Jet Boy (manxboy)

The Next Day

This part of town was unfamiliar to Nathan. The houses were almost identical, white painted homes with beautiful freshly cut lawns. Hedge rows kept neat and tidy, flower beds with an assortment of colourful petals, not a single one dead and not a single weed. The pavement was a perfect grey slab, not one unwanted crack or speck of dirt. Each garden had a small tree. Trampolines, slides and kids toys lay there unattended. The kids were outside playing, laughing. People on the sidewalk jogging along listening to music or walking their dogs. Nathan saw the smiles on their faces as they walked past silently greeting him. He couldn't help but envy how happy they looked. He put his head down feeling so out of place, like he was a parasite in this otherwise perfect neighbourhood. He quickened his pace to get back to the part of town most familiar to him.

When he reached his regular hook up place, the cafe, he was greeted with the owner Joe. "Hey, Nathan. How are you my boy, how is your mama, she is well yes,"
"Yeah thanks Joe, I'm good. My Mom is doing great thanks." The Italian knew the boy was lying, he knew what happened to him and knows his mother is not doing well, but the boy never complains. Joe figured it out when Nathan would get into a car with a different man almost every night. He felt sorry for the child but would never have the courage to speak to him. He saw the cuts and bruises as the boy walks in, a regular occurrence, but it's none of his business. Instead he gives the boy a free breakfast every morning he comes in. Despite Nathan protesting that he would pay, Joe never lets him. "Here you are my boy, the usual Full English." Nathan chuckles as the man gestured to having a full fat belly. "Without the tomato of course, and extra bacon,"
"Thanks Joe, you gonna let me pay you this time,"
"No, no my boy. you keep your money it is the least I can do for my most loyal customer." With that Joe patted Nathan on the shoulder and walked back into the kitchen, noticing out of the corner of his eye Nathan shifting uncomfortably at the contact.

Nathan jumped as their was a bang on the window. "Jordan." Nathan smiled as his best friend walked through the doors. "Oy, your paying for my window if that glass breaks hooligan,"
"Sorry Joe, won't happen again, I'll take a black coffee with two sugars, when your ready." Jordan smiles sarcastically at the Italian before sitting opposite Nathan in the same booth, taking a bite of his bacon.
"Please and thank you would have been nice, ungrateful little shit." The boy's don't hear the owners remark.  "So, do you have what I asked for,"
"Heh, straight to the point Nate, that's what I like about you. I do but my regular guy is having some trouble so it's gonna cost you a bit more,"
"How much more." Nathan replies anxiously and impatiently.
"Let's say, 100." Nathan spits out his coffee.
"Careful, this is a new jacket, Jesus,"
"That's double, I got bills to pay Jordan,"
"Looks like those bills are gonna have to wait l'il man." Jordan smiles again as Nathan reluctantly takes the money out his pocket and starts counting it out, handing over the cash in exchange for the heroin. "Woah, you sell your ass last night. Can't believe that little thing of yours is worth that," Jordan laughs while Nathan looks to the ground ashamed of who he is. "No wonder you have a black eye and bust lip, thought it was your mom, was he a bit rough." Jordan laughs again while shoving Nathan playfully, not noticing the pained expression on the boy's face as his so called friend pokes fun. Knowing full well Nathan's situation. The boy's have known each other for a long time. Jordan is four years older than Nathan with brown hair, a chiselled chin and toned body. Compared to Nathan's black hair, round yet cute face and skinny body. It's what happens when you only eat, if he's lucky four proper meals a week. Nathan is quite small for his age and has childlike features which is why most men are attracted to him. On countless occasions they say how beautiful he is while they're fucking him. Nathan knows that Jordan only hangs out with him because he either pities the boy for having no other friends or just sees him as a cash machine. Everywhere they go, Nathan always ends up paying, whether it be the shitty cinema down the road or some run down restaurant. Nathan puts up with it cause they are close, the boys know everything about each other and when times are extremely tough Nathan can crash on Jordan's couch or catch a lift from him if a client takes it too far. They have each other's backs.

