Misery, chapter 3
*GINA AND TRE: COFFEE SHOP*
"So, you named yourself Tre? It's sounds kinda frenchy." She said conversationally, sipping on her latte.
"Well actually, a couple of my friends started calling me that and it just sorta stuck. I hated Frank so my friends called me Tre Cool. And thus became the legend" He said causing her to choke on her latte from laughter. He smiled and sat back in the chair. "So Gina, where you from and why the hell are you running to New York." He noticed her shift uncomfortably but decided to not say anything.
"I'm from Virginia." She sat biting her lip and thinking. "I just, you know, didn't like the neighborhood. The state for that matter. The Big Apple has always caught my interest so I figured, why the hell not! So I hopped on the bus and bam, here I am. That's who I was calling a pervert, by the way. I caught that old guy who drove the bus staring at my ass! Sicko." She said, laughing slightly. Tre had already decided he liked her laugh a lot.
"Well you know, you do have a nice ass!" he said jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She laughed again and Tre felt his stomach twist.
"Thanks! I think." She said. A moment of silence passed between them. She stared out the window and Tre couldn't help but notice how the sun reflected off of her raven hair. He shook his head to snap out of his daze and looked out the window too.
"So...if you don't have any money, where are you going to live?" He asked. She bit her lip again and thought about his question.
"To be honest, I don't have a fucking clue! I don't exactly have any family, but I think one of my friends still lives up here so maybe I'll find them and see if I can crash at their place for a few weeks."
"Okay, what if you can't find them? Or what if they don't even live here anymore? You came here without any idea of if you had a place to stay?" He asked in a motherly tone. She frowned but her eyes were smiling.
"Well, mother, I didn't think of that at the time. I only knew I wanted to get the fuck out of where I was as soon as I could. And as far as my lodgings go, do you have a better idea?" He smiled at her and nodded his head.
"Yeah actually I do. See I have a buddy that I actually know lives in New York, 'bout a fifteen minute drive from here. Forty-five minutes walking. I know for a fact he wouldn't mind taking you in and in plus, he owes me a favor anyways." He said, finishing off his hot cocoa and wiping some foam from his upper lip. She looked doubtful.
"I don't wanna be any trouble."
"You wouldn't be."
"I wouldn't say that." She said in undertone. He cocked his head.
"Hmm? What's that?" He asked curiously
"Nothing. If your sure he won't mind. I think that would be great." Tre smiled.
"He won't, come on. I don't really have a car but it's a nice walk." He said, standing up and motioning for her to do the same. She obliged and walked out with him, pulling out a pack of cigarettes as she went.
Once they hit pavement she lit up and offered him the pack. He took one out and lit it with his own lighter. "Thanks." She nodded and took a long drag off of the Salem. Tre watched her blow a perfect smoke ring and break it with her head as they continued to walk. "How did you learn to do that?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she asked, taking another drag. "Oh the smoke thing? Old, old friend taught me how to do it." She said, blowing another one.
"Who?" She sighed like the memory was painful.
"A guy I used to go with. Knew him in High School when I was a freshmen and he was a sophomore in college. A guy by the name of Jack Whirly."
*VIRGINIA POLICE STATION*
Jack sat back in his seat and scanned Gina's entire record. It was overflowing with underage drinking files, public intoxication charges, and charges for drug possession. He grimaced as he flipped through the police snap shots of her. She looked like shit. Her hair was ratty in these pictures and she had dark circles under her eyes, making her looked like she was half past dead. His mind drifted back to the times he knew Gina McEwen in college. She had been sweet, charming, and undeniably beautiful. Now she was dark, sinister, and wanted for cold blooded murder. His heart ached as he thought of this and he put the folders away.
In the back of his head, he knew he'd probably have to take her down himself in the end. She had too much of a fiery, rebellious spirit to come quietly. It made him shiver. He didn't like the thought of it at all, not one bit.
*TRE AND GINA: ALMOST TO JASON'S HOUSE*
"How old are you Gina?" Tre asked her.
"18, I'll be 19 in a couple of weeks. July 2 is my birthday." She said.
"Shit, get out! You look at least 22!" He said knocking her gently on the arm.
"How old are you?" She asked, blowing yet another smoke ring.
"Just turned 23. Couple of days ago. Man I would've sworn you were my age!" He said tossing his cigarette in the street. "Yep my girlfriend's birthday is actually around the same time as yours. She'll be turning 22." He said.
'Damn! He's kinda hot. I thought I might actually have a chance with him!' Gina thought Grimly. "Oh you have a girlfriend?" She said. 'Stupid! He just said he had a girlfriend, so of course he has a girlfriend' She thought angrily as he ran a hand through his neon green hair.
