Trouble Read online

  Trouble

  Taylor Jamie Beckett

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2012 Taylor Jamie Beckett

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

  Chapter 1: Natalie, Russ and Quentin

  Natalie, a sophomore at Tracey High was in high spirits as she came home after school. As she walked, she shook her shoulders gently to the tunes of Taylor Swift’s “I knew you were trouble.” She liked the singer for being open about her dating issues. It helped her to process her own romantic challenges in a healthy way.

  With her ear phones attached to her Galaxy, it gave her a carefree demeanor although inwardly she wondered if her friendship with Russ was appropriate given his aggressive and bullying nature. Was love so blind that she couldn’t seem to see that he was trouble? Although Russ was handsome, he was rude, antagonized other teens and could be really cruel when he wanted to. His dad was a high flying corporate lawyer. Russ had everything that money could buy. He however had a huge problem. His parents were hardly ever there for him and he was starved for attention. In spite of everything he owned, he was usually bored to death. It was a destructive mix, especially as he tried to gain attention in the most outrageous ways possible. The kindest thing about Russ was that he was calm and nice when he was playing his war games. It was only after he left his virtual world that he tried putting some of the situations into action. That would probably not have been so bad if Russ had not imagined himself a gamer who could come out a winner in all the tense situations he created.

  It was a mystery even to her why she hung out with him for so long. Was it because her own life seemed to be in a clutter with her parents constantly arguing? Recently her dad had threatened to leave them. Was friendship with Russ a kind of inferiority complex on her part or a subtle sign that she needed help? These thoughts whirled around her as Swift’s song reverberated in her head. She knew she was also an idealist and sincerely felt that Russ could mellow down in her company. She had to concede that this was becoming a painful thought. She was more like a showpiece for Russ. He did not care for her as a person.

  She was also thinking about Byron who was always trying to help her out. Byron was like a brother and she could not see their friendship developing into a relationship if things didn’t work out with Russ. Was Byron also aware that Quentin was curious about him? Byron had an innocent and sensuous kind of face that he was not aware of partly because he didn’t like the way he looked. That was why he was always doing workouts and weights. He felt that his face did not appropriately reflect the storms that churned inside him. Teens sometimes reacted to him like he was an altar boy in a choir who sang in an angelic voice. He had confided that he had once dreamt that he sang a solo hymn in soprano and the whole school had come to him as a body until he screamed and everyone scattered like dazed zombies. Some felt protective over him, like something delicate one hugged and kept close to one’s heart. Byron hated being angelic and sounding innocent. He had wet dreams, swore sometimes and dreamt of French kissing Natalie. He hated being cherubic. He just wanted to be normal and to be treated just like everyone else.

  “Packing to go on a trip?” he asked his dad breezily. Although their relationship was not very intimate, it was still warm enough for her to miss him whenever he went on one of his business trips. She always had a stable feeling seeing her dad around.

  “I was meaning to talk to you,” he said kindly.

  Natalie froze.

  Whenever his dad spoke like that, it could only mean trouble. Although he tried to look relaxed, he seemed very tense.

  “Things haven’t been working out and I need a small break to think things over, Nat. I’ve discussed this with mum.”

  “You’re divorcing!”

  “Let’s just say a separation to try and work things out. I care for you, Nat. We’re really trying our best to be together because we love you,” he shrugged.”But sometimes things don’t work out with adults. No dad ever wants to hurt his daughter.” He spoke soothingly.

  Natalie cried as she hugged him. She wanted so desperately to tell him not to leave but conceded that things hadn’t been working out and he needed some space. “It’ll be great if you can work out something with mum,” she said bravely.

  “It hasn’t worked Nat but we’ll really try hard. Just for you,” he promised as he made his way to his SUV.

  She sat on the couch in a daze. She found it strange that she was the last one to be considered in her parents’ separation. She knew that they loved her deeply. She also appreciated that it would have been unreasonable for them to be together, unhappy in between the cold spaces of people who no longer loved each other.

