Chapter Twenty Seven

I knew it was coming. We all did.

It was never mentioned but everybody was a little more cautious as we waited for the storm that was Ace Merrill to hear the news of me and Chris.

"You wanna come with us to pick up the car later?"

Gordie, Chris and me were walking to the bus stand the following day, each one of us doing a careful sweep of the parking lot before we boarded together.

"No, I'm good. My shift starts in an hour anyways."

"Pick you up later then?" Chris pulled me down into a seat with him. His arm went about my shoulder and I nestled into him before smiling at a wide eyed Annabelle sat a few seats away.

"You gonna have the car fixed by tonight then?"

Gordie snorted.

"You haven't seen it yet. He'll be bringing the car to get you this time next year maybe."

Chris laughed easily, running a hand down my arm and squeezing me to him.

'We'll have it running by the summer, you wait and see."

My stop was before theirs and as I stood, Chris grasped my hand over the seat and pulled me towards him for a kiss.

"Be careful today, okay?"

"You, too." My eyes went to Gordie's next. "Both of you."

"We're good," Chris said firmly. "Just worry about you."

I smiled at them as I stepped down onto the sidewalk but I had a bad feeling as I watched the yellow school bus pull away. As it turned out, it was me that needed to worry, not Chris or Gordie.

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I was taking a table order at about 4.30pm when I heard the diner door crash open. I looked up to see Ace walk menacingly into the restaurant, his eyes locking on mine before he stopped deliberately in the doorway. He was flanked by Eyeball and it was clear that the two of them had been drinking. I froze, pen poised, before mumbling to the customers I would be right back.

"Fran," I arrived breathless at the counter and she looked up from the check she was calculating, taking in the scene in two seconds flat.

"Kitchen. Now." Fran immediately shepherded me into the kitchen and picked up the phone. She was dialling before I knew it and she pressed too many numbers to be calling the police. "Milo? It's Fran Nolan. You still got Chris Chambers there? Uh-huh. Tell him he needs to get to the diner. Now."

Fran slammed the receiver down and I stared at her, bewildered.

"How did you-"

"Chris called me earlier. Now you stay here, okay?"

As Fran walked back into the diner, I took a breath and covered my face with my hands. Calling Chis down here was going to be like a red flag to a bull for Ace and Eyeball. I jumped, startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder. To my surprise, Tim the miserable chef was standing quietly beside me, an empty frying pan in his hand.

"I got you, Nina," Tim said quietly.

"You stay out of there, Merrill!" Was the last thing I heard before the door swung open and Fran came tumbling inside with Ace and Eyeball on her heels.

"Staff only in here, Merrill," Big Tim stood firmly in his path, frying pan held out like a weapon.

"Really? What you gonna do with that? Cook me some eggs?" Ace's voice was scornful but before he could say anything else, Tim showed just what his plan was by swinging back the pan and smashing it about Ace's head.

"Jesus, Christ!" Eyeball thundered over and faced up with Tim, who was beginning to sweat from under his chef hat.

"You're in over you head, old man," Eyeball started to close in on him but Tim kept the frying pan firmly raised for action.

"Get out of here, the two of you, before I call the cops!" Fran yelled, grabbing Eyeball's arm. He shook her off impatiently.

"You doing okay there, Ace?" Eyeball kept his eyes on Tim as Ace straightened up and touched the gash on his head.

"You," Ace said to Tim 'are gonna fucking regret that." He moved forward and even though Tim held his ground, I couldn't let this continue on my behalf.

"Ace, stop it, please," I rushed forward, blocked his path and grabbed his arms. "Let's just talk, okay?"

"Talk!" He gave me a hard shove and I landed hard against Eyeball. "The whole fucking world knows you're fucking Faggot Chambers. What's left to talk about?"

"Get your hands off her!" Fran snapped, pushing past Eyeball and pulling me behind her. "Get out of here, both of you!"

"You, old lady, are beginning to piss me off," Ace narrowed his eyes at Fran who scoffed.

"I've seen off bigger and better than you, you little punk!"

Tim winced a little at her words, but stood his ground. I couldn't stand by. This wasn't their fault.

"Ace, come outside. Just you and me. Please," I grabbed his arm and he looked down for a moment at my small hand on his thick wrist. I turned my green eyes on him, pleading and hoping he felt a little of anything towards me that might convince him.

"Please, Ace?"

Ace looked at me stormily for a long time before saying:

"Eyeball, stay here. Make sure no-one calls the cops."

"Nina, don't go out there!" Fran cried. "He can't make you-"

"Shut up, you nosey old bat!" Ace snapped in her face before dragging me past her

"I'm okay," I tried to smile at Fran even though Ace's grip was burning into my skin. Once through the kitchen door, I dug my heels into the diner floor.

"I said I'd come outside," I complained. "You don't have to drag me there."

