Vodka and Lemonade

I wrapped my hands around the cold bars and stared at Luke, the night shift guard. He was middle-aged, with some grey hairs poking through his dark brown hair. His tired eyes looked as if they had seen too much pain and anguish. His hearing, however, was still quite good. He was acting like he was reading the newspaper, but I knew better. There wasn’t a thing I didn’t know about him. It paid to have connections in the Underground.

“Luke, really?” I pleaded, like I did every time he was the night guard on duty.

“Yes, Danni, really.”

“I thought you loved me,” I pouted.

He rolled his eyes and looked at me. “We’ve been through this before. I’m old enough to be your father.”

“You would like to be my father wouldn’t you?” I asked in a sexy tone. “That way you could do whatever the hell you want with me and punish me all night long,” I drawled out with a smirk.

He set his newspaper down and walked over to me. He stopped before I could reach out and touch him. “Danielle, if you were my kid, you would have been put into a correctional boarding school as soon as you first stepped a foot out of line,” he said in his gruff tone. “You can bet your pretty little ass on that. Now, sit the fuck down like a good little bitch and wait for someone to either post bail for you, or until some sympathetic soul releases you, because it sure as hell ain’t gonna be me. Not again.”

I pouted.

“I mean it. I’m sick of all your bullshit. You’re eleven, for fuck’s sake, and you’ve been in here more than someone twice your age.”

I huffed and put my hands on my hips. “I’m thirteen- I think.”

Luke shook his head at me as if I were some retard. “Get off the streets and get your ass in school.” He said before walking away.

I let out a shrill scream and slumped against the wall of the cell.

“It’ll be okay. I don’t have much experience in things like this, but I know it’ll be okay,” Rain Man said from the other side of the cell.

I glared at him. “No, it won’t be okay. I’m screwed. Because of you, I’m stuck here, instead of spending an entire night with Lou getting fucking higher than a damn satellite.”

He looked a little taken aback. “Is Lou your boyfriend? How the hell did you score that?”

“Lou owns me. When I’m good, he does me favors. When I’m bad and land in here…well, it’s not pretty.”

He cocked his head in confusion. “What?”

I shrugged and picked at the frays in my worn out jeans. “It’s exactly how it sounds,” I said, not even looking at him. "And if someone doesn’t let me out of here soon, he’s going to be dead soon," I called over my shoulder to Luke, who just ignored me.

“Sounds tough,” Rain Man said.

“Look, I’m not looking for your pity or for a fucking hand out. I know my life sucks, but it’s the only thing I have, so back the fuck off,” I snapped at him.

“Danielle, settle,” Luke warned, his eyes not leaving the paper.

I growled in response.

“Danni, what are you doing here?” Chuck, one of the younger officers, asked as he walked in. He acted friendly, but I knew better.

“Oh, you know. Same old same old.” I replied while rising. “What’s up, Chuck?” I asked, my cheeks resting against the cold bars.

He held up a set of handcuffs. “Same old same old,” he replied, using my words.

I took a step back. “Seriously? You’re seriously going to interrogate me for a drug bust?” I asked as he attached my hands together.

“Looks like it,” he replied, giving me a slight push.

“For god fucking sake!” I yelled as soon as he slammed me down in the hard plastic chair. “Give a girl a warning, will ya?”

“Danni, you’re far past warnings.”

I just smirked and leaned back. “So,” I said, popping my lips. “What do ya want?”

Chuck sat down and leaned forward. “Tell me about Lou.”

I gave him a look and slumped down.

“Come on, Danni, just a last name and an address is all I’m looking for.”

“Better be looking for a brand new identity and a house far away from here then. I told you not to go snooping. You’ll be dead in a matter of days once he figures that you’re pryin’. I’ll be dead soon, too, if I leak and he finds out,” I replied looking anywhere but his eyes. We’ve been through this before, and I was growing tired of it.

Chuck leaned back. “Fine then, if you won’t cooperate, then I guess I’ll just have to call your parents.”

I refused to let my fear show. “The courts found them incapable, remember? You were there.”

“Very well then, I can always plug you back into the system. It’s not that hard.”

I looked up and glared at him. “I’ll just run away again. You can’t make me do shit, and you know it. Take me back to my cell. I’m done in here.”

“But I’m not done with you. Tell me who the fuck Lou is!” Chuck roared, slamming his fist on the table.

“Lou is everyone. He knows everything. He sees everything,” I replied ominously.

Chuck narrowed his eyes at me. “Fine then,” he growled. “Have it your way.” He said while grabbing me roughly and shoving me down the hall and back into the overnight cell. As soon as he locked it behind him, he stormed away.

I chuckled a little under my breath before moving quickly to my corner. I began counting the bars.

“What was that about?” Rain Man asked. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” he panicked as I pulled a skinny metal file out of my throat.

“I need my fix. I am going to get my fix. You can either help me and be rewarded, or sit there like a wuss and be punished,” I said in a dead even tone.

He gulped before moving over to me. “What can I do to help?”

I smirked and pointed to the bottom of the third bar. “You can push that when I tell you to.”

We worked quickly.

“Tell me, before we go through this completely, you got any family that would be worried about you?”

Rain Man took a while to respond, then he just shrugged. “Not really. Just friends.”

I shrugged. “You can invite them later if Lou says it’s okay.”

It didn’t take long for us to escape and make our way through the night. I had to stop a few times because the shakes racked through my body. I was craving whatever Lou gave me this morning. It was all I could think about now.

“What is my reward?” Rain Man asked from behind me.

I shrugged and ducked into an empty alley way. “Name a letter, and if Lou is feeling gracious enough, he’ll give it to you at a reduced price.”

“What if I don’t have enough cash to pay him?”

Our cold blue eyes met. “Then you do a favor for him, and you get trapped forever,” I said before slinking back onto the cold dark streets of East L.A.

“What?”

“You ask a lot of questions for a newbie. Most of them just shut the hell up and do what they’re told.”

“I’ve always been curious.”

I laughed. “then you’ll be dead soon. If I were you, I’d learn to shut your trap.” I stopped at the Spot and looked around. When I didn’t see anyone, I quickly ducked through the concealed door. “Got a name, newbie? Or are you just going to go by Rain Man your entire life? It’s a pretty stupid nickname, if I say so myself.”

“It’s Jimmy. And you?”

“Danni, but you can call me D. Everyone does. Shh, we’re here.”