  She suddenly realized why she was close to Russ and Byron. They were also teens of divorced parents and the clichéd expression that birds of a feather stuck together seemed apt for their situations. She knew that Byron was waiting patiently to befriend her should she leave Russ. She was worried about the emotional fallout of befriending him since he was going through his own trauma regarding his parents’ separation. This could be a volatile mix that might be too hot for her to handle. She’d have to think through these plans thoroughly. Oh the trials of being a 16 year old sophomore, she sighed.

  She walked out of the house feeling listless. Her mind seemed like a tank of water almost overflowing. She jogged as she tried to have pleasant thoughts.

  She sat on a bench oblivious to other joggers or people rushing by or being aimless like her.

  The world continued moving but her world seemed to stand still.

  Her Galaxy phone made a squawky sound. It was Russ with a txt msg. “Where r u?”

  She gave her location. She had an intuitive feeling that Russ had spiffy software and could tell where she was. He seemed to go through the motion of pretending not to know. But why?

  “Need to see yu. Urgent. I miss yu,” Russ texted. Everything seemed to be urgent or a ‘need to do this or that’ request. Life rotated around him and he expected Natalie and his gaggle of friends to be at his beck and call at a moment’s notice. She really had to be assertive, she reminded herself. She continued to act like a slave in a harem. They hadn’t French kissed or petted yet. Russ had begun putting pressure on having a relationship. “Everyone’s doing it. What’s the big deal?”

  “I’m not everyone else,” she had told him firmly.

  “We could use condoms. They’re clean and safe. Don’t say anything now. Let me know later.” He was always trying to get her to use their Jacuzzi and the huge king size water bed. She found his home to be sinfully sleazy the first time he invited her and avoided going there. It had the feel and look of a brothel disguised as a respectable home. She had to be firm once when they were swimming in the family pool. He had insisted that she put on a slinky looking bikini while he pranced around in thigh hugging Lycra that had a design of a tiger that bared its sharp hungry teeth. She felt violated just looking at it.

  She looked again at the message and suppressed a cynical laugh. She had just met Russ at Tracey High and she found it odd that he was missing her so soon after. He was probably trying to get her to tour his palatial home and open up in the Jacuzzi. That was certainly not going to happen.

  His calls seemed to have become more frequent lately especially after she refused yet another demand for a relationship at the back of his Ford Ranger, one of
his many vehicles. She had made it very clear that she wasn’t ready for petting of the ‘extra Lite’ (to use his phrase) or the heavy kind. He had bristled with anger and his suppressed passions seemed like it was going to erupt at a moment’s notice. From his way of thinking, a hard to get girl was more satisfying than an easy prey. It would certainly give him greater boasting rights and prestige amongst his likeminded peers if he could bed her and post his experiences on YouTube. It made him feel like Casanova on a very warm pleasant day.

  Russ gave her the GPS coordinates to his location.

  It was the secluded jogging area around the park near the reservoir. He recalled that Quentin usually jogged home after school crossing through this area. He had chosen a spot that was closer to a thicket of forest.

  ‘That’s just rich,” she sighed. ‘He probably thinks this is a ‘Breaking Dawn” area and he’s Robert Pattison. I hope I don’t get my first bite there,’ she chuckled. Her instincts were telling her not to go but she’d had a terrible afternoon and wanted to unwind. The jog would help her have more positive thoughts.

  Russ had a gaggle of friends who were loud and obscene and she wouldn’t be surprised if they were also in tow. They all seemed to adore Natalie like she was the latest cool tech viewed in a nice digital photo. ‘Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself.’ she thought.

  +++++

  It was a fine day with the azure sky giving off pleasant emotions for Quentin as he jogged from Tracey High with his school knapsack firmly behind him. He jogged every alternate day as a way of keeping fit.

