Heroin and Vodka
Author's note: Ok guys. I know I haven't been uploading as frequently as I used to (I believe my personal record stands at 3 chapters posted in 3 consecutive days! Whew!). Anyways, I have been busy with my dissertation work and the submission deadline is drawing closer and is right around the corner as it is. But I decided to blow off some steam and give you guys a new chapter for the meantime. We still don't have any news as to Season 6, although I believe it will be announced by late April- early May. Without further ado, let's begin.
Disclaimer: I do not own How To Get Away With Murder. Its plot and characters are the sole property of Pete Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes.
Chapter 31
Annalise cut through a cardboard box with a paper knife, roughly and vigorously. She ripped open the box and pulled out the neatly wrapped package. Ripping open the bubble wrap, she pondered on the object in her hands.
It was a Dictaphone. She had to order it, especially given the fact that most of her possessions all went up in smoke literally when the house burnt down last November.
Slapping in the batteries, she shut the back compartment with a satisfying snap. She turned it on with grim determination.
"Hack this, bitch."
Turning to face the room, she began to speak into the device.
"Class action. Day one." she began, as she observed pictures of three people who were each distinctly different from one another. One was a tattooed figure in his mid-30s. The other two were those of black women; one was that of a woman who was lying on a bed in what appeared to be a morgue, her eyes shut. One could almost mistake her to be asleep, when the fact was that she was dead. The third and final picture was that of a woman in her late-40s. She was wearing a suit and the Pennsylvania State emblem occupied her background.
"Keating vs the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." she continued. She glanced down at her laptop, which was currently open to a webpage which read 'Governor Slashes Funds'.
"Governor Birkhead has to be the first name down the suit. Her team will hit back fast trying to get the suit thrown out. But she's the splashiest target. I need forty plaintiffs to file."
She let her mind wander as the flow of thoughts continued to emerge in her mind.
"I could knocking doors, visit jails. Sign up old roomies." Her eyes drifted to the picture of the elder black woman. She stood up, as a thought crossed her mind.
"Start with Virginia's past clients. See if there are any other cases she neglected."
Her gaze drifted to the picture of the tattooed figure. She sighed.
"Find a better face." she listed off.
She turned to face her laptop again and switched to a new tab. She glanced down at the webpage which now displayed her current bank balance. It read $2937.42. She rolled her eyes in frustration.
"Get cash." she asserted.
Isaac was heading back from breakfast. He had had a simple meal of bacon and eggs, which had been quite tasty in his opinion. He held a container of coffee in his right hand as he walked past his place, deciding to take a walk in the park near the corner, to freshen his mind.
He arrived at the park within a few minutes and took his seat on a bench. He watched as several people were engaged in various activities. Some were walking, jogging or running. Others were out waking their pets. But Isaac's eyes drifted in particular to an elderly couple.
They were a Caucasian couple seated on a bench not too far from him. The husband was dozing off, his newspaper hanging limply from his hands. The wife seated next to him, edged closer to him and gently plucked the newspaper off his hands. She rested her head against his shoulders so that her husband could, in turn, rest his head on hers.
Isaac's eyes softened as he observed the couple. He couldn't help but smile gently. It was moments like this which reminded him of the comforts an individual sought in another.
Despite the happiness he felt, a sharp pang of pain hit him as memories of a certain raven haired woman assaulted him. He could still picture her brown eyes, filled with laughter. He could still recall the feeling of those lips as they rested against his.
Isaac shook his head in an attempt to clear it.
It was no use pondering on Annalise. She had made it clear that she didn't wish to maintain any previous connections associated with her life before her student's death. She had cut off all her ties with her previous life-associates and students alike, leaving her past behind her entirely.
He finished his coffee in one swig and got up to deposit the container in the nearby trash bin, when he heard a soft thud nearby. It was a repetitive sound. Intrigued, he turned to face the source of the sound.
Right at the end of the park was a basketball court. It stretched out a good few yards. As Isaac approached it, he spotted a lone figure appeared to be occupying the court as he moved about rapidly, dribbling a basketball in his hands. He was bare chested, and Isaac could see the sweat reflect the sunlight off his chest as he jumped up high into the air, throwing the ball at the hoop at the other end of the court. The ball passed straight through the hoop, dropping right through it. The ball thudded to a halt at the figure's feet.
Isaac couldn't help but admire the man's dexterity and agility. It was clear that he was quite an expert at the sport. He clapped softly.
The figure turned around to face him at hearing the clapping. Isaac took note of his appearance. He was dark skinned boy in his mid-20s. He had jet black hair which was short and crop cut.
The boy nodded at him.
"You play?" he asked.
Isaac chuckled.
"I haven't been asked that in a while." he replied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
The boy raised his eyebrows.
"You up for a game?" he asked.
Isaac sighed.
"I haven't played in a while. I might be a bit rusty." he replied. This was stretching the truth to the breaking point actually. He had been a member of his college team and had been quite adept at the game himself, owing to the fact that he was the tallest member on his team, towering at a height of nearly 6 feet. But the fact remained that he had completely lost touch with the sport ever since he had married Jacqueline. Having begun his practice, he had barely enough time left to invest on the sport.
The boy shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
He made off with the ball, dribbling it between his feet as he headed for the hoop.
Isaac eyed the boy critically.
Eh, what do I have to lose? he thought to himself. Besides he needed something to take his mind off of Annalise.
"Tell you what?" Isaac called out abruptly, as a sudden daring seized him. The boy shot the ball through the hoop and turned to face him expectantly. "I'll take you up on that offer."
