Chapter Six

DANICA

I met Malcolm outside the Homeless Shelter on Reddings Street. He took my hand and pressed something cold and metal into my palm.

"Look." He said. I unfolded my fingers to see a single key in my palm.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a key." He said, snaking his arm around my shoulders. "Grant Jenkins, a friend of mine, he left his place for the night."

"Really?" I asked, smiling.

"Yeah, with beer in the fridge."

"Oooh." I smiled and took his hand.

"You can say that again." He smiled and kissed me. "C'mon, we'll take the Subway."

We took the Subway to Queens. Malcolm led the way to a complex on King Street. He slid open the metal doors and walked me up the stairs to Apartment 15C. He wrestled with the keyhole for a good few minutes, then the door eased open. He flicked on the light and the place was flooded in a pale wash of colors from the furniture.

A shabby loveseat that looked as if it was bought at a thrift store was near a set of double-windows with broken blinds hanging like dead men over the glass. The carpet was in need of a steam-cleaning, vacuuming, and shampooing and it smelt as if the fridge in the next room had to be scrubbed and cleaned out.

Malcolm snapped the door shut and walked into the kitchen. I carefully sat on the loveseat and Malcolm came back with a six-pack of beer. He cracked open two cans and gave one to me. I sniffed it gingerly. It smelt as sour as whatever was rotting in the fridge and tasted just as bad, but I drank it down anyway. Malcolm drank his.

We kept drinking until the six-pack was nothing was a piece of broken cardboard on the floor. I was really close to throwing up, but I didn't. We sat in silence for a good hour until Malcolm turned to me.

"Are you ready?" he whispered, slurring his words. I was as drunk as him. I nodded, smiling. He looked at me and I felt my skin tremble slightly underneath my sweater as his hands eased underneath it.

"I love you, Danica." He whispered. No words slurred then. He gently eased me onto my back, taking care with every movement he made.

"I love you too, Malcolm." I whispered back.

All I remember from that point on, was the sounds of the City, as it lived and breathed below us. Alive more than anything we would ever know.

What I remember next was, opening my eyes and realizing I was in Grant's apartment. It was really dark out. I checked the clock on the microwave I could see from the couch. It was ten minutes to midnight. I wasn't drunk, but I felt absolutely horrible. Like I had the flu, mono, and strep all rolled up into one.

Then I remembered what I had just done and I bit my lip.

"Malcolm!" I whispered. I shoved his shoulder. "Malcolm!" he slowly opened his eyes.

"Danica! Don't yell, babe, c'mon…"

"I'm not yelling." I whispered. "C'mon we need to get home."

"What time is it?" he asked as I quickly put my jeans back on.

"Almost midnight." I said, pulling on my sneakers. Malcolm swore and got dressed, then grabbed my arm and pulled me out of Grant's apartment.

"Subways don't run this late though." I told him, once we were outside. "What are we going to do Malcolm?" I asked, close to tears, my voice was breaking.

"I don't-"

"Danica?" a voice asked. I turned around. A man with short blonde-ish-brown hair wearing a baggy jeans and a t-shirt walked into the glow of the streetlight. Then I realized who it was.

Eric Matthews.

"Eric?" I asked. I looked at Malcolm. "You didn't tell me we were in Elmhurst!"

"Sorry." He mumbled. "You just didn't ask."

"Well next time try and remember where we are going!" I snapped.

"Danica, hey, I hate to break up this little party, but everyone is looking for you. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you live in Brooklyn?" I nodded, looking down at my sneakers that I didn't even bother tying.

"Yes."

"And what are you doing out here in Elmhurst?"

"Uh…" I began. "Uh…Just out with my friend, Malcolm."

"Do your parents know?" I shook my head. "Do you know it's midnight?" I nodded. Eric whistled.

"Lucky for you, Corey called me and told me what happened. So I decided to look for you even though I thought a smart girl like yourself wouldn't go to Queens or even be outside her apartment walls, now would she? Look, you're here. I found you. I'll take you home. Do you need a ride…Maron?"

"It's Malcolm." He said. I felt his fingers lace mine. I squeezed his hand.

"Sorry. Well it's late. Do you need a ride, Malcolm?" Eric asked. He shook his head and let go of my hand.

"No. I'll walk." He turned on his heel. I touched his shoulder, but he shrugged me off, whispering "No, D."

"Come…Come on, Danica." Eric said, touching my shoulder as he craned his neck, watching Malcolm walk down the street. "I…I'll take you home. C'mon."

"What I don't understand is why Danica?" My dad yelled as softly as he could.

"Shawn." My mom said, touching his arm, just like I touched Malcolm's. "C'mon, honey, it's late. We're all tired. We can talk about this is the morning."

"No Angela." My dad said firmly. "We are settling this now. Look, she's already said she was with Malcolm. Was it just a date, Danica?"

"What makes you think I'd tell you?" I said.

"Look, I'll take no lip from anyone. Never have and my own daughter will not be the exception, understand?" I didn't move from the chair I was sitting in.

"Now answer me. Was it just a date or did something happen?" he said softly. "At least, give me that much, Danica."

"No." I said. I stood up from the chair and started for my bedroom, but my dad grabbed me and gripped my arm.

"Dad!" I yelled. "Let go!"

"Danica, no! You are not going anywhere until you tell us what's going on!"

"Dad! No-" I swung my free arm until I felt it crush my dad's face. He fell backward into the table and I ran for my bedroom, flying to get to my bed, but careful to lock the door behind me, scared of my own shadow.