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Part XII: 1988- End of Innocence
"I hope one does. Maybe he'll give me a medal."
But Sam unhanded Leo, albeit roughly, letting him drop against the wall, "Get your greasy ass out of here, Lakotos. But don't for a fucking second think we aren't done."
Leo's face twitched, though he was clearly trying to hold it together, "This isn't going to end the way you want."
"You'd better hope for your sake it doesn't. Now go."
With one last lingering look at Pamela, Leo hotfooted it from the store. He paid Jamie barely a glance.
"Pam..." Sam began, turning back to her, "Pam, are you okay..."
She stepped away from him, shaking her head, "I don't want to talk about it."
"It's me, Pam."
She gave him a look as if that was the problem. Sam bit his lip, "C'mon, I'm taking you home."
His tone indicated there was no room for argument. Pamela, however, didn't give any.
-Sam, Pamela, and Leo
"Yeah...let's...let's go back," Jamie quietly said.
The kid, Leo...why had he laid hands on Pamela? Surely it couldn't have devolved into something like that, in such a short amount of time...right?
Pamela gave Jamie an odd, inscrutable look, her usual malice muted and replaced with a strange wariness. She didn't flinch away when Sam put an arm around her shoulders.
"That little bastard's had it coming for a long time," Sam muttered as they started for the exit, "He's not skating away this time."
-Sam and Pamela
* * * * * *
"And he let you off with a warning?" Kirk asked his pals, casually drinking some scotch in his living room.
"Even better. Confiscation," Quinn sat back arrogantly. "Bit of a loss but we can make it up. Consequences of the material world and all that. Ain't got nothin' on us."
"Well, regardless, take a break from campaigning, keep the rumpus to a minimum. You never know when Schiano will go straight one of these days."
"Yeah, I do. Think they call it the Rapture, homie! HO YEAH!" He held up his hand for Fitz at his right to aggressively slap it.
-Kirk and Quinn
"Ha ha," Fitz laughed hollowly, not as assured of their victory as Quinn, but still feeling he had to put a good face on it, "Ho yay!" he gave Quinn a little thwack on the hand, which was about the best he could do, "Yes, well, in spite of our troubles, I still think we're looking at a bodacious fu..."
"Kirk!" the door swung open forcefully, Sam storming over the threshold with a frightening zeal in his eyes, "Oh, good you're here. Did Pam get here ahead of me?" but one quick scan of the room seemed to put this to rest, "Dammit fuck. She ditched me before we could leave the mall...Christ!" he slammed an end table so hard that the lamp perched on it nearly toppled over.
So dramatic had his entrance been that Jamie, entering in Sam's wake, had managed to be nearly unnoticed at first, overshadowed in her presence by Pamela in her absence.
"You're not gonna believe what happened."
-Sam and Fitz
"YO!" Quinn jumped at Sam's bombastic entrance. "What the hell's got you so riled up?"
"Sam!" Kirk, however, was slightly calmer, as he got to his feet. "Hey, hey, hey, take it easy!" He was quick to catch the lamp Sam nearly knocked to the ground. "No, Pam isn't here, man. Haven't seen her since she left with..." Wordlessly, Kirk pointed to Janey, still unsure as to what to call her.
Then, looking over his best friend, he added with concern, "Jesus Christ, you look like you've seen a ghost!"
-Quinn and Kirk
"He's gonna be a ghost once I've had a say in it," said Sam.
The door opened yet again, admitting a flustered Paula and Jason.
"It's really a conventicle now," said Fitz, though he clammed up at a glare from Sam.
"What's going on?" Jason asked, "Everyone looks so serious."
"Except Quinn, but he never looks serious," said Paula, "Is it Pam?"
"What do you know about Pam?" Sam demanded, "You seen her?"
Paula winced, "No. Oh, God, you haven't been looking for her all day, have you? Just because I said…"
"You two were talking?" asked Jason.
"That's not important. Really, Sam…"
"I found Pam. Then I lost her."
"Well, if she doesn't want to talk to you, it's not a national emergency. Get a grip, guy, really…"
"Lakotos made a pass at her," Sam said, fury giving his voice an intimidating basso quality, "The Gypsy. Remember him? I found him holding her against the wall. He'd already torn her blouse, she screamed."