  He thought he saw Russ by the roadside looking into the jogging area. Russ was always hassling him because his parents were a gay couple working in the area of finance. They had recently moved into the Hollywood area and he had hoped that people would be more tolerant. The majority was tolerant except for the bigots who existed everywhere, he shrugged.

  He noticed two of Russ’s friends cutting through the wooded area. That was odd. He didn’t realize that Russ and his gang were nature lovers or liked jogging too. They were quickening their pace. It looked like they had come in by car.

  Now he had a sense of danger. He felt he had been too casual and the premonition of trouble came with the realization that they were there to waylay him. He had seen the hatred in Russ’s eyes whenever he looked at him or made contemptuous remarks. He felt he was too naïve not to realize that Russ wanted to hurt him emotionally and physically. He wanted to see the pain and fear in his eyes. His parents had always told him to see the good in people. This was going to be a shock because Russ wanted him to see the prejudices that existed in him!

  Quentin realized that they had planned this in advance.

  “I can’t stand fag parents,” Russ had said to him in a biting tone just before he left school. “They get on my nerves and make me sick.” He had spat out the words with such intense venom.

  “What do you hate about my parents?”

  “They’re both male and are fake parents pretending to be your mum and dad. I’ll want to send them a signal that we don’t approve of this.”

  “They are loving parents and have not done anything to hurt you.”

  “They are different from us.”

  “You hate them because you’re seeing them through the eyes of prejudice.”

  “That’s just rich. You’re giving me a lecture!”

  Quentin had thought that by talking things over with Russ, his phobia would subside. But he had underestimated Russ’s hatred and obsession to hurt him.

  “And I don’t want you talking to Nat.”

  “Be reasonable Russ, we’re all in the same home room. It’ll be odd if I don’t say anything to her at all.”

  “Keep away from her at all times. You’re spreading tales about me.”

  Quentin sensed that the other main reason for this meeting was to discourage him from socializing with Natalie. He wished Byron was here. He’d know how to deal with these kinds of difficult situations. But that wish was futile as Byron was in recent times becoming uneasy with him. Quentin resolved to iron out his issues with him but at this moment he needed to come out of this tense situation without getting hurt.

  “I don’t know what your game is whether you like her or pushing her to someone else,” he had said.

  Two of Russ’s friends who were ahead of him were now coming towards him at a brisk pace. He knew this area very well and could make a run for it.

  But then, he felt he couldn’t keep running all his life. It was time for General Custer to make a stand, even if was his last one!

  As Russ and his group came towards him, he felt a strange calmness. One of Russ’s friends, Stan pushed him roughly to the ground. Another friend, Ricky, kicked him in the stomach. Bugsy (he was not sure if that was a nickname as everyone called him that) held him up.

  “We hate fags,” Russ said. “After this lesson, you’ll be straight.” He looked Quentin over. “You like the Clippers?” Russ asked as he threw his snapback to the ground. He stressed the word ‘like’ as if to imply that he liked them in a sexual way. “We’d like to play gridiron with you,” he said in a feigned gentle voice.

  “Russ can we talk this over? I’ve nothing against you and I’ve never done anything to hurt you.”

  Russ punched him in the mouth.

  “I hate your phobia and your prejudice. All of you,” Quentin screamed.

  “Just tell us that you hate your parents and we’ll let you go.”

  “I love them with all my heart and soul,” Quentin said with great conviction. His mouth was bleeding.

  As Stan and Ricky smirked and came forward, Quentin reacted instantly, pushing Bugsy aside and kicking Ricky in the groin. He buckled over squealing in pain. He dived at Stan, head butting him to the ground.

  Russ came flying at him and he swerved. He was able to connect one punch to his jaw. Russ fell unceremoniously with a hard thud.

  They overcame their momentary shock and charged as one body with a vengeance.

  Natalie’s voice could be heard loudly and clearly in the distance like a blunt knife slicing through meat with some difficulty. “No Russ. Let him go.” She was running faster, ”Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “I can do anything I want,” he said as he slapped Quentin viciously on the cheek and punched him in the stomach as the others held him. He punched him on the face again.

