I Promise, Part 2

Love isn't always what it seems.

We walked to the café with our hands held. It was a nice day, so we chose to eat outside. After about ten minutes or so, Corbin asked, “How much time do we have left ‘til we have to be back?”

“We still have like an hour,” I replied.

“Good. There’s something I want to show you,” he said. His voice was rather seductive, but not in the good way.

“Oh? What could that be?” I asked, keeping the seductive voice in mind.

“You’ll see. Grab the food and let’s go.”

I went inside and got a bag. I put the food in the bag and we left. We went down the street, and I noticed things started tolook a bit more... sketchy.

“Where are we going, Corbin?” I asked, kind of scared.

“You’ll see. You’ll like it, I promise,” he said, reassuringly. I chose to believe him, and we kept going.

We turned into an alley about five minutes after we left the café. The alley was dark; the light was blocked by the

surrounding buildings. There was light close to the end of the alley, though the end of the alley was just another building. We went towards that light, and I saw more of the alley. There wasn’t much graffiti, but the graffiti that was there was artistic. It wasn’t like a lot of the graffiti I’ve seen where people for some reason think they’re giving themselves a better place in society by scribbling profanities all over the damn wall. I want to be just like them when I grow up.

We reached where the light was coming from: an open door leading into one of the buildings. The door led into an excessively illuminated room with a group of five or so people sitting in beanbag chairs having their own conversations with each other.

“Oh good, Raven is here,” said perhaps the oldest person in the room, though still only thirty perhaps, in a French accent.

“Raven?” I asked.

“Relax, Erik, this is Jérôme,” Corbin said laughing. “Jérôme, this is Erik. He’s one of my friends.”

“Bonjour, Erik,” he said laughing slightly.

I laughed, said, “Alright. How are you?”

“Pretty good.” He turned his attention to Corbin. “What brings you here?” he asked.

“Just wanted ya to meet Erik,” Corbin said.

“Well, it was very nice to meet you. Why don’t you take a minute or two and meet the others?” he asked in a warm voice.

“Sure, I think we have time,” I said.

“Très bien,” he said. He directed me towards another guy, about the same age as Corbin and I probably. “This is Harlan. He goes to the same school as you, I think.”

“Aye, I do,” said Harlan. “Have I met you before?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe. Do you do theatre?” I asked.

“No, no time. I’m too busy with music.”

“Oh, that’s cool too though. The next play we’re doing is A Streetcar Named Desire. Heard of it?”

“Yeah, I really like that play. This semester is really busy anyway in the music world. I probably wouldn’t have time for it even if I was interested in acting in it,” Harlan said with a slight laugh. “Jérôme, d’ya want me to show them around now so you can go back and get some rest? Big day tomorrow for you.”

“Oh, oui, that would be great. Merci!” he said.

“No problem. Let me show you around,” said Harlan. Jérôme went through another door. I looked through the door as he opened it, and I could see the room he went into wasn’t nearly as bright as the one we were in. It wasn’t just dark in comparison, it was just dark.

“What’s in the...” I started to say. Harlan and Corbin both reached to cover my mouth before I had a chance to finish the question.

“It’s just the rest of the apartment.” said Harlan in a quick voice. He could see that I was frightened by his response. “Don’t worry, Jérôme is just a very private person. He wouldn’t like it if he heard your question. He’d think you’re really nosy and yell and s**t. Not pleasant. Now we have to get going. We have a half hour to get back before our next class starts. Come on, let’s go,” he said hurriedly. The others got up as well, and we all headed back to school. I guess everyone in there went to the same school I went to. Odd that I’ve never seen them before.

