I got demoted (and it wasn't a bad thing)

A Chapter by Oliver Lee

Donnie meets up at the house to hang with the gang, until he gets a phone call from Ganton. Then things get complicated

On my way to the house I passed three houses with their f*****g dogs chained up outside in the middle of May in New Mexico, two hypodermic needles on the sidewalk, and the corner of South Bennigton and Rhodes, Natalia; the prostitute. As I passed her I smiled and waved,

"Hi Natalia. How are you today, chica?"

"Hola Donnie, I'm good. Kind of a slow day though, oh well. It is the middle of the weekday. Hey Donnie, a que hora es?"

"It is..3:12"

"Si, thank you"

"I'm sorry Nat, I've got to get going, but I'll see you later."

"Bye Donnie!" she called out as I turned and walked down Bennington.

When I approach the house I immediately remember Ganton. I promised him I'd text him when I got home. I stopped at the porch and took out my phone, sending him a quick text.

Hey I forgot to text, but, I'm home. Everything's good. Text when you can.

I hit send when CJ opened the door and saw me standing outside.

"What are you just standing around out here for. Texting your boyfriend, f****t?"

They liked to tease me because I was new, and they just, could.

"I don't have a boyfriend. And don't call me that. Just let me in, a*****e" I pushed past him into a room of seven dudes all in their late teens, early twenties. The house reeked of cigarettes, cannabis, and stale beer. I'm more of a tequila man myself, but that's just me. I think beer tastes like cat piss.

"Aye Luca, your boy's home" CJ called to Luca. He was in the kitchen getting a drink when I walked in.

"Hola, Donnie. Ay we've been expecting you" his voice sounded suave and intoxicated.

He glanced at his watch;

"3:24. I like a man who is on time. You're bueno, chico."

"T-thanks Luca. I heard there was something we needed to "discuss"? At least that's what you told me on the phone."

"Si, sit down chico" he stumbled across the room into the living room and plopped down onto one of the old sofas they keep in there. There was like three of them.

"My friends. Or should I say, fiends."

Luca hadn't even said seven words yet and everybody was already overcome with laughter.

"No but forreal. We have another run to make. Center Street Pharm. I'm picking the crew this time since last time I let K do it, we got half of what we came for."

Everyone stared at K for a long time. He was genuinely sorry for losing the shipment. Hmm.

"The shipment comes in at 5:45 tonight. I want CJ, Corey, Naz, Bax and Trey. You've been promoted, mi hermano."

"Donnie?" he snapped me out of a locked daze of looking at all the nicotine and yellowing stains on the wallpaper above the TV.

"Yes?"

"You and Trey are switching positions. You have to stay home and guard. It's super simple; just don't let anyone in unless they know the word. And if anyone knocks on the door keep all drugs out of sight of the doorknob. And also don't let anyone in"

he spoke with such fluidity, even drunk off his a*s. He makes this look easy.

"Okay. I got it."

He didn't know it, but I was internally ecstatic I got demoted. Granted, I had only been on like, three real runs, and none of them went south, thankfully, I just hated doing them. They were too much pressure, and scary. And imagine if something happened to me. What would Ganton do if I wasn't there to reassure him that his pen ink won't kill him if it gets on his skin, or that you can eat a few apple seeds and they won't kill you, you just get a little stomach ache. Runs are just too risky. I like to keep a lowkey profile in this gang, actually, in life in general, but especially in this gang.

So for the next couple of hours I hung out with the gang. Had a drink, talked and joked. It was the only time I genuinely felt safe and at home with these guys. I felt like I was living a double life which, I guess I was, but it felt really fun. I was actually having fun. I went outside to have a smoke.

"Yo I'm gonna go have a smoke, I'll be back."

I walked out of the screen door onto the porch and sat down on the dingy yellow-white plastic lawn chair on the porch. The porch was dirty and filled with leaves, a basketball, a baseball bat, an old bottle of blue gatorade, and four ashtrays. I sat down, took out my shiny black lighter and lit up. I pulled out my phone and opened my messages. I had fifteen missed texts from Ganton. They all said "where are you I'm scared." He called me three times but because I had my phone on silent I never got them. My stomach dropped. I immediately flung my cigarette over the porch. I opened the dial screen and dialed his number as fast as I could. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. And then someone picked up. All I could hear was heavy breathing.

"Gee? I'm so f*****g sorry I didn't answer, my phone was on silent, and I-I-I f*****g forgot to turn my ringer back on. Gee? Ganton?" I shouted into the phone. Someone came outside to check on me. It was Trey.

"Hey man, everything alright?"

I held my index finger up at Trey, signaling for him to give me a minute.

"Ganton, bud, what's going on?"

"I'm anxious Donnie" he spoke softly and shaky. He sounded terrified. The question is, of what?

