Hell Has A New Name

27

Another week, still no word from Tully, his men, or anyone for that matter. He'd gotten moved into his apartment, which was way to nice for the meager belongings he owned and the second hand furniture he furnished it with. It was his though and he was proud of that. Amber had helped him with the shopping, putting together odd and ends from the local thrift store. Her womanly skills as Juice called them had been put to good use making the place look homey despite his lack of decor.

He was on his computer at the kitchen bar, Amber had gone out to pick up their lunch. He kept picking up his phone and checking the messages, despite knowing no one would message him. No one besides Amber and Tully. How pathetic was he, jonesing over his rapists absence.

"Hey dork!" Amber came bursting in like the optimistic ball of happiness she was. Bags in one hand, keys in her teeth and a pile of mail in hand.
"Picked up your mail from downstairs. Most of it looks like new guy junk but you got a letter from the school."

He lit up, though he tried not to get excited. The letter could very well be a regretfully decline letter.
"You open it and then give it to me." He suggested turning back around to his computer. He knew he wouldn't get in, how could he? He was a fuck up, loser, a felon. Of course they wouldn't know that but it was written all over him. Any decent proper person could smell the rotting rat infested garbage on him.

He cringed when he heard the envelope tear open, his shoulders dropped more when she sighed. He tried to remain neutral, didn't want to show his disappointment. It was an emotion he wasn't really entitled too, seeing as how he was nothing more than a disappointment himself.

"I'm sorry Micheal." She patted his shoulder getting him to turn and face her. Her brow was crinkled sympathetically. He shrugged, frowning a little.
"It's alright, I'll just try again or get a job. Or move, who knows."

She giggled a little bit, feeling cruel for trying to joke him. "I'm sorry that you're not going to get to stay up all night anymore playing games or whatever you do. You'll be up studying and eating junk, living off energy drinks and coffee."

He looked at her confused.

"You got in. You big dork! I told you,you would. You passed the entrance exam. You have to meet with your advisor and register for Fall Semester!"

She grabbed him, pulling him into a hug. He felt like an idiot when they started jumping up and down squealing together from excitement. He didn't care in the moment though. This was it, his new start.
"Wow! I uh, I didn't think I'd actually get in. Shit. Fuck. Holy shit! Amber what am I going to do?"

She backed up from the hug and let their arms rest together. "You'll go to class. You're going to be fine Micheal. You just have to get back into the groove."

He nodded in silent agreement, swallowing thickly.
"Yeah, I just don't want to fuck it up."

She rubbed his bicep sympathetically. "Come on dork, let's eat. Foods getting cold."

She pulled out the containers of Chinese food and put it onto plates. "Hey! You know what! We should celebrate. I know you don't drink, but we could like go out for ice cream or something."

"That'd be great. Oh hey, in the morning I have another session at the laser place. Probably take about an hour. Do you need the car?" He asked over a mouth full of noodles.

"Gross you caveman!" She scrunched her nose up laughing. "No, my only plans are to take you school shopping. And you need something to put on your walls." She hesitated for a moment. "What tattoo are you removing? If I'm allowed to ask."

He tilted his head at her in confusion. "Remember that day you were dancing around naked and... well I noticed you had a lot of them. I didn't stare at them obviously, but... I mean I don't know. I'm just curious. So much of you is a mystery. I get it. I just can't help but be curious."

"I'm removing my chest tattoos. Once they've done what they can do I'll get a big chest piece to cover the scaring." He rubbed his hand over his chest through his shirt. The skulls naming him Son Shine would be gone, no longer branded. He'd covered his reaper, he only had a little more real estate to go and he'd be free. He shook his head trying to erase the memories tying him to the ink.

"Oh. Guess I still can't see them huh?" He smiled and shook his head no.

"You can help me pick a chest piece though. I've been drawing some ideas, your input would be helpful."

He looked at his phone again, sighing under his breath before eating another bite.

"Still no word from your... um... person?" She looked up at him from where she was leaned against the other side of the bar. Trying to keep her voice casual but failing.

Juices mind raced, of course he hadn't heard from him. The Sons got him, he was probably fucking dead. Just like everything else, he fucked that up too. He lived and it cost him the only human that could stand to be around him. It made him sick to care about the Nazi but he couldn't help it. The Sons were probably looking for him. He didn't deserve to be happy, all these graces he was being given were just traps to lull him into a false sense of security. The universe would knock him down and the reaper would get him. You can't outrun death forever.

"No. I haven't. He's probably busy with business or something." Which sounded totally normal until he remembered he'd told her the truth already. "You know Nazi business or something." He tried to joke but it didn't work.

"Should we be worried? You said someone double crossed him, gave you up. Would they come looking for you?"

He nodded. "That's why we ran. Hopefully he will call soon. He's probably in the hole. He had to get rid of the burner. Whoever crossed him has probably been strung up and fed to the birds honestly. Or his fucking weird ass dogs."  He was shocked at himself with out normal these not normal statements were coming out of him.

He'd learned to play the game, to assimilate to the situations. He was basically a robot, programmed to do whatever he was told to do. Nothing had really changed except for the scenery and he missed Tully. That in itself was a mind fuck. Not hearing from the man was really messing with him, he needed to get out more.

"Well, can you look at the files?" He looked at her like she was an alien, just casually asking something like that. As if it were the most obvious thing to do.

"I guess." He shrugged not wanting his anxiety to show.

"You work on that. I'm going to go shower." She put away her food and left the kitchen.