"Come on Nate i'm only joking, anyway I gotta run. Say hi to your mom for me yeah,"
"Yeah, ok, see you later." Jordan leaves Nathan to finish his breakfast. When the plate is empty and the sauce is licked from the plate Nathan  gets up thanking Joe before rushing to school. The kids and teachers don't even notice the bruises and cuts anymore or I they do they don't care.

Nathan had a tough day at school, his sports coach almost found the scratch marks on his back from last night. His classmates made fun of him asking if his dad beat on him again, if only they knew the truth. Nathan wished for a dad, he longed for a father but all he got were men who used him. Men who saw him as nothing more than dirt they could chew up and spit back out again. He wouldn't let the other boys see him cry. After the bell rang Nathan rushed home, his mum will be waiting for him and she doesn't like it when he's late.

Now this part of town was familiar territory. Most of the houses were boarded up and looked a mess, some even looked like they could collapse any day now, Nathan remembers how these abandoned houses were his playground as a kid. He would run through the dangerous, dusty, empty rooms with friends playing all sorts of games and getting into mischief. He sighs acknowledging those days are over as all his friends from school hate him now, I mean who wouldn't, he is just a filthy prostitute. The real reason he doesn't have friends is because his mother is a controlling bitch and scares them away. The lawns are unkept with grass overgrown and weeds everywhere. The concrete is cracked, filled with holes. Trees lay in the garden stripped bare of all leaves, life in this part of town doesn't flourish, it dies. Children's toys are no where to be seen as Nathan knows that in this neighbourhood, if something isn't tied down then its fair game. The kids themselves hide in the buildings and the adults walk around miserable giving the boy dirty looks as he walks past, this is where Nathan belongs. This is home.

As he walks up to his house he is greeted by Mrs Grey, his elderly neighbour. "Hello young man,"
"Hey Miss Grey." Mrs Grey was the only person on Nathan's street who's garden didn't look like a bomb had been dropped on it, she tended to it everyday. Mrs Grey knew Nathan's situation at home, not what he did for a living though. Nathan couldn't bare the idea of the only person in his world who genuinely cared for him to find out that he's a disgusting whore. "Oh dear look at you, what happened?"
"I got in a fight in school, it's nothing." It hurt Nathan to lie to his neighbour.  "It's my birthday today,"
"What, did you think I'd forget, I may be old young man but I'm not senile yet." Mrs Grey handed Nathan a present. "You mind and come over for some dinner here if your mother ain't made you anything,"
"Sure thing Mrs Grey, thanks." Nathan smiled and walked away in a better mood than he had been in all day. That mood dissipated when he walked into his home, if u could even call it a home, it's barely a house. The stench of drugs and sex was suffocating.

"Mom, I'm home" Nathan walked into his mother's bedroom to find her in bed with a naked man passed out beside her. "Have you got what I asked for kiddo,"
"Yeah, I got it off of Jordan,"
"Mommy's little angel,"
"You know you should really smoke it." Nathan was really hoping his mother wouldn't inject the heroin, she almost OD'd last time. "You mind you're own business now, or I'll have Carl here teach you a lesson." Nathan visibly cringed at the thought as the man stirred in his sleep. "Now run along, there's some cake for you in the fridge,"
"Th-thanks mom." Nathan kisses her on the head and reluctantly left towards the kitchen. Chocolate cake, his favourite. He grabbed a dirty fork from the tray and three candles placing them on the cake, lighting them and then blowing them out, it became apparent to Nathan that no one was singing happy birthday to him but that he was all alone, unloved and unwanted. Ignoring the feeling of emptiness and despair in his heart Nathan started eating. When he was done he had chocolate all over his face, smiling he felt full for the first time in weeks.

Nathan was unaware his mother was dead in the next room.