WARNING: This story contains coarse lauguage, and a lot of it. Please don't get mad at me, because it is how I wrote it. You have been warned.
(C) Copywritten 2005
����������� Donnie would be twenty in August and returning to university after taking the semester off to work and save some extra money. He worked daily at Total Value in the warehouses, unloading trucks and filling out shipping orders along with a few other guys his age. It wasn't the most money he had been paid by the hour, but he put in a lot of hours whenever he could, swapping shifts with whoever asked just to squeeze a few more overtime dollars out of the company. He also liked all the exercise it offered, since he considered himself a less than athletic youth. He wasn't fat by any measure, but he wasn't going to win any strongman competitions either.
����������� As he continued to move boxes off the truck, Michelle, one of his co-workers, came through the far door that lead into the back of the store. She had a clipboard in her hand as usual and had on her cute little reading glasses that Donnie always teased her about. He watched as she went into the little office next to the loading bay and closed the door.
����������� "I wonder if she's got more work for us" he heard Ferris bark out from across the room. The young Indian kid set the box down in its place and returned to the truck. Donnie gave a concurring nod and followed him, listening to him banter on more.
"Fuck I want to get out of here. I need to get home and clean up for tonight."
����������� "Who are you terrorizing tonight, Ferris?" Donnie muttered calmly.
����������� Ferris laughed. "Nobody. My brother and I are going to Jay-Os to see a buddy of his play."
����������� "Oh yeah?" Donnie inquired as he and Ferris each took hold of a large box and began to life it.
����������� "Yeah. I hope they don't just do covers like the guys that were there last week. Or at least if they do, I hope they are good covers this time."
Donnie was about to ask him what he considered a "good" cover when he caught sight of Michelle returning from inside the office and heading towards the two of them. "You guys almost finished?" she called out.
����������� Donnie answered "Yup" and Ferris followed "Yeah. We have about a half dozen left."
����������� "Alright, well I got the papers all signed by Chris so the driver is going to take off as soon as you guys are done. Once he's gone you guys can shut the bay down and then head home." Her tone was encouraging--as if she was almost looking forward to the end of the day as much as they were.
����������� "Sounds good, Michelle. Thanks" Donnie said cheerfully. Together, he and Ferris dropped the box down in its spot among the others.
����������� "You up to much tonight Donnie?" Michelle asked, taking her glasses off and folding them into her pocket.
"Why, are you asking me out again?" Donnie asked politely. Ferris began to laugh as he walked back to the truck.
����������� Michelle shook her head and smiled with a look on her face like she had heard that line one too many times before. "You wish" she chuckled.
����������� Donnie returned a you-can't-blame-me-for-trying grin. "No, actually I'm suppose to get a call from Mike some time after five today. Apparently he's trying to put something together at Frank's or Jimmy's tonight."
����������� Michelle and Donnie were part of the same crowd that always hung out on the weekends. Her boyfriend was on the same paintball team as Mike Richards, the guy that always took it upon himself to make sure everyone knew where they were suppose to be every time there was a party. Mike was everyone's friend, and a real party man. He was the kind of person Donnie looked up to in a lot of ways, despite the fact that the two of them never really hung out much outside of large, social gatherings. It was his invite to one of those very same gatherings that Donnie was waiting for on this same Friday afternoon in the early spring.
����������� "Mike's in charge again huh?" Michelle slyly commented.
����������� He knew what she meant just by the tone in her voice. Mike was always the leader of the drunks at any party--a title that often got him in trouble. "What's the matter Michelle? You afraid someone there is going to let something slip that they shouldn't?" Her lips tightened as Donnie realized he hit a nerve. He began chuckling in order to lift the tension. "I'm kidding, kiddo. Relax!"
����������� Michelle's expression gave away once again to Donnie's charm, and she went back to shaking her head again as she turned for the door. "Have fun!" she shouted back as she reached the door and slipped through it.
����������� Donnie could hear Ferris continue to laugh from the truck. "You're lucky she's got such a sense of humor, Don. Otherwise she might kick your ass!" He thought for a moment and shrugged indifferently. Ferris was really laughing up a storm now. "Ha ha, yeah I'll bet you'd like that!"
����������� The two boys finished their work and closed down the loading bay. After the store was locked up, Donnie scanned the parking lot for Michelle's little blue car. It wasn't in the usual spot she always fought for in the morning, nor was it in any of her fallback spots. "I must have really made her want to get out of here" he though to himself as he reached his bike, which stood proudly and alone in the empty lot.
