Chinese Takeout Ch. 03

"This wouldn't have happened at all if you weren't being so stubborn about that biker guy." Ginny sounded so snappy.

I looked at her in disbelief. I was so upset and angry with her that I was shaking. My face still hurt where the Chua bitch had hit me. I had a black eye that was half closed. Ginny just couldn't leave it alone could she? "Jesus Ginny, this mess is your fault. I'm lucky I didn't get suspended over this. You started all this by bitching about Keith. I told you to stop. I told you, I'm Keith's girlfriend and that's that. You just turned my life into a soap opera for half the frigging school. I mean, guess what everyone's going to be talking about today and tomorrow and next week for Christ's sake. I can tell you. Me. Let me spell it out for you. I love Keith. L. O. V. E. Get it. I'm not like you Ginny, I don't treat guy's like an accessory, I don't want a new one every week. I've got Keith, I'm his and he's mine and that's that, okay, so just lay off. I know you don't like it, I get that. And I don't care, so just shut it down Ginny, okay, and let's go home." I was so tired. Tired and sore and wondering what I was going to tell my parents. I just wanted to go home and lie down.

Ginny couldn't stop. She just couldn't shut up. "Jay-Lin, get a grip. Everyone was already talking about you after yesterday and this morning. See, you go for a ride with this biker guy and all of a sudden you're getting into fights and you're yelling at your friends. I mean, when did you ever do anything like that? He's getting to you. You're already changing Jay-Lin. Please, just dump the guy, you don't have to date anyone else, I mean, it's hard to find someone as nice as Jiffy I know, but please Jay-Lin ..."

"Jesus Ginny, didn't you just hear me? Shut it down. Now. Please. Don't be such a bitch... Please Ginny." Tears trickled down my cheeks. I didn't want this. I didn't need this. Not from Ginny. Not from my best friend.

"Jay-Lin, just listen to me. This is for your own good. You gotta stop this..." She went to put her arm round me. "Just forget this Keith guy, we'll all help, right." She looked at Marjorie and Chin-Chin and Ling. They all nodded. "We'll find a nice guy for you to date."

I knocked her arm aside. "You don't need to help Ginny. You don't need to do anything. All you need to do is just leave it alone, okay. Keith's my boyfriend and that's final." It came out as a sob.

"Jay-Lin, we're not going to leave it. This is your life. This is your future we're talking about here...we're your friends, we gotta look after you...we can't just stand by and let some old biker jerk use you Jay-Lin ... We can't do that."

"Shit, Ginny, have I ever criticized all those jerks you date? You think those dickheads you date aren't out to use you? I mean, you do blowjobs like everyone else eats icecream for christ's sake. Why the fuck do you think the guys all chase you. I mean sure, you look hot and everything but honestly, those guys you date, those guys you want to fix me up with, they're such losers. I mean, look at them. They're all dicks, all they want is to get off. They don't care about you at all. Not like Keith cares about me."

"He doesn't, he's just using you," Ginny exclaimed.

"You have no idea Ginny, you don't even know him. You don't know a thing about him so don't you dare criticize him. Don't you dare! And I know those guys you date just as well as you do so let's be honest here, you're the one being used Ginny, those guys you sleep with, they treat you like a ... like a ...

"Don't go there Jay-Lin," Ginny flared.

"I'm not the one that started this."

"You started it with that biker Jay-Lin, I mean, Peter's not a bad guy, you shouldn't have run off on him like that."

"Jesus Ginny, he's a complete dick and you set me up with him. He couldn't keep his damn hands to himself."

"Well I like him," Ginny was adamant. "I don't see anything wrong with him. So he gropes you a bit, come on, what guy doesn't."

"Sucks to be you then," I sneered at Ginny. "MY boyfriend doesn't grope me in public. So if you like him that much, go give him another blowjob if you like, next you'll be in bed with both of them at once like your friend Pauline. At least I only have one boyfriend AND I'M still a virgin. Unlike some people around here that like to screw around."

Ginny just looked at me for a long moment, her face paling. "Well fuck you too Jay-Lin Liu."

"I'll leave the fucking to you thanks. You and Mark and Jiffy and Peter and whoever next week's boyfriend is thank you so much."

She just looked at me before turning to leave. I watched Ginny storm away, my eyes clouding with tears. My best friend since forever was such a jerk. My perfect morning had been about as destroyed as a morning could be. The rest of my day had sucked too. And now Ginny had turned into a complete bitch and walked out on me.

Ginny, what did I ever do to you?

I hated her. But at least Marjorie and Chin-Chin and Ling were still my friends.

