CHAPTER 4

Michael was in a bathroom of a local diner splashing cold water on his face, trying to calm himself down. He hadn't experience anything like this before. Five minutes ago he was about to beat up a Transgender woman, when he saw a vision of Sophia instead, right after Benny intervened. She was looked like a zombie with all of these bruises over her body, with a gown all torn and bloody. She looked at Michael with wild eyes, as Michael froze mortified. He was hallucinating so badly that he forgot the situation that he was in.

"Why, Michael?" said Sophia. "Why are you doing this me?"

"This can't be happening!" Michael said frantically to himself. "Not now!"

"I didn't raise you to be this cruel," said Sophia, getting up from the ground. "You must stop this foolishness right now."

"You stay the hell away from me you freak!" said Michael, as he backs away from her grip. He drops what he was holding.

"Please baby," said Sophia. "Please change your ways before it's too late."

That's when Michael flees the scene like a maniac.

Michael was still staring in the mirror when his phone rang. It was from one of his friends that was from the incident.

"Hello?" said Michael as he clears his throat.

"Yo, Mike, are you alright man?" asked his friend.

"I'm fine," said Michael, bluntly. "Just don't worry about me."

"What are we going to do with that she male now?" said his friend. "We just can't let her escape, right?

"I'll think of something," said Michael. "Look man, I gotta go, my mom's on the other line."

"Alright fam," said his friend.

They hanged up, and Michael takes a deep breath and heads out the bathroom.

He takes a seat at the counter, and the waitress goes up to him with a big grin on her face, which makes him feel uneasy.

"What can I get today?" asked the cheerful woman.

"Um…just a cup of water please," said Michael, hesitantly.

"Coming right up," said the women, as she goes to perform her duty.

Michael gives her a nervous smile as she walks to the water tap.

"You don't have to worry about her, bro."

Michael turns next to him and sees Emiliano staring at him putting a French fry in his mouth.

"She's one of the good guys," said Emiliano. "Besides she's married with two kids."

"Oh," said Michael, awkwardly. "That's good to know, but I'm not that interested in older women."

"Well, statistics say that Cougars are the unlikely trend of 2016," said Emiliano.

"I wouldn't say that," said Michael. "It's actually been going on for years."

The waitress brings Michael his water.

"Thank you," said Michael, as he turns back to Emiliano. "I never seen you before, at school…That kid that rolled up on you, are you guys like enemies or-."

"Never seen that dude in my life," said Emiliano. "But it seems like the both of you have history."

"Yeah, we did," said Michael. "Until he showed me what kind of a punk ass dude he really was."

"Okay, punk doesn't even describe what he is," said Emiliano. "He tried to bully me into giving him twenty bucks."

"Yeah, I figured that," said Michael.

"I wasn't going to give it to him at first," Emiliano. "But I changed my mind…cause I put in a little simple twist just to make it fun."

"Good for you, man," said Michael. "You seem like a cool dude, I'm Michael by the way. But you can call me Mike."

"Nice to meet you bro," said Emiliano. "My name is Emiliano, but you can call me E."

"Cool," said Michael. "Hopefully we can become good homies."

"Well, it looks like we're off to a good start anyways," said Emiliano.

"True," said Michael.

Michael paused before speaking again.

"Well, since we're cool and everything," said Michael. "Can I ask you something serious?"

"Okay," said Emiliano. "Go ahead."

"Have you ever had an addiction, bro?" asked Michael.

"Of course I have," said Emiliano. "These french fries."

"Nah man, not that addiction," Michael quickly stated. "The other kind…like you know…drug stuff."

"Oh, I see," Emiliano said, as he lowers his voice. "Yeah man, no offense but I feel bad for you. That's one of the hardest shit to get out of."

" But it's like only pills," admitted Michael. "I mean, I did some a couple of blunts a few times but that was it. Plus I didn't want my mom to be too suspicious, you know what I mean?"

"So, you were taking pills just to try it?" asked Emiliano.

"No, it was only for my injury as first," said Michael in detail. " I sprained my ankle pretty bad when I was playing basketball. When I first had taken it, it made me feel good like I was on cloud nine or some shit. I just made me forget all of my problems."

"What kind of problems do you have?" asked Emiliano. "If you don't mind me asking."

"It's just family stuff," said Michael. "Me and my dad don't have the best relationship, and I feel like I'm getting punished for it."

