Chapter 2 - An Accident
Submitted June 17, 2007 Updated June 17, 2007 Status Incomplete | Colt is a good kid. His mom is dead and his father is in the slammer, so he takes care of his brother, Angie. But, one snow day when Colt has to be at work, a gang takes things too far and Angie and Kohl, Colt's boyfriend, get into major trouble.
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Miscellaneous » Writing |
Chapter 2 - An Accident
Chapter 2 - An Accident
“Oh, Coltie!” a voice cried. I pulled my pillow harder over my head and grunted.
“Five more minutes,” I moaned.
“School today! Get up, get up!” trilled the Pollyannaish voice. “Breakfast is on, Colt!”
“FIVE MORE MINUTES, DAMMIT!” I yelled as my overly bright little brother, Angie, flicked my light on.
“No, Colt!” he countered, pulling the black comforter off me. “Roxy may not mind you being late to work, but I have a tardy policy!”
I groaned and slung my legs over the bed. My hair was a mess, as always: long hair did that in the morning. I pushed my glasses over my nose and gave my brother a disdainful look over them.
And there he was, bright as always. He had on a pink tee shirt and baby blue jeans, plus the big grin plastered across his face. “Get dressed and get some granola.” And with that, he skipped out of the room. Yes, skipped. I pulled on a pair of black jeans and my steel-toed boots and clomped down after him.
Angie sighed. “Colt, honestly, put a shirt on.”
“Why d'you care?” I asked, pulling up a chair.
“Because I can see that gross tattoo,” he replied, tossing me my emotricon shirt. The tattoo in question was the Japanese character for 'rain' and it wasn't gross, it was cool.
Nevertheless, I tugged the shirt over my head and took my black trench coat that I practically lived in off the back of my chair and pulled myself into it. I withdrew the pack of Marlboros out of the pocket.
“Colt, don’t,” moaned Angie.
“Oh, deal with it,” I groaned, pulling a cig out of the pack. I lit it and took a long drag.
Angie sighed, giving up. “Just…don’t drop it in my granola,” he pleaded.
“Fine,” I muttered, annoyed. He’d caught what I’d planned to do.
Abruptly, a box of Krispy Kremes fell on the table. “And he said, ‘Let there be donuts.’ And there was, and they were good,” said the slightly accented voice above me. I smiled: I recognized that voice.
“Hey, babe,” I said, reaching up to hold my boyfriend’s hand. Yeah, I’m gay. Should I’ve told you that before?
Anywho, I turned to look at my Latino man who, I might add, is a god. “Hi, sweets,” he said, kissing me on the cheek and snagging a donut at the same time. His name’s Kohl. Y’know, like the eyeliner? “So y’all are stuck with me today,” he grinned, taking a bite of his donut.
“What d’you mean?” asked Angie, forsaking his granola and opting for a donut.
“You haven’t looked outside?” demanded Kohl unbelievingly.
Angie stood up and threw open the curtains. Since it was late November, outside it should’ve been brown, cold…and dead. However, instead it was coated with white. A grin slowly spread across my little brother’s face. “SNOW DAY!” he screeched, running into his green coat.
He was about to run out the door, but fortunately I caught him around the collar in time. “What are you, crazy?!” I demanded, wheeling him around so he faced me.
“But, Coltie, snow day…” he pleaded.
“You must be out of your mind,” said Kohl, making me let Angie down.
You must be wondering why I flipped out. We live in a… bad neighborhood, to be lenient. Gang fights and drive by’s are not uncommon occurrences around here. Angie’s still real upbeat and everything, and I keep telling him to toughen up and get street smart, like me. Or…or he’ll end up like mom and dad.
Dad’s been in the slammer for almost a year now, both for driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter. Mom…I don’t like to think about Mom. Suffice to say we live in a bad neighborhood. When Dad got put away, the court almost put us apart. I was 17 (still am) and I had a job, so they let us stay together. I dropped out of school and I now work full-time at 7-11. Which is where I had to go now.
