Keeping up with Jared

 

Jared slammed into the wall. They grabbed him and shoved him onto the floor. I needed to do something. One of the guys pulls out a blade. Jared would die if I didn’t help him but I couldn’t move; I was frozen with fear. They grab Jared and slam his face into the ground. Don’t think just act. I see an old beer bottle on the floor I grab it and smash it onto the face of one of the attackers. I kick him in the stomach and he falls onto the ground. Jared grabs the second one and punches him in the face. I grab the bottle and smash it into the other attackers leg. Jared is yelling something to me but I can’t hear him. I get slammed into the wall. I lose the bottle and get punched in the face. He punches me again and I black out for a second. The guy smashes glass into my cheek. Jared rips the guy off me.

 

“We need to get out of here,” he says as he helps me up. He half carries me out of the alleyway. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened before the fight. We were walking down the alley and three guys pass us and hit on me and say vulgar things. Jared couldn’t let it go he never does. He yells something at them and they come at us cornering us, their faces filled with anger. We should have known better than to stay out so late anyways, especially near Brownsville.

 

My jeans were muddy and my face felt raw. Jared hails a taxi and we get in. “3^rd Avenue” he says. I sit in silence, shocked. “ I should have let it go,” Jared says beside me. Yeah you should of, I think to myself, but you never can. “I just got angry.” You always do and you can never ignore it. “Just the way those guys were looking at you and saying that shit… I just couldn’t let them get away with that. You understand Mia, don’t you?” I nod to him. No I don’t understand why couldn’t he have just let it go.

 

I’d known Jared since we were kids we were always getting into trouble. We lived in the same building and our mom’s were friends. Jared could always get me to go along with anything.  Hey Mia let’s go and break into one of the buildings. Hey Mia let’s go out and graffiti something. Hey Mia let’ go out and get you killed. I swear one day it’s going to happen. Jared’s been to juvy before but I haven’t and I don’t plan too. I know Jared’s trouble but I’d never leave him behind, he’s like family. His dad’s in jail and his mom’s not in a good place right now; I’m the only one he’s got. Sure we have a crew that we hang out with but Jared and I always know that we’ve got each other’s backs no matter what.

 

We get out of the taxi and Jared pays. “Mia listen” he says “I’m really sorry, okay I know tonight wasn’t what we expected but we’ve dealt with worse right?” It’s true we have. Believe it or not this has been one of our many fights that’s happened over the years. Tonight’s fight was a pretty good one, usually it was much worse. Sometimes one us can’t even stand cause it hurts so much. There were a couple bad times too. I got stabbed and another time Jared had to go to the hospital for three broken bones. I should be used to this by now, but I never stop being paralyzed with fear. “I know I shouldn’t have fought with them tonight” he continues.

“You shouldn’t have” I say as I climb up the stairs to my apartment “That was stupid and you know it”.

“I know” he says, “I’m sor-“ Jared yells. 

I turn around and see him holding his shoulder “Are you okay” I say as I rush down to where he’s standing. He lifts up the sleeve of his shirt. There was a long bloody gash on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything” I glare at him.

“I didn’t realize that it was this bad” He says. He winces as I touch the gash.

I start to climb up the stairs again “Come on” I say, “I’ll sew you up”.

 

My mom was a nurse at the local hospital, she taught me a few things; how to bandage a wound, stitch a wound and tell if something’s broken. I’ve had to do that a lot growing up. We get to the apartment and I open up the door. My brother’s Liam, Connor and Adam were watching TV. “Is mom still at work” I ask as I get out the first aid kit.

 

“Yeah she is” Adam says without looking up from the TV.

I get out the bandages. “Here Jared” I say.

“Oh god what happened to you guys” Liam asks. He gets off the couch and helps me with my eye. I sit on the counter as he puts ointment on my eye, it stung. 

“We got into a fight,” Jared says “Ouch!” he yells at Connor.