"Mmhmm. Actually fiancé, as of yesterday." Gina's heart sank more.
"Congratulations!" She said, not meaning it at all.
"Thanks! Yeah and she got me this great birthday gift. She got knocked up, by me of course. I almost wish it was by someone else." She disregarded his last comment and felt her heart fall out of her feet onto the cement. 'So he's pretty much bonded to her and there is absolutely no way I could ever have him anyway,' She thought. There was another silence and then Tre tapped her on the shoulder.
"We're here." He said leading her up a pair of grubby stairs and onto the porch of a rundown little house, but it was still a house. He pounded on the door rather hard. "JASON! YOU HOME MAN?" He shouted. There was a muffled shout from inside and then the door opened, revealing a guy, not any older than Tre, in a pair of boxer shorts who looked like he had just been woken rather rudely. His glasses hung from one ear as he glared at Tre who was grinning like mad.
"What the fuck do you want Tre?" He asked. Tre pointed to Gina and Jason noticed her for the first time. "Did you leave Lisea or something?" he asked groggily, wiping his eyes. Tre shook his head and stepped inside, blocking Gina's view of the conversation. After a minute of hurried whispering Tre stood back and motioned for Gina to come in too. "So, Tre said you need a place to crash. I don't know what made him think of me but I'd be glad to keep you for a couple of days." He said scratching his chest.
"Great!" Said Tre. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Proper intro's!" he shouted. "Jason White, this is Gina..uh..what is your last name?" He asked sheepishly.
"McEwen." Should've lied about that, she thought.
"Right. Jason White, this is Gina McEwen. Gina McEwen, this is Jason White." Gina shook his hand laughing as Jason rolled his eyes at Tre. "Now that we're all introduced, I gotta get brownies for Lis so..Gina an absolute pleasure meeting you." He said ringing her hand over exasperatedly which made her laugh again. He turned and clapped Jason on the shoulder, shaking his hand as well. "Thanks a bunch Jason."
Jason nodded as Tre walked out, waving. "Gina, I'll stop by tomorrow and give you the grand tour of New York!" He said.
"Great! I look forward to it!" She said honestly. And with that Tre left.
"So looks like I'm not getting back to bed. You want some breakfast?"
"So, you named yourself Tre? It's sounds kinda frenchy." She said conversationally, sipping on her latte.
"Well actually, a couple of my friends started calling me that and it just sorta stuck. I hated Frank so my friends called me Tre Cool. And thus became the legend" He said causing her to choke on her latte from laughter. He smiled and sat back in the chair. "So Gina, where you from and why the hell are you running to New York." He noticed her shift uncomfortably but decided to not say anything.
"I'm from Virginia." She sat biting her lip and thinking. "I just, you know, didn't like the neighborhood. The state for that matter. The Big Apple has always caught my interest so I figured, why the hell not! So I hopped on the bus and bam, here I am. That's who I was calling a pervert, by the way. I caught that old guy who drove the bus staring at my ass! Sicko." She said, laughing slightly. Tre had already decided he liked her laugh a lot.
"Well you know, you do have a nice ass!" he said jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She laughed again and Tre felt his stomach twist.
"Thanks! I think." She said. A moment of silence passed between them. She stared out the window and Tre couldn't help but notice how the sun reflected off of her raven hair. He shook his head to snap out of his daze and looked out the window too.
"So...if you don't have any money, where are you going to live?" He asked. She bit her lip again and thought about his question.
"To be honest, I don't have a fucking clue! I don't exactly have any family, but I think one of my friends still lives up here so maybe I'll find them and see if I can crash at their place for a few weeks."
"Okay, what if you can't find them? Or what if they don't even live here anymore? You came here without any idea of if you had a place to stay?" He asked in a motherly tone. She frowned but her eyes were smiling.
"Well, mother, I didn't think of that at the time. I only knew I wanted to get the fuck out of where I was as soon as I could. And as far as my lodgings go, do you have a better idea?" He smiled at her and nodded his head.
"Yeah actually I do. See I have a buddy that I actually know lives in New York, 'bout a fifteen minute drive from here. Forty-five minutes walking. I know for a fact he wouldn't mind taking you in and in plus, he owes me a favor anyways." He said, finishing off his hot cocoa and wiping some foam from his upper lip. She looked doubtful.
"I don't wanna be any trouble."
"You wouldn't be."
"I wouldn't say that." She said in undertone. He cocked his head.
