Piece It Together - Gavin Reed

11

"So, do you have any aspirations?" The h/c asked, not looking up from her maths homework. It was something she found pretty hard but she still wanted to fill the empty void that clouded their atmosphere. He was quiet, 'I Was Made For Lovin' You' by Kiss playing in between the silence.

"I wanted to be an Olympic athlete when I was younger."

"Really?" She was a little surprised, "You don't strike me as the athletic type."

"You tryna' fuckin' call me fat, Priss?"

"What? No, no, I meant it as, like-" She sighed, sitting up and taking her eyes off of the work as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "You don't seem like you enjoy sports. You seem like you prefer listening to music and playing video games rather than playing football and basketball."

"I work out regularly."

"Well, I wouldn't know." Looking back down at her work, she looked over to see he was finished, "You seem like you're good at maths. Maybe you should be an accountant or something."

"Maybe you should stop assuming things." He groaned, leaning back in his chair, "I'm not a fucking idiot, I just don't like going to class."

"How do you expect to be successful if you don't attend classes?"

"I don't expect to be successful." Frowning, she continued to do her work, "Well, go on then. What's your deal?"

"My deal?"

"What do you wanna do after this?"

"I've applied for a Police Academy in New York. I plan on becoming a Detective."

"Huh." He thought for a moment, tapping his pencil against the table, "You reckon I could become a Detective?" This caught her attention, making her look up at him, "What? I'm good at problem-solving and deduction, I'm smart, and I'm physically fit-"

"And you also have a criminal record."

"I don't have a criminal record."

"What? But, I thought-"

"You really buy into those rumours?" He rolled his eyes, "I've never been caught drinking or smoking, I've never drunk driven, I've never even been to a fucking club. I don't do drugs, I've never fucking shoplifted, I've never come to school with a fucking gun-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" She laughed, putting her pencil down, "It's just a bit of a shock."

He chuckled, "I get it. How about, next time, you don't be so judgemental?"

"Yeah, okay." She looked at the clock in the kitchen, "I better head home. Want me to check your homework on the way?"

"Sure, whatever." Standing up, he grabs his jacket and throws it at her, "It's cold tonight."

She catches it, smiling, "Thanks, Reed." Draping the brown jacket over her shoulders before grabbing her things and following him to the front door.

The two sat in his car, the girl comparing their answers, "These are all right from what I can tell." She looked over at the man who was stuck in traffic with her, "Well done, Reed!"

"Yeah, whatever. Anything to get your prissy ass off my dick."

"You're so crude."

"Tonight isn't English night; don't try and make it English night."

"Crude is not a big word." Smirking, she handed him his homework back, "Seems like you must be compensating for something."

The tips of his ears grew red, his hands gripping the wheel, "Don't even try and go there or I'll show you how much I'm 'compensating'."

Feeling her stomach flip, she let her hand linger on his bicep. "Maybe you should show me now."

He looked over at her, both of them sharing a lustful gaze. "You wanna do it here? In the car?"

"With how excited you are, I'm sure one round won't last too long. We'll get to mine in no time."

"Shut up, Priss, or you won't be able to walk into your house."

"Yes, sir."

The two sat in his living room, a marvel movie playing in the background as they ate mac and cheese. Rain was led on the cushion between the two, curled up as she slept quietly. It was late into the night, around 3 am, and the two were wide awake. The interrogation had gotten them their killer and a lead on more of the dealers in Detroit who were contributing to the red ice epidemic.

"I'm surprised." Gavin looked at the girl whose eyes were trained on the screen, "I didn't think you'd actually become a Detective."

"It's hard to rub off your fuckin' influence. Plus, that application you helped me write got me early acceptance. I just pushed myself to be better than you."

"So, you used my help to be better than me?"

"Yep."

She let a laugh escape her throat, "That's the Gavin Reed I know."

"Don't give yourself too much credit. It was me that got me to this point."

"Living on your own with a cat eating mac and cheese with your partner who used to be your fuck buddy?"

He turned his head back to look at the TV, rolling his eyes, "Yeah whatever."

"Hey, um," She was looking down, not being able to look at the man or the movie, "Why did you fall for me of all people? Surely, you had other people besides me."

"Look, I know that what we did together was just meaningless sex to you, but to me you were like some fuckin' godsend. You helped me find an aspiration and you saved me from some pretty dark times in my life. I owe you for saving me from some pretty dumb decisions." He stroked the cat between them, "Well, you and Hank."

"What?"

"Don't think you did all the work, although, it does seem to run in your blood." He let a strained laugh out, "After you fucked off to New York, I didn't go to the academy. I stayed here in Detroit and fell into drugs. My mom was up to her ears in debt and died from a heart attack so I was pretty much on my own. Then I met Hank. He got me out of that shit. I found my spark again and he gave me a place to stay while I learned the ropes and, eventually, I got a job at the DPD."

"I'm so sorry about your mom, Gavin... i-if I had known-"

"Don't dwell on it. It's done with. You know that she loved you so don't get your panties in a twist."

He walked into the kitchen, washing the dishes while the girl let Rain climb into her lap. Yawning, the girl strokes her fur, watching as the cat gets comfortable. Her eyes began to feel heavy, sleep taking over as she began to slumber.

Gavin smirked at the sight, reaching to pick her up, bringing her to a half-asleep state. Carrying her to the room she'd be staying in, he tucked her in and let her sleep soundly. He left the room, turning the lights off before climbing into his own bed, Rain following suit.