"Why do you think that you're being punished?" asked Emiliano.

"I been having these strange ass nightmares that been going on for some time," said Michael. I had a problem with his lifestyle...about him being...transsexual."

"Oh, I see," said Emiliano.

"I mean, he was suppose to be my father, man," said Michael. "I already have a no nonsense mom. I don't need two. Besides I would've been the laugh of the whole damn town."

"People can be cruel bro," said Emiliano.

"I knew that he had stolen credit cards to pay for his surgery," said Michael. "So, I turned him into the police, and…he's doing time in jail."

"Over by Danbury, right?" asked Emiliano.

"Yeah," said Michael. "How do you know?"

Emiliano hesitated for a moment.

"My mom's in the same prison," said Emiliano. "She had a big drug business going on, got busted."

"Sorry about that, man," said Michael.

"It's all good, Holmes," said Emiliano. "I guess that's the way life is. Maybe this will teach her a lesson for hanging around bad men."

"I don't know if that would apply to my situation," said Michael. "I mean did I do the right thing? Or did I just do it out of anger."

"I would've gotten that you didn't take that Transgender thing to well," said Emiliano. "But he's a grown man. He or she can do whatever they want with their body so they can be comfortable of who they are, despite of your objections."

"Yeah, I figured that," scoffed Michael.

"Does he ever hit you or abuse you in anyway?" asked Emiliano.

"No," said Michael. "He would never do that…or let anyone else mess with me."

"Because he loves you," said Emiliano, confidently. "Right."

"Well…I guess he does," Michael admitted.

"Man, if I were you, I would put all of my differences aside and reach out to the dude," said Emiliano. "Or chick, whoever they are."

"Yo, man, you sound like my mom," Michael snapped playfully. "But you mean well, bro. So, I will think about it. It's not guaranteed."

"In the meantime, you should get off of those pills man," said Emiliano. "Cause that shit will make you go bananas. You should talk to one of those boring therapist that they have at school.

"A therapist," chuckled Michael. "Man, I don't know about that."

"They sure had fun sticking me with one," said Emiliano.

"Why are you seeing a therapist?" asked Michael. "You don't seem that depressed.

"I'm not, really," said Emiliano. "They're just doing it because I was just put in foster care."

"You don't have any other relatives to live with?" asked Michael.

"My grandmother's trying to get full custody of us," said Emiliano. "But I don't care what happens, all I want to do is to be with my siblings again?"

"Damn, they just split you guys up, just like that?" asked Michael.

"Yep, they do it to everybody," said Emiliano.

"That's messed up, bro," said Michael, shaking his head.

"I know," said Emiliano. "It fucking sucks, but that's the way the system works."

"Well, the system is full of shit," Michael said sharply.

Moments later, Benny walks into the diner, and then spots Michael and Emiliano chatting together. So he walks over to them to get to the bottom of what's going on.

"Sup, Mike?" Benny said rhetorically. "I see that you and your home boys had some fun this afternoon."

"Look, if you're here for some more money and shit, then the answer is no," Emiliano said boldy.

"Nah, I'm not here for that," said Benny slyly. "I'm here to see Michael."

"What…do…you…want?" Michael asked, trying to control his anger.

"Now, now, let's not get angry," said Benny. "I'm just so curious of how you've been acting lately, especially-."

"Dude, can't you see that the two of us are breaking bread together?" spat Emiliano. "Now do us a favor, stop wasting our time with your bullshit, and leave us the hell alone."

"Woa, take it easy brotha," said Benny, putting his hands up. "It's just that the guy that you are hanging with, he can't be trusted."

"And why is that?" scoffed Emiliano.

"Because he's a bully," said Benny. "Not even ten minutes ago, he and his posse drags this girl to an ally and was going to beat her. And the thing is, that the girl is transgender, so that would make him transphobic as well."

Emiliano turns back to Michael with a questionable look.

"But I guess that you didn't go through with it huh?" Benny said as he walks to Michael's side. "Because it would be too hypricritical for you right?"

Michael gave Benny the most meanest glare that he has ever given.

"Looks like that little conscience of yours is paying off," said Benny. "Now you finally know the difference something that is right or wrong."

Michael then down and chuckles.

"Sophia would've been so proud of you," said Benny, boldly.

Michael looks back at Benny with a self righteous smile as Emiliano studies the conversation like an open book.