Fresh
"When did you start to learn how to play bass?" Rick looks up to his newest hero, and Jake messes up his hair, holding his skate board in his other hand.
They had left school a couple of minutes before, and Jake, as he had promised to his aunt Joy, was walking Rick towards his house.
Maybe this special agent business is not that bad, he thinks.
"You see, in my family, grandpa incited everyone to play an instrument. He himself plays cello and a very mean guitar. My dad, whenever he's home from Afghanistan, plays acoustic guitar too. I've learned guitar also, but my dad suggested me to try out the bass, and whenever he's home, he plays with me, so it's a good thing for us to do together," says Jake.
"That's so cool," says Ricky, "I wish I had a grandpa who could play a guitar. Mine just knows how to play poker."
Jake keeps walking, and thinks a little, and looks at the forlorn little boy walking besides him. Oh, what the hell.
"If you want, I could teach you." There it is.
"You could." Little Rick froze, and was looking at the older boy with disbelieving eyes. How could someone be so nice to him? Jake looks down at the little boy, and simply shrugs, as if it is no big deal.
"Sure, so, when you grow up, you teach your kids, and so on." They start walking again.
"That's gross." Jake laughs, as that was the same thing he said to his father when he incited him to start learning guitar.
"No it's not." He smiles at the memory, "see it this way, you will be starting a tradition. You learn how to play a guitar, then your kid learns from you, then your grandchild learns how to play it as well, so you will always be remembered in the family line as the one who introduced guitar playing into your family." Rick is walking looking at his new friend, "this way, you will be immortal between the generations."
Rick frowns, thinking about what Jake said, "you really think so."
"Yep." He grins, and Rick grins right back at him. Both kids keep walking down the lane, and a car drives by them, stops, and reverses until it stops besides them.
"RICK," a male voice shouts. Rick looks to the car, and he recognizes Mr. Beckinsale, from his baseball team games.
"Hi, Mr. Beckinsale," he shouts back, and smiles at the adult.
"Wanna a ride home? Hop in the car," Mr. Beckinsale leans down, and lowers the window to talk to them. However, Rick already has a companion on his way home, and doesn't hesitate to say that to the adult.
"I'm going with my friend already," he waves goodbye, and starts walking, "but thanks anyway."
Mr. Beckinsale is not to be easily convinced, and starts moving the car slowly along with the kids.
"Ah, come on, I can give both of you a ride." Jake is just watching the exchange, and he looks briefly at Rick, before staring again at the adult inside the car. Rick glances at Jake, and shrugs, and starts walking towards the car, but Jake stops him before he takes two steps.
"No," he puts a hand on Rick's shoulder, and doesn't let him step away from him.
"Why?" Jake is still staring at the adult, and he, for some reason, feels that there's something wrong going on.
"Aunt Joy said to trust no one. And she made me promise to take you home. So I don't trust him." Jake squeezes lightly Rick's shoulder, trying to transmit his efforts to follow his aunt's instructions.
"But it's Mr. Beckinsale," insists Rick, "he was friends of my dad's."
"It doesn't matter, I promised Aunt Joy I would keep you safe," says Jake, at the same time Mr. Beckinsale leaves his car and walks to the eight year old and the sullen looking 14 year old boy, with a big smile on his face.
"So, guys, are coming or not? I can give both of you a ride."
"I don't think so, sir," says Jake, looking at the smiling stranger coming towards them, "my mom taught me not to ride with strangers."
"But I'm not a stranger," insists Mr. Beckinsale, and he turns to the younger boy, "right Rick?"
Rick looks up from Mr. Beckinsale to his new friend, who up until now had protected him from bullying and had taken him to meet nice people and had offered to teach him how to play guitar. He frowns, as he considers his options, but in the end, he decides to take a new path.
"I will stay with my friend, Mr. Beckinsale," says Rick finally, "and we're almost there, and he promised to teach me how to play the guitar."
The smile on Mr. Beckingsale diminishes a little, and he glances from the little boy to the teenager.
"Really, that's so nice of him." Mr. Beckingsale stands up and looks at the young teen for a moment, measuring him up and Jake starts to feel uncomfortable under his stare.
"Sir," he starts speaking, but he's surprised by a punch hitting in his solar plexus, and he goes flying backwards on the grass. Rick starts screaming, and the adult catches the little boy by his waist, and starts dragging the hissing and biting boy to his car.
Jake, however, stands up as soon as he can see straight, and tackles Mr. Beckinsale like a football player, bringing him to the ground. The adult loses his grasp on the boy, who starts hitting him. The adult stands up and struggles with the teenager, who is screaming at the little boy to run. He gets distracted, and Mr. Beckinsale hits Jake again, who falls to the floor.
Rick starts to run, but he freezes when he sees Mr. Beckinsale punching and kicking the fallen figure of the teenager, who had, in such short time, turned his friend.
"NOOOO," Ricky screams, and he runs back and starts attacking Mr. Beckinsale, with all his fury, and big fat tears of helplessness start to run down his young face.
"STOP HURTING MY FRIEND!"
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
The Charger stopped with a screech before the school, and in seconds Gibbs, Tony and Ziva had left the car and were running towards the sea of children who were leaving the building and going to several school buses in the parking lot.
They see an adult, probably the teacher, standing by the door, and rush to meet her. She frowns as she is assaulted by three out of breath individuals.
"Richard Veseley and Jacob Buchanan, have they left yet?" A gray haired man asks her, immediately shoving his federal ID on her face. He's flanked by a beautiful brunette and a tall gentleman, and they are all busting with nervous energy.
"Little Rick?" the brunette nods.
"Yes, he asked to attend band practice of Jake's band, then once the rehearsal was over, they left."
"When was that?"
"They've left, five minutes ago," she looks at them, and starts to feel anxious, "is something wrong?
Tony and Ziva look down the road, at the several kids running, how could they find them?
"Which direction?" asks the tall gentleman. She is feeling overwhelmed, so she takes a second to answer.
"WHICH DIRECTION?" growls the gray haired man, and she points towards the tree laden lane to the left, that leads towards the Veseley's home.
"That way!"
Gibbs, Ziva and Tony start running towards the direction the boys took without even a backwards glance to the teacher, who is left staring at their backs.
They hope they're not too late.