Okay, just a note to my readers: this is a kinda-sequel to 'Ice and Anybodys', so some of the stuff that's going on now is happening because of something in that other story. So if there's something confusing check it out or message me. Thanks.
The climax of the story! The most important part!
Baby John's POV
I woke up confused. The first thing I noticed was Azzura's sleeping figure cuddled next to mine. How did that happen? I sat up and pulled on my shirt. I'm dreaming, I resolved. This is just another weird dream. I wasn't really sleeping with her… was I? My movements woke her up. She didn't seem confused by me being here. The night came rushing back to me. Azzura in the alley, crying after being jumped. Me walking her home. Her pulling me into bed. Our failed attempt of making out. I blinked, remembering it all. "Hey, mornin', Azzura."
She looked at me. "Buon giorno, John." She leaned over to brush her lips against mine. I blushed but didn't pull away.
"What would happen if your parents found us like this?" I ask her curiously. Personally, my mom would go ballistic and kick me out of the house.
"I think they would be too wasted to register you in their eyes." Azzura replies. "Papa is almost always drunk. Mama is always high or sleeping off a high."
"That's good… not registering me, I mean." I fall back against her pillow.
"Do you love me, John?"
What a random question. "Of course I do, Azzura." I stroke her hair.
"You can call me Azu." She says softly. "It's my pet name."
"Azu," I repeat. "I love you, Azu."
"How much?" Is she testing me?
"As much as everything there is." I reply, kissing her forehead.
Her hands rub my chest and they leave a burning sensation. I close my eyes and moan softly. She pulls my shirt off plants kisses on my bare chest. I groan a little as she begins to fiddle with the waistband of my pants. "Azu," I say softly.
"I can stop," she offers.
I shake my head and kick off my pants. She pulls off her dress and my eyes glue themselves to her body. Every curve, every contour, I touch them all. She moans into my mouth as I kiss her. "John," she whispers, "John." Soon I'm on top again. I look into her eyes, searching for permission, I find it. I press into her thigh. She nods. I push in. She screams so loud I'm surprised Azu's neighbors aren't pounding on the door asking what the hell is wrong. She whimpers, "Harder," she begs. I comply and she screams herself hoarse. Finally she comes and I follow and we lay there in her bed panting.
She looks into my eyes. "That was amazing."
I can only nod, I'm exhausted. "Do you want to take a bath with me?" She pulls me into her bathroom and we lay cuddled up in her bathtub. I think I fell asleep because when I wake up I'm lying on Azu's bed, wet and clad only in my boxers. She's not in her room so I get dressed and cautiously go into her living room. She's sitting on her couch. I slide into the seat next to her and kiss her throat gently. She sighs happily. "I love you," she says.
"I love you too, Azu." I say. I lean over to kiss her lips. She kisses back; then pulls away. "What?" I ask.
"Joseph," she says softly. She shuts her eyes. "Anthony was right all along. He asked me if one of the Jets was pushing Joseph out of my heart." She opens her eyes again. "He was right, for once."
I stay quiet, unsure of what to say. "Do you regret it?" I ask softly.
Her eyes fly open. "No!" She grabs my wrists. "Why would you think I regretted what we did?"
"Joseph," I nearly spit.
She lowers her eyes and loosens her grip. "I was only thinking about what they will think of me. What do you think the Jets will think of you if they knew what happened?"
That really made me think. The Jets accepted the fact that Ice loved Anybodys because Anybodys had been pestering us since the Jets got started. But me and Azzura? The guys already made it clear, and Azzura made it clear to them, they hated each other. How would I look to A-Rab and Action if I started dating the girl who kicked their shins so hard she actually left bruises?
"I dunno," I tell her. I glance at the clock. "Oh crap, I gotta go!"
"Where are you going?" she asks me.
"To Doc's," I reply yanking on my jacket. I bend down to give her a kiss. "Can I see you again tonight?"
"Yes, of course." She kisses me and shoos me out the door.
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When I get to Doc's all the Jets are already there. "Where were you buddy boy? And why are you wearin' the clothes you was wearin' yesterday?" A-Rab slaps my back.
I look down. "I am?" I had walked Azzura right home and then stayed the night. "So I am. I overslept and forgot to change."
"How's the girl?" Action actually asked how Azzura was. The world is a strange place.
"She's fine, she calmed down."
"Watcha talking about?" Snowboy looks over Action's shoulder.
"That nasty piece of work, the Italian girl, got jumped by some Sharks last night. Baby John walked her home." Action explained. "Get offa my shoulder."
"Those Sharks want trouble if they're messin' with that chick." Mouthpiece said. "They really want things to explode. If that first rumble was because we jumped her, them Tigers are gonna pick a fight with the Sharks."
"Not tonight, there's our rumble with the Tigers." Ice reminded us. It occurred to me we had all forgotten.
"Great, we'll be up all night," a few guys grumbled. I remembered asking Azzura to see her again tonight, I guess I couldn't now.
Azu's POV
I am walking with Desidera, Allegra, and Kristina. I am feeling an inexplicable high of happiness and I am oblivious to my friends' chatter. "Azzura, are you listening to me?" Allegra pulls on my hair.
"What?" I ask.
"She's lost her mind! She won't listen to me!" Allegra groans.
"Where are your ears today, Azzura?" Desidera asks me.
"I'm riding a wave of happiness so large I'm twelve feet above your heads!" I exclaim. "I'm so high up, I cannot hear you!"
"What has Joseph done to her?" Kristina asks loftily.
"Joseph? Why Joseph?" I ask turning my head away.
"Who else? All the other boys have girls… well except Martino. But his heart is still attached to Sara, a million miles away!" Desidera giggles.
"Who said I had to give my heart to one of the gang?" I look at them.