����������� Before he had his helmet on he heard a jingle from his coat pocket. He pulled the tiny silver phone from which the tune was coming from out of his pocket and flipped the lid up.
����������� "Hello?"
����������� "Don! It's Mike" a distorted and loud voice called from within the small phone
����������� Donnie recoiled a second from the sudden outburst and then brought the phone back to his ear. "Mike, gees. Where've you been? I've been waiting all day."
����������� "Dude, shut up" Mike interrupted "I've been busy getting everything ready. If you can't appreciate the kind of effort I put into this sort of thing then I guess you can just leave your lazy ass at home tonight while I keep all the hotties and booze to myself."
����������� The light tone of Mike's sarcastic boasting made Donnie smile and nearly cough out a laugh. "Yeah whatever. So you got a spot picked out?"
����������� "Okay here's the deal: Frank's place is no good so be at Jimmy's at nine. Bring some cash to help with the kegs too!"
����������� "Right. Jimmy is on Wood street right?" Donnie asked.
����������� "Yeah, the big two story house next to that little blue one."
����������� Donnie could never keep track of all the places Mike was always sending people, but he did have distinct memories of the night he had to talk Mike and a few other people out of toilet papering a small house that was painted what he can remember someone commenting "a sickeningly bluish fucking blue".
"Right, I know the place" he continued.
����������� "Great. See you there. Call me or Jimmy if anything comes up."
����������� Donnie thanked him, but a little to late. Mike's end of the phone was already silent. He clicked his phone closed and climbed onto his bike. The engine roared to life and Donnie headed home.
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����������� The recycling bin in the garage was already half full, but Jimmy wasn't that worried. There was a spare sitting right next to it. He fully intended both of the boxes to be loaded with empties by the end of the night.
����������� He looked at his watch as he came back in the house. "Eight-thirty, and only Mike and Rose have shown up" he though to himself. "Not a good sign."
����������� There was just the slightest bit of daylight left streaming through the windows of his parent's two-story home. They had mistakenly left it in his care for the evening while they were out of town. He had most of the lights in the house on, but it still managed to remain fairly dark. He liked it that way though. "People tend to enjoy themselves more in the dark" he thought to himself wickedly.
����������� On the deck, Mike and Rose were already enjoying a few drinks. Mike had a gathering of several beer bottles on the deck table he was sitting next to. Several of them were awaiting their fate, and only two stood empty and already consumed.
����������� "You don't waste any time do you?" Rose inquired as she sipped on her cocktail.
����������� "Life's to short to spend your time doing anything but what you are meant to do" Mike replied.
����������� Mike and Rose had showed up early to help Jimmy prepare things, however neither of them had really helped much. Jimmy didn't sweat it. Mike had coordinated the invitations and made sure all the right people knew about it and all the wrong people were given the roundabout.
����������� As for Rose, she was the kind of girl who could have gotten away with anything. Mike had been friends with her a long time so he had developed a sense for her charms, but just about every other red blooded male that crossed her path was instantly under her spell. She knew how to fuel such a power as well, bleaching her hair to a shimmering golden white and decorating herself in mesmerizing outfits that quickly turned the heads of everyone in visual range There was no doubt that Rosemary Anderson could have easily commanded an army of drooling young men at any given time--that is if she wasn't so content with just toying with them so much.
����������� "Well you just take it easy there tiger" she slyly commented. "I don't want to have to doctor you to bed tonight."
����������� Mike smiled and said nothing as Jimmy joined them on the deck. "You told everyone nine right?" he asked.
����������� "Jimbo will you relax? You'll have this place jumping before you know it!" Jimmy was ready to inquire further before the doorbell rang and stopped him. Mike rose from his chair. "Fuck, see? What'd I tell ya?" he put his arm around Jim as the two of them headed for the front door.
����������� Mike had kept his word, because one after another the groups of guests began to show up. Single guys with their newest dates; clusters of girlfriend gangs; packs of rowdy fellows fresh from their pre-drinking events... before long Jim's house was alive with movement, music and laughter.
����������� The deck had filled up almost to capacity shortly before ten o'clock had rolled around. Several of Rose's friends had joined her, however she never left her seat. Like a queen overseeing her subjects, Rose sat contently in her seat with her legs crossed, ordering drink after drink from anyone she could pluck out of the crowd and entice into getting it for her.
����������� Jimmy was lost in several conversations throughout the night with people he knew and a few strangers. Lots of them were commenting him on his house, which he couldn't help but take the credit for.