A paralyzed hush descended on the room. Paula's eyes went wide as saucers, "You mean…Leandro Lakotos? The kid you guys are always ragging on?"
"We never ragged on anybody," said Fitz, "Without good reason."
"I've been waiting for that bastard to buck up enough to swing at me," said Sam, "That I could handle, but he goes around and tries something on Pam…"
"Wait, wait…" Jason interrupted, "Are we sure that's what was going on?"
"You don't believe me? Ask the guest of honor!" he nodded toward Jamie, "She saw the whole thing."
-Sam, Paula, Jason, and Fitz
Quinn rolled his eyes. "Bite me, Ditzerella!"
The adults quickly returned to business, though, as Sam dropped the news, causing the whole room to go so quiet, one couldn't hear a pin drop.
Kirk, in particular, was white as a sheet, his grip almost loosening on his glass to the point of dropping it. "What?" was all he could muster at first, the growl coming from the corner of his mouth in an almost inhuman fashion.
Sam continued to give details, each one causing Kirk's heart to beat faster and faster, anger welling up in his stomach, burning his insides, determined to be released and directed at something, someone...
His pal did Kirk the favor of pointing him towards Janey. "Is this true?" He approached her, controlling his rage just barely, teetering on the edge of exploding. "Is it?"
-Quinn and Kirk
"I saw what happened beforehand, and I saw the aftermath," Jamie admitted, looking Kirk in the eyes, "I don't know why he laid hands on her. If anything, it should have been me. I'm the one he wanted to have words with."
"Oh. He wanted to have words with you, did he?" Kirk stepped even closer to Jamie, towering over her. "You've been a real treat ever since you stumbled into my life, y'know that? The world seems to orbit around you and whatever bullshit you got going on. So much so, I can't even send you to the Gap without my sister getting harassed on your behalf! FUCK!" In an instant, Kirk threw his glass of scotch to the floor, shattering it into a hundred pieces, seething with anger.
"Whoa!" Quinn held up his hands defensively. "Take it easy..."
"Shut the fuck up, Quinn!" Kirk lashed at his friend. "She's gone, don't you understand that?! I don't know where the fuck my sister is--I don't even know how bad she was hurt! If she's okay!" His furor was redirected at his best of friends, though it clearly didn't seem like that in the moment. "I thought I could count on you for that, to keep her safe! But you just 'lost' her like a bag at the airport! Real nice work, Sammy!"
-Kirk and Quinn
Sam's eyes blazed with his characteristic rueful fury, but he didn't challenge Kirk, either out of acknowledgement for his part in Pam's flight, or simply out of deference to Kirk who, now as ever, would always be the shot caller in the friendship.
"She…she didn't look that hurt," he said at last, "But I don't know for a fact."
"Well, that's hardly helpful anyways."
"You want to say something, Smith?" Sam rounded on Fitz, who retreated into a shamed silence he didn't look likely to snap out of anytime soon.
"Oh my God…" Paula put her wrist to her forehead, "No offense, but you guys need to chill out for a second."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sam demanded, "Pam's your friend, and…"
"Maybe, Sam, she ditched you because she didn't want to talk to you?"
"Way to change your tune."
"No, my tune hasn't changed. I still think you can be a better boyfriend, but now is not the time for you to start taking remedial lessons."
Jason, no less confused by this line of discussion than he'd been before, interjected with some desperation, "Look, maybe she'll just come home. This is her house."
"That might be enough to keep her away," Paula paused, "Look, no offense, Kirk, but you can come on a little strong sometimes. Whatever happened between her and Leo…"
"Oh, it's Leo now?" Sam rolled his eyes.
"Oh, like calling him the 'Gypsy' like it's the movie musical of the week is better? Look, what I'm saying is, whatever happened, the last thing she needs is to be crowded…"
"The last thing she needs is to be out there alone with that dangerous creep sniffing after her!" Sam exclaimed.
"Dangerous?" Paula echoed, "The kid you guys pounded into the field? Gag me."
"If it'd do any help,"
"Hey, man," Jason croaked, "Come on."
Sam and Paula each gave him a look, neither one very complimentary.