  Natalie tore through the pack of hungry hyenas. “Stop it! You’re all crazy,”

  “Are you okay,” she said in a gentle voice as she examined him.

  “We want to play with him,” Russ said,

  “Over my dead body,” Natalie screamed.

  “I’ve told him not to hassle you,” Russ said.

  Natalie was flabbergasted. Russ thought that Quentin was trying to befriend her so she could leave him. The attack was also meant to rough him up so he could be discouraged from this pursuit.

  She turned to Quentin and whispered, “You’re going to keep running ahead as soon as I face them.”

  “But I can’t just leave you alone here.”

  “I can take care of myself. Please go.”

  Quentin was torn between the desire for freedom and concern for Natalie and was unwilling to leave.

  “I can deal with them if you’re not around,” she said sounding desperate. “Please just go.”

  He felt he needed to dispense with one last piece of advice before making his dash for freedom. ““I’ll call for help. That guy is bad news for you. You should leave him and find someone who respects you,” he whispered.

  “See you in school,” she said as she turned to the hyenas.

  ‘I’m going to scream if you run after him. I’m sick and tired of your bullying”

  “You let him go!” Russ cried incredulously. He bounded towards her and slapped her on the cheek, “You bitch! You spoilt our fun.”

  She looked into his eyes and realized with great alarm that he was drugged. She didn’t know what they had taken but they were cert
ainly not acting normally.

  Suddenly she was overwhelmed by the events of her day; her father walking out of her and this attack and she screamed in anger and frustration at the way the world had conspired to make her life difficult.

  The piercing screams shattered the silence. Russ and his group ran off like dazed zombies.

  Natalie fainted and lay unconscious on the path.

  She didn’t know how long she lay there.

  Gradually she got up and walked through the streets and felt like a ghost that the concrete jungle would gratefully devour.

  Eventually a police car stopped by and picked her up. She looked disoriented and was walking in a seedy neighborhood.

  Finally she reached the Police Station on San Fernando Road.

  Chapter 2: Byron

  Byron returned from Tracey High School and as usual was confronted with a sprawling home manned by Mexican helpers. They were all very nice and helpful. Juanita asked if he wanted some snacks and he said he’d get a Pepsi from the fridge. He was embarrassed with being served. He went to his room and played Bruno Mars’s Locked Out Of Heaven. ‘Oh Yeah, yeah,’ he paraphrased the lyrics. ‘That’s right. I’ve never had much faith in love or miracles.’

  Located on the hills north of Los Feliz Boulevard, the entire building reeked of the pompous air of a transplanted English manor. There was a time when they had all lived happily in a nice middle class home in Silver Lake. Then his dad had suddenly become rich. He bought a showpiece home to let the world know that he had arrived. This ostentatious show of filthy rich money had taken a hit on his marriage. His parents had begun to argue a lot (usually about other women in his life) and there had been the unbearable silence between people who were no longer in love.

  His mum had moved on and he was left here with his dad and this pretentious manor. He had been thankful his dad had not hired a fake butler with pseudo English mannerisms. Byron hated pretensions of any kind partly because he was surrounded by it.

  Often alone with the servants, he felt the deafening silence of the high ceilings and the spacious rooms. This home was like a constipated obese person and the air inside sometimes made him feel like he was having stomach cramps. It had 3D wall panels that played with lights and shadows. It was supposed to give the home a cool futuristic feeling. In the absence of his dad he sometimes felt he was in the movie Inception waiting to go to the next level of fantasy or be lobotomized or put to sleep or both! He was just thankful that the house didn’t have sleazy features like mirrored ceilings. There was the Jacuzzi and the water beds and Byron was relieved his dad did not bring his lovers home. He’d heard rumors of them but had not seen them yet. They were supposed to be starlets and society women bored with their opulent lifestyles.