Ecstasy

07: Him

𝟎𝟕: 𝐇𝐢𝐦

I woke up groaning, the blaring alarm pounding in my ears. Monday morning already. I rubbed my eyes, feeling like I hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. The clock flashed 6:30 AM. Great, school. I dragged myself out of bed, dreading the day ahead.

Last night, Juan had texted me about training at the ice cream parlor right after school. 2 PM sharp. So at least I had something to look forward to... I guess. I still hadn't called or texted my mom back, even though I knew I should. The thought of hearing her nagging voice was enough to make me shove the idea far out of my mind.

As I headed downstairs, I noticed Jessica wasn't home. That only meant one thing—I had to walk to school. I groaned in frustration. It wasn't far if I took the shortcut, but that road was still blocked off by the cops.

Sliding my phone into my back pocket, I sighed. I still hated having the damn thing. But I needed it. Especially after what happened last time when I got lost without it. I grabbed my bag and slammed the door behind me as I stepped out onto the sidewalk. The air was sticky, the sun already blazing over the city of Miami.

On my way to school, I noticed a crowd gathered around the blocked-off road. My curiosity got the better of me, and I walked over.

Reporters were everywhere, their cameras aimed at the scene, residents whispering among themselves. A bystander caught my attention, muttering angrily into their phone.

"These cops aren't doing a damn thing! Our town's in danger, and they're just standing around like idiots!"

I couldn't help but overhear, and before I knew it, I was sidling closer. I approached another bystander, a guy in his mid-40s wearing a baseball cap.

"Excuse me," I said, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah," he said with a grim expression. "Criminals are taking over. A cop's family was murdered in that house down the street. Fourth one." He pointed. "They said it was brutal."

My stomach dropped. That was so close to my house. What if it had been me and Jessica? I shuddered at the thought. Before I could reply, another bystander, a woman clutching a toddler, piped up.

"The worst part? There's not gonna be any arrests."

Both the man and I turned to look at her, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"We all know who's behind this," she said, her voice lowering like she was sharing some kind of forbidden secret. "That cop was the one who arrested Chaos Salvatore. We've all been waiting for the day his revenge would come."

The name sent a shockwave through my body.

Chaos.

"It took them 15 years to finally arrest him," the guy added darkly. "But he's not going back. Not now, not ever."

I mumbled a quick thank you and got the hell out of there. I couldn't be around this anymore. My legs moved faster as I hurried toward school, desperate to put distance between me and that conversation.

School was a blur. Boring as always, and I didn't talk to anyone. Not that I ever did. Just three more weeks of high school and I'd be done for good. My thoughts drifted, bouncing from graduation to college to my mom.

I tried to push it out of my mind and focused on the ticking clock instead. Time crawled by until, finally, school ended.

The ice cream parlor was a 30-minute walk from the school, but I didn't mind. It gave me time to clear my head. As I stepped inside, the familiar cold air hit me, and Juan greeted me from behind the counter.