"Gee, I'm gonna come over. I'll be there in no less that eight minutes, okay? I'll see you in a minute."

"Okay" he choked out.

I hung up the phone and went to walk down the steps of the porch.

"Hey man, where do you think you're going?" Trey sounded really confused and concerned, but wanted to put on a tough persona.

"Oh yeah, I should probably tell them" I thought out loud.

I made my way back into the house. They boys were in the middle of "p***y game" where they exchange their best and worst f***s. It disgusted me, and I never played because I don't like to objectify women like that. Also, I'm a virgin.

"Hey I have to go, but I swear I will be back before 5:45. I swear I will" I could feel my breath slip through my throat as my mind was urgently running a million miles a minute and all I could think about was getting to Gee's.

"Hey hey hey, relax, stay awhile, chico" Luca said; persuasion in his tone.

"No, I really can't, there's an emergency with one of my friends and I have to go. I'll be back before 5:45, I swear."

"What friend, because, we're all right here, mi hermano" Luca sounded like he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Consider this a family emergency then" I said, bursting out of the door, down the steps, sprinting to Ganton's house. It was 4:00 right now, that gave me about an hour and a half to sit with Gee until the run. I told mi abuela I wouldn't be home until 8:00 tonight anyway. She didn't really care as long as I told her when I was gonna be home.

When I got to Ganton's house, his moms van was missing from the driveway. I had his house key on my keyring. I painted it baby blue because that was Gee's favorite color. I put they key through the lock and walked into the door. The house smelt like someone burnt popcorn and tried to get rid of the smell with a lavender scented candle. If I knew Gee, it was his doing. The TV was playing some crime show reruns. I shut the TV off, and walked into the dining room.

"Ganton? It's Donnie. Come out, I'm here. Just like I said I would be. Ganton? Gee?" I headed up to his room. His was the last all the way down the hallway on the left. I knocked on the bedroom door, and it creaked open. The overhead light was off but the desk lamp was on. He was drawing again. I walked over to his closet. He liked to hide in there when he had episodes because it made him feel safe, and hidden. I knocked on the door and then slowly opened it. I found him sitting on the floor with headphones in and a red, tear-stained face. His hair fell into his eyes, and he didn't even bother to fix it. He was so focused on the song that was playing, he didn't even really see me at first. I crouched down so I could be eye to eye with him.

"Hey. I'm here now" I took one of his headphones out of his ear.

"What are you listening to?"

I remembered to be slow and caring and quiet and soft when he was in such a vulnerable state like this. At least that's what the therapist lady told us when I had taken Ganton to one of his first few appointments. He usually takes himself now, but he always keeps me filled in. I put the headphone up to my ear. Wires by The Neighbourhood.

"Good song."

I extend one hand,

"why don't you get up, and come sit on the bed with me?"

He puts his delicate hands in mine and I gently pull him to his feet and out of the closet.

He sits on the bed and scoots his way all the way up to against the wall and sets his phone down in front of him. The music is still playing. I pause it for him.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

He starts to stutter and stumble over words.

"Slower, Gee. Breathe."

"I. Saw. A. Shadow." he wretches out.

"Was it a good shadow or a bad one?" I asked.

"Bad."

"I was drawing, and I saw it out of the corner of my eye. I ignored it even though my heart sped up, and then it came closer. It got in my face, into my nose, my mouth, my ears. It choked me. I coughed, and it came out. I got so scared I went into the closet and hid until you showed up. Diane hasn't been home yet." Ganton said.

He always referred to his mom as her name, because his therapist says it will help get all of his pent up anger out of him. And if I'm being honest, she doesn't really care.

"I was doing so well too. I thought they were over for good" he squeaked out.

"Baby steps Gee, one foot in front of the other, always. You handled it pretty well" I scanned his body with my eyes making sure he didn't do anything dangerous. He was clean.

"Yeah I guess so."

"Yeah."

He and I sat there for about fifteen minutes. Then the clock hit 5:00. I had to leave soon or else the gang was gonna make me pay. I had a job to fulfill.

We laid there in the dim lit room, silent but together. I was sitting on his bed, he was laying down. His head in my lap. I played with his hair. It helped him calm down. I wanted him to feel safe. He and I both knew I was the only person who truly gave a damn about him. I knew he was sure of that, and I'm glad he knew, and believed it. It was true. He is my best friend, of course I give a damn about him.

The clock said 5:15.

"Gee" I spoke softly.

"yeah"

his drowsy voice was my favorite. My best friend was so dumb and cute, I love him.

"I gotta go. I'll text you, though. And I'll come back tonight if I can, okay?"

His face dropped

"please stay. Please."

"Gee, I really can't"

5:23

"Please"

I had a stupid idea, but it just might work.

"Okay come with me" I said, yanking him up off the bed and onto his feet.