Chapter 6
Carlos and two teenagers were walking along the streets of Los Angeles, at night. His two new friends that he met not too long ago wanted to show him something during the night so the Latino had to sneak out of the crib just to hang out with them, unfortunately. They were cool, in his mind, but no one knew about them, not even the guys. "So where are we going? We've been walking for almost thirty minutes and it's a long way back from the Palm Woods."
"Don't worry, Carlos, we are almost there and I promise, you'll love it," one of them said. They were all wearing their average outfits as if they were to hang out on a normal day.
"Whatever you say, Surge," Carlos sighed. It was getting cold and he was tired. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave the Palm Woods. Eventually, after a few more minutes of walking, they made it to their destination. 'The Palms Club' the neon sign said. They all heard music booming from the building and a line of people waiting outside, as well as a security guard up front.
"Welcome to The Palms Club, where you'll have the time of your life," the other teen said.
"Um, Josh, but we aren't 21, how are we going to get in?" Carlos questioned. The two teens gave him a smirk then turned back to the entrance. Josh pulled out three cards and gave one to each. Carlos looked at his and gasped when he saw it was a fake ID. It had his picture and said that he was over 21 years. "Are you sure? This is illegal to do this…"
"Come on. You said that you are the 'Hollywood's Super Party King of Hollywood', so how come you haven't experienced a club before," Surge insisted. "Look, we may be a little short but we look pretty old. We'll just use our looks as an advantage."
"Have you guys ever done this before?"
"Plenty of times. Now let's go, if we just stand here, we'll look suspicious," Josh rushed to the back of the line. After an hour of waiting, they were next in line. Carlos was really nervous. He did break some few rules sometimes but this was way over the top. He looked at his two companions and they looked confident. "Don't look nervous, they'll think your lying," Surge whispered to his ear. Carlos nodded and pretended to look like twenty-two years, according to his fake ID. It was now their turn.
"ID," the security guard asked. The three 'adults' gave them their ID's and waited for confirmation. The security guard kept glancing at the ID and their faces, trying to see if they really are who they say they are. Shrugging because he couldn't care less, the guard handed them their cards back and opened the doors. They walked inside and looked in amazement. The music was loud, people were dancing, drinking, making out, and having a grand old time.
"See, I told you that there wasn't anything to worry about!" Surge shouted over the music.
"What do we do now?!" Carlos asked back.
"PARTY!" The teens exclaimed in response. Nodding, Carlos joined them on the dance floor. Many people were crowding them but they didn't care. After two hours, they decided to take a break. They walked up to a lit-up bar.
"What are you guys going to order?" Carlos asked, not having any experience in this so he thought he could copy off his friends.
"Martini," they both responded.
"But you can't drink alcohol, we're seventeen!" Carlos told them closely.
"No, we're 21!" Josh laughed, showing his 'ID'. A bartender came up to them and took their order but Carlos only asked for water, to the disappointment of the others. When their drinks were given to them, Carlos watched in disgust his friends order more and more drinks and get drunk right in front of his eyes. Secretly, he pulled his phone out and texted a familiar friend to come and pick them up.
'Why are you there?! You are 17, Carlos!' The person texted back.
'I know, I came here with some friends but I didn't know they would get drunk' he responded.
'Okay, I'm on my way. If you can, get them to stop drinking so they wouldn't hurt themselves more'
'Thanks' Carlos put his phone away and got up from his seat. "Come on guys, put the drinks down, and let's go dance some more!" He faked excitement.
"That's the spirit 'Los!" Josh slurred. They went on the dance floor and started having a good time again. Carlos kept having a watchful eye on the door though, hoping that his ride would get there soon. Not five minutes later, a large figure walked through the doors and scanned the area which cued him to start jumping up and down, waving his arms to get the figure's attention.
"Freight Train!" He called over the music. The large security guard finally found him and acted to be the security guard that works there.
"You three have to come with me," Freight Train ordered the three of them.
"Why do we 'ave to 'ome with you?" Surge questioned with half-opened eyes.
"Because you three are not old enough to be here so get out or I'll carry you out," the man warned, not having the patience to get into an argument with a kid, but the two teens just crossed their arms.
"We like to see you try!" Josh pressed. Freight Train just sighed and shook his head. In one swift move, he picked up the boys and started heading for the door knowing that the final teen is walking closely behind him. They reached the man's car after they exited the building, getting odd looks from some people, and dumped the two passed out teens in the back seat while Carlos took the passenger and the man in the drivers. The security guard started the car and made way down the road.
"...Do you know where they live?" Freight Train asked him after a pause.
"They live at the Palm Woods, I don't know which room," Carlos responded, his voice quiet.
"...It was a good thing you didn't follow their example," the man praised. "It was very mature of you to think responsibly and not drink when you weren't supposed to. Alcohol can mess up your body and age if you did, no matter what age."
"Yeah" was all he said.
"I personally don't think it was a good idea to illegally use a fake ID to enter a place where you shouldn't be, you're lucky that you didn't get caught then I would have picked you up from jail."
Carlos didn't respond.
"...I'm assuming that no one knows that you left the Palm Woods?" Freight Train asked.