"That wasn't very nice Jay-Lin." Ling looked at me before walking away in turn.

"Well fuck you too Ling. I thought you were my friend." I was talking to her back. She ignored me. I looked at Marjorie and Chin-Chin. They both looked at me. Looked at me and turned and walked away after Ginny. And I hadn't thought my day could get worse.

Sucked to be me.

I sat by myself in the First Aid Room. Crying.

I couldn't face catching the bus home with all of them talking about me while I sat by myself. I just couldn't. My face still hurt where the Chua bitch had hit me. I had bruises. I had a black eye. I was going to look awful. It didn't help that the Chua bitch would look just as bad. I hoped. What was I going to tell my parents? What was I going to do?

I had no idea. None at all.

The Admin office was empty. No-one had even checked to see that I'd gone after my friends had turned up. No-one cared what happened to me. I put my head down on the bed. At least I had my phone. But I couldn't call my parents, not when they both had so many patients to see. And my Dad was doing procedures today. He had a waiting list a mile long. Mom was just as booked. I couldn't call them. I couldn't. They'd come if I called, of course they would, but I didn't want to call. I'd have to explain wat happened. No, I wasn't calling my parents.

I could call Keith.

Except he'd said he was working. And I wasn't even sure if he was really my boyfriend. I mean, he'd taken me for a ride on his motorcycle, we'd made out. I'd done things with him last night that I'd never dreamed of doing with anyone. He'd asked me to be his girlfriend. But maybe I was just fooling myself. Maybe Ginny was right. I didn't want her to be right but maybe she was. I just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Well, I was sure of one thing. I was in love with Keith.

I looked at my phone. I couldn't run crying to him for help. I couldn't. But I didn't know what else to do. I didn't have any friends left. There was only Keith. Silent tears trickled down my cheek as I selected Keith's number. My finger hovered over the call button forever. I couldn't. I couldn't bother him. But who else could I call? Sally? Sally would be so mad with me. She was worse than Mom sometimes. I finally pressed the phone. Keith's number rang and rang and rang. Please please please answer. My heart sank. Oh please.

Please.

"Keith speaking."

"Hi Keith." It was hard for me not to cry. It came out as a sob.

"Jay-Lin. What's wrong? What's happened?"

I couldn't speak. I just started to cry into the phone.

"Jay-Lin, where are you? What's happened Are you okay?"

"I'm at school," I managed to choke out. "Can you come and pick me up? Please Keith."

He didn't hesitate for a second. Not a second. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. See you out the front. I'm driving an old Dodge RAM pickup, okay."

"Okay." I sniffled. "Thank you Keith. I'm so sorry to bother you. Can you call me when you get here?" I didn't want to wait outside where anyone still there could see me looking like this.

"Sure I'll call you when I get there." Keith's voice was gentle. "Already on my way Jay-Lin, okay."

I sobbed. I felt awful. I mean, I was supposed to be his girlfriend. Not asking him to come and pick me up from school even if I had had an awful day. I felt so bad asking him. But I had no idea what else I could do. Except call my parents. And I couldn't do that. Not disturb them at work. "I'm sorry Keith, I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not Jay-Lin, never, you just wait right there, okay sweetheart."

"Okay." Sweetheart? He'd called me sweetheart.

"Better go, I gotta drive. See you in a few minutes."

"Okay." He disconnected. I looked at my phone before tucking it away with a watery smile. He hadn't even asked me why. He'd said he was coming as soon as I asked. I should wash my face.

* * * * * * * *

"Jesus Christ Jay-Lin, what happened?" Keith was out of the pickup and holding me in his arms before I could do more than blink. "What the fuck?" He looked down at me. "Have you been in a fight or something?"

I nodded, sniffling as I buried my face against his shirt. "Yeah."

"What the fuck happened? No, don't tell me, get in, we'll get a coffee, you can tell me on the way." But he still held me tight, his arms around me, leading me across to his pickup, opening the door and helping me in. I didn't want to let go of him, not for a second. In Keith's arms I felt so safe and secure, not helpless like I'd been with the Chua bitch hitting me or my friends walking out and leaving me.

I didn't want to lose that safety and security.

I felt it again when Keith slid into the driver's seat and smiled at me, reaching across to give my hand a squeeze. "Let's get that coffee."

We did. We stopped at the Krispy Kreme drivethru down the road. He held out his arm, I slid across the bench seat, welcoming his arm around me, the presence of his body next to me, solid and warm and comforting.

"So, tell me what happened?"

