Pannel & Hook

Chapter 23: The Black Lagoon

POV PETE

TW: Drug use and Adult Language- Please be advised

     "The standards and expectations others have for us will never reach the weight we have for ourselves. J.T.L. (2022)

     "Kid". My mind darted like the flash from one intrusive thought to the other, not knowing if I got picked up for what happened at Side-Eyez place or the rumble on Halloween but I thought I was going to shit myself when I moved around my jacket pockets felt a pill bottle.

     "KID". The pig, sorry, the officer slapped the metal table snapping me back to reality. "What's your name?"

"Um...Peter David Pannel". I hate my middle name.

"Just your first and last kid. Peter pan-".

     "Pannel". The uniform in front of me wrote down on his pad but mumbled something under his breath after I corrected him.

     "You got any idea why you got picked up, Mr. Pannel?". Don't say drugs, don't say drugs, don't say drugs.

     "Could you please not call me 'Mr. Pannel'?". He shook his head. "And no".

     "We got a tip that a known gang affiliate from the westside along with another group that is known as the 'Lost Boys' would be at a private party in the hills. You, Peter, were seen a good few miles away coming from that Party wearing this jacket that has symbols known through the gang community".

     I took a look at his name tag and peeped at the name "Smee" so judging by his looks, he's maybe in his mid to late twenties most likely being Abigail's cousin and/or older brother.

     "This is outta context but can I ask you a quick question". He looked up, setting his pad next to him and telling me to shoot.

     "Do you have a sister or niece named Abigail? We go to the same school and I thought the last name was familiar.".

     "Yeah, I do, she's my little sister. How's she doing over there it's been a minute?". He smiled for a second before interlocking his fingers.

     "She's alright, last time I saw her but things between us are a bit stained at the moment". He gave a noticeable look of confusion and curiosity. "We used to be friends back in middle school but kinda drifted apart so things are a lil awkward seeing each other in the senior year".

     "Welp...I'm sorry to hear that my friend but as much as I'd like to talk about my lil sis, this conversation is neither here nor there of the main task at hand. You look like a reasonably smart fella so I'm gonna break this down for you real fast. You're going to tell me all about what you know of the gang leader known as Jair Thatch and why you were the same party and how you came by that snazzy jacket of yours...Go".

     Think Peter, think..." I've heard the name before, something about raiders and the name sounds like my younger cousin but tonight is the first I'm hearing of him being gang-related". I laugh nervously as he looks at me then started writing then looked back at me.

     "I went to the party with a friend because I thought it'd be fun and barely saw him then picked up this jacket along the way because I was cold".

     He sat back in his chair for a moment then looked at his pad with his arms crossed and sighed before leaning forwards back to his fingers crossed stance after checking his stance.

     "Alright, tell you what. Since it's late, your story sounds believable and quite frankly I wanna go home...if you can give me the number of someone who can corroborate your little tale then you're free to go and if not, you get cozy in a holding cell till you bail if not charged with gang affiliation, that seems fair?".

     I nodded my head and asked permission to use my phone before scrolling through my contacts and calling someone who I know can lie better than anyone.

BEEEEP. "Hello?".

     "Good evening, this is Officer Daniel Smee of the Neverland Police Department, Am I speaking to Isabella Nicastro?".

"I prefer 'Belle' but yes, this is she"

"Can you please confirm that you were with your friend Peter Pannel earlier tonight in the hills?"

     "Yeah, I drove him there because everyone said there'd be a party with free food and he needs to get out more, then he was saying he had a head or something so I gave him my boyfriend's keys to drive home and I'd just take an Uber to him after to pick it up, honest to God truth". She's an avid atheist who's said and I quote, "fuck the church" on multiple occasions.

He thought to himself for a second then looked at him and proceeded to talk on speaker phone.

     "Alright, thank you for your time, Miss Belle, have yourself a great night, you can feel free to collect him unless he'd like a ride home if you wish."

     "I am, thank you, and you too". I can tell by the level of calm in her voice that she's probably thinking WTF.

     Officer Smee hung up the phone and handed it back to me noticing me internally shitting bricks and my sigh of relief when he said I was free to go. We left the interrogation room looking like he beat me with his belt or something due to how anxious I was and almost pissed myself after we passed a K9 that started barking like it had rabies and I thought I was gonna hear "GET ON THE GROUND" until I saw it was just barking at another dog.

     Belle picked me up in her fairy-sized car that drove surprisingly fast and I'm guessing she told Nate and Manny because their cars were already at the house when we got there.

     When the front door closed behind me, I went straight to my room and then slammed and locked my door before taking the xans in my pocket and rummaging through my sock drawer to find the leftover yellow Fairy Dust from Side-Eyez.

     I manage to fumble one out of the bag and tossed it in my mouth and mid-swallow I hear "Pete...what are you taking?". GULP.

     Fuck. I turn around and see Kimi sitting on my bed, back against the wall, curled into a ball as if she had just appeared, I'm wondering how I didn't notice her on the way in.

     "Um...nothing". She got off the bed wearing one of my hoodies and sweats and snatched the baggie out of my hand before I could say anything else.

     "Why do you have Fairy Dust?". I said I dunno under my breath until for the first time she raised her voice, shouting for me not to lie to her, with small drops of tears dancing down her face.

     She threw me against the wall after seemingly crushing the bagging under the weight of her bare feet. Kimi's frustration grew as I could tell it was mixed with deep worry and sadness. Her arm stayed cocked ready to fire a blow that would probably lay me out with the other gripping my shirt inside a fist against my erratic heartbeat and firing lightning fast but hit the wall inches next to me.

     My vision began to fade in and out of a violaceous euphoria. I felt her strip me of my shirt and shoes before throwing me into my bed, which felt like a cluster of clouds.

     I remember the sound of the toilet flushing then sometime later her warm yet heartbroken face above me along with the feel of cold on my head and a few words I would never forget before my sight and mind faded to black.

"You're supposed to be the good one, Peter".