"It's not that blonde Americano, is it?" Allegra says in an accusing tone.
"You and Anthony keep insisting it's that boy, when it isn't! I won't tell you." I walk ahead of them, and I hear the three of them grumble.
"If it isn't the blonde then you won't mind if Joseph breaks his head open tonight at the rumble." Kristina prods me.
"Rumble?" I forgot all about it! "It is tonight?"
"You don't remember? You arranged it!" Desidera fans herself with her hand.
"It slipped my mind," I shrug. "Joseph would break anyone's head if it mattered."
"But do you care if it is that blonde American?" Allegra asks.
"I don't think he should be in a gang, he looks too young. But if that's what Joseph does then so be it." Secretly, inside, I'm praying for Baby John to be safe. If Joseph even suspected he could be enticing my affections he would be merciless. What if Anthony made up some lie…
"She is obviously worried about that baby Americano," Allegra scoffs. How could she turn against me? "Look at Azzura's face!"
I storm away furiously, knowing that they know the truth, they just don't know it is the truth.
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I kill the daylight by walking around Central Park. I sit on benches and gaze at trees and clouds and then as dusk approaches I go home.
I come home to the usual sounds: screaming. I am halfway up the stairs when my world comes to a screeching halt. A gunshot. Just one. I run down the stairs again and dare to look into the living room. Mama is slumped against the couch, a bullet wound in her chest and blood dripping onto the carpet. Vomit rises in my throat but I force it down. Papa raises the gun again. He's seen me! Fear rushes through my veins. But then Papa aims the gun at himself… and pulls the trigger. Another gunshot and Papa falls onto the floor, dead. I will myself to move and I go and see them both. I stare at the couch. Baby John and I sat on that couch this morning. But the morning had been days ago, months ago; years ago. It slowly dawns on me that they are both dead, and I am alone. I scream and run up the stairs. I lock my door and go into my closet. I barricade the door and cry.
Baby John's POV
The Jets and the Tigers are here for the rumble. Anybodys wasn't allowed to go this time, Ice said no. It starts and turns out as violently as the other. We get whacked around until we hear police sirens again. We get to Doc's and he grumbles about his store turning into a hospital too. I got hit on the side of the head really hard by Joseph. I wonder if that was because I slept with Azzura… I didn't know.
"Did you hear the sirens? Is that why you left?" Doc asks us. We nod. "The cruisers went by here because someone heard gunshots."
"Gunshots? We didn't have guns." Ice says and Anybodys bandages his slashed arm.
"Well someone got shot around here. Lieutenant Shrank and Sergeant Krupke came around asking if you guys were making trouble. I told them no." Doc tells us.
There's a funny feeling in my gut but I squish it. Azzura is fine, I tell myself, Stop being paranoid.
We leave Doc's and I'm walking with Ice and Anybodys up the block when we see the police cars lined up. Fear grips me when I recognize Azzura's apartment stoop. An ambulance is there and there are two stretchers with… body bags.
The three of us rush over and I see Azzura huddled up near the stoop wearing a jacket four sizes too big. "Azzura?" She looks up. She doesn't say anything but pulls me into a hug and starts to cry uncontrollably. I hold her and when she finishes I ask what happened.
"They're dead," she croaks.
"Who?"
"My parents!" she begins to cry again. "They're dead… my papa, he shot my mama… and then he shot himself." She clings to me and my heart breaks for her. "What am I going to do, John?"
"I don't know," I say softly. Anybodys and Ice are silent.
"What're you punks doin' here?" Shrank lumbers over.
"Baby John and Azzura know each other," Ice replies loftily. "He was just making sure she was okay."
"Touching," Shrank snorts. "You're goin' down to the stationhouse, little lady."
Azzura pales. "But why? What have I done?"
"You're being accused of murdering yer parents." Shrank says flatly.
"But I did not! My father killed my mother and then himself! I didn't do it!" Azzura cries. "Who is making these accusations?"
"Don't matter," Shrank took her arm. "You have to come with us."
As I watch Azzura get into the cruiser I turn to Ice. "Can he do that?" I ask him.
Ice shrugs. "I bet he can, buddy boy. Where'd you get to know her so well?"
I blushed. "I walked her home last night."
Ice motioned for Anybodys to give us a moment. She nods and leaves. "What else did you do last night?" he asks once she's gone.
"Nothing!" I say hotly. That's not a lie, we did it this morning. It felt like days ago though.
"That's not true, you did something. Why else would she hold onto you? According to you she usually spits and yells at people." Ice is glaring at me accusingly.
"Okay! I slept with her!" I cry, giving up. "But she wouldn't kill her parents, I know she couldn't."
"How are you so sure?"
"Are you trying to say you think she did it?" I ask him angrily.
"It's possible. She's in the right place and the right time and has a motive." Ice replies coldly. "How much do you know about her?"
"What is this?" I ask him. "Twenty Questions? Fine, I'll tell you. She said her parents have been messed up for about ten years. She's used to it but she hates it too. She has to protect them, and hide how they really live or else she can get taken away."
"Do you think if she's had to deal with this since she was a kid, that she wouldn't snap eventually?" Ice's eyes seer into mine. I flinch, knowing he's right.
"She wouldn't," I insist.
"How do you know?" Ice walks away and catches up with Anybodys. His words are going to haunt me. I knew that Azzura had a short-fused temper. I knew she hated her parents for giving her a shoddy life for the past ten years. I knew she probably had access to that gun. What if she did it? What if she had snapped? I shut my eyes, not wanting to think about it. I saw Azzura kicking Action and A-Rab at the dance. I saw Azzura pulling that knife on Big Deal, asking him if he wanted to be stabbed. Ice was right, it was most likely Azzura did it.
Viola! Stay tuned, I'll try to keep updating every other day.
