Freely we Love

Day to Night

The blood rushed out of Jason's face to the point he was paler than the usual. A freezing chill jolted down his spine and he felt his legs go numb. The man holding the gun had his face hidden in a hoodie. He wasn't much taller than Jason but considerably bulkier. After snapping out of total freezing immobility, he remembered the money he borrowed from his father's. He didn't let the mugger speak, Jason tossed the wad.

"Please don't do something stupid, take the money and fuck off,"

Andrew-Jason's father-had repeatedly told him his impertinent mouth would cost him his life. Oh the irony.

The mugger bent and picked the money, but he didn't put away the gun.

"Sweet lord, that's all I've got!" Jason screamed. He felt like fainting when he felt pressure on his shoulder. Out of instinct, he threw his elbow backwards. If it was indeed a person the blow didn't help much, because he hit a stomach with muscles hard as iron.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Blondie?"

Jason spun on his feet and yet a little surprised he met a pair of familiar green eyes. Nathaniel's.

"Perfect, now this fucker is gonna shoot us both, happy asshole?" Jason scowled.

"I knew it was your time of the month, God, you're so moody. Don't worry, he's bluffing. The gun isn't even real,"

The hooded man seemed startled, to prove Nat wrong he aimed up and shot. A dead pigeon fell on the space between them.

Jason held a shriek deep in his throat.

"Wait a month," Nat whispered "Carlos? What the hell are you doing man?"

The mugger lowered his hood to reveal a boy in his late teens with an enormous smile drawn on his face.

"Nathan, holy shit! What have you been up to? It's been ages!" Carlos shook hands with Nat and embraced him in a hug.

"Thieving wasn't my thing, remember? Although knowing how to get on someone's nerves do comes in handy. Where the fuck did you get this?" Nat snatched the gun out of Carlos' hand. It wasn't something big. A tiny revolver with space for six bullets. He aimed at a distant tree and shot. The sound pierces the silence.

"Can someone explain me what the FUCK is going on here?" Jason hissed at both of them.

"And who may this be?" Carlos glared at Jason.

"This is Blondie, he's a ... friend of mine,"

"No mames, sure he's your friend." he said with a sarcastic tone on his voice "Look, I've gotta run, but hey, there will be a party tomorrow at The Sub, you do remember how to get there, right?"

"Sure thing," Nat said.

"Se va a poner bien chingon, See you then,"

"Nos vemos," Nat spoke in Spanish.

"Oh! and be sure to bring your friend," Carlos screamed, not looking back neither did he stop running "I'm pretty sure Santiago would like to meet him!' Carlos ran from Nat and Jason's sight.

"Okay, you've got a lot of explaining to do," Jason scoffed.

Nat chuckled. "You're better off not knowing, anyway, have you ever been to a Mexican party?"

The answer was no, but neither had Jason went to any party specifically. Billie had invited him, Ali once organized one just for him. But he didn't go. Although his conflict with people, it wasn't about the crowds per se, he had never got drunk in his life, nor was he planning to. The thought just not fit in his mind.

"No, and I'm not going. I want to meet no Santiago and I would never go to a party down in the subway, what the hell, man?"

"The subway?" Nat snorted.

"Place is called The Sub, it has to- forget it, I don't want to know,"

"This is an unhealthy attitude towards alcohol, even for a stiff like you, c'mon," Nat grabbed Jason's wrist.

"You really have to stop doing this," he gestured to his arm "where are we going, anyway?"

"Shut up and you'll see," Nat said, dragging Jason across the dark fields.

*

They took a few streets and stopped in front of a groceries store owned by some guy named Ranjeet.

"Wait here," Nat said, releasing Jason.

"What are you-," but he didn't stop, he walked in to Ranjeet's groceries. Jason saw through the glass, Nat wasn't doing nothing out of the ordinary. He walked to cheap alcohol counter and grabbed a bottle of wine.

Yeah, like he's selling it to you,

Nat walked to the cashier, where a man from India-Ranjeet, Jason dared to think-was reading a magazine. He looked up and snorted at Nat's adorable face.

Adorable? What the hell is wrong with you? Jason asked himself.

Ranjeet refused to sell the bottle, and after two gentle attempts of convincing him nicely, Nat frowned. Suddenly his face became threatening, angry and dangerous. He pulled a jackknife out of his pocket and pointed it at Ranjeet. He spoke on a sharp Indian accent, begged to be left unharmed. Nat walked out of the store with the bottle in hand.

"Now what?" Jason asked, a little spooked by the jackknife. Nat seemed to notice his startling and his it in his pocket. "Now we run like hell was chasing us,

"Why? You already have the bottle,"

"Yeah, but as good as Ranjeet may be, he obviously is calling the cops right now so," Nat grabbed Jason's hand, not his wrist and not in the usual brute way. He gently took his hand and whispered "Run,"

*

" I can't, I have school tomorrow,"

"So do I, so what?"

"I can't, okay?"

"Suit yourself, at least keep me company for a drink," Nat managed to bit off the cork. He drank directly from the bottle.

Half a bottle later, Nat's breath reeked of wine. He was unable to stand up.

"Leave me here," he told Jason.

"No way, c'mon," Jason tried to put Nat up on his feet. But his drunken body was too heavy. So he just kept dropping him

"I swear to god, Blondie, I'll break your arms if you keep doing that," Nat said "I've slept on the park before, really, leave, I'll see you tomorrow,"

Tomorrow?

Jason walked away, he picked up the bottle of wine from the floor and walked home. The bottle wasn't empty, it still had a fourth of content. He sipped it all at once.