The boy smirked challengingly as he shot the ball in Isaac's direction.
"Your funeral." the boy replied cockily.
Isaac mirrored his smirk. He went over to the seats at the edge of the court and took off his coat, depositing it on one of the seats.
He walked back over to the boy, dribbling the ball as he went. To his gratefulness, the ball complied accordingly.
So far so good, he thought.
Both men squared off against each other, crouched low.
"Rules?" Isaac asked.
The boy shrugged.
"The first to shoot twice wins. Anything goes." he replied accordingly. "Besides, I'm going to take it easy on you, old man."
Am I really that old? Isaac thought puzzled. But he didn't have much time to ponder on this as the boy's hands snapped out automatically grabbing the ball out of Isaac's grasp.
Isaac cursed. He should have known that that comment had been meant as a distraction. He turned to face the boy, who was now in possession of the ball. He was smirking widely.
"Try and keep up with me, will you?" he said cheekily.
Isaac kept his mouth shut, determined not to repeat the same mistake and let the boy rile him up.
Both players steadied themselves. The boy began to dribble the ball, steadily approaching Isaac. As soon as the boy was sufficiently near, he lashed out in an attempt to grab the ball off his hands.
But the boy had clearly anticipated this action, as he swerved to the left, completely avoiding Isaac's outstretched arms. Isaac watched in bewilderment, as the boy dodged to the left.
"You're open, old man." the boy replied, as he shot forward towards Isaac's hoop and shot the ball forward. The ball sailed right through the hoop. The boy caught it and turned to face him.
"That's one point in my favour." he replied, as he approached him.
Isaac watched him approach. He reached up and yanked at the knot of his tie, loosening it. Steading himself, both players crouched low once more. He attempted to clear his mind completely, focusing entirely on the ball in the boy's hand, following its movements as the boy continued to dribble it.
Both men stared into each other's eyes.
In a split second, Isaac acted.
He swerved to the right. Caught off guard by this sudden movement, Isaac quickly reached out and grabbed the ball.
The boy eyed the ball warily which was now in Isaac's possession. The boy shifted his position accordingly, guarding his hoop from Isaac's offense.
Isaac frowned. He knew getting past the boy's guard wouldn't be easy.
Isaac dribbled the ball as he approached the boy linearly.
The boy smirked as he watched Isaac draw nearer. Getting ready to grab the ball, his arms shot out, when to his surprise, Isaac swerved right completely avoiding the boy's outstretched hands.
"I'm a fast learner." he replied.
Without giving the boy any time to recover, Isaac shot off towards the opposing hoop and shot the ball straight at it. The ball sailed right through it and landed in Isaac's hands.
This time it was Isaac's turn to smirk as he turned to face the boy, wiping the sweat off his brows.
"I believe, and correct me if I'm mistaken, but that's a point in my favour."
The boy smirked in reply.
"It wouldn't be a challenge otherwise." he replied. "I'm going to wipe that smile off your face, old man."
"I'd like to see you try." Isaac replied challengingly. His blood was pumping and he could clearly feel the rush of adrenaline course through his body, making him somewhat light headed and elated. It felt similar to the sensation he would often have when he would be high.
Both men approached each other. This time the ball was in Isaac's possession, and he was determined not to let it go anytime soon. The duo faced off against each other.
Without any warning, the boy lunged for the ball. But Isaac had already predicted this action and swerved to the left.
The boy resumed his guard.
Isaac eyed him critically. He knew he wouldn't be able to bypass him as easily as he had done earlier. He would have to alter his strategy.
Isaac approached the boy, switching the ball between both his hands rapidly. Unable to predict his path, the boy lunged towards the left.
This was the moment which Isaac had been waiting for.
He quickly shot the ball straight through the gap between the boy's feet. The ball bounced past him. Started, the boy turned to face him. But it was too late.
Isaac had already bypassed him and caught the ball and was making a beeline for the opposing hoop. The boy watched in dismay as Isaac shot the ball straight through the hoop, catching it as it fell down.
Isaac turned to face him.
"That's point and game, kid." he replied, his tone taking on a cocky edge.
The boy smirked.
"I guess I had that coming." Isaac passed the ball to him. The boy caught it. "You're pretty good, you know?"
"Thank you." Isaac replied. "You know, you aren't half bad yourself."
The boy chuckled at that.
"You up for another game?"
Isaac nodded but then glanced at his watch. It was nearly time for his first patient to arrive. He looked up.
"Tell you what? I'll take a rain check on that."
The boy nodded and took off with the ball.
Isaac headed for the seats. Grabbing his coat, he was about to set off, when a thought occurred to him. He turned to face the boy again.
"Say, I didn't catch your name now."
The boy turned to face him.
"It's Maddox. Gabriel Maddox."
Isaac reached out and shook his hand.
"I look forward to our next match, old man." the man, now identified as Gabriel replied, with a smirk.
Isaac chuckled.
"Get ready to be beaten down, kid." mirroring his smirk.
Author's note: There you go. I know Isaac may be a bit OOC in this chapter, but that was my purpose. And speaking of which, I bet you guys are wondering as to exactly why I have introduced Gabriel a season early. Don't worry. I have my plans for him. And all will be revealed in due course of time. Meanwhile, updates will be a bit sporadic over the coming month as my end semester exams are approaching. So, updates will be somewhat periodic. But I will try and update as quickly as possible. Read and review. Hope you guys enjoyed it.