"Hmm? What's that?" He asked curiously
"Nothing. If your sure he won't mind. I think that would be great." Tre smiled.
"He won't, come on. I don't really have a car but it's a nice walk." He said, standing up and motioning for her to do the same. She obliged and walked out with him, pulling out a pack of cigarettes as she went.
Once they hit pavement she lit up and offered him the pack. He took one out and lit it with his own lighter. "Thanks." She nodded and took a long drag off of the Salem. Tre watched her blow a perfect smoke ring and break it with her head as they continued to walk. "How did you learn to do that?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she asked, taking another drag. "Oh the smoke thing? Old, old friend taught me how to do it." She said, blowing another one.
"Who?" She sighed like the memory was painful.
"A guy I used to go with. Knew him in High School when I was a freshmen and he was a sophomore in college. A guy by the name of Jack Whirly."
*VIRGINIA POLICE STATION*
Jack sat back in his seat and scanned Gina's entire record. It was overflowing with underage drinking files, public intoxication charges, and charges for drug possession. He grimaced as he flipped through the police snap shots of her. She looked like shit. Her hair was ratty in these pictures and she had dark circles under her eyes, making her looked like she was half past dead. His mind drifted back to the times he knew Gina McEwen in college. She had been sweet, charming, and undeniably beautiful. Now she was dark, sinister, and wanted for cold blooded murder. His heart ached as he thought of this and he put the folders away.
In the back of his head, he knew he'd probably have to take her down himself in the end. She had too much of a fiery, rebellious spirit to come quietly. It made him shiver. He didn't like the thought of it at all, not one bit.
*TRE AND GINA: ALMOST TO JASON'S HOUSE*
"How old are you Gina?" Tre asked her.
"18, I'll be 19 in a couple of weeks. July 2 is my birthday." She said.
"Shit, get out! You look at least 22!" He said knocking her gently on the arm.
"How old are you?" She asked, blowing yet another smoke ring.
"Just turned 23. Couple of days ago. Man I would've sworn you were my age!" He said tossing his cigarette in the street. "Yep my girlfriend's birthday is actually around the same time as yours. She'll be turning 22." He said.
'Damn! He's kinda hot. I thought I might actually have a chance with him!' Gina thought Grimly. "Oh you have a girlfriend?" She said. 'Stupid! He just said he had a girlfriend, so of course he has a girlfriend' She thought angrily as he ran a hand through his neon green hair.
"Mmhmm. Actually fiancé, as of yesterday." Gina's heart sank more.
"Congratulations!" She said, not meaning it at all.
"Thanks! Yeah and she got me this great birthday gift. She got knocked up, by me of course. I almost wish it was by someone else." She disregarded his last comment and felt her heart fall out of her feet onto the cement. 'So he's pretty much bonded to her and there is absolutely no way I could ever have him anyway,' She thought. There was another silence and then Tre tapped her on the shoulder.
"We're here." He said leading her up a pair of grubby stairs and onto the porch of a rundown little house, but it was still a house. He pounded on the door rather hard. "JASON! YOU HOME MAN?" He shouted. There was a muffled shout from inside and then the door opened, revealing a guy, not any older than Tre, in a pair of boxer shorts who looked like he had just been woken rather rudely. His glasses hung from one ear as he glared at Tre who was grinning like mad.
"What the fuck do you want Tre?" He asked. Tre pointed to Gina and Jason noticed her for the first time. "Did you leave Lisea or something?" he asked groggily, wiping his eyes. Tre shook his head and stepped inside, blocking Gina's view of the conversation. After a minute of hurried whispering Tre stood back and motioned for Gina to come in too. "So, Tre said you need a place to crash. I don't know what made him think of me but I'd be glad to keep you for a couple of days." He said scratching his chest.
"Great!" Said Tre. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Proper intro's!" he shouted. "Jason White, this is Gina..uh..what is your last name?" He asked sheepishly.
"McEwen." Should've lied about that, she thought.
"Right. Jason White, this is Gina McEwen. Gina McEwen, this is Jason White." Gina shook his hand laughing as Jason rolled his eyes at Tre. "Now that we're all introduced, I gotta get brownies for Lis so..Gina an absolute pleasure meeting you." He said ringing her hand over exasperatedly which made her laugh again. He turned and clapped Jason on the shoulder, shaking his hand as well. "Thanks a bunch Jason."
Jason nodded as Tre walked out, waving. "Gina, I'll stop by tomorrow and give you the grand tour of New York!" He said.
"Great! I look forward to it!" She said honestly. And with that Tre left.
"So looks like I'm not getting back to bed. You want some breakfast?"