He reluctantly let go and I followed him outside. Near the exit, some kids were smoking and Ace nodded at his car.

"Get in."

I hesitated but making a scene outside my place of work seemed a worse choice.

I climbed into the passenger seat, a place that had once seemed familiar, and felt so strangely alien now.

"I fucking knew it from day one," Ace ranted, slamming his fist on the steering wheel. "I told you he wanted it from day fucking one but you never listened."

"It wasn't like that," I said weakly.

"So, what is it like? Fucking a faggot?"

"Ace, I-" I considered lying about sleeping with Chris but couldn't bring myself to do it. Chris didn't deserve that and neither did Ace.

"You'll always be my first-" I tried to say.

"So you have fucked him? You're a slut just like every other girl in this fucking town!" His eyes looked murderous.

"Ace, I'm leaving-" I put a hand on the door handle but he gripped my arm and squeezed it tight.

"You ain't fucking going anywhere."

I was still trying to reason with him when an unfamiliar car skidded into the parking lot and Chris jumped out. He was at the passenger window in seconds.

"Nina, come on, get out," Chris pointed to the lock but before I could reach for it, Ace yanked my arm away and floored the gas of the Plymouth. We took off at break neck speed and I hurriedly belted myself in. I turned around to see Chris left standing alone in the parking lot.

I was secretly relieved Ace had driven off instead of getting out of the car to fight Chris but the fear of Ace's temper was still unnerving me.

"Where are we going, Ace?" He didn't answer and just pushed down harder on the accelerator, but I knew him and I knew that to antagonise him would be foolish so I bit down on my lip and let him drive on in silence. It felt like he was never going to slow down or stop but eventually he slammed on his brakes, pulled a right turn down a wooded lane and brought the car to a stop.

I tried not to think of all the things he'd said to me before. About putting me six feet under if I left him, of me leaving him 'over his dead body'. Instead, I took a breath, loosened my seat belt and stepped shakily out of the car.

The lane was deserted. I walked around the front of the car and slid onto the bonnet. A couple of seconds later, Ace followed.

He lit up a cigarette and put one foot on the car's fender, inhaling deeply and blowing the smoke directly in my face. I turned away and looked down at my shoes.

"So what now?"

"Now Chambers is dead."

"Ace, this isn't his fault. It's my fault. And yours. We should never have been together in the first place."

"Doesn't change the fact that he's dead."

I rubbed my arm just below the sleeve of my waitress uniform and looked unhappily at the bruise starting to form there. Ace followed my eyes uncomfortably.

"Did I do that?"

I nodded and he sighed and slid onto the car beside me.

"That wasn't the plan."

"So what was the plan?" I asked sarcastically and he turned to me, the anger resurfacing once again.

"I just wanted to hear it from you before I went to find him."

I felt the panic rise in my stomach.

"Ace, please- don'y hurt him. I'll do anything…"

He smirked at me.

"Anything, huh?" His arm went about my waist and he pulled me towards him. I turned my face away so his lips met my neck.

"Ace, quit it."

"Come on, just once more for old times sake. I wont tell anyone. And Ill leave your faggot boyfriend alone."

"Ace, no!" I slid off the hood of the car and faced him angrily. "That is not gonna happen, okay? There must be something else. How about- how about I come with you to see your father?"

Shock crossed his face as it did mine. I had no idea where that had come from except I was trying to recall his more human side, the side that thought I understood him.

"Who says I even wanna see that asshole?"

He was glaring at me but I knew that he was hurt and that was where the anger was coming from.

"Well, you better make up your mind before the opportunity's not there anymore."

"Fuck you," he spat but I'd struck a nerve. He sucked hard on the end of his cigarette and stared out into the trees.

"Come on," I coaxed. "We'll make it a road trip. I'll take you for a beer afterwards. Who else are you gonna go with?"

"Nobody," he spat. "I don't need nobody for nothing and I never will."

"But you turned up at my Mom's funeral," I pointed out. "And you told me about it. So you needed that."

He didn't say much else. He sat on the car smoking his cigarette until it had burned down to the butt.

"People will think I'm a pussy if I don't kick the shit out of Chambers."

"Tell them you're biding your time," I shrugged. "Pretty soon, it'll be forgotten about."

"I cant say I wont do it," Ace said. "But I can hold off for a while."

I wasn't sure I trusted him but even buying me some time was something. I could come up with something after that, I was sure.

"So when do you wanna see your Dad?"

He paused and shrugged like it was no big deal.

""I got a visiting order for Sunday."

"Then I'll be at yours first thing Sunday."

"One condition though, Willis. You don't tell nobody. Not the Cobra's, not Lachance and least of all your faggot boyfriend. You hear me? You do and the deals off."

I swallowed and shrugged.

"Sure."