����������� As for Mike, he was always moving. He bounced from one group of people to the next, sometimes diving right into the middle of a conversation uninvited. It wasn't long before he was trying to sing along with whatever song it was playing through the large speakers in Jimmy's living room--and doing a poor job at that. The mob of people around him kept encouraging him on however.
����������� "Dude, play some uh" he sputtered towards the DJ sitting at the head of the living room. "Play some good rock man! Something with a beat!"
����������� The DJ ignored him and continued to work away at his job. Mike started laughing as his stunted attention span got the better of him and he wander into the kitchen area.
����������� "Having fun yet Mike?" a voice from behind him called out over the noise of the party. He wasn't exactly sure he had heard the words clearly, but he couldn't have mistaken his own name, and spun around to see who it was that was asking him such a dumb question.
����������� He hadn't seen Donnie all that night, but as his vision focused in on him, Mike cried out in excitement. "Oh! Donnie boy! Fuck man where you been?" He veered over towards Donnie and put his arm around him. "Donnie! Wassup man?"
����������� "Hey Mike. Sorry I'm late" Donnie replied. He had on his sport jacket and dark black denim jeans. He had two drinks in his hand and offered one to Mike.
����������� Mike grabbed it and took a sip. "You're damn right you're sorry, Don! You're missing out on life itself man!" He took another large gulp of his new drink. "Did you get too hung up with playing with yourself Don? Huh?" he chuckled.
����������� Donnie decided to play along with Mike's intoxicated attempt at a joke. He figured it would be easier to just go along with him. "Hey man, you know how it is."
����������� "Well whatever" Mike slurred out and shook his hands around in front of his face. "You're here now so get drinking!" He raised his cup and toasted as Donnie did the same.
����������� It wasn't too long before Mike was again bouncing from person to person and conversation to conversation. Donnie was left on his own to enjoy his drink and mingle at his own pace. There weren't a lot of people he knew too well floating around, and for the most part Donnie only traded a few words with a few people he slightly knew. His eyes were mostly wandering the room in search of the next good-looking female he could catch sight of.
����������� �He eventually made his way out on the deck. Rose spotted him out of the crowd and called him over. "Donnie! How've you been?"
����������� Maybe it was upbeat atmosphere around him or the drink in his hand, but something calmed all the nerves that usually acted up whenever he tried to approach girls like Rose. Donnie shifted his way over to where she was still sitting as if on a throne. "Rose! It's a pleasure as always. I've been alright I guess."
����������� "I haven't seen you at the gym lately" she continued, talking loudly over the racket of their surroundings. It wasn't enough that Rose be born with good looks and a mesmerizing figure, but she knew how to take care of it. Donnie didn't frequent the health and fitness center in town nearly as much as she did, but every time he did go there, he often saw her there finishing up her fiftieth mile on the treadmill or some other seemingly overwhelming workout.
����������� "I've been working a lot at the store," he answered.
����������� �Rose smiled. "All you do is work, Don. I'm surprised you came tonight. Now you can take care of Mike if he gets out of hand."
����������� "Not likely" Donnie snapped back with a snicker of his own. "I'd just as soon call the cops and have them come and drag him away."
����������� "Yeah, you might have to" Rose said, and flashed a quick wink.
����������� Donnie felt flushed and didn't quite know how to respond. He heard a loud ruckus behind him and turned to see who was causing a scene now. What he saw failed to surprise him.
����������� "Are you hitting on Rose, Don?" Mike bellowed as he tumbled forward, spilling small drops of his latest drink. "You know she bites! You ought to be careful!"
����������� Donnie turned to see Rose's reaction. She smiled again devilishly. "Only sometimes" she cooed. Feeling a mix of embarrassment and slight enticement, Donnie returned to his drink. As he finished what was left in the cup, he heard a familiar jingle. It was barely audible and he placed his empty cup on a nearby table and began digging through his pockets for his phone.
����������� Fishing the small silver phone out once again, Donnie could still only slightly hear the jingle. He peered at the display screen one his phone and saw that it wasn't flashing like it normally did when he was receiving a call.
����������� Someone else's phone was ringing. Donnie looked over at Mike, who was chatting with someone else he couldn't see. His phone was clipped onto his belt and even in the dark lighting and constantly moving shadows, Donnie could see the small indiglo screen flashing.
