New to New York

Jason had a busted lip, a cut over one of his eyebrows and the beginnings of a black eye; to say the least he looked rough. “Oh my God,” Willow said again. All the excitement of getting a job had worn off at the sight of a battered Jason.

“Your eyes are so big, Low. I’m fine; you can’t even see the worst of it” he tried to reassure her.

Addi cleared her throat pointedly, “Don’t really think that’s helping Jason,” she said under her breath. She knew more than anyone that Will really hated fighting, a few years ago Addi had dragged her to a MMA fight of a guy she was dating at the time. Will had to run to the bathroom to throw-up after a fighter got a really bloody left hook.

“Yeah, well, all you need to know is that I’m fine. Don’t even worry about it.” He rubbed her shoulder but her stomach was still on edge, seconds from jumping. “Really.” He smiled and his lip opened. “Shit.”

“Will, babe, where is everybody?” Addi asked trying to distract her while Jason grabbed a napkin from the bar.

“Over there,” Will answered her voice small. “By the window.” She watched as Jason dabbed at his lip repeatedly before it came back without blood.

“Show me?” Will nodded silent and slid her hand out of Jason’s to replace it in Addi’s as they wove their way through the growing crowd. This whole fighting thing as going to be a lot harder to handle than she thought.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>About Eight Months Later

“‘If you would just believe!’” Tonight’s band was acoustic orientated with soulful lyrics and a deep, mournful singer. Willow and her coworker Heather swayed in time behind the bar as the lag of orders continued.

“I’m really starting to like them,” Heather said in her dreamlike voice. Will had met Heather her third week by being put on a late shift one Tuesday, one of the slowest times at Quin’s. “I’m mean, it’s so slow and mellow and completely, totally lovely,” she sighed happily which made Will laugh. Heather was the kind of girl who all the guys would fall over, but when asked if she noticed or knew why she’d probably say you were crazy for thinking that and go on about her day. She’s what Addi would call a closet beauty.

“Heather,” Will began slowly, “you think that about all the bands.” She continued wiping the counter in clockwise motions listening to the band as they wrapped up their set. “You just like them because the lead is cute.”

Heather giggled bubbly and cocked her head to the side like a puppy dog, her blonde streaked hair falling across her face. “You know what? I think there’s a very high possibility you might be right.”

Will laughed. Heather had taken the roll as the little sister Willow always wanted but never had. “You should talk to him after the show then. He’s been looking at you the entire time.” This last part could have been false, but then again nobody in their right mind would resist Heather.

“Really?” Will nodded her encouragement as the other girl giggled and headed toward the stage. “Poor guy,” Will said under her breath, completely unsuspecting as Hurricane Heather made her way closer and closer.

“Hey there Willy,” Anabelle said opening the door and letting the cool December air in. “I gotta talk to you.”

“What’s up Annie?” A few weeks ago something had made Anabelle call off her boycott towards Willow (possibly the combined powers of the whole group) and adopt a less hostile approach.

“You know I hate people calling me that.” Well, 80% less hostile.

“And I don’t like ‘Willy’. Do I look like I make candy? Anyway, you have something to tell me?” This was something Will found increasingly annoying about Anabelle: she loved to make you wait for answers, build suspense.

“Not so much tell,” she said drawing it out and passing the small bowl of cashews between her hands, “as much as warn.”

“Warn? From what?” What in the world would she need to be cautious of? Her life had been bliss for weeks; amazing boyfriend, all-knowing best friend, perfect apartment, terrific friends… but thinking about it now made Will realize it was time for the roof to come crashing in, or the floor to fall through.

Anabelle shrugged unbothered, “I don’t know. I just have this bad feeling…”

“Okay…” Will stood stone still and watched Ana with distant fascination that felt like someone else’s emotion.

“Just, you know, be careful if not so clean cut guys come sniffing around for Jason. They won’t ask for him by Jason though; they’ll want Hatter. Just be careful, okay?” Like he was called in Harry walked in the door right then and beckoned Anabelle telling her it was time to go if they were going to make the movie.

“Promise?” she asked again.

Will nodded, “Yeah, promise.”

&&&&&

“Jakie Poo! Honey, I’m home!” Jimmy opened the door as Jake lifted Addi off his lap and on to the spot next to him.

“God, Jimmy! Don’t you knock?” Jake complained. He and Addi rarely got time without anyone in the house; even now Jason was passed out in the back which was the usual case.

“Sorry, I’m used to me being your only company. All your new friends are making me feel insignificant.”

“I visited,” Addi protested. “Didn’t I?”

