October 1991
Rio strolled into class three minutes late. Not the most studious of pupils, class attendance wasn't high on his list of priorities. Yet he always found time for 3rd period biology. Slinging his backpack on the table, he grabbed his lab report out of it and handed it to Elizabeth Marks in all her voluptuous glory. His eyes took a quick full body scan, resting more than a few moments on some of her curvier features. He rubbed his hands against his jeans to resist the urge to full on grope her in public.
"Wow. This looks really good," Beth remarked, clearly impressed.
He didn't know why but her compliment rankled him. "What? Since I'm from the Eastside I can't read or something?"
A flush of pink crept up her neck and face. "No," she stuttered. "You just don't seem like you care about school that's all. I thought I'd have to do most of the work."
"Well, we're partners, aren't we? I wouldn't leave you hanging like that."
Beth smiled. "Here's my half of the report. Do you want to look over it?"
Rio's eyes scanned the beautifully handwritten copy. Beth was an honor roll student. He didn't have to worry that she'd do her part. Not like he cared about his grades anyway. He only came to school because it was good for business.
"I trust you, boo."
Beth took his paper and hers and paper clipped them together and handed them to Mr. Bell as he passed by. "Miss Marks, Mr. Sanchez," the older man nodded, a wicked gleam in his eyes almost as if he knew that making Beth his lab partner was a guaranteed way of getting him to class. Guess there was a reason Mr. Bell had been named Teacher of the Year after all.
"OK, class, settle down. I've got a fun surprise for you. It's blood type test day!"
Beth raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Marks?"
"Mr. Bell, we're learning about plant cells... How does this tie into what we're learning?"
The older man nodded. "Yes, you are quite correct. We are completely off topic. Fun fact: I learned early on in teaching that if I let my students know when the blood type test was coming - there were a lot of mysterious illnesses and absences on that day. This experiment is better as a surprise attack. That way you don't have time to psych yourselves out."
As Mr. Bell went on about the experiment and how it was to be performed, Rio noticed that Beth had gone as pale as a sheet.
"You aiiright?"
"Yeah, it's just I'm not a big fan of needles. I saw this experiment on the syllabus and was hoping to just skip that day."
"Don't worry mama, I've got you. I'll make sure you don't feel a thing," Rio promised as he began opening the test kit.
"It's a sharp needle. I don't see how that's possible."
"Gimme your hand," Rio insisted.
Beth looked at him suspiciously as if she didn't quite believe that he could make this experience painless.
"C'mon, I know a trick. I promise it won't hurt." Rio was prepared to grab her hand but to his surprise she thrust her hand towards him.
Eyes squeezed shut tightly, she murmured, "Just hurry up and get it over with."
"Is that what you have to say to Dean?" Rio couldn't stop himself from joking.
The pink flush returned, but her eyes remained shut. "Are you gonna do it or not?"
"More quotes from the bedroom of Elizabeth Marks." He really didn't know when to quit.
Beth opened her eyes and attempted to snatch her hand away. Rio held fast to her hand and Beth's eyes closed again. Placing both of his hands around her left hand, he rubbed vigorously back and forth. Bringing her index finger close to his mouth, he breathed on it before quickly pricked her with the sterilized needle. He put some gauze and a bandaid on top.
"Oh, that wasn't so bad. Where'd you learn how to do that?" Beth asked, slightly in awe.
"I do a lot of heroin," Rio replied.
"Hardy har. Even I know you don't shoot drugs up your finger."
"My grandma has diabetes. She taught me the trick."
Beth's gaze visibly softened making Rio completely uncomfortable. He didn't like being looked at like that like he was a good guy or something. He didn't need her spreading the word he was soft. That wouldn't be a good look in his line of work.
"Oh, well it worked," Beth said, smiling, holding up her finger. "I barely felt a thing. It's your turn."
Gingerly taking his much larger hand, Elizabeth began the same process of warming his hand up. Rio sat mesmerized as she worked. Her warm breath on his finger had him tingling from head to toe. This was likely the most physical contact he would ever have with her.
After they finished the experiment, Mr. Bell began his lecture on blood types. Rio sat back and listened, eyes half-closed. Beth took copious notes. She'd even offered to let him borrow a pen and paper, but he'd turned her down. He wasn't gonna need any of this stuff. It wasn't like he was college-bound.
"So my dad died a few years back," Mr. Bell began. "It was pretty tragic really. We called the ambulance and the paramedics were asking what his blood type was. Unfortunately, we couldn't remember in time for him to get a blood transfusion. As he was dying, he kept saying "be positive", but it's so hard without him."
Rio rolled his eyes as Mr. Bell faked tearing up but couldn't help but notice the way Beth's laugh tinkled in the air. Dang, she was cheesy, he thought smiling to himself.