I told him. I told him everything. I told him about Ginny and how bitchy she'd been about me and him. I told him about how weak and helpless and scared I'd felt when the Chua bitch had started hitting me. I told him about my friends and how they'd disapproved. How they'd walked out on me.

"You'll get that," he said, stroking my hair, "bikers, we're not like ordinary people. They're scared of us more often than not." He grinned then. "And if they're not, they fucking well should be."

He looked down into my face. "I can't fix what your friends think Jay-Lin, that's your decision, what you do about them, but I want you to know that whatever they think, you're important to me ... and I don't want me to be the reason you lose your friends, okay."

"You're important to me Keith," I said, holding onto him, "and if my friends can't accept that, then I don't want them as friends." I'd known him less than a week but already I knew that. Keith was the most important person in the world to me. Well, after my Mom and Dad but that was different. They were my Mom and Dad.

His hand stroked my hair back from my face, his lips touched my forehead. "And if they're really your friends, they'll accept what you want in the end. Just don't give up on them, okay. I know I can look a bit scary." He grinned again. "But if they think I'm scary, they should see a few real outlaw bikers." This time he chuckled. I liked listening to him laugh like that. It was infectious.

"Now, as for that Chua girl, THAT we can do something about. What time do you have to be home?"

"Before eight," I said. "Mom and Dad are working at the hospital 'til late. I gotta get dinner ready, but as long as I'm back by eight, I can do that. They'll end up working really late. Dad had a whole bunch of procedures to do today and Mom's got her own stacked up."

"It's only four," he said thoughtfully. "Plenty of time."

"For what?" I didn't think my lips could handle kissing. They were too sore. Damn that Chua bitch anyhow. I would've liked to make out with Keith. Last night was vivid in my mind. Okay, we didn't necessarily have to kiss. I mean, he could touch me. He could kiss me like he had last night. Oh god yes. Yes please! Although the memory had me blushing.

He grinned at me. "Well, biker bitches can be pretty tough Jay-Lin, if you're going to be my girlfriend, you're going to have to learn to stick up for yourself. Might as well start now."

"Biker bitches?" That didn't sound very nice. Sticking up for myself didn't either, not after this morning. I mean, I'd stuck up for myself. But my face was a mess and that black eye. It was going to take days to fade away.

"Girls that hang out with bikers, biker bitches, girlfriends, "Old Ladies" is what we call 'em when they're just with one guy." He looked at me. "Like you Jay-Lin. You're mine."

I liked the way he said that. Mine! So possessively. It sent little ripples through me. I'd be Keith's bitch. Did that mean I got to bark? Woof woof! I giggled, but the question I asked wasn't about bitches. "So if you bring me along with your friends, I'll be your Old Lady?"

He grinned. "Yeah. That's kinda the way it is. There's a lot of other stuff as well. Like we call each other brothers, not friends."

"You'll tell me? Explain it to me?" I looked up at him anxiously. "I don't want to make an idiot of myself. Or embarrass you with your friends." I corrected myself. "With your brothers."

"Don't sweat about that baby, I'll tell you." He grinned. "You might not get it to start with, a lot of its pretty traditional, but just go with it and you'll be fine and I'll tell you what I think you need to know. And ask if you're not sure." He looked at me. "If you want too, that is. I don't want to pressure you Jay-Lin, it's a whole different lifestyle to what you're used to. Being honest here, for a girl like you, it might be a bit scary". He thought about that. "No, it will be scary, now and then."

I didn't care. Scary or not, it was Keith's lifestyle, so it was going to be mine. If he wanted me to be his, that was. I needed to know that first. Did he really want me to be his? For real. I hoped he wasn't just playing with me.

"Do you want me really?" I looked up at him. "Really? You're not just being nice to me? I'm serious Keith. I know I'm just a baby compared to you but you mean a lot to me. I mean, I know we've known each other less than a week but it feels like you're so right for me. I just feel like we belong together. Whatever you want is what I want, and I'll tell you if it isn't. If that's too much, just tell me and I'll go away." With a broken heart, I didn't add. "I'm not scared when I'm with you." I wasn't.

He smiled down at me, his arm holding me so tight. His hand still stroking my hair. "Jay-Lin baby, I feel the same way, it's like you just popped into my life and filled a hole I didn't know was there. You just feel so right baby, it feels like you belong right where you are." He kissed my lips very very gently. It didn't hurt at all. "In my arms."

I clung to him with a little sob of happiness. "Ohhh Keith."