“Not as much as me,” Jimmy retorted like a jealous ex. Addi looked at Jake waiting for him to deny this but he shrugged his shoulders in agreement. “See? Told you so.”

“Yeah well,” Addi turned Jake’s face towards her own and trailed kisses from the base of his neck to his temple then to his jaw line. “He’s mine now.”

“She has you there,” Jake confirmed. He’d recently trashed the dreads and opted for braids that he kept pulled back in a giant ponytail with a single rubber band. He was always putting it up and down, up and down. “I do let her claim me, but don’t worry Jimmy; our time together will always hold a special place in my heart.” He winked at him as he put his hair up.

“Ah, thanks but I have Jason.”

“You have me for what?” Jason asked stumbling in from the hallway in his boxers (which were white with red hearts, bought for him by Will as a gag gift on V-day) “I’m not doing any of your kinky Japanese stuff dude.”

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t ask you. I’d ask Willow -”

“You’d ask me what?” Will said following in Jason’s wake just a little more slowly. Her hair, like his, was sticking up in weird directions and they were both trying to shield themselves from the sun like Stoker vamps.

“To do kinky Japanese stuff,” Jason called from the kitchen over the noise of cereal being poured. “I tried to stop him, scout’s honor.”

“Ha!” Jake chimed, “You were never in the scout’s.”

“Pssh, you don’t know that!” he said carrying a bowl full to the brim with Reese’s Puffs cereal. “I helped old woman cross the street and all that shit.” He was joking but he did do that and much more. Before he moved to the states he’d help the old women that lived far out in the country by getting their groceries and bringing them each week. He always blamed it on his mom and how he was raised.

“You guys are turning into couples.” Jimmy said disgusted and out of the blue. One minute there talking about walking old people, and the next Jimmy is having a fit. “Next thing you know you’ll be going to bed at 8:30 and eating macaroni and cheese for dinner!”

“Jim, we already -” Jake started to say that they already did that, they had it last night since there was nothing else, but Jimmy was not going to hear it.

“SHH! Now I’m going to leave and come back in two hours and then we are going to go out tonight. We are going to go out and we are going to have fun and it will be awesome. Time starts…NOW!” Through this whole speech Jimmy was inching closer and closer to the door and punctuated the now with a slam.

The four people left in the room were stunned silent. Nobody had even seen Jimmy mad, but they weren’t sure if that’s what Jimmy was. Three more minutes passed before anyone said anything. “Times a wastin’,” Addi ventured pulling Will till she stood up too. “We’ll be in the back.”

&&&&&

Three hours, two bags of chips, and twelve blocks later Jimmy, Addi, Jake, Willow, and Jason all stood in line to the new club that had just opened up a week earlier. The bouncer was a big man with a shiny bald head and tight black t-shirt with the club’s logo on the left breast.

At the moment he was talking a boy maybe eighteen years old with elfish features. The boy was trying to convince the man that he was in fact old enough to enter the club, that he’d accidently left his ID in his other pair of pants. “Then go home, get the pants, and then I’d be more than happy to let you in.” the bouncer said before signaling that he was done talking to kid.

The boy was pushed aside by the next couple with their IDs ready. “Fine,” he said before turning away and walking down the street, hands shoved in pockets and head down.

“I remember that,” Jason said.

“What?” Will asked, “You know him?”

“Nah, but I used to do the same thing. Usually worked too.”

“Yeah and look where it landed you,” Addi added referring to it was him sneaking into a club that got him involved with Rob.

“I’m going to ignore that snide comment, Maddison.” Addi shot him a dirty look at her name. “Besides we’re in the front now.”

When Jason opened the door though, Willow’s breath caught. The club was massive; at least looked massive. There was no way of telling. It was packed with sweating, grinding bodies while colored lights danced over every surface and on the opposite wall were floor to ceiling mirrors so there was no way of knowing how far the wall went. A DJ booth was set up in the right corner with a strobe flashing in time with the beat. The bar was long and the face was made different colored back lighted blocks that faded into each like a rainbow. There was a staircase that led to a balcony which overlooked everything below including the dance floor that distantly resembled a field of wheat blowing in the wind.

Will looked up and saw the face of man with a bulbous nose. For some reason this sent a chill down her spine, but it was chased away by Jason’s hand on the small of her back. “You okay?!” he yelled over the base.

She nodded her head and leaned against him. “What do you want to drink?” he asked walking to the now red orange bar. He hadn’t worn a jacket that night and the different tattoos that peeked out under his sleeves shown darker, almost menacing, in the weird lighting.

“Just a beer,” she answered pointing to the tap at the end. What she really wanted was to dance, but there was a list of events that had to take place before that; drinks had to be passed out, table had to be found, and Jason usually gave the place a good look over, searching for other rival groups looking for trouble.

