The following week
Monday, Morton Grove
I woke up with very mixed feelings.
Today would have been his fourteenth birthday!
But he was dead! His death was the reason that I was now in Chicago.
I miss him so much, it hurts! Days, like this just suck. At least I have others to be with today and I know that I can talk to Mindy, later on.
I miss you, Josh!
West Ridge
When I got to Dave and Mindy's house, Dave was out, with Marty.
"Curtis, go amuse yourself with something sharp, I need to talk with Mindy," I said.
Curtis glared; the little shit has been learning how to glare properly, by watching me! He went through to the living room and started watching TV.
..._...
"You need to talk?" Mindy asked, sounding a little apprehensive.
"Yeah, privately!" I said, looking towards Curtis.
"Come upstairs," Mindy said.
We went upstairs to Dave and Mindy's bedroom and sat on the couch. Mindy closed the door, after Sophia had come in and curled up on the bed.
"What's the disaster?" Mindy asked.
"I need some advice, about guys," I asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
Oh fuck!
"I am not the best person, for that!" I replied, blushing.
"Why?"
"I only got interested in guys, properly, last year... And well, I've only been involved, with one guy..."
"So... Before you got interested in guys, you were interested in girls..." Chloe asked, smirking.
"Do you really want to die!" I growled, menacingly.
"Sorry, just askin'!" Chloe responded.
"Chloe, you are a friend and a partner, so I will let that implication slide! I am not, nor have I ever been, a fucking dyke!" I growled.
"Shame!" Chloe said, shamelessly, with a grin.
"What!" I exclaimed.
"Just fuckin' with ya!" Chloe assured me.
"Okay!" I said slowly, not entirely convinced. "Getting back on track..."
"Dave was your first?" Chloe asked.
This was getting a bit personal, but it was Chloe and I liked to act like a big sister for her, when needed.
"Yeah, Dave was my first kiss, last year. I kissed him, minutes before I left New York," I explained.
"I... It... Today, would have been Joshua's fourteenth birthday... I miss him," Chloe said.
Ah, finally, the reason behind this weird conversation.
"I honestly, have nothing to relate to, on that subject. I have only ever lost my Daddy, I never knew my Mother. I suppose I came close to believing that I had lost Dave, after I left New York; I kinda went a little bit nuts!" I explained, feeling slightly embarrassed.
This was different, I talked to Dave, but not about girly things. Somehow I felt comfortable, talking to Chloe and she seemed to feel comfortable talking to me. It kinda felt good inside. I am not a people person, I kill people, I don't bond with them! At least, that was the way it was, when I was with Daddy. He never allowed me to have friends and did not like the way that I talked about Kick-Ass! Now though, I have a friend, I have a partner: Dave. I also have Marty and Chloe, not to mention Sophia, Abby and I suppose, Curtis and Kyle! That is a significant increase, over a few years ago!
"By 'a little bit nuts', I assume you slaughtered people, violently!" Chloe stated, with a laugh.
"Actually, yes," I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed, with the admission. "I lost control of my emotions and let Hit Girl control me, which was not good for certain low life scum in Chicago!"
"And it took Dave, to bring you around," Chloe stated.
"It did, again!" I replied. "I owe Dave an awful lot!"
"I hope I find somebody as amazing!" Chloe said, blushing.
"You will. I did, although I did have to kick him into shape first!" I acknowledged.
We went back down to the living room and were very surprised by what we found.
Curtis was flipping Chloe's training balisong and was actually quite good with it!
"What the fuck, do you think you are doing with that?" Chloe exploded.
"What does it look like?" Curtis retorted. "You said: 'go amuse yourself with something sharp'!"
"He's actually rather good!" I commented.
"What!" Chloe said, angrily.
"He's been watching you and learning; bright kid!" I said, glaring at Chloe, who got the message.
"Okay! Just don't mess with the real ones! I don't want you mutilating yourself; only I'm allowed to do that!" Chloe growled. "Besides, you'll probably cut your own dick off!"
"She's right, Curtis! Touch a real Balisong and I'll cut your fucking hands off!" I said, seriously.
"When can I get a knife?" Curtis asked.
"Come back and ask me again, once you've started puberty!" I suggested.
There had been one other issue raised, since the attempted bank heist.
With the new YouTube video appearing, the old ones were dug out, too!
Everybody watched Kick-Ass, on his début outing, getting his ass kicked, but otherwise getting the job done! Plus that immortal quote: 'I'm Kick-Ass!', that brought him to the attention of the world... And me! That was the night that I first saw him and Daddy had coined the name 'Ass-Kick'! I had to smile at that, it was a happy memory... 'That doesn't even make sense!'; I could remember myself saying that, to Daddy.
Unfortunately, with that video came the other one! The one that neither of us liked very much! I had to admit, I was appalled, when I watched it and saw how Kick-Ass was being beaten, but also how my Daddy was being beaten. I'd always avoided watching that video, but I felt I had to now. We watched it together, just the two of us. I felt Dave flinch, everytime Kick-Ass was hit. I flinched, everytime Daddy was hit. I vividly remembered the warehouse and the killing, my Daddy helping me, as he burnt. By the end of the video I was shaking and Dave was holding me tight. That night was not fun, all the nasty nightmares came back, for both of us!
Dr Bennett had, of course, seen these other two videos. She thought that the Kick-Ass début, was amusing! I had to laugh and Dave just scowled. Then Dr Bennett mentioned the other one! She was appalled, with what she had seen and said she was very sorry about my Daddy. Dr Bennett said that she understood, why we were pursuing the D'Amico family; they were pure evil.
What ever happened, I would never let anyone betray us again, there would not be another 'Red Mist' episode, ever!