When the bell rang, Rio grabbed his bag to head out the door. "Rio, wait..." Beth said, putting her hand on his arm. "Can I ask you something?"
Rio shrugged. "Shoot."
Beth bit her lip and looked sheepishly at the ground. "The thing is um..."
Rio drummed his fingers against the table. "I ain't got all day. I've got places to go, people to see."
Beth grabbed a notebook out of her backpack and quickly scribbled something down. "This is my address," she said, handing him the scrap of paper. "Can you meet me after school? I need to ask you a favor but it's not really something I can talk about here at school."
"I'll think about it," Rio replied as he walked out the door, throwing the piece of paper away in the garbage can in the hallway. He already knew where she lived.
"Oh my gosh, Beth! What are you thinking?" Ruby gasped, practically hyperventilating on Beth's couch. "You know what he does, right? Who he is? He's a...he's a gangster."
Beth paced the living room floor. She bit her lip knowing she was potentially making the biggest mistake of her life. But what could she do? She was between a rock and a hard place.
"Yes, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I mean, I asked Dean if he could maybe borrow some money from his dad, but that didn't really go that well."
"What happened?"
Beth recalled uncomfortably how Dean had not so subtly hinted that if she finally did the deed with him he'd be happy to get the money for her. "I don't want to talk about it," she said, waving Ruby off.
"Let me guess. He'd get you the money if you slept with him?" Ruby replied, her voice dripping with disgust. "When are you going to tell him to kick rocks? I don't get how you can stay with him."
"He's actually pretty sweet most of the time. He's harmless really. He's popular and comes from a good family. We want a lot of the same things in life."
"Except you don't want to sleep with him. What did you say making out with him was like? Oh yeah, kissing a drooling dog."
Beth tried to shrug off her friend's accusations. She wasn't quite sure why she hadn't slept with Dean yet. They'd been together for over a year. She just wasn't...ready. And she'd never admit it to Ruby but it really did bother her that he pestered her so much about it.
"You are one to talk Ruby Johnson, Queen of the Virgins. How many times are you going to turn that poor trombone player from marching band down? Stan What's-His-Name?"
Ruby was prepared to spit back a retort when both girls noticed a tall, skinny teenager in black, baggy jeans and a hoodie leaning against the open front door.
"How...how long have you been standing there?" Beth stuttered, feeling her face go beet red.
"Long enough to know that Dean has some mad making out skills," Rio quipped.
Rio sat at Beth's dining room table, his chin pressed into his right hand, the knuckles covering his mouth as he attempted to hide the grin on his face. This was as amusing as hell. He would have never guessed in a million years when he woke up this morning that he'd be listening to Elizabeth Marks, his go to fantasy when he didn't have a certain magazine to peruse, giving him a presentation on why she would make a good drug dealer.
"Why you should let me be a part of your business you ask? Well, one, I'm a go-getter, hard-working, organized..." she said as she pointed to a glittery poster that listed all her talking points. "Two, I'm an honor roll student and a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club. I'm the last person anyone would suspect and that way I could help you sell to a wider audience." This time she smacked point two labeled UNEXPECTED "And finally, I'm loyal. I won't rat you out."
Beth stood staring at him expectantly, smiling awkwardly. Her friend, Ruth or whatever her name was, hadn't moved from the couch in the past fifteen minutes and looked like she had suffered a mild stroke.
Rio clapped slowly. "Miss Marks, I give you an A for effort and an A+ for style. Love the bubble letters. Well, if there's nothing else, I'm gonna head out," he said as he rose slowly from the table.
"Well? Are you going to let me work with you?"
Rio rubbed the bit of scruff he'd been growing the past couple of months. "Nah, I don't think that's a good idea. Thanks for the offer though," he replied before turning to leave.
Clambering after him, Beth called out, "Why not?"
Sighing and slightly annoyed that Beth couldn't connect the dots herself, he turned back and asked, "Why does this matter so much to you?"
"Because I need some money."
"Ask your parents for it. Get a job at the mall," Rio barked, more than annoyed by now.
"I could but I was hoping to get the money quick."
"Why?"
"I wanted to get a special birthday gift for Dean. There's this watch I saw at Macy's that I think he'll really like. His birthday's coming up in two weeks and if I got a job at the mall I wouldn't get paid in time to get him the gift."
"Cut the B.S. Elizabeth. You're not offering to drug deal just to buy your boyfriend a nice watch. Why do you want in?"
Beth stood still, not responding. Shaking his head, Rio turned and opened the front door.
"Because our rent is due and we'll get evicted if we don't pay in 10 days! There! Are you happy?"
Knowing he was making possibly the most foolish decision of his life, he looked over his shoulder and replied, "Meet me under the bleachers at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. Don't be late."