Getaway

[13] It's Hard to be a Diamond in Crime Owned World

"Ashby Carlton," Raven narrows his eyes, and hisses fiercely, "you are not ready for what is gonna get your ass..."

Perfecting his eye pencil in the mirror, Phoenix is swivelling his magnificent figure every so often and winking, checking himself out.

"Cha, cha, ching!" he giggles.

"Come on," sighs Raven, sitting on the hotel bed. It's maybe the seventh hotel in LA the crew have crashed at during the last three days since the police came to take a much-missed member away... Leya. Now back at her home in the UK, thousands of miles from Raven, who was taking a severe blow.

It's all a cover up, an attempt at creating a fake story, so that it appears the girls have really been on a holiday to LA. Their parents may have some questions, but Jayla and Sapphire knew that as long as it came from their own pocket and they weren't getting into any trouble, their parents wouldn't be mad. They were 18 and 16 after all and Aspen was like a sister to them... Or did this count as trouble? And this cover up still doesn't explain the apparent disappearance of Raven, Phoenix and Blu. But they're working on it.

Bleep, someone switches on the hotel TV, and it flickers onto the news, a red ticker running along the bottom of the screen.

"Police are checking the CCTV from the Plaza Gold Motel LA, further investigation will be carried out, but until then we can only rely on eye witness testimony, here we have a mother of four children, who feels the pain of the parents back home, she claims to have seen Raven McQueen and Phoenix Von Dohren here at the hotel only two days ago. She reports, 'My girls...'"

Jayla, Sapphire and Aspen watch as Raven grabs the remote.

"You know what?" Raven gets up off the other side of the bed. "Turn that fucking shit off."

And at the press of the red button the screen fuzzes, a neon green wave flashing across it, and it goes black.

"I don't care what people say any more, they can say what they fucking like. But I'm no bad guy. I'm a good guy, just here doing what I love, making kids happy and having a fucking good time. And that Carlton ass of a dumb shit, ass," he snarls, bitter hate heavy, "is not gonna stop me, us... anybody! From doing that. Having their fun. He ain't gonna stop me."

The cream curtains ruffle slightly in the still that follows. Phoenix drops his eye pencil on to the dresser and stops admiring himself.

Then they all clap loud applause, and cheer for Raven and their victory over the media, the pirate and the law. Who gives a shit?

"Not me!" Laughs Phoenix, and with that, he flings open the door of their room, Sapphire looking beautiful in her pale blue heels and white dress to match her name, Aspen licking a lollipop and riding Blu for a piggy back, spinning in circles through the corridor. Front of house, looking stunning and joyful... despite being pinched by a sadness inside that her best friend is no longer here with her to share the fun, is Jayla hand in hand with Phoenix, skipping merrily in their matching platforms, like dominoes, Jayla in white, Phoenix in black.

Keys jangling everywhere, his Final Fantasy keychain gets stuck on his crop trousers, and he tries to shove them back in his pocket. Raven tugs along behind, "W-wait for me!"

"Alright," Blu turns, Aspen waving madly back at McQueen, his hair looking polished and perfect. He dyed it just last night.

Catching up with them, he begins to feel the life surge back into him, "Yeah!"

"Yeah!" They all echo, loud enough to fill an anthem at a stadium.

"To Pizza!" Raven yells, and they yell it back just the same.

"To Pizza!"

---

A good few hours later, and their table is looking like a scrap-heap, buffet cart and a rock show.

Hurling across the wine glasses and scrunched up napkins on plates, flies a chocolate profiterole "Haha," laughs Phoenix, "meatballed!" Flicking it off his fork, he begins digging for another one off the floor.

"Haha, what? It's not even a meatball! You better watch out for what's coming next..." Jayla yells, bending down and their hands touch. They both tried to get the ball of cream and chocolate in pastry at the same time.

For a moment they are lost in each other's eyes. Like an awkward restaurant rom-com version of Twister...the two are poised there... then a loud crash sounds, and both their chairs go screeching across the floor, knocking into a waiter. Water glasses from his tray cascade fizzy liquid onto the carpet. Bang, crash, fizz, fizz, fizzle.

It feels like the whole restaurant stops and stares for a moment. Then returns to normal.

"Ohowww," Phoenix sits up, scratching his head. He jumps to stand shortly after, realising his butt is getting soaked.

"Your fault, meatball man," Jayla jokes, trying to get up but instantly slipping over on all the water.

Then the most colourful of the bunch finally speaks up,

"What a mighty mess you've made down there," Raven declares as if he had nothing to do with it. But his voice sounds so black and white, like somebody's washed all the rainbow out of him... "Looks like somebody's been busy getting their ass soaked!" ...it almost hurts to hear the little cough of a laugh he tacks on at the end.

Turning to Raven, Phoenix menaces jokily, his eyes widening with glee, "Oh yeah?!"

Jayla can't help but stare at his dimples and wide smile and giggle along with him. Oh, Phoenix... So fucking gorgeous... Then she blushes, cheeks burning hot as the wavering candle flame in front of her.

Meanwhile, across the round table from them, Sapphire and Aspen have the Italian menus on their heads, pizzas and chequers adorned.

"It's so in," Blu loves it, and grabs a menu too, "I'm loving it!" He sings and whistles. And they all laugh dancing together with their menu hats, as people begin to stare even more, struggling to continue with normality, eating pizza and pasta and drinking wine.

Next thing they know, Raven jumps to a stand, patting his pockets all the way down his legs and gasping, looking around as if the girl in pigtails with a Minnie Mouse toy behind him or the classy looking businessmen in black suits know where the thing he's lost belongs. Maybe they do.

"Ah shit!" It rings across the whole restaurant and a lot of angry faces look towards the table, and Raven's beautiful brightly framed face.

Phoenix and Jayla stop still, as a profiterole set alight on a fork is dropped, and makes a hissing noise as it bobs to the bottom of the glass of sparkling water. "Ew," Phoenix hahas, "that's nasty." Jayla elbows him, silently laughing. The whole restaurant is staring now. It's eerie and embarrassing.

"Erm," Raven glances side to side, and sees some men in the back emerging, they look like cops to him. "We gotta go," he clips, quickly and quietly grabbing his things as the rest follow suite, and exit the restaurant, without paying.

"Excuse me, sir!" An authentic Italian accent calls out.

They keep going. Running now.