No Turning Back

The Boy Behind the Mask (Part Two)

I groaned as I heard my phone ring loudly on my nightstand. I rolled onto my stomach and pulled my pillow over my head in an attempt to block out the music. After a while, it stopped and I felt myself drifting back into unconsciousness. That bliss didn't last long though since my phone started ringing again. I gave up and finally answered the phone. "Hey," I heard Jayden's voice say. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yes. Do you know what time it is," I told him.

"It's noon, white boy. It's time to get your ass up." I groaned.

"No. I'm still tired after last night. I didn't know you could get hangovers from too many Monsters." I heard Jayden chuckle.

"You are such an amateur," he stated. I lay back down against my pillows. "So, what are you doing later?"

"I don't know," I said with a yawn. "I was planning on sleeping. Why?"

"Well, we never got to talk yesterday about the stuff on your mind so I thought maybe we could hang out and you could get some stuff off your chest."

"Sure. That sounds good." Jayden hesitated for a moment.

"You...you can come over to my house...if you're not too scared."

"Your house," I asked in surprise. "Um, yea...sure. I'll be there in an hour. Just text me your address."

"Okay...see you then." He then hung up, leaving me in a bit of confusion. First of all, I was a bit surprised that he actually invited me to hang out so that we could actually talk instead of doing more work on our project. Second, I was surprised at the fact that he invited me to his house. I knew that he lived in the Spanish ghetto and I knew a lot of gangs and such resided up there. I think he was trying to get me killed or robbed or something. He knew that I couldn't possibly last five minutes up there. Hopefully, my GPS would get me to his house safely and everything would be fine.

I reluctantly hopped out of my bed and started to get my clothes together. I decided on a plain white tee, a pair of worn jeans, and white Nike sneakers. I didn't want to dress too nice and draw attention to myself. Then again, I am white and that would draw enough attention. I guess I just didn't need any more. I took a long shower before getting dressed and brushing my hair. I also threw on an old Brown University hoodie over my shirt. Once I was all set to go, I headed downstairs. My parents were in the living room watching television. "Where are you going," my dad asked as I walked past the doorway. I walked backwards so that I was in the doorway and facing them. My parents were looking at me curiously, taking in my simple clothes and slightly messy hair. "And why do you look like that?"

"I'm going to Jayden's house," I said. "I look like this because I'm trying to blend in." My dad raised an eyebrow.

"You guys are working pretty hard on this project I see."

"Uh, actually, we're starting to become friends. He called me a while ago and asked if I wanted to hang out so...yea." My dad nodded, his eyes gleaming a bit of suspicion.

"Be careful," he told me. I nodded before turning to leave. "Wait," he said as he got up. I saw him leave the living room for a moment before he returned with a small gun in his hand.

"Dad," I started. "It's not that serious." He pushed the small pistol into my hand anyway. "Dad, I don't-"

"Just in case," he said. I sighed but hooked it into my jeans. "Good boy," he said with a smile. "Have fun now." I forced a smile at him before retreating out of my house. I got into my car and punched the address Jayden had given me into my GPS. I also threw the pistol into my glove compartment. I wasn't positive if I was going to need it but I was positive that I couldn't let Jayden see it on me. I didn't want to raise any suspicions in him nor did I want him to see me as a threat - not that he would anyway. Once the glove was firmly tucked away, I hit the road. My GPS led me out of my neighborhood, through center city, through the middle class houses, down to the Spanish ghetto. The houses down there weren't too bad. They weren't as big as the houses in my neighborhood but they weren't much smaller than the middle class houses. I noticed a lot of people walking up and down the streets in their hoodies, smoking and talking. There were also lots of streets that were lined with small food and convenience stores. The area didn't seem too bad, I guessed. Jayden lived on a cul-da-sac where the houses were pretty decent, I guess. They weren't as bad as I thought. His was the one all the way at the end. I noticed before the GPS said so since I spotted his motorcycle in the driveway in front of the small garage next to a red Chevy Malibu. I parked next to the curb before turning everything off in my car. I took a deep breath, noticing that I was nervous. Since I was at his house then I would most likely be meeting his family. Now, I wished that I had dressed a little nicer.