5 Getting The Thing

"Mom?" I scrubbed my eyes to be sure it was her. A smile threatened to play on my lips.

Her head looked up from her phone, "Nina?" I nodded and sat down in the chair across from her. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," I muttered, knowing that the usual routine was about to happen. My father had already left for some bar and my mother was as interested in me as I was in her.

"Mmhm," she breathed out, typing as fast as her fingers could master.

My stomach roared, however, being in the same kitchen as my mother didn't sound like a fantastic idea. She hadn't even asked about my blue eye, there still were as clear as the sun on a cloud-free sky.

"I'm going out. Call if dad returns," I mumbled as I left the room. My mother didn't bother answering. She left me in my own world of silence once again. I suck at conversation anyway.

I swung open the door. Air rushed to my cheeks, twirling around my body. I walked down the pathway, by motivating me to visit someplace around town to enjoy what was left of my life.

Maybe Tony's? No, that wouldn't be a good idea.

My eyes wandered around the street, Mrs. Hamilton strolled by with her small dog. She didn't smile when our eyes locked. She pushed her feet to walk a little faster and walked past me.

A black car rolled past us. I didn't look at it, but it seemed fancy.

I found myself standing in front of Tony's a couple of minutes later. Though it weren't even noon yet, Tony walked around, flashing a smile to the empty shop. I stood like a stalker and stared at him, moving his firm body.

Tony turned around, locking his eyes with mine. He waved a hand, signaling I should come in. Should I? He reminded me so much of my brother.

I pushed open the heavy glass door. Red and blue colors dominated the place. A few square steel tables stood up against a wall. Three chairs sat around them. The counter was blue. Boxes to pizzas laid spread around on top. Five high chairs in red were placed, with the same amount of space between them, by the desk.

"Nina, nice to see you," he said with a smile and packed away some glasses.

"Uhm-" What should I say?

"I saw you with Martinez yesterday." His expression turned serious, as he turned to face me.

How do you answer something like that?

"You need to stay away from him. He is bad news," he said and crossed his arms over his chest, keeping my eyes in check.

"Y-you don't get to d-decide that," I said, biting my lip hard.

He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "You don't get it, do you?"

What didn't I get?

"I don't know what you are talking about," I said truthfully.

"He isn't good company. He ruins girls for fun. Punch guys for pleasure. He isn't someone you want to hang out with," he stated, as his fist clenched

"O-okay?" It came out as a question and I did question it. Why was Tony so protective? We weren't even friends. We were only two people who knew each other's names.

Tony's eyes flickered to something behind me. His face went as pale as snow. "What are you doing here?" Tony asked as I turned around to stand face to face with Anthony himself.

His leather jacket hung over his firm muscles and tightened. He wore a plain dark blue shirt under, there were loose with a V neckline, so his chest showed. He had paired pair of simple black pants with it.

"You got a problem?" Anthony asked, keeping his eyes on me. I gulped. Did he have to stare at me? Why not Tony?

Tony's arm crossed over me, pushing me behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just looking for some fun," he answered and slung down in a chair, keeping his eyes on my scared body.

"Then look elsewhere," Tony snapped back, keeping his chin high and proud.

"You don't want to have fun with me? I'm truly hurt." Anthony tilted his head. "However, that's not a problem, since I've come to pick Watson up."

My body stopped working. He was kidding. Right?

"What do you want with her?" Tony asked, stepping forward. If I had been in Anthony's position, I would have cried from fear over Tony's towering frame. Yet, Anthony didn't even flinch.

"Take it easy. I ain't gonna do anything she doesn't want to," Anthony said and winked. My heart was hammering faster and faster. I bet both of them could hear it. My palms were sweating, dripping down on the floor.

"What do you say, Watson. Want to come with me on a little ride?" Anthony asked and tapped his elegant fingers on the table.

"She ain't going with you, bastard," Tony stated, clenching his fist to they turned white.

"Last time I checked, you weren't her father or brother for that matter, so why do you think, you have some kind of influence over her?" In some way, Anthony was right. Tony had already decided for me and, I hated that, yet, my answer wouldn't have been different.

"Why don't we let Miss Watson decide?" Anthony's eyes left me and headed to Tony, smirking wider.

"I-"

Why did I hesitate? I didn't know. In some horrifying way, I did want to go with him. He was interesting. The look he had in his eyes when no one was around held so much more than his usually seducing one.

"I do need a ride to Janie's," I mumbled. Tony's surprised gaze shot towards me.

