Hell Has A New Name

23

Two days later they made it to Atlanta, still no word from Tully. Juice was getting antsy not having communication with him. If anything he could tell him what the hell was going on in Charming. Were the guys after him? Was he safe? Did he need to go back into hiding? The thoughts inside his head were loud, they were closing in on him.

He paced his hotel room, just like he had paced his cell before that, and the hotel before that, that fucking closet in the Mayans warehouse before that. It seemed like he spent his entire life pacing, lately it was becoming a trend. All of it a prison, just different paint on the walls. The prison was inside his mind and there's no escaping that.

The school was big, bigger than he expected for what he thought was a community college. They finally found the admissions building and parked.
"Amber, do you really think this is a good idea?"

She took his hand in hers, bringing his hand to her lips. She pressed a kiss to his hand and nodded before letting go.
"I do. I think this would be good for you. Stability, routine, structure. A reason to get you out of your apartment. Which we have to be at one to tour in two hours so we've got to get out of the car."

He took a deep breath. "Right."

He tried to imagine himself as a student, something he hadn't been in a long time. The inside of the building reminded him more of a hospital mixed with a chic hotel than a school. The walls were a sterile white color, minimal art work on the walls, a name plaque notating the doors that lined the entrance hall. They found one that said admissions and registration.

Amber waited outside the office for Micheal to talk to them. She had managed to make it this far without searching him online, she knew now his real name wasn't Micheal. Somewhere there had to be something she could use to find out more about him.

She went to her browser screen.
Dr. Shot in Queens she typed in, figuring something would have to come up.

There were hits, several of them for shootings in the area, drug busts, etc. She tried again.

Oncologist killed in Queens 90's
She wasn't sure about the date, but given his approximate age, she figured the nineties were a good guess. From what he had told her, his mom was pregnant with him when they met, so this dr wouldn't like him. There were hits on this entry as well, from drive by shootings at the hospital to gang activity. She pressed her fingers into the bridge of her nose, frustrated.

Dr killed in Queens New York

That got better results. Some articles about the hospital, and then BAM!
Well respected Dr. Juan Ortiz Oncologist gunned down...
She clicked on the link to the article. There was a picture of the man, he was handsome, smiling, he looked happy in his professional photo. There were a few other pictures of the man and his family, a boy in the pictures was unmistakably Micheal. She was blown away finding it, she was zooming in on the picture when the office door opened.

"Thank you sir. I'll bring these back in the morning." Juice gestured to the papers in his hand.

Amber closed out her phone and shoved it into her purse, looking up at him smiling. He looked happy, she figured it must have gone well.

"So?" She stood to meet him.

"Well I have to apply, it's an intense program. I can test into it though so that's good, especially since I never took the SAT. I'll take their placement exam, and a technology exam to make sure I can cut it. Then I can register for Fall semester."

She pulled him into a hug. "That's so great! You come back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I have to turn in the application and my forty dollar fee. Then they will schedule the tests. I have to get my transcripts and stuff, that's going to be more difficult. I can work it out though."

She looped her arm through his as they walked to the car.

"Micheal this is so great! You're going to do well! I'll help you study."

"From Florida?" He teased.

"We can FaceTime. You'd better not get up here checking out all the cuties!" She shot back jokingly.

He pulled her into him, against the car. He remembered the way it felt she kissed him that night, all the times he's wanted to kiss her since. All the reasons he shouldn't flooded his mind, he shook them away. "Why not?" He grinned widely at her, lacing his fingers through hers, their foreheads touching. He saw her neck turning red, her breathing changed a little bit, confirming what he thought.

"Well because I'm not driving eighteen hours to come beat up some floozy." She laughed, breaking the moment. He sighed but really it was probably for the best.

"Come on, let's go apartment hunting!"