Knowing Our Truth

Chapter 4: Looking for Answers in All the Wrong Places

Hawthorne did not belong here. The whole house had a haze of smoke over it. The smell of cheap weed and low shelf vodka was choking him. Sweaty bodies bumped up against him, and he was certain the couple on the couch were actively having sex in front of everyone. He did NOT belong here.

Sierra led him around the crowded house to the packed kitchen. A cup of something was put in his hand. It smelled vaguely of alcohol and lemon. He took a sip before he considered the possible outcomes. It didn't taste awful.

"Don't get too wasted. I got somebody I need you to meet," Sierra told him, grabbing his hand.

"Who?" he asked, letting her continue to pull him around.

"He said he had some info for you." She shrugged before she pulled him into a spare bedroom. A smaller group of people were crowded on the bed, surrounding a guy with long brown hair and a very impressive bong. He took a rip from it before looking at the two of them.

"Hey, Sierra!" he shouted. "Get your ass over here and take a hit."

"I will in a little bit, Tay." She pushed Hawthorne forward. "I brought him."

The guy looked him up and down. As Hawthorne got a closer look, he realized the guy couldn't be more than 16. Behind the long, dirty hair, was a sharp pointed nose, and a thin mouth. "Cool," he stated before smiling. "My name is Tatum, but everyone calls me Tay for short. My dad knew your dad."

"Which one?" Hawthorne asked.

"All 3, bud. All 3." Tay patted the bed beside him. Against his better judgement, Hawthorne sat down. "So Thorne, can I call you Thorne? You wanna know about good old Kayson. Dicklord supreme. And I can say that here, this is Black Eye territory."

"Black Eye?"

"Gang shit, man. Gang shit. Our dads were part of it. Well, your stepdad was. Eli was the leader for a while until you and your sister came along. Then my dad, Rylan, took over."

Hawthorne shifted, uncomfortable. "So, Sierra said you could tell me things?"

"You want a hit?" Tay asked as the bong made it's way back around. Hawthorne shook his head. "Well, all I can tell you is this. Sierra is telling as much of the truth as everyone knows. River fucked Eli and Kayson. When the paternity test came out, no one was happy. Eli and Kayson were leaders of rival gangs, so a fight broke out. The Black Eyes won. Eli and River ran with you babies." Tay shrugged his shoulders before taking a large inhale of smoke.

"And everyone just knows this," Hawthorne replied, feeling his head spin.

Tay nodded. "I wouldn't go past the train tracks if I were you. Members of the Jewels would absolutely recognize you."

Sierra grabbed Hawthorne's hand, pulling him up off the bed. He stumbled out after her. She put another cup in his hands with a 'You look like you need this'. He downed it without a second thought.

***

He didn't know when they got separated, but by the time she found him again, he was sat on the couch. Definitely not sober anymore. By the look of her bloodshot eyes, neither was she.

Hawthorne hadn't planned to sit on the couch, as he recalled the actual fucking that was happening on the surface not too long ago. But 6 glasses of whatever he was drinking, and the room was spinning. So sitting felt safer. The last thing he wanted to do was topple over in a room full of people he didn't know. Plus, he'd lost count of how many times someone refilled his cup.

He'd never been drunk before. The fuzzy, dizzy feeling was completely foreign to him. But he wasn't stupid. He knew neither of them were in a state to drive home now. He let out an aggravated sigh. "You look like you've been having fun," she said to him.