"No." The man pulled up into the driveway of the hotel and turned off the car, but didn't make a move to leave. Carlos was about to get out but the adult stopped him.
"Carlos."
He turned to him just to see that he was looking at him seriously.
"I won't tell anyone about this night. That you called me at two in the morning, you asked me to pick you and your drunk friends up from a club, and that you broke the law. Not to anyone; Gustavo, Kelly, Mrs. Knight, Kendall, James, or Logan. But you have to promise me this: don't ever do this again. This stunt you pulled was much more dangerous than your regular stuff. You could have gotten kidnapped or worse," Freight Train informed him seriously. "Like I said, you do the right thing before of not falling into the peer pressure of drinking and asked to be taken home for the safety of your friends. So promise me, Carlos, don't EVER do this again."
"I promise."
Carlos woke up. He looked around and saw that he was still on the couch in Minnesota but it was still a little dark, the sun was just about peeking through the living room windows. He looked over and saw that the house phone's clock, it was 6:15 in the morning. Carlos rubbed the fatigue from his eyes, but it didn't help and sat up. His dream he had was more like a memory. A memory he had that he would never forget. That's why he exploded on Mrs. Devon the previous day with the alcohol. He saw his 'friends' change into something he didn't like that night. He didn't talk to them after that, they tried to do it with him but he didn't want it.
Getting up from the couch, he stretched and made his way to the upstairs bedroom, to check on everyone. He saw all the guys sleeping soundly in Kendall's room, then he made his way over to Katie's and confirmed that she was there. Safe.
Carlos yawned as he made his way back downstairs. 'I wonder if Mrs. Knight has any coffee' he thought as he made his way to the kitchen. He searched the cupboards and found it, along with a coffee maker and cup. By his guess, he poured the coffee grids and water into their respectable areas then he put a strainer on top, finally he pushed a few buttons and waited. As he waited, Carlos decided to look around the kitchen so he could be more familiar for future dinners. After figuring out where most pots and pans were, he was left with a final cabinet but it had a childproof lock on it.
"Hm… I wonder what's in here…" he mumbled to himself. His uncle was a locksmith, of course, so he pulled a sledgehammer out of nowhere and hit the lock perfectly, causing it to break. He put the tool down and slowly opened the cupboard doors, hoping that it had the same surprise of pudding, like when he and the guys took care of Gustavo's mansion.
"Oh my god. No no no no no," he repeated. The cabinet was filled with different kinds of wine. It couldn't be! Mrs. Knight would never do this, she wouldn't. Maybe when Mr. Knight was alive and she just kept it there? Yeah, it could be it. But he passed away when Kendall was three, why would she have wine that's fifteen years old! With a shaky hand, Carlos grabbed a bottle and read the expiration date. It expires in 10 more years, meaning it was bought not too long ago, most likely bought before they left for LA. "This can't happen again," he whispered. Carlos opened the bottle and dumped it's contents in the sink, doing the same with the others. After the final one, he accidentally dropped it in the sink with a little more force than he wanted, causing it to break.
"Fuck," he cursed for the first time in his life, but he didn't care because he he tried to save it, he managed to cut himself on the glass creating a pool of blood in the sink. "Why am I always getting hurt?" He mumbled in annoyance. He left the now empty bottles in the sink and went to the bathroom, to wrap up his wound. After he was done cleaning and bandaging it, Carlos went back to the kitchen and was relieved to see that his coffee was finished. At least something went right. He poured the drink into a mug, not wanting to put any creamer, he took a sip.
"Ah, that's much better," he smiled. Carlos went and turned around, frowning when he saw the sink covered with his splattered blood and four bottles of wine, one broken. 'I shouldn't let the others see. Especially Katie' he thought. The teen put his mug down and got to work, throwing away the glasses (more carefully this time), cleaning the sink, and threw the trash bag filled with glass out to the trash can upfront. When he returned, he realized that his drink got cold so he just put in the microwave and waited. He was addicted, he had to admit. It's just the bitter taste of it and the warm feeling when he drinks it just calms him down. The microwave beeped, signaling that it was done heating up its contents. Carlos silently cheered as he took it out and siped it, warm and calm again. He went outside and sat on the porch, sipping his coffee and enjoying the view.
It was nice outside. The sun was shining down the town, a warm blanket looming over it. He watched birds start chirping as they flew by and a little wind blow, shaking some leaves that it had. There weren't many cars passing by because it was a neighborhood block but there were some people walking by or watering their lawn. When they waved, Carlos waved back. The outdoors soothed his troubling mind and emotions, including his throbbing hand.
"I want to go back home," he said subconsciously. At least back in LA, he didn't have to worry about anything anymore than what's he's used to, but isn't Minnesota his home? No, he doesn't live here anymore so it couldn't be his home. They say home is where the heart is, but his heart is with his family but it's being broken down. His mom is conflicted, his dad is in a coma, Mrs. Knight had(/has?) a drinking problem, Kendall, James, and Logan are here thinking that there was something wrong with him and didn't trust him to take care of himself, and Katie is smacked in the middle of everything and could be hunted down too. He was about to take another sip of his coffee when he noticed he finished it already so he put the mug down next to him. He looked behind him and looked at the door, if someone were awake he would have heard it. So, he stood up and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. As he walked, his mind drifted to a song he heard on the radio yesterday. So he got his phone out, plugged his headphones in, and played the song.