����������� "Mike" Donnie called towards him. He didn't respond. Donnie reached his arm over and shook his shoulder. The loud partier turned his head and gazed at him slightly annoyed.
����������� "What Don? What do you want?"
����������� "Your phone man!" Donnie answered.
����������� Mike took a second to understand what Donnie had said, and then looked down at his belt. "Oh shit," he cried out as he ripped the phone away from his belt and flipped it open. He held the phone to his ear and began shouting into it. "Yeah? ... what? Who is... Alice?" he kept yelling into the phone and it was obvious he couldn't hear the person on the other end very well. Donnie watched as he told whomever Alice was to hang on and disappeared into the crowd, no doubt in search of a quieter place to hold their conversation.
����������� Donnie turned to Rose confused. "So who is Alice, a new fish?"
����������� Rather than laugh, Rose began thinking. "Isn't his sister named Alice?" she asked.
����������� "Sister?" Donnie replied in surprise. "I didn't know he even had any siblings." Mike lived with several other guys not unlike himself, but that was about all Donnie knew about his personal life.
����������� The humor returning to Rose's face, she continued "I hope she turned out better than he did."
����������� Rose was back to her normal, sharp tongued self, and she and Donnie continued to trade words for another half hour or so. Donnie had to yield every so often to whoever it was that tried to approach Rose and try a few words of their own, whether it be one of her perky friends or some bold young fellow who was anteing up for another shot at the Rose jackpot. She never folded however and sent each one away in either a defeated slump or a frustrated rage that they all tried to mask in indifference.
����������� Donnie sat patiently, entranced as always by the chemistry that brewed between the young beauty sitting across from him and all of the peons that approached her. He felt it strange that she would weave her spell on them and send them packing time and time again, yet here he remained sitting before her, always the face she returned to after she had finished her bewitching. There were times when he felt his number was up and that he should make his own exit from her presence but she always called him back, asking him a new question about something he didn't think she would really care about. "How's your school work going; is your sister Ashley doing well in Europe; have you moved out of that small bachelor pad you are still living in?" All of these questions when all Donnie was expecting was something like "Take care" or "I'll see you later" and that was it.
����������� Friday became Saturday, but the party hadn't slowed. More and more people were following Mike's example and several couples were even sneaking upstairs to the bedrooms. Donnie was once again observing Rose and her craft when Mike returned to the deck. He was stumbling a bit, clearly still drunk, however his face was stern and had a look of determination and seriousness on it that Donnie could never recall seeing before.
����������� Donnie tried to convince himself that Mike was once again wearing such a mask in order to execute some small attempt at humor. "What's the matter Mike? They run out of beer in all the fridges?"
����������� "We're leaving. C'mon" he quickly cut in as he motioned for Donnie to follow him.
����������� "Whoa, what?" Donnie was once again lost in surprise.
����������� "I need to go, and I need you to come with me. C'mon" He quickly turned and wrestled his way through the crowd.
����������� Donnie stood confused. "Wait" he called out "Mike what the--"
����������� Mike spun around quickly and rushed back towards Donnie, his hardened expression giving away to signs of urgent concern as he started frantically barking orders at Donnie. "I said let's go! We have to go! I have to go!" he kept repeating.
�����������"Shut up" he fired back coarsely. "I have to go, so you just shut up!"
����������� Donnie interrupted, "She's right Mike. Do you even have your car here?"
����������� Mike's eyes widened as if a horrible revelation had dawned on him. "Oh goddammit Don, don't tell me you drove your bike here! How the fuck are we going to--"
����������� "I don't have anything here" Donnie interrupted him again, trying to defend his position. "I took a cab here and I'm taking a cab home!"
����������� "Fuck" Mike cried. His eyes turned to Rose. "Give me your keys, Rose."
����������� Rose drove a tiny, stylish convertible that she managed to charm out of her father. Like everything around and about her, she took good care of it, and was fiercely possessive about all her toys and luxuries. Donnie knew Mike was fishing in an empty pond by asking her for the keys to that car.
����������� "Are you nuts?" she cried back at him, her slick and hypnotic tone replaced by a sincere resentment.
����������� Mike revved up for another outburst, but even through the layers of alcohol induced ire, he knew that this was one argument that he couldn't vocalize his way to victory over. He took a moment to attempt to gather his thoughts, the frustration that had been flustering in his head remaining strong. "Please" he finally asked, "please Rose. Alice... she's..."
����������� Rose rolled her eyes and stared off in the distance past the two boys as Donnie stood silently. His eyes were darting back and forward between the two of them, cautiously awaiting a reaction for either of them. Before long she shook her head and turned to face him.