“Well if you didn’t stop moving,” Connor says as he stiches Jared up “It wouldn’t hurt so god damn much”. My brother’s loved Jared. He was like a brother to them.

“Mia what did I tell you about keeping your left side open” Adam says as he looks at my eye. “Why are you two always getting into to trouble anyways?”

“Forget about it,” I mumble as I hop of the counter. 

Jared winces as Connor slaps a bandage on his shoulder “Adam it’s not like you haven’t been in fights, you’ve gone to fricken jail”.

“Yeah I have” Adam says as he walks up to Jared menacingly “And I ain’t afraid to go back” They both burst out laughing. 

“Oh hey Jared your mom called” Liam says apologetically “She wants you home.” 

 

The smile slides off Jared’s face. His mom was going through a tough time right now. Jared’s dad being in jail was really tough on her and it didn’t look like his dad would be getting out anytime soon. Also Jared has a brother who died last year in a hit and run. She never really got over that either. My mom’s been trying to help his mom but she’s depressed and we don’t know how to help her. She’s been really hard on Jared so he usually stays with us most nights.

 

 

The next day Jared comes slamming into my room. His hair was all messed up and he looked really angry. I close my laptop and look up at him. “Jared what’s wrong?”

He paces my room “I just, I just can’t handle her anymore she’s been such a... such a wreck and she makes me feel like crap, she’s going crazy.”

“You can talk about it if you want too” I say.

“No come on let’s just get out of here” he walks out of my room. Oh god I wonder what we’ll be getting into tonight.

 

We get outside and it was dark. I didn’t realize how late it was. The sky looked menacing. We walk down the road and I kick a piece of trash lying on the ground.

 

“What are we going to do tonight” I ask Jared as we walk along the path.

He walks fast his face a mask of anger “Let’s go down to the projects” I stop walking. Jared stops and looks back at me “What’s wrong?”

“I… I’m not going back to the projects” I say shaking my head.

“Mia nothing’s going to happen like last time, it’ll be fun I promise, I’ll protect you! Ryan and Jake will be meeting us there too” he looks at me with his pleading eyes “I really need to get my mind off my family, please.” He begs me. I just nod and walk with him.

 

I dread the projects. Last time I went there I got stabbed. It was when we were breaking into a house, but still, just walking down the street will give me the creeps.  I don’t think I’ve ever really forgiven Jared for what happened. It wasn’t his entire fault though it was partly mine. Jared and I had been dared to break into one of the projects. Of course I hadn’t wanted to but Jared had talked me into it. The break in hadn’t gone as we’d planned. A gang heard the noise and fought us, I’d nearly died that day and I hadn’t gone anywhere near the projects since.

 

We pass a bunch of guys and one of them calls out to me. Jared tenses up but thankfully ignores them and keeps walking. We go down an alleyway and pass a chain-linked fence. Jake and Ryan were waiting for us there.

 

“Look what I got” Jared says as he pulls out a couple bottles of beer from his bag. “I got them from Tommy” he tosses me a beer.

“Fuck yeah!” Ryan says as he grabs a beer.

“You think it’s safe to drink out here” I ask, “It’s getting pretty late”

“We’ll be fine,” Jake says. He opens up his beer and chugs it.

 

Jared had downed his third beer when it happened. I’d drunken half of mine when a gang of four guys came waltzing up to us. 

“I’ll take that,” one of them slurs as he grabs my beer out of my hands. All of them were pretty drunk.

“Give that back to her” Jared yells as he charges at him. Jake hits one of them and a fight breaks out. 

 

Nobody knew there was a gun before it was to late. A shot was fired and I was lying on the ground.

 

“Mia, Mia” I hear Jared yell as he looks down at me “Stay with me! Don’t let go”. Would he stop shaking me, why couldn’t he just let me sleep? I was tired. My head starts to feel fuzzy and my world was starting to darken. I’m tired I’m so tired and I can’t keep up with Jared anymore, I just can’t keep up.