Reliving a Lost Past

17. Wesley Cooper

While we were walking, I noticed some guys from our past encounters at bars and alleys that were not the friendliest. I found myself becoming clumsier and tripping over my own feet. I accidentally ran into Mitch when I was looking behind me. He grabbed me around the neck and dug his knuckles into my hair. “You alright, kid?” I nodded, now nervous about Mitch too, and smiled, but I think Mitch knew I was faking it. “Relax, boy, no one is after you…right now.” I tensed up and Mitch slapped me on the back, probably attempting to slap the worries out of me, but it didn’t work. “Go find something to do with your time instead of hanging around and doing nothing.” Mitch pushed me out of the way and Axel followed me as I walked around like a lost puppy.

There was some gambling going on and I’m pretty good most of the time, winning anything from a quarter up to two hundred dollars. I walked over to the table and sat down. The dealer scoffed and said, “Are you serious? How old are you kid?” I glared at him and growled, “Old enough to win every time.” He raised his eyebrow and said, “Fine I’ll deal you in, but don’t go crying when you loose everything. Now place your bet.”

I didn’t have any money on me and the only thing of worth that I had on was my necklace that I got from my dad. I gripped it in my hand and remembered it is the only thing of his I had. Axel whispered, “Don’t do it Wes. That’s too important.” It was true and I was about to stand up before, “Apparently you are not good enough if you won’t bet a stupid necklace.”

I slammed the necklace down on the table and said, “We’ll see about that.” He gave me the cards and I looked them over. “Hit me.” The guy next to me set his cards down, but before he had a chance to announce what he had I threw my cards down and watched as their jaws dropped. I was waiting for a ‘boy, can that kid play’ but I got a, “You little cheat!” I backed up in my chair as the dealer’s hands reached across the table and grabbed my collar. “You’re gonna pay for this you lying punk!”

At first, I thought it was Axel who pushed the guy’s hands off me, but he didn’t have the burn scars on his wrists so I knew who it was. “Get you hands off him and try messing with someone your own size you coward.” It was Mitch standing up for me and I know I would be the cowardly one for saying this, but I was really glad he was fighting for me. The dealer had at least seventy pounds on me, and it was all muscle.

I reached for my necklace and nothing else but the dealer said, “Not so fast, kid.” My mouth opened wide and I said, “I won fairly and I’m only taking back what is mine. Nothing else. Keep the rest, I just want what’s mine!” He shook his head and I looked at Mitch. “What do I have to win for the necklace, man?” Mitch asked, waiting for an answer.

The dealer thought it over and said, “Arm wrestling match. You and me.” Axel laughed and corrected him, “It’s you and I, smart one.” The dealer stood up, but Mitch pushed him back and said, “Deal.”

They cleared the table and grabbed each other’s hand. Danny slammed on the table and they fought. Mitch was struggling against the muscular dealer, but he wouldn’t give in. Someone had to kill him before he would. It wasn’t about the necklace to Mitch; it was about pride and protection, because to Mitch, if he doesn’t have his pride, then he might as well be a joke to the world.

The veins in Mitch’s arm were bulging and he was starting to give in. “Just quit while you still have your pride you useless, no good, waste of life and space, punk.” Mitch bared his teeth and growled as he slammed the dealer’s arm down past the edge of the table. The dealer yelled, but Mitch wouldn’t release the weight on his arm. “Give the kid what’s his. Now!” The dealer reached for the necklace and slid it to me, and Mitch let go and stood up. He turned to walk away, but the dealer pushed the table into him. Mitch turned around and lunged, but Rome and Danny grabbed his arms and spun him around. “Get off me.” Mitch shook them off and stormed away from the mocking dealer.

I didn’t feel too good knowing I started this mess because of my need for that gambling high. It wasn’t the high you get in your head from alcohol or drugs; no it was that crazy feeling in your stomach when you know you can beat your competition. It made me crazy because I knew I couldn’t be beat as much as Mitch can’t be beat in a wrestling match.

As we kept walking, a voice came from behind us, “You got skill boys. And lots of it.” We turned to find a girl that looked around Kolbey’s age, but she looked harder and tougher than Kolbey. Danny walked up to her and said, “Do I know you?” She grinned and said slyly, “Not likely, babe. The time I spent out of here was spent in a girl’s home.”

 “You’re...” Danny couldn’t remember her name. “The name’s Jackie.” Her dirty blonde hair made her sparkly blue eyes pop, and something felt so familiar about her, but then again, every girl in Detroit seems that way. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you before. I don’t forget faces too easily. Especially those that are hidden under hoods.” Danny went to grab his hood but realized that there was no hood on his shirt and she said, “I didn’t catch your name.” He replied smoothly, “Never gave it.” He thought twice and said, “It’s Danny Rogers.” He introduced us as well. They talked for a while but eventually gym time was over. We were back in our cells after eating and I was tired mentally, physically, and emotionally. I still couldn’t get past Jackie’s scary familiar looks. The way she talked. The way she looked. It was all too familiar. I was waiting for the light to turn off because I felt like sleeping for a long time. It was hard to think about falling asleep when I was laying on a rock, but the light eventually flicked off.

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