I handed Angie off to Kohl and said, “Watch him, will ya? I got work.”
“Sure,” he replied good-naturedly.
I kissed him on the cheek and rubbed Angie’s head. “Be good, y’hear?”
“I hear,” he replied, hugging me.
“You’re almost as tall as me now,” I said. He may annoy me, but I do hold a soft spot for him. He’s my only flesh and blood.
I stepped out the door and sucked my breath in through my teeth. It was a heck of a lot colder than I thought it’d be. I slung myself into my Gremlin and turned the key, pleading, ‘Come on, baby, don’t die, don’t die when I need you!’ Praise be, it started with just four turns.
As I said, I work a dead-end job at 7-11. It has good benefits, and the pay’s okay, but the girls make me a tad uncomfortable. One in particular, Josie Collins, loves messing with my hair. She loves the fact that I grew it out to cover one eye and that I can pull it off since I’m a redhead.
I remember the day.
I was standing by the slurpee machine, mopping up something sticky and trying to dodge Josie when my boss, Roxanne Delli, came up and tapped me on the shoulder. She was a delicate, refined black woman who was a snappy dresser and had dyed bright red hair that looked fabulous on her, and none of us could see for the life of us why she managed a 7-11.
“Colt, will you come with me?” she asked, beckoning me.
“Sure,” I said, relieved to be away from Josie. I threw the mop at the aforementioned and followed Roxy outside. “Thanks for rescuing me, Rox,” I said, grinning at her.
She wasn’t smiling. Gently, she laid a hand on my arm. “There’s been an accident.”
Her words seemed to swim around me. I didn’t quite understand her. “There’s been an accident?” I asked dumbly.
“It’s your brother,” she said, scrutinizing my gray eyes with her brown ones.
There’s been an accident. It’s your brother. Words I didn’t understand.
All I could tell was that something bad had happened to Angie, my only flesh and blood.
“Rox, where is he?” I asked, trying to get my keys and cigarettes out of my pocket at the same time. “Where is he?!”
“St Mary’s,” she said, leading me to my car.
I scrambled in, got the car to start, and sped off, hoping I could get to St Mary’s in time.
“Five more minutes,” I moaned.
“School today! Get up, get up!” trilled the Pollyannaish voice. “Breakfast is on, Colt!”
“FIVE MORE MINUTES, DAMMIT!” I yelled as my overly bright little brother, Angie, flicked my light on.
“No, Colt!” he countered, pulling the black comforter off me. “Roxy may not mind you being late to work, but I have a tardy policy!”
I groaned and slung my legs over the bed. My hair was a mess, as always: long hair did that in the morning. I pushed my glasses over my nose and gave my brother a disdainful look over them.
And there he was, bright as always. He had on a pink tee shirt and baby blue jeans, plus the big grin plastered across his face. “Get dressed and get some granola.” And with that, he skipped out of the room. Yes, skipped. I pulled on a pair of black jeans and my steel-toed boots and clomped down after him.
Angie sighed. “Colt, honestly, put a shirt on.”
“Why d'you care?” I asked, pulling up a chair.
“Because I can see that gross tattoo,” he replied, tossing me my emotricon shirt. The tattoo in question was the Japanese character for 'rain' and it wasn't gross, it was cool.
Nevertheless, I tugged the shirt over my head and took my black trench coat that I practically lived in off the back of my chair and pulled myself into it. I withdrew the pack of Marlboros out of the pocket.
“Colt, don’t,” moaned Angie.
“Oh, deal with it,” I groaned, pulling a cig out of the pack. I lit it and took a long drag.
Angie sighed, giving up. “Just…don’t drop it in my granola,” he pleaded.
“Fine,” I muttered, annoyed. He’d caught what I’d planned to do.