He'd said "enough time" earlier. Was he thinking about what we'd done yesterday? I was still feeling a bit beaten up, but if he wanted too I would. I could feel myself getting excited thinking about that. Yes yes yes. I wanted too.

"Enough time for what?" I asked at last, eagerly, my heart beating a little faster. I wriggled on the seat. Oh yeah! We had lots of time tonight. Lots! All sorts of things could happen.

He grinned. "Enough time to go see Quebec."

"Huh?" That wasn't what I'd been anticipating. Quebec was, like, in Canada somewhere. We weren't going to get there and back before eight pm. Eight pm next Thursday maybe. I was pretty sure my parents wouldn't go for that. Why would Keith want to take me to Quebec anyhow?

"You'll see." His arm gently disengaged itself from me. "Buckle up."

I slid back to my side, buckled up as he put the pickup into gear. We drove down Truman a long way, turned off Truman and headed down into the old industrial area next to the river. It was a crappy part of town. Supposed to be redeveloped but never had been. It was almost like there was a line on the ground. Rundown buildings, some of them empty, broken windows, graffiti. Homeless people hanging around aimlessly. Empty lots here and there, full of weeds and rubbish. What business there was seemed to be pawnbrokers, liquor stores, cheap hotels, the odd heavily barred convenience store. Half the buildings had boarded up fronts. Rubbish lying around everywhere. If I hadn't been there with Keith, I'd have been scared just driving through. Seated beside Keith, I was more curious than anything. This was a part of town I'd never seen.

I wasn't scared until we parked.

We stopped outside an old warehouse. It looked just like all the other rundown buildings on the rubbish-strewn street we'd turned into. The only difference was that the windows weren't broken.

"Jump out," Keith told me, opening his door and setting the example.

I swallowed. Okay, now I was scared. But I was with Keith. Opening my door, I jumped down onto the footpath. Weeds grew between the cracks, rubbish everywhere. It even smelt dirty. The old guy that I hadn't seen sitting up against the wall began to stand. "Got some change lady?"

"Fuck off Charlie," Keith said good-naturedly, passing him a twenty buck note as he came round the back of the pickup. "Remember her, she's mine, you ever see her by herself, you look after her, we straight on that?"

Charlie looked at the note, made it disappear, slid back down to the footpath, his hand groping for the neck of the bottle sticking out of his coat pocket. "We're straight Round Out." He looked at me, nodded. "Yeah, we're straight."

"Good, glad about that," Keith said, "coz believe me, there'll be a world of hurt coming down on anyone that crosses the line. She's my Ol' Lady."

"Got it Round Out. I'll pass the word round." He shook his head, muttering. "Fucking chink schoolgirl with Round Out, nobody'll fucking believe this one."

Huh? Chink? Me? What?

"They better Charlie." Keith's voice was suddenly threatening, sending shivers down my spine. His face looked different, his eyes no longer a warm blue. More like frozen ice and his face, it looked a lot harder. Threatening even. I was glad he wasn't looking at me like that. "They fucking well better. She's the fucking property of Round Out, Charlie. Pass the fucking word. If anyone gives her shit when I'm not around, they'll fucking well answer to me."

"Got it man, I got it," Charlie shuffled sideways, away from me. He didn't like that face any better than I did.

Keith relaxed, the atmosphere changed instantly, the threat and the ice vanished. He smiled at me, took my hand. "Let's go see Quebec."

I didn't ask. I was pretty much sure I was going to find out soon.

And not by driving to Canada.

* * * * * * * *

Keith led me towards a small door to the side that I hadn't noticed. That sidewalk stank. Urine. Rubbish. Worse things. Yuck! Never in a million years would I have walked on a street like this by myself. Really, I didn't like my feet touching the ground. I'd have to wash my shoes when I got home. A small steel door was the only opening in a brick wall that rose upwards with no windows until the 2nd floor. And those windows were barred. Nice neighborhood. Keith reached up to a small and pretty much invisible buzzer near the top of the door frame. He pressed it.

"Yo." The response crackled from a speaker after thirty seconds or so. Jesus, there was a security camera up there too. Well, I guess that made sense around here.

"Round Out."

The door clicked. Keith pulled hard on the steel handle set into the door. It swung open slowly, silently. The hallway inside didn't stink but it was the same grim concrete and brick as outside, lit by fluorescent lights. At least it was clean. I could hear voices now, crashes, yelling, thumps, and shouts. I looked rather nervously at Keith. He grinned, leading me towards the noise, towards another door. This one opened rather more easily, into a cavernous warehouse space that was a complete contrast to everything I'd seen since I'd stepped out of Keith's truck.