"Donnie, you drive." Before he could object, she already had her drink set down and was fishing through her purse. "You haven't had that many, right?"
����������� Mike spoke up "Oh fuck Rose, thank you. You too, Don" he spurted as he took Donnie's hand in his two firmly.
����������� Donnie's head was rushing and his heartbeat quickened. This was all too fast for him. He felt like a child caught off guard by a strong current while out for a summer swim in the river. He wasn't scared, so much as unsure of the events that were unfolding.
����������� "You are sure about this, Rose?" he asked as he reluctantly accepted her keys.
����������� "No, I'm not sure about this" she said matter-of-factly. "In fact I am probably going to regret this for the rest of the night."
����������� "Alright c'mon Don. We gotta go now!" Mike was already clearing his path through the crowd.
����������� Don went to follow him when he heard Rose call after him. "Don! You know I will castrate you if you even fade the paint on my car!"
����������� Donnie turned to smile back at her, thinking she was just playing him like all her other men dolls. His smile was not returned, and Rose simply sat, motionless--her beauty matted down by a disappointed look that didn't suit her at all.
����������� Donnie had no trouble finding Rose's cherry red convertible parked on the street in front of Jimmy's house. He found Mike waiting for him beside it, bent over beside it as if he was sick. "You alright?" Donnie asked.
����������� Mike stood upright, his head beaded with sweat. "Fuck she had to pull this shit on me tonight."
����������� "Mike what the hell is going on?"
����������� He didn't answer. "Get in. We're going to May Street."
����������� Donnie became a little worried as he followed Mike's directions. The drunken young man barked them out with such hostile urgency that Donnie felt he would reach across and start pummeling him if he missed any of the turns.
����������� The two of them were nearly halfway to May Street when Donnie's curiosity finally outweighed his anxiety. "Who is Alice, Mike?" He half expected Mike to tell him to shut up or not say anything at all.
����������� "Alice is my stupid sister" he replied roughly.
����������� Donnie sat quietly. "I guess Rose was right" he though to himself. He tried to picture what the sister of Mike Richards would be like. Was she his kid sister? Was she the same bratty little rugrat that Mike had no doubt been when he was half the size he was now? Why was she "stupid"? The questions filled up Donnie's head to the point he couldn't bare to leave them unanswered, but still he sat silent.
����������� Mike directed the two of them to a small apartment building that was tucked away from May Street. Donnie pulled up and parked the car. He was only wrestling the keys out of the ignition but Mike was already rushing towards the door. He looked like he was trying very hard to keep his balance, and Donnie soon caught up with him and tried to steady his swagger.
����������� "I'm alright," Mike snapped as he reached the intercom of the apartment lobby. He spent a second searching the tenet list before he jammed a button. A loud buzzing noise cried out of the small speaker, which fell silent as Mike released the button. Only Mike's heavy breathing could be heard in the tiny entrance to the lobby, and Donnie watched and waited for the speaker to come alive once again.
����������� "Hello..." a crackled and distorted female's voice charged forward from the speaker.
����������� "Lemme in, Alice" Mike screamed back into the box.
����������� Seconds of silence followed before another, less aggressive buzz that came from the glass door that led to the main part of the lobby. Mike yanked the door open and charged inside, Donnie following quickly behind him. The lobby was dimly lit and walled in dark brown brick and fake plants. It had a musky odor that reminded Donnie of his grandparent's house.
����������� The two stuffed themselves in the tiny elevator and Mike shoved the round button with the number seven on it. The door shut and the elevator began to ascend. Donnie stood quietly, his gaze darting between Mike and the door. The pressure of the lift mixed with Mike's drunken unsteadiness made him lean against the wall for fear of falling down. The questions still swam in abundance in Donnie's head, as the elevator shook to a stop and the doors opened again.
����������� The two boys came to a stop before Alice's door. Without hesitation, Mike banged hard on the door's wooden surface with his fist. Donnie worried that he might alert other tenants, but before he could object he saw the small bronze doorknob turn.
����������� The door opened only an inch and behind it stood whom Donnie could only assume was Alice. Her long blond hair was draped around her head messily and she stood looking at the two in a grip of some kind of nervous anxiousness.
����������� Mike said nothing and opened the door further, letting himself in. Alice only stood quietly; he eyes now staring at the ground.
