Problems of adults

Chapter 20 : Late Again

The weekend was beginning. As Jane was now living near a basket-ball field, Lucas offered her and Troy to join him there to play together. Jane wasn't really in the mood, but it could clear her head, and she preferred being outside than stuck in her tiny apartment.

The three friends played a few minutes all together, but Jane got quickly out of breath. She stopped playing and sat on a bench to take some rest. Her heart was racing, she must be really tired to stop playing after so few minutes. The two boys finished their game and joined the girl.

- "Are you feeling better?" Lucas asked.

Jane shrugged as an answer.

- "You work too much, you should take some days off," Troy said.

- "I can't, my father is not working, I don't even know what he is doing all day long! But he is doing nothing to bring some money, so I've to do it, to help Constance."

- "Complicated situation."

- "Yeah..."

- "She still does beatbox?" Lucas asked.

- "Yep."

- "So cool, I remember when she imitated an electric guitar with just her mouth, I couldn't believe it!"

- "Yeah, you looked inside her mouth to see if there was a radio," Jane chuckled.

Lucas showed her his middle finger, making laugh his two friends. The two boys took their water bottle while Jane grabbed her tiny mobile phone. She was worried for Max, the redhead kept telling her that she was okay, but Jane knew it wasn't true, nothing could be okay with Neil around. She tried to call her, but the redhead didn't answer, increasing her concern.

But one of her friends was concerned too. Lucas was looking at two men on the other side of the street who were talking and pointing in his direction. He didn't like that, every time someone was pointing at him like that, something mean was coming after.

Troy noticed his expression, looked where he was looking before watching again Lucas and giving him a friendly tap on his back, stratling him.

- "Hey, you're okay?" Troy asked.

- "Yeah, yeah...I should go home, it's almost lunch time," Lucas answered with a shaking voice.

- "Yeah, I should go too, I've to get ready for work," Jane told, giving up with her phone.

The friends gathered their stuff, opened the door fence, and were about to separate when the two men that Lucas was fearing approached them with angry walks.

- "You have nothing to do here!" one of them said.

- "It's a public field, we can play here if we want," Jane replied.

- "Not everyone."

- "Everyone?"

- "One of you is making too much noise."

- "Well, as you can see, no one is making noise!" Troy replied.

- "We're leaving anyway," Jane added.

Jane and the two boys were about to leave, but the man stopped them with his gun. Lucas immediately raised his hands to show he was unharmed while Jane and Troy just looked at each other with a frown.

- "What the hell, stop that! We're just teens playing basket-ball, that's all!" Troy said.

- "How is your gang doing, little boy?" the man said, looking at Lucas.

- "Wh-what gang? I'm not a gangster!" Lucas answered.

- "Yes, you are. You thought we wouldn't recognize you!?"