"Come down off your throne and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.
You are the reason I've been waiting so long.
Somebody holds the key.
But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home.
Come down on your own and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years.
Somebody holds the key.
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
But I can't find my way home.
Still I can't find my way home,
And I ain't done nothing wrong,
But I can't find my way home," he finished singing. He thought it was a little ironic when it played about when you couldn't get to where you want to go when you are drunk! It made him laugh out loud. He put on the radio next, not knowing what to play.
"And now to play Big Time Rush's top song, Till I forget About You! Wait until the end of the song for you could enter the Big Time contest so you could get a chance to win two tickets for their upcoming concert," the news reporter exclaimed. Carlos laughed again. The irony today! He sang along with that one too, singing his heart out when his part came. Sure he looked like a maniac and people were giving him odd looks but he was having a great time. He was about to listen to who was going to win the tickets, so he could give a shout-out during their concert, but his phone started ringing. Without looking at who it was, he picked up. "Hello?"
"Carlos?" It was his mom.
"Mami? Is there something wrong?" He asked immediately.
"No, Carlitos, your father woke up!" She exclaimed over the phone. He could feel the same exact amount of excitement and happiness as well.
"Really? That's great!"
"It is. The doctors said that he really pushed through saying they didn't expect him to wake up so early," she informed him. "You can come visit if you'd like. He's in room A245, just sign in at the front desk."
"Okay, I'm on my way." With that, Carlos hung up and stared at his phone, then started hopping up and down. He couldn't believe it! His Papi was going to be okay, like he knew he would. Carlos started sprinting down the sidewalk, trying to get back home. After a few minutes, he arrived. He burst through the door, creating a lot of noise, but he didn't care. He grabbed the car keys and went out the door, to the car and got in and sped away, completely forgetting he didn't have a license. He probably broke around a dozen road laws just to get there but he finally made it to the hospital. He ran in, checked upfront, and rushed to the room.
"Papi!" He burst through the door, excitement clear. There they were, his mother and father both smiling when their son came in. He gave them both hugs but he gave his dad a bone-crushing one.
"Hello, son!" Mr. Garcia greeted and returned the hug. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be making music in LA?"
"Yeah, Gustavo let the guys and I have three weeks off!" Carlos responded with enthusiasm when they separated. "Are you okay dad? You got hit pretty hard."
"Yeah, I'm okay but what happened to me?" The officer asked. "I don't remember."
"Um, Carlos, can I talk to you outside?" His mom excused him.
"Sure." They exited the room and walked further down the hall, so he wouldn't hear. "What is it, mom?"
"The doctors said that he is experiencing just some amnesia, so he can't remember what happened to him. Not the case he was working or who did it to him. That entire week was like it never really happened," she explained quietly.
"What! But it did happen! What are we going to tell him then?" Carlos sighed.
"That depends on you. We can either tell him what happened and it could help him heal faster or not say anything and he would have to spend two weeks in here," Mrs. Garcia explained. "I wanted you to choose in case you didn't like my idea."
"Okay." They walked back to the room and smiled to see the man watching cartoons from the TV in the corner. Mr. Garcia showed them a goofy grin when they entered.
"So will you tell me what happened?" The officer asked impatiently.
"You were trying to fix the roof from water damage but fell down instead," Carlos lied lamely. His father narrowed his eyes, scanning his son's face, who was getting nervous.
"Okay. That explains the bump on my head," Mr. Garcia chuckled. Carlos' phone started ringing, grabbing their attention.
"It's James. I forgot to tell them where I was," he answered their unasked questions. The teen picked up. "Hel-"
"Where are you?!" James shouted, causing him to pull back the phone. He heard his parents laugh.
"Jeez, James, ever heard of an inside voice?" Carlos snickered.
"Well, what do you expect when your friend is gone, along with the car?" He scolded but his voice was lower.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I had to take the car. I'm at the hospital, my dad's awake and is doing fine."
"Really? That's great man, I'm happy to hear that," James said. "But you could have told us dude, I mean seriously, ever heard of a note? Or a text message?"
"Sorry but I was in a rush," he defended.
"Yeah, whatever. One more question, why does the kitchen smell like alcohol?" He suddenly asked.
"What? I-I didn't smell anything earlier!" Carlos nervously replied.
"Carlos-"
"Oh, look at the time! I should spend the rest with my dad before visiting hours are over. See ya at home!" He hung up. Now when he gets back, he's going to have a lot of explaining to do. He looked up at his parents to see amused smiles on their faces. "What?"
"And the nominee for the best liar goes to… Carlos Garcia!" His father teased, making him roll his eyes.
"Oh my! What happened to your hand?" His mother suddenly asked, grasping his strong hand with his light ones.
"I cut myself by accident," he admitted.
"You should have been more careful," she scolded.
"Carlos is a man, he could handle the pain," Mr. Garcia waved off. They all spent the next few hours talking to each other, enjoying their company.
To be continued...