Disclaimer: The views expressed within this chapter do not necessarily represent my own. They are merely an experimentation with character development and themes. It is not my intention to offend anyone in anyway. With that said, Star vs the Forces of Evil is owned by Disney and Stands are the creation of the brilliant and talented Hirohiko Araki. Yadda. Yadda. Enjoy.
Flowers and Brimstone: Chapter 14.
(Echo Creek, California: the next morning)
Life was not going so well for young Marco Diaz.
In the span of one week he'd been beaten near to death by street thugs, lost his eyesight, and gotten his girlfriend kidnapped by a deranged lunatic and possible cannibal.
Granted, he'd long gotten over his boyhood crush on Jackie and was only going out with her now to keep up appearances, but that didn't mean he didn't still care about her.
She was loyal and sweet and just plain fun to be around.
But more than that, she was still innocent.
And innocence must be protected.
Unfortunately, the young Latino had failed in this most important duty, and now Jackie was paying the price.
Life just couldn't get any worse.
"Hey, Diaz! Over here!" called the familiar and loathsome voice of his Stand teacher; the often-inebriated Jefferson Speedwagon.
Apparently, I spoke too soon.
On a reflex, Marco turned his gaze towards the source of this intrusion, and after summoning Kung Fu Fighting to act as his eyes, he saw that it was indeed his much-despised associate. Although, oddly enough, he was sitting behind the wheel of what appeared to be a jet-black Camaro.
"Whose car is this?" the blind Latino asked confusedly. "Oh my God. Did you steal this?"
"It's Jojo's, you ass. Now shut up and get in."
"What?"
"I said, get in. I'm giving you a ride."
"Did Star but you up to this? Look, I know I'm blind, but I can still walk to school on my own."
"You're not going to school today. Now shut up and get in the car."
"What?"
"Get. In. Now."
Confused, but a little intimidated, Marco complied with his teacher's command and within moments, he was sitting across from the old drunk in what he assumed was a mooched convertible.
"Buckle up." He instructed, before taking his foot off the break and punching the accelerator.
Fortunately, it was still pretty early, so the streets weren't very crowded.
Not that Marco was particularly concerned about getting into an accident. Even if there was a collision, Kung Fu Fighting would automatically spring forth to absorb most of the damage. And besides, he wasn't the one driving, so he wouldn't be the one to take the rap.
But still, he had technically just been kidnapped by his least favorite person in the universe, so…perhaps there was some cause for concern.
"Where are we going?" the young Latino asked, attempting to sound calm and casual.
"You ask a lot of questions, Diaz. That's not very charismatic. Makes you come off as a little Nosey Parker." Jefferson replied, while keeping his eyes on the road. "But since you asked, I've come up with a solution to your little… ocular condition, and I'm taking you to see a specialist."
"What, like an optometrist?"
"Don't be stupid. I already told you, your blindness is psychosomatic. And since you can't/won't deal with your issues yourself, I've had to call in someone to do it for you."
"So… what? You're taking me to a shrink?"
"Not exactly."
"Wow, way to be unnecessarily cryptic."
"Look, just shup up and let me drive, will ya."
"Ugh. Fine, whatever." Marco groaned, before quietly adding. "Prick."
"What was that?"
"I said, what are you gonna do about my parents? They think I'm at school. And when school finds out I'm not there, they're gonna call my parents and ask them why."
"What do you think I am, an amateur? I already called the principal's office. I just pretended to be your dad and told them you were sick. It's fine."
"But you've never met my dad. You don't know what he sounds like?"
"True, but I do a pretty good impression of Desi Arnaz. Good enough to fool your principal anyway."
"Jeez. Is every adult I know a racist?"
"Probably." He answered bluntly, before letting out an uneasy sigh. "Look, Diaz. I think it's high time we cleared the air between us."
"Why bother? You'll just foul it up again later."
"Oh, come on. I'm trying to extend an olive branch here."
"Well, you can take that olive branch and shove it up your ass, you old drunk."
"Okay, that's it!"
SCREEEEEECH!
Marco tensed up as Jefferson slammed on the breaks.
He could feel the rage surging off the older User like a tidal wave.
"Alright, listen up, you scrawny little turd. You've been acting like a jackass since the day we met. You've been disrespecting me and disregarding my orders and causing nothing but trouble."
"Me? This whole thing is your fault! None of this would be happening if you hadn't plowed into Star with your stupid car."
"Maybe so, but let's go over some of your bad decisions over the last few weeks. First, instead of listening to what I had to say back when this all started, you tried to rat me out to the cops; costing me that big job interview and the dream job I've wanted since I was twelve. Then, instead of following my explicit instructions, you tried to skip out on Stand practice to hang out at your dojo; effectively leading two of the deadliest psychos on the planet straight into the path of an innocent bystander. A bystander who happened to be a friend of mine. Then, drunk on your own self-righteousness, you become a demon's boytoy, so you can take your revenge; letting her turn you into a bigger monster than Fats ever was. Oh, and let's not forget what happened this week. If you'd simply come to practice like I told you to, you wouldn't have been ambushed by the Diamond Dogs or that other psycho. You wouldn't have lost your sight or had your Scissors stolen. And Jackie and Kelly wouldn't be in mortal danger right now. Notice a pattern yet, Diaz?"