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When we got back to the diner parking lot, it was in chaos. There were two police cars and a big crowd of people standing close by. Ace swore under his breath as he pulled to a stop but I didn't say a word to him. I was immediately out of the Plymouth and running towards the crowd my eyes searching for Chris, Fran, or somebody familiar. I heard Ace's car peel off behind me but didn't stop to turn around. The cops were here. Of course he wasn't hanging around.

I was almost at the diner entrance when Chris and I locked eyes. He was sitting on a bench holding a cloth to his cheek and he looked pretty beat up. A police officer was standing over him, taking notes.

"Nina!" Chris was on his feet immediately but pushed back down onto the bench by the policeman.

"I'm not done with you yet, Chambers," the officer drawled.

"I'm not going anywhere, just give me one second to talk to my girlfriend," Chris said calmly. He leaned around the guy and took a good look at me, his eyes travelling over my body. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" My voice went up an octave looking at him. "What about you?"

Chris' clothes were filthy, he had a huge welt under his eye and his jeans were torn and spattered with blood. But his eyes became calm once he knew I was okay.

"Nina." I turned at the hand on my shoulder. "What happened? Are you okay?" Gordie looked as concerned as Chris had and I nodded.

"I'm fine. What the hell happened here?"

"Chris and Eyeball had a fight," Gordie said in a low voice. "I didn't get here until after."

I scanned the parking lot.

"So where is Eyeball?"

"Beats me." Gordie shrugged. "Damn, I hope they don't arrest Chris."

I looked back at Chris who was shaking his head at something the officer was saying.

"He won't rat on Eyeball, you know that," Gordie murmured.

"If they arrest him, I damn will," I spat.

"What did Ace say?" Gordie asked, his eyes hovering from Chris to me. Before I could answer, Fran was at my side and hugging me.

"My goodness, I was so worried!"

"I'm fine," I told her, 'But Chris-"

Fran glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at the officer.

"Johnny Baron, are you still grilling that boy?"

Officer Baron turned back to her in annoyance.

"Now Mrs Collins-"

"Miss Collins. I known you your whole life and you know I'm a Miss, thank you kindly. Now why aren't you letting this nice boy go?"

"He wont tell me who the other suspect is-"

"He don't know who the other suspect is and so what if he does? A couple of boys playing fisticuffs in a parking lot? That your crime of the week? Don't you think you'd better be finding some real work?"

Officer Baron started to bluster a reply but Fran cut him off.

"I saw the whole thing and all Chris did here, was defend himself. You wanna arrest him and I'll be straight down that police station and filing a full complaint. He might be a kid but I sure as hell ain't and you wont push me around!"

Her sentiment was 'He may be a Chambers but I ain't' and we all got it. The cops knew who all the Chambers were and they probably knew it was Eyeball who Chris had been fighting. If only Chris would speak up.

"So which is it to be?" Fran snapped at Officer Baron.

"It's okay, Fran," Chris said in a weary voice but this just made Fran madder.

"It is not okay. So? Johnny? You letting the kid go or what?"

"Please do not call me Johnny when I'm in uniform," Officer Baron hissed.

"Ill climb on the picnic benches and yell out your nickname in school if you don't let this kid go," Fran snapped. "What's it to be?"

Baron glared at her but eventually nodded at Chris.

"Alright, you can go. But no more fighting, ya hear?"

"Yes, sir." Chris stood wearily and I rushed over and threw myself into his arms.

We watched as Officer Baron climbed into his car with the other officer.

"Sure you're okay?" He asked me.

"I am now," I whispered. "Are you hurting?"

"Nah." He was obviously lying. "Hey, Fran," he called past me. "You are one hell of a woman, you know that?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere, kid," she said. "You were quite a champ out here today."

"Fran, thank you," I said gratefully. "For everything. Is Tim okay?"

"Tim's fine. Chris got Eyeball outside before anything happened with Tim."

"Chris," Gordie stepped forward and the two of them shook hands and did that one handed man hug thing guys do. "You doing okay, man?"

"I been better," Chris winced, as he stepped away.

"Well, look, man. Let's get to my place and get cleaned up," Gordie offered.

Chris shook his head.

"I can't, man. I have to take the car back to Milo Pressman."

"So that's not your car?" I asked, looking over at the shiny skylark.

Gordie snorted.

"He wishes. When Fran called, Chris gave Milo all our savings as a deposit to borrow the car. Fricking left me in the John too. I had to hitch."

"Sorry, man, I wasn't thinking straight."

"Listen, go over to mine," Fran intervened. "Let yourselves in. Im here till late anyway."

"Fran, I'll just get Chris settled and come right back," I promised but she shook her head.

"You go home and rest, young lady. I'll see you tomorrow."

I hugged her again and Chris kissed her cheek briefly before he, Gordie and myself made our way over to the skylark.

