at Kenzo, knocking him to the floor. He pinned the terrified boy down and shook him hard. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you trying to kill me?" he yelled.

Kenzo whimpered and pleaded with Randall to stop. His head throbbed from the impact. He apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I thought you were someone else. I was scared and tried to protect myself."

Randall stared at him incredulously. The boy had almost smashed his skull with a bat. He felt a surge of anger and distrust. How could he be sure that Kenzo was not a threat? Could he really trust him?

Kenzo demanded, "What are you doing here? It's too early. You should have warned me it was you."

"I can come here anytime I want. Give me the damn laptop!" Randall snapped.

Kenzo reluctantly handed him the laptop. "It's the video, right? Are you hiding something from me?" he asked.

Randall snatched the laptop from him and watched the video. The face was a bit fuzzy, but the physical appearance was unmistakably his. He quickly deleted everything on the laptop.

"Hey, you deleted the games!" Kenzo exclaimed, grabbing the laptop back from Randall.

Randall picked up a baseball bat and threatened him. "Don't you ever question me again. Keep your nose out of my business. Be wise if you still want to live. Don't judge me by my size. I can be extremely dangerous."

Kenzo’s eyes widened as he gazed at the little man, his mouth twisted in a grimace of fear. He sensed pure evil in his eyes.

With a loud crash, Randall hurled the bat across the room and smashed a window. Kenzo remained quiet and motionless.

Kenzo offered his bed to Randall and curled up on the cold floor, trembling with dread. He observed Randall’s restless movements on the bed, uneasy. He wondered what was troubling Randall. He was too afraid to ask his quick-tempered friend.

Randall abruptly sat up on the edge of the bed. He licked his dry lips and asked the anxious boy if he still had some money.

“No, I used up all the money on groceries.”

Randall rose to his feet and tapped Kenzo’s chin lightly. “We need more cash. We’re hitting the streets again tonight.”

Kenzo laughed and gave Randall a playful punch on the back, thinking he was joking. But when he saw Randall’s expression, he realized the little man meant every word.

"Please, no more killing. Can't we just take the money and leave?" Kenzo begged, falling to his knees.

"That's not up to me. Things could get messy." Randall said, shrugging.