"Look, I'm not an idiot, okay. I know I've screwed up. And I know that if Jackie dies today it's on me. But, you're not exactly blameless in all this, you know. I mean, did it ever occur to you that maybe I'd be more willing to follow your advice if you weren't such a racist jerk all the time?"
"You know, your generation really likes throwing that word around, but do you even know what it means? Cuz let me tell you something, Diaz. It may not be easy being a minority in America. But it's no picnic being a white American everywhere else. You hate it when I call you Paco, try being called 'White Devil' or 'the Great Satan'. Try being shot at or spat on just for having a certain accent. Try being blamed for all the evil in the world because of the actions of people you've never even met. Your generation talks about racism like 'the White Man' invented it. But it's been around since the dawn of time and it's much uglier than you can possibly imagine."
Marco didn't quite know how to respond to this.
So instead, he just remained silent and let the older User continue.
"But you know, as bad as things got for me in Asia, and Africa, and the Middle East, I still managed to meet good people. People who were willing to risk their lives to help a penniless stranger, and a foreigner no less, simply because they believed it was the right thing to do. I became friends with many of these people and I will always be grateful to them for the kindness they showed me."
Suddenly, Jefferson's expression grew stern and cold.
"But I received no such treatment from your people. In all the time I spent in Latin America, I received nothing but scorn and violence. And not just from the criminal elements, but from the ordinary citizens too. Hell, an Argentinian police officer once beat me bloody just for looking at him. So, forgive me if I have nothing nice to say about you Hispanics."
Again, the young Latino didn't know how to respond to this.
However, one question did immediately jump to the front of his mind.
"Okay… but if you resent my people so much, why do you wanna help me?"
"Because we're in a crisis, Diaz. And in the long run, prejudices and personal feelings are meaningless. Do you know what you call someone who puts prejudice over their own survival? A moron, that's what. If you wanna survive in this world, you have to learn how to work with people you don't like. It's called being an adult."
"Fair enough, but that still doesn't explain what I'm doing here."
"You're here because this is the last day of what's her name's sick game. So, either Jackie's coming home or… well, regardless of what comes next, I need you on your A-Game. Which is why I've set up a little something to help you get your mojo back."
Marco sensed that Jefferson was about to elaborate on this, but before he could, their ears were suddenly struck by an awful din.
HONK!
HONK!
HONK-HONK!
"OUTTA THE WAY, JACKASS!"
"MOVE IT!"
HONK!
HONK!
Marco didn't need his eyes or his Stand to realize what was going on.
"We're blocking traffic."
"I can see that, Diaz!"
XXX
(Fifteen to twenty minutes later)
After narrowly avoiding what surely would have been a violent altercation with several irate motorists, Jefferson drove his young student to a familiar setting; specifically, to the clearing on the far end of the park where they usually meet to train.
Technically, they could've just walked there, but then the old master wasn't exactly thinking clearly.
And, how could he?
I mean, he was essentially making a deal with the devil.
"What are we doing here?" asked Marco, sounding both confused and irritable.
"We're waiting." He answered bluntly, trying to hide his unease.
"Well, I can see that. But I mean, who or what are we waiting for?"
"Remember when I said that sometimes you have to work with people you don't like in order to survive?"
"Yeah."
"Well, now is one of those times. See, your problem is that the Diamond Dogs broke your spirit. And since you can't fix it on your own, we'll need the help of someone who knows you… intimately."
"You mean…"
But before the young Latino could finish, he was cut off by the familiar sound of something tearing a hole through time and space.
Moments later, a large red portal opened up in front of them, and a familiar horned witch stepped through.
"Hex." Marco whispered under his breath; with equal parts surprise and excitement.
"Aww~ My poor widdle hubby wubby~" Hekapoo said in a sickeningly cutesy tone. "What did those nasty ol' Diamond Doggies do to you?"
"Oh, Hex. It's so good to see you. I mean, I wish I could see you. With my own eyes."
"Shh~ It's okay, baby. Jefferson told me all about it. How those meanies busted you up. Got you all twisted up inside." The little Scissors Enforcer said sympathetically, before she started to purr with lust. "But don't you worry. Your sweet, cute Heka-Poopsie's gonna make you all better~"
"Just make sure you remember our agreement." Jefferson cut in sternly. "He's technically still a minor. So, nothing too out there. And I need him back and on his A-Game by three o'clock."
"Yes, yes, I remember." Hekapoo said dismissively, having already picked up her blinded beau and cradled him in her arms. "Don't sweat it. I'm taking him to my home dimension. We'll have plenty of time."
"Good. Now hop to it." The old master said sharply, before turning around to head back to his car.
"Wait, Jefferson." Marco called to him before he could get too far. "I just… thank you for doing this."
"Don't mention it." He replied without turning around, before reaching into his back pocket for a pack of cigarettes. 'This whole thing makes my skin crawl.'
Ends Notes:
And thus, ends another chapter.
I think there'll be about five more before it's done.
That said, thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one.
Peace.