Abruptly, a box of Krispy Kremes fell on the table. “And he said, ‘Let there be donuts.’ And there was, and they were good,” said the slightly accented voice above me. I smiled: I recognized that voice.
“Hey, babe,” I said, reaching up to hold my boyfriend’s hand. Yeah, I’m gay. Should I’ve told you that before?
Anywho, I turned to look at my Latino man who, I might add, is a god. “Hi, sweets,” he said, kissing me on the cheek and snagging a donut at the same time. His name’s Kohl. Y’know, like the eyeliner? “So y’all are stuck with me today,” he grinned, taking a bite of his donut.
“What d’you mean?” asked Angie, forsaking his granola and opting for a donut.
“You haven’t looked outside?” demanded Kohl unbelievingly.
Angie stood up and threw open the curtains. Since it was late November, outside it should’ve been brown, cold…and dead. However, instead it was coated with white. A grin slowly spread across my little brother’s face. “SNOW DAY!” he screeched, running into his green coat.
He was about to run out the door, but fortunately I caught him around the collar in time. “What are you, crazy?!” I demanded, wheeling him around so he faced me.
“But, Coltie, snow day…” he pleaded.
“You must be out of your mind,” said Kohl, making me let Angie down.
You must be wondering why I flipped out. We live in a… bad neighborhood, to be lenient. Gang fights and drive by’s are not uncommon occurrences around here. Angie’s still real upbeat and everything, and I keep telling him to toughen up and get street smart, like me. Or…or he’ll end up like mom and dad.
Dad’s been in the slammer for almost a year now, both for driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter. Mom…I don’t like to think about Mom. Suffice to say we live in a bad neighborhood. When Dad got put away, the court almost put us apart. I was 17 (still am) and I had a job, so they let us stay together. I dropped out of school and I now work full-time at 7-11. Which is where I had to go now.
I handed Angie off to Kohl and said, “Watch him, will ya? I got work.”
“Sure,” he replied good-naturedly.
I kissed him on the cheek and rubbed Angie’s head. “Be good, y’hear?”
“I hear,” he replied, hugging me.
“You’re almost as tall as me now,” I said. He may annoy me, but I do hold a soft spot for him. He’s my only flesh and blood.
I stepped out the door and sucked my breath in through my teeth. It was a heck of a lot colder than I thought it’d be. I slung myself into my Gremlin and turned the key, pleading, ‘Come on, baby, don’t die, don’t die when I need you!’ Praise be, it started with just four turns.
As I said, I work a dead-end job at 7-11. It has good benefits, and the pay’s okay, but the girls make me a tad uncomfortable. One in particular, Josie Collins, loves messing with my hair. She loves the fact that I grew it out to cover one eye and that I can pull it off since I’m a redhead.
I remember the day.
I was standing by the slurpee machine, mopping up something sticky and trying to dodge Josie when my boss, Roxanne Delli, came up and tapped me on the shoulder. She was a delicate, refined black woman who was a snappy dresser and had dyed bright red hair that looked fabulous on her, and none of us could see for the life of us why she managed a 7-11.
“Colt, will you come with me?” she asked, beckoning me.
“Sure,” I said, relieved to be away from Josie. I threw the mop at the aforementioned and followed Roxy outside. “Thanks for rescuing me, Rox,” I said, grinning at her.
She wasn’t smiling. Gently, she laid a hand on my arm. “There’s been an accident.”
Her words seemed to swim around me. I didn’t quite understand her. “There’s been an accident?” I asked dumbly.
“It’s your brother,” she said, scrutinizing my gray eyes with her brown ones.
There’s been an accident. It’s your brother. Words I didn’t understand.
All I could tell was that something bad had happened to Angie, my only flesh and blood.
“Rox, where is he?” I asked, trying to get my keys and cigarettes out of my pocket at the same time. “Where is he?!”
“St Mary’s,” she said, leading me to my car.
I scrambled in, got the car to start, and sped off, hoping I could get to St Mary’s in time.
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