"Great." Anthony snapped out of the chair and took me by the hand. My eyes widened like nothing before and, soon, another twirled around my free hand.

"Wait." Tony exhaled, closing his eyes. "I warn you, Martinez, she ain't someone you can play around with." His eyes were fixed on Anthony, flickering with anger.

"I've heard that one before," he said with a wave of his hand. "You have nothing to worry about. She is in good hands." He pulled me out of Tony's warm and secure hand and out in the unknown territory of Anthony's world.

I gazed back at a lost Tony, before sitting in the familiar black car.

"How do you know Tony?" Anthony asked, driving away from Tony and his empty stares.

"I don't know him. He is a friend of my brother," I explained, hoping he wouldn't ask about my brother.

"Brother?"

Here we go.

"You have a brother? I didn't know," he said, turning left.

My eyes turned down in my lap, playing with a loose string from my shirt.

"You don't like to talk about him?" he asked.

"No," I answered. If he didn't get the hint before, he did now.

"Oh, okay."

The silence was awkward. My heart was hammering in my chest. For every beat, I fell into a deeper trance where my memories controlled my emotions.

He had been the best brother you could wish for. He had held me whenever our parents would argue. And he always made me laugh with his silly jokes. He didn't need to tell me he loved me, he shoved it every second he could.

A tear glided down my cheek, landing on my hand in my lap.

"So-" Anthony shifted in his seat. "Why are you going to Janie's," he asked, changing the subject.

"She has something for my father I remembered I should pick up before 2 PM," I explained to him, as he nodded.

"What exactly?" he asked, confused. "What would Janie have to offer to your father?"

Janie deals with a lot of things. On the surface, she sells souvenirs from far away countries. Under the surface, she deals with the city's criminal circle of drugs and deadly weapons.

"Uhm-" What should I say? "He ordered some weird thing from Italy. Janie promised she would get it for him."

Does Anthony know about Janie's real identity? I sure hope not.

"What kind of man is your father?" he asked, apparently not knowing about Janie's real business.

"He's your ordinary father." Who drinks himself drunk every night and stuff himself with drugs at every given time. "Nothing special."

Anthony shrugged his shoulders and stopped in front of Janie's boutique. "I'll wait for you, missy, so don't take too long."

He winked as I stepped out of the car, breathing in the unhealthy air. Alcohol filled my lungs. A whiff of illegal drugs hung in the air. I instantly knew that Janie had gotten a new delivery.

Janie's shop was boring with a grey facade. On its side, the few letters spelling "JANIE" hung in order with only a couple of scratches. The door was glass so you could look right through it. Thick wooden shelves lined the walls, where thousand of mysterious things from every corner of the world rested.

Janie herself sat in a small chair and smoked a cigarette. Her eyes strolled up to me. A wide grin formed on her full lips. It didn't reach longer than her lips and didn't cover her yellow teeth.

"Isn't that little miss Watson, my favorite costumer's daughter," she said, leaning further back in her chair.

"I'm here to pick up my fathers usually order," I said in a low voice, looking around the shop.

"Of course, of course, little miss Watson, five pounds coming right up," she said and raised from her chair.

She wandered behind the shop, mumbling words under her smokey breath.

In a minute, she came back with a white plastic bag in her hands. "Here, here, little miss," she said and gave me the bag.

"Thanks," I answered, peeking down in the bag.

"Do you desire anything else?" she asked, smirking.

"No," I answered, inhaling sharply.

"Sure? You'd look like someone who needs some pleasure if you know what I mean," she said with a seducing wink.

My eyes widened. I shook my head. "No."

She shrugged her thin shoulders, "what a shame."

I left her in her thoughts and went back into the warmth of Anthony's car.

"You got the thing?" he asked, glancing down at my bag.

"The thing?" I questioned, pressing the drugs closer into my body. "Oh, yeah, the thing... I got that."

"Fantastic!" He turned on the car. "Where too?" He glanced down at me.

I took a deep breath. "Home."

We drove in utter silence. Anthony had bought the souvenir thing and didn't ask further questions about my family. Once in a while, I would take him in glancing at me before turning his eyes back on the road.

"Here we are, Watson," he said and stopped the car in front of my house.

"Thanks," I said and unlocked my seat belt, ready to jump indoor again and check up on my mother.

"See ya," he yelled from the window as he drove away and into the distance. Again stood I like some love-struck teenager and gazed after his car, which reflected the sun.

I'll never get rid of him again, that's for sure.

I twirled around to come face to face with my one and only, now angry, mother.

Shit.