For some reason, I couldn’t get that room out of my head. Why were they being so secretive about it? The whole way back to class, I wondered what could have been in that room. It didn’t seem like a full apartment. I didn’t see much from the quick glance I caught when Jérôme opened the door. All I saw was a small staircase leading up to an actual room illuminated only by a dim lamp on a table in the center of the room. The lamp only allowed me to see what was in its immediate vicinity. There was a bust on the table. I couldn’t really make out what it was until I thought of what Jérôme called Corbin: Raven. Why did he call Corbin “Raven”? I wondered. Why was there a bust of a raven in the middle of the table? Why is it so bad to know what that room really is? I couldn’t seem to go through that day without more questions popping up when a set were answered.

We arrived at school, with five minutes to spare before the next class started. Corbin turned to me and smiled. He gave me a kiss and then said, “I’ll see you in theatre this afternoon, alright?”

“Alright. See you then,” I said. We hugged and parted ways. He made no mention of me asking what that room was. That surprised me. I didn’t even get a, “Don’t worry,” or anything of that matter. I was starting to really wonder what went on there.

My other classes passed, and it was time for theatre. I just about ran from my last class to the auditorium so I could see Corbin. My concern for what went on in that room diminished slightly with the passing of classes. All I really cared about then was that I was going to see Corbin. I walked into the auditorium and didn’t see Corbin at first. I waited about ten minutes and still no sight of him. By then, Ms. Rabe had begun distributing audition material.

“As most of you know, the play we’ll be doing this semester is A Streetcar Named Desire. The cast list is less than extensive, so there aren’t many parts to fill. That being said, if you are really interested in a role in this production, it’s gonna be a competitive audition process. You can find a script of the play at most bookstores. I suggest you read the play before you audition to get a good feel of the characters. Auditions will be held three weeks from today. In the meantime, let’s do some fun stuff. Let’s improv!” she said.

I was too worried about Corbin to sit through any more of the meeting. I got the information I needed about auditions, and that was it. While improv is fun, I really needed to find out where Corbin was. “Ms. Rabe, I have to get going,” I said.

“Oh, before the improv? Ah well, have a good night, Erik,” she said.

“You too,” I said. I walked out of the auditorium and I saw Harlan sitting by the door.

“I bet you’re looking for Corbin,” he said.

His tone of voice made me scared and concerned. “Yeah... Do you know where he is? He didn’t show up to theatre...” I began to say before Harlan interrupted.

“Listen, kid. You don’t know what you’re getting into here. Leave Corbin alone.”

“Excuse me?” I asked. “Why should I leave him alone? If you didn’t notice, our hands were together when you saw us. So

why the hell would I leave him alone now?”

“Your hands being together is exactly why I’m telling you to leave him alone. You may think you know him and love him, but you really don’t. Be smart and leave him alone.”

“Why should I?” I asked. “Do you like him too or something?”

“Not anymore, no. Take it from someone who’s been there. You don’t want to go down the same road that I did,” he said. I looked confused, and he could tell. “Look, I know you’re confused as f**k right now. But you seem like you have ambitions and places to go in life. If you want to actually go somewhere in life, back the f**k away from Corbin.”

“What are you talking about? Corbin’s going places too. And what do you mean not anymore?”

Harlan looked worried and angry. “Remember when I told you that Jérôme likes his privacy? Well, this is part of it. Don’t ask questions. Just believe me.”

“I’m not leaving Corbin alone. Besides, how would just back away from him? We still have class and s**t together.”

Harlan could tell that I was stubborn and wasn’t going to just give Corbin up. “Come with me. I’ll tell you a story. But nobody can hear it. Everything I tell you cannot be told to anyone else, got it?”

“Fair enough...” I said.

“Good, now follow me. And stay quiet.” We both walked away, walking very quickly. Harlan’s pace was difficult to keep up with. He took me to a house a few blocks away from campus. When we reached the house, he took out a key and went inside.

“Whose house is this?” I asked.

“Mine,” he said. We went in and he closed the door. He took me up the stairs and into a room, presumably his. He shut the door and locked it. “Alright, now you can ask me anything.”

“Where is Corbin?” I asked.

“At his home. The place with the beanbag chairs is his home,” he said. “What else?”

“He lives there?” I asked.