"I can drive," Gordie said quietly at the driver door. We both looked at him in surprise.

"You don't have to do that, Gordie," Chris said. "I'm cool."

"No," Gordie shook his head firmly, his eyes determined. "I want to do it. Give me the keys."

Chris gave him the keys hesitantly and then slid into the passenger seat. I climbed in the back.

"You can sit with Nina, I'm fine," Gordie said as he slid the keys into the ignition. He took a breath and started the engine.

Chris cast a doubtful look back at me before winking and staying exactly where he was. I loved him for it. He wanted to be there for Gordie. Still, his hand came over the seat and grasped mine. "What happened with Ace?"

"Not a lot," I shrugged. "He yelled, called me a few names and then we called a truce."

"A truce?" Chris and Gordie echoed together.

"Eyes on the road, Gordo," Chris said calmly as Gordie pulled off. He turned back to me. "Has Merrill lost his mind or something?"

"No. We just struck a deal. I know some things he doesnt want anyone else to know so I agreed to keep quiet in return for him leaving you alone."

"So what is it?" Gordie asked from behind the wheel. "Anything juicy?"

I closed my eyes. I had been banking on the fact that Chris wouldn't ask me to tell a secret. He wasn't that kind of guy. Gordie, however, was a whole lot pushier.

"If I tell you, I'm breaking the truce," i said simply.

While Gordie grumbled, Chris was quiet for a few moments.

"I don't like this. Number one, I don't need you to fight my battles for me. And number two, I don't particularly want you involved in Ace Merrill's secret affairs. Does that make me a jealous boyfriend?"

"No, it makes you a decent one," Gordie piped up. "I don't want her near him either."

"I don't have to be near him, I just have to not spill his secrets and that's it. I wasn't planning on doing that anyway."

I felt a flood of guilt for not mentioning that I was going to the jail with Ace to see his Dad but my silence had been part of the deal. It was my only way of protecting Chris.

Chris still looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not scared of fighting him, babe. Not one bit."

"You already fought Eyeball, so will you just quit it?"

"Yeah, what the hell happened with that?" Gordie chipped in.

"Hey, this isn't the way to Milo's," Chris said suddenly, taking a good look around.

"No, Im taking you and Nina to Frans. Ill take it back to Milo's." Gordie was trying to breathe evenly and I nudged Chris to respond and take his mind off the road.

"Gordie, man…"

"Look, I got this, okay?

"You got nothing to prove to us, Gordo," I chimed in.

"No but I got something to prove to me. So let me do it?"

Chris and I were quiet as Gordie indicated down Fran's street.

"I think you'll be just fine, Lachance," I said.

"Me too," Chris agreed as he opened the door. "Just don't get stiffed over the money. It was just a deposit. We want it all back before we negotiate on our car. Offer him a little for gas but that's it."

"I got it," Gordie agreed. "Nina, look after him, okay?"

"I will." It was strange for the two of us to be waving off Gordie in a car but it felt good too. At least something good had come of today.

"Think he'll be okay?" I asked Chris as the car disappeared into the distance.

"Sure," Chris put his arm around me. "He'll be fine."

Inside, I made us some coffee while Chris examined his wounds. The worst was his cheek bone. Eyeball had been wearing a ring.

"So what happened?"

"Well, after you and Ace took off I went inside to call the cops."

"You called the cops?" My eyes were like saucers.

"No, but I damn well tried. Then Richie grabbed the phone off of me and told me I was a rat and he was gonna deal with me outside. I tried to get to that damn phone but the customer's got a little spooked while we were arguing and I felt bad for Fran. So me and Richie go outside- and I cream him. It was just me and him, one on one and he threw the first punch. After that, he didn't get a look in."

"Your arms and legs?" I asked, looking in dismay at the cuts and bruises.

"Oh, we did a little tumbling around but the only punch he connected was that first." Chris sounded half proud, half remorseful. "Then I didn't need to call the cops because they showed up to arrest me. It was already over by then. Eyeball made a break for it and Fran told me that if I didn't want the cops showing up at Stan's I should probably give you some time to come home before I reported you missing. I was thinking about it when you showed up."

"Did you have to beat the tar out of Eyeball?" I asked, passing him a cup of coffee. He sighed and stretched painfully.

"I guess not. But he provoked me, Nina. He started saying you and Ace had gone off to have sex in his car and I guess I just went a little crazy."

"Chris Chambers, I'd never cheat on you."

"I know, babe." He brushed my cheek gently and gave me a smile. "Well, I guess that it. It's all out in the open now. Nothing more for you to worry about."

I let him pull me in close to him but while he let out a breath, I couldn't share his contentment. I owed Ace and beyond that, sometime in the very near future, Ace would make Chris pay for ever looking in my direction.

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