����������� Donnie would often tell girls he flirted with that they always look better if they smiled, and Alice was a perfect example of what he meant. There was certainly a lovely looking young woman buried beneath the mess of uncombed hair and drying make-up that was covering her face. She stood about his height in a tight fitting white tee shirt and denim jeans. She looked tired and as if she had maybe been crying earlier.
����������� "This is Donnie. Let him in, sis." Mike bellowed out.
����������� Donnie entered the small apartment as Alice closed the door and locked it behind him. The apartment was small and disorganized. Overloaded ashtrays were scattered on the several coffee tables and the coarse odor of grease and second hand smoke hung throughout the entire apartment. The living room had several lazy-boys and an aged couch sprawled throughout it.
Mike waltzed through it and wandered over to the kitchen area. Donnie stood by the door as he watched Alice follow Mike with her arms crossed. She looked like a guilty six year old being called over to explain why a lamp had been broken or some other childish crime.
����������� Mike said nothing for the longest time. He stood and rubbed his forehead repeatedly. Donnie could tell that his hangover was already starting.
����������� "Where is he now, Alice?"
����������� Alice replied instantly. "He left" she whimpered.
����������� "Are you alright?" he asked as he took her face in his hands, looking her over.
����������� Alice wrestled herself away from his hands. "I'm fine. I told you he didn't do anything."
����������� "Didn't I tell you that that fucker would do this to you? I told you a thousand times!" Mike's voice was loud now. Everything he had bottled up inside of him the entire car ride was seeping out now.
����������� Alice matched his volume. "Don't start that shit again, Mike. I'm not a goddamn teenager anymore!"
����������� "Then why are you always so stupid?" he cried. "Why do you keep getting involved with fucking dipshit assholes that only want to plum your depths?"
����������� Donnie had never heard Mike talk like this. He was always so cheery and vibrant, even when he was at his most obnoxiously drunk stages. That last remark was the final straw however, and Donnie could tell that Alice was reaching her boiling point as well.
����������� "Don't hand me that load, Mike. You never like any of the guys I go out with. Your worse than dad!"
����������� "Then why did you call me, huh? Why did you drag me from my goddamn party all the way over here to fix your fucking problems?"
����������� Alice was at a loss for words. "I..." she started. She wasn't standing up too well to Mike's abuse.
����������� "You go out and get yourself involved with moronic dumbasses and then always come crying to me when things go wrong. Well I've had it, Alice! For Christ's sake your fucking nineteen now. You have got to stop being so stupid!"
����������� Donnie hated that word... "stupid". Mike had used it in the car on the way over, and it bothered him then too, but now Donnie thought he was starting to seriously get out of line.
"Mike, that's enough" called out, hurrying over to call him off.
����������� Mike ignored him and continued yelling at Alice. "One of these days your going to get royally fucked up by one of these dicks. Then you'll understand how dumb you are!"
����������� Tears were almost streaming down Alice's cracked cheeks, and Donnie was started to gather more courage. "Mike, goddammit that's enough!"
����������� Mike turned to him and kept right on going. "No, fuck you Don. She's gotta learn that if she keeps being dumb and going out with scumbags she's going to get herself in serious shit!"
����������� "You don't control my life" Alice screamed. "Why can't you just help me?"
����������� "Alright that is enough!" Donnie commanded. He raised his hands to the pair of them. "Mike, Jesus your drunk as hell. This isn't a good time for you to be trying to play big brother."
����������� "Fuck you, Donnie! She's my sister. Stop being hero!"
����������� "Mike" Donnie said in a threatening tone "settle down man! Just calm the fuck down!"
����������� It was humid and silent in the tiny apartment. The three stood there, sweating and breathing heavily. Mike was staring at Donnie, who had taken Alice's place in the path of his drunken rage. Donnie was rigid and stood strong with determination. He hardly knew what was going on between these two, but he didn't want to see anything escalate further than where it was already.
����������� "Mike..." Donnie finally spoke. "I think you should have a seat."
����������� Mike's fatigue was clearly showing through as his eyes looked heavy. He wiped his forehead and released a tension filled sigh. His arms and shoulders felt were aching and he felt faint. Donnie was standing strong to the abuse Alice had buckled under, and Mike was running on empty. "Fine" he said as he stumbled over to Alice's couch. "We'll call it a night then."
����������� "What?" Alice blared out.
����������� "You heard me. You said he just left. He might be back. We'll crash here for the night!"