“Aye. Jérôme is his father.” He saw that I was getting confused. “The others live there, too. They’re not Corbin’s brothers, though. Corbin brought them there. Their homes weren’t exactly the most nurturing when they came out. And, being a good boyfriend, he took them there to live with him. They didn’t know what they were getting into, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Corbin takes them there and Jérôme takes control. Do you really think that I do music and that the others actually go to your school? No. Corbin dragged us into things and we weren’t able to get out. They both put us to work doing whatever it is they need us to do. Most of the time it’s getting Jérôme something to shoot up. Other times it’s working the corners trying to get money so he can afford to buy things to shoot up. He owns a furniture store not too far from where their home is. But he only makes enough money to pay the rent and food for both the store and their home. And he owns the place, so he can stay at home from work on a heroine high and nobody thinks anything of it. Albeit they don’t know why he’s not there. If they knew, they would probably think less highly of him. People seem to like him, for some reason. All of us, those of us Corbin has taken in, hate him for what he does. It’s almost impossible to escape him once he’s got you in.”

“Why is it so difficult to escape?” I asked.

“Because, we wouldn’t have anywhere to go. We’d be homeless if it weren’t for Jérôme. We can try to escape and live life on our own on the streets, but he finds us and takes us back. If we try to fight back, we’ll never be heard of again. The last time someone tried to escape and fight back, Jérôme kept injecting him with the heroine until he died. He had him pinned down right in front of us so that we wouldn’t get any ideas.

“How did you escape then?” I asked.

“My parents actually got worried about me when I didn’t show up for a few weeks. They called the police and then Jérôme let me go only because he didn’t wanna get the police on his a*s. He still makes me go back, though. He still makes me make money for him.”

“Where do your parents think you are when you’re doing work for him?”

“They think I’m at work. They know I don’t go to school. I’m taking night classes to get my GED, though. Maybe once I get that I can get out of here and not have to worry about Jérôme and Corbin ever again. I suggest you do the same. Cut things off with Corbin.”

“If he only goes after guys whose parents don’t accept them, why is he going after me, then?”

“I have no idea. He hasn’t gotten a guy in almost six months, so he’s getting desperate. He’s done a damn good job hiding what he’s been doing though. He’s been talking about you for almost two years. Jérôme keeps asking him to bring you in. I think Corbin is finally doing it.”

“Why did he wait so long, then?”

“Because Jérôme threatened to kill him if he didn’t bring in someone new soon. With the economy as it is, the furniture store isn’t making as much business as it used to, which means that he has less money for drugs because he has to spend it on the store. But you know addicts, they value drugs more than anything else. He needed a new source of income.”

“Damn,” was all I could bring myself to say.

“I know. Jérôme said he won’t make you stay for a little bit though. He wants you to be a bit more comfortable first.”

“Can I go one more time, then? I’ll just say that I need to give Corbin the information for theatre auditions,” I said.

“Yeah, sure, one more time can’t hurt, I suppose. But after that, you’re never going back there again, got it?” said Harlan.

“Yeah, I got it,” I said. I was so disappointed. How could someone that has been my friend for so long do such a thing? I knew he was a good actor from theatre, but he was a damn good actor for keeping everything hidden for such a long time. Being a good actor, it seems, is the only thing about him that I was right about.

Harlan and I walked to Corbin’s home. The whole walk back was rather quiet, with neither of us saying anything really. Sometimes Harlan would say, “Keeping up okay?” because we were walking very quickly. I would reply, “Yeah, I’m fine,” and we’d keep going just as fast as before. It took us probably a half hour to get to the home. We turned into the alley, but I didn’t see the same light I saw before. The door was still open, though.

“Something’s wrong,” Harlan said.

Reviews

[compositionc]

Whoa. This goes from a sweeter than candy romance story, to a bloody scarier than hell human slavery ring. Nice twist...I guess. Corbin must be a damn good actor if he was able to keep all of this going without anyone finding out.
WHAT WILL HE DO?