“You want to dance?” he’d been watching her eye the moving crowd and felt bad for making her feel like she had to stay by his side. “Go, have fun; I’ll find you after awhile.”
She looked at him skeptical. He’d been the most protective boyfriend she’d ever had, also the one with the most reason, so she knew just letting her go was something that probably put his nerves on edge. But he nodded encouragement and nudged her toward the mass of people. How could she refuse?

She moved her way to the center, or at least what felt like the center, and moved her hips then shoulders as the music made its way through her body like a liquid drug moving her without her will. She closed her eyes and let it take over. Catching a glimpse of red to her right, she moved to follow it thinking it was Addi looking for her but turned out to be a tall man about 22.

He had wide ears, big eyes and a nose that looked like it’d been broken on more than one occasion. He wasn’t bad looking, but he was no Jason. When he saw her behind him his face broke into a wild grin that suggested things Willow was sure Jason wouldn’t approve of.

“Hey,” he said bending to her level. His breath stank of Jack Daniels.

Will just nodded and tried to move away; she was getting the icy feeling again and without Jason’s hand to counter it, it scared her a little. The guy started dancing with her, pulling her in and following her when she tried to move away. She even tried to be replaced by another girl who was close but had turned the other way at the last minute.

After five failed move-a-ways Will gave up on trying to be nice and just started walking away. Pushing back when the crowd pushed she’d finally made it out of the bulk of it and looked for her group.

A hand came down on her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin since she thought she’d left dancing guy out on the floor. “Hey!” she said swatting his hand away. “Hands off!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You know I have access to the VIP; I could probably get you in.” he leaned closer and winked. “You want to be a VIP?”

“I’m sorry, but I have a boyfriend.” Will took a step back and looked for her group again.

“Really? ‘Cause I don’t see him anywhere. And I sure didn’t look like you had one out there.” He closed the space between them again and she got another whiff of Jack. “C’mon on up with me,” he grabbed for her hand but she yanked it back.

“Sorry,” she said again. “I have a boyfriend.” Her voice was harsh and she tried to look as dangerous as possible. “No thank you.”

“Stop being a tease, and -” A pale, tattooed hand came down on the guy’s shoulder and spun him around. Will recognized the hand and voice instantly.

“Hey. She said no.” His voice was harder than hers could have ever been. She could see Addi running toward them and Jake behind her.

“Hatter? Is that you?”

“Chuck, she’s with me.” In all the months Willow had known him Jason never had lived up to his job description, but the way he looked now, the way he sounded and even just the way he stood, made her believe he had the power to kill. “You need to leave my sight right now.”

Chuck stood there for a second and then started to walk away. Just before he was completely out of ear shot though, he turned and gave Jason the worst go-to-hell look. “Rob’s here by the way. He saw you come in.” he left then, merging with the crowd like he’d never been there in the first place.

“You okay?” Jason turned to Will worry replacing all anger. By now Addi and Jake had joined them. “She okay?” Addi asked concerned.

“I’m fine,” but even to her ears she sounded fake so she repeated in a stronger voice, “I’m okay.”

Jason didn’t look convinced and pulled her close to her in a tight, loving hug resting his chin on her head. He felt so normal and comfortable like a favorite pair of jeans that the coldness was already fading. What Anabelle had said that day at the bar suddenly popped into her head, and she clung tighter to his warm body.

&&&&&

They decided to leave soon after that. Jimmy had found Anabelle at some point in time and they voted for spending the rest night at Jimmy’s apartment.
Willow had fallen in step with Ana behind everybody else. “What you said that night at the bar…you know what I’m talking about?”

“Yeah, I remember. Why?” She looked sideways at Will.

“I think the guy from tonight was one,” she said quietly. “He said Rob saw us come in.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They walked in silence for a while, just the sound of the people in front of them and the echo of their footsteps. “That’s their ‘boss’. Harry told me once.” Anabelle said. “He’s a big Irishman.”

The man on the balcony. The chills came back and her stomach flipped. She glanced to make sure Anabelle didn’t notice the shift in the air. “Oh. Is that bad?”

“Nah, I don’t think he wants to cross Jason like that.”

“Hey, Low! Come on up here, I miss you!” Jason called back waving his arms over his head and laughing at a joke Jake told him.

“Okay!” She said walking up to meet him. He picked her up and spun her around by her waist.

“I missed you,” he said again tipsy.

“So I heard,” she giggled. She crossed her fingers that this Rob wouldn’t want to cross Jason. She couldn’t stand it if he was taken away now.