-Sam, Paula, Jason, and Fitz
"Look," Quinn put himself into the action again, hoping for better results. "Why don't we all just take a chill pill and relaaaaaaax? Maybe Paula's got the right idea and we should just wait it out. Sooner or later, she'll come back and explain everything. It'll be cool."
Kirk shot Quinn a icy glare. "Cool? Is that so, Quinn?"
"Uh," Quinn's eyes widened, realizing quickly he had stepped in it. "Y-yeah. Ice cold."
Despite himself, Kirk smirked. "Y'know what? I get it. You're an only child with a pair of asshole parents--something we could all sympathize with here. You don't have anybody that close to you." He paused to regard Fitz. "Unless you count him. But regardless, you likely don't comprehend what it's like to have family so close, do you?"
The big man on campus couldn't even meet Kirk in the eyes. "...no. No, I don't."
"No, you don't," Kirk said right on the heels of Quinn's admission. "Let me give you a sneak peek as to what that's like." Getting up in his face, he began to explain. "You confide all sorts of things with her, because she's one of the few people you'd be really honest with. Some of 'em good and some of 'em bad. It can be a rocky relationship, let me tell you..." He took another step closer. "But when she's in trouble, when she's gone and you don't know what the hell happened to her, your mind begins to run wild with what could have happened, a million terrible, awful possibilities..." Yet, Kirk raised only one finger. "...revolving around one, terrifying thought: that she could be gone. And with her, a part of you that you'll never get back."
Quinn remained quiet, his eyes not moving from his own feet.
"So no, Quinn. It's not cool." Kirk had concluded his tirade and left his friend standing there, regretting he had even spoken up to begin with.
-Quinn and Kirk
"I...I get it. I have sisters too," Jamie spoke without realizing it.
"I was always the troublemaker, but...I get it."
"Wait," Fitz began, as if in a desperate hurry to change the subject, "If she has sisters, why is she so set on staying here with…"
He was quickly drowned out, however, by Sam, who had evidently regained enough confidence to speak up, "Well, I say we're not getting jack all done standing around here and talking. We've gotta find her."
He sounded ready to charge out this minute.
"Okay, but what if she is hiding from you?" Paula pointed out, this time with a little tremble in her voice, as if she realized she were treading a very thin line here, "What if that's the reason she hasn't come back home?"
"Well, then I guess I'm gonna find out," but it was a testament to Sam's limitations that, even as he readjusted his letter jacket and started toward the door, he still hesitated to look at Kirk, as if for approval.
-Sam, Paula, and Fitz
But Kirk just stood there, deep in thought, fists clenched, eyes coated in shadow. Quinn made to snap him out of it but recalling his humiliation moments ago, he thought better of it.
Finally, he strode silently to the phone, dialing a number with a decisive, swift pace. As he pressed the phone to his ears, listened to the ringing, Kirk felt all eyes were on him, waiting for a decision to be made.
Finally, someone picked up.
"Hey, Laura? Guess what? You're working overtime today. I need you to take any calls, cook dinner for the guest of honor, the works. Got it?" He spoke with a cool composure that was threatening to break at any second. "No, I don't care if you're busy. This is urgent...Then, bring her along, for all I care. I need to tend to a family emergency. I need you here ASAP." Some more crackling from the other end of the phone. "Consider your pay for the week doubled. How about that?...Yeah, I figured. Janey will let you in....And Laura?" For the first time during the call, his voice wavered. "If Pam shows up at the house, could you...make sure she's OK, alright?...Thanks." Solemnly, he hung the phone on the hook, taking a long, deep breath.
And like that, he was in business, going to the rack to put on his leather jacket. "Guys. With me. Paula, you can stay here with Janey if you like. Laura's coming over, though, and she doesn't do well with company." He tossed his keys to Sam. "Start up the Benz. I'll meet you in a second."
-Kirk and Quinn
Sam nodded in grim approval, slipping out the door with a frighteningly mechanical quickness.
"Wait, wait, wait…" Jason held up his hands, "We're all just going to go? We can't even vote on this?"
"Why have a vote when you'll just be overruled?" Fitz didn't sound too happy about it himself, but he pulled on his puffy vest anyway.
"You guys suck such ass," Paula rolled her eyes, "Like balls am I staying here."
"What, Paula, you're going?"
"I'll walk if I have