����������� Donnie agreed with Mike, but for different reasons. He was more concerned with keeping the two siblings at bay, rather than deal with whoever it was that may or may not return. He knew that if it came to that, Mike would be more than willing to step up to the plate.
����������� "Looking to bust some stranger's head, are we Mike?" Donnie replied.
����������� Mike flopped on the couch, which made a loud crying squeal of rusted springs as it flattened under his weight. "Don't act so goddamn wholesome, Donnie. If this shit-bag comes back, you and I will--"
����������� "Will what? Kick his ass? You'd last about a minute and a half in your shape."
����������� Mike traded in his rage for a more sinister tone. "So what would you do then? Stand by like a pussy and watch my sister get fucked up again?"
����������� Alice finally gathered the courage to rush out of the room, past Donnie, down towards a bedroom at the other end of the hallway. She would start crying the minute she got that door nice and slammed behind her, and Donnie knew it.
����������� "Well I guess you won't have to worry now, will you?" Donnie commented, his hands on his hips. "She'll probably spend the rest of her life in that room now. Alice is safe from all the scumbags in the world now! You happy?"
����������� Mike wasn't listening to him. He had stretched out on the couch and was drowning now in his own snoring. Donnie stood staring at him for a while. The room was silent again, but the muggy air still lingered and made Donnie feel stuffy and tiresome.
����������� "Fuck" he cursed as he walked over to the wooden table that sat covered in discarded post it notes, unopened mail, and foreign cosmetics.
Alice wasn't much of a housekeeper. The furthest items on the farther part of the table were coated lightly with dust and stains of unknown food products were visible in small splotches on the table's surface.
Donnie sat in one of the chairs next to the table. The decaying seat cushion kicked out a puff of dust as he fell onto it. An hour ago he was living the life of a young man with only the most trivial of cares, enjoying the party and chatting with Rose the beauty. Now he was refereeing a domestic dispute in a hot-boxed little apartment with shag carpeting.
He cleared some space on the cluttered table for him to rest his arm and head on. The orange light that poured forward from the kitchen area and the few lamps that were set in the corners of the living room were dim and with his eyes closed, Donnie quickly shut out their weak luminance. Mike roared constantly and even over the slight hum of what Donnie assumed was an ancient air-conditioner located somewhere else in the apartment, he could hear the drunken fool unwillingly vocalize what was by far one of the deepest of drunken slumbers Donnie could recall hearing.
He thought of Alice, shut up in her bedroom. Had she slumped into a crying mess like Donnie figured she would? Was she curled on her bed in a pathetic fetal position, clutching some juvenile toy as she poured her sobs into it, broken and demoralized by her brother's taunts and hardened lecturing? In the end, it was these questions that accompanied Donnie to his own state of uncomfortable rest.
********************************************************************************************************************************************
Some time had past-- that much he was sure. Donnie's head was heavy as he steadied it on his sore neck. His arm, still a pillow on the table, was numb and tingled slightly as he tried to move it.
His blurry vision focused on the copper walls and deep green floor of the room. The hum of the mystery air-conditioner was still apparent, and Donnie looked over to see Mike struggling to get comfortable on the squeaky couch.
"He'll wake up even crankier tomorrow" Donnie heard Alice say. He turned to see her come out of the kitchen with two glasses of water. She set one down in front of him and kept the other as she seated herself across from him.
"Asshole will probably expect me to make his damn breakfast too." Alice was in very loose fitting pajama bottoms and an oversized T-shirt with some cute little animal on the front of it.
Donnie took the glass and drank from it, the metallic tasting water clearing his throat as he did. He had awoken with a stagnate dryness in his throat from all the yelling he had done, and he would have taken any drink offered at that point. "Thanks" he said with a breath as he brought the empty glass down on the table.
"Yeah" she replied as she fished through the mess on the table for her cigarettes. She lit one and dragged long on it. "So" she said as a trail of blue smoke streamed from her lips, "how did you get dragged into this?"
Donnie wasn't exactly sure how to answer. "Well, you don?t think he ran here, do ya?"
Alice replied with an annoyed laugh. "That wouldn?t surprise me. Not in the least. Mike's always tried to take control over everything, ever since we were kids."
Donnie had a talent, or at least he thought, for sitting through longwinded stories and boring rants that most people his age would be quick to impatiently try and avoid. He knew that such a tangent was starting up before him and without any strength to ignore it he just sat and listened.
"When we were kids, our mother died of cancer and he and I went to live with our father, who we didn't really know that well since he had taken off shortly after I was born. Mike and dad were always fighting but since he was a kid, he couldn't really do anything, so he took it all out on me."
Donnie could hear her spite, and as she paused for another intake of nicotine, she shook her head. "He used to order me around all the time. He made sure I was always doing dad?s stupid chores and he was always sure to bitch at me when I did something wrong."
The feeling was coming back to Donnie's arm and he shook it out, trying to speed the process. Mike's snoring was coming in short bursts now, each loader than the last. Alice looked at him disgustingly. "Now all he does it is get drunk and order people around. Asshole." She stabbed her butt into an ashtray and looked at him. "Thanks for stepping in earlier."
She smiled for the first time that night. It was a smile that signified Donnie's victory. He had saved the maiden in distress for the evil asshole brother and this young little blond in her eveningwear grinning at him was his reward.
Donnie saw through it though. It was a hollow smile--fake on the surface and stemmed from thoughts and emotions he didn't trust, much less condone. There was no doubt that Alice was Mike's sister. No doubt.
"I have a sister, you know" he spoke finally. His comment caught her off guard, much like he expected.
"Really? How old is she?"
"She's twenty-eight. She's in Italy right now. She's learning to be a chief."
Their roles had reversed, and now Alice was the listener. "Cool" she commented.
"You remind me a lot of her, you know." Donnie's tone was slow and he spoke softly, as if only to himself.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah" he continued. "I remember when she used to baby-sit me as a kid. She would always have her friends over and be partying and stuff while I sat in my room and played on my computer."
Alice wasn't sure if he was just mindlessly bantering or trying to make a point. Donnie wasn't sure either, but at least he had her attention, and that was all he wanted. They stared at each other--studying--trying to figure each other out.
"Your brother loves you, you know."
She sat back in her chair and looked away. "Yeah, whatever. My brother is a prick who just wants everything his way."
"You think so?" Donnie asked.
"Yes" she snapped. "I think so! I know him a lot more than you do, trust me. He's an asshole! You even said so yourself!"
Donnie tried to replay what he said earlier in his head, but nothing clear came to him. "Maybe, but he still loves you. You asked him to come over, didn't you? He did, didn't he?"
Her voice turned angry again. "I never asked him to do nothing. I just..."
Donnie saw the wheels in her head desperately try to turn, but she couldn't find the words to end her sentence. "An asshole brother that only gets drunk and tries to control people's lives, as you put it, is still a brother. Don't you think he would have been content to just stay at the party tonight? Wouldn't a real asshole brother just ignore you and leave you to deal with your shit on your own?"
"I never asked him to do anything!" she repeated.
"That's right, you didn't." Donnie replied. "You didn't have to."
Alice was crumbling again like she had earlier. "What the fuck is with you? I thought you were on my side."
"I never said I was't. Neither did he." Donnie was calm and sat still in his chair as he spoke. He had learned, mostly through his part-time jobs, that keeping your cool when everyone else was freaking out was the best way to keep control, or at least look like you are. "You're brother loves you--he cares about you."
"Whatever" she snarled at him. "You don't know shit. You don't know shit about either of us."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Donnie agreed as he rose from the uncomfortable chair and stretched. He felt the bones in his back and neck loosen and crack.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"There will be one more good looking young lady that will be pissed off at me tonight if I don't go do something" he answered with a smile.
"So you're just going to leave him here with me? Is that it?"
Donnie pretended to think for a moment. "Yeah, I am. I suggest you make him that breakfast when he gets up. He's had a long night."
Alice was screaming again. "Get out! Get the fuck out!"
Donnie crossed the living room and headed for the door. He turned back to her one last time as he held it open. "He really does love you, Alice."
She had gathered her legs up in her arms on the chair with he forehead resting on her knees. He tangled hair draped down over her arms and hung still around her legs. "Fuck off" she said in and tired and lifeless voice, hardly loud enough for him to hear.
She looked helpless and defeated, and Donnie left her there curled in her own stubborn misery as he closed the door behind him. He stood in the hallway, letting his thoughts collect themselves. He tried to convince himself that he had said all the right things; that he had made her realize how serious he was trying to be. She had been right about one thing though: he didn't know shit about either of them.
Donnie made his way back to Rose's convertible. His watch read around four o'clock. He hoped that he could still find Rose back at Jimmy's place, and started up the engine. He only paused a few minutes to wonder whether he should consider calling Ashley, his sister, and seeing how she was doing way out there in Europe.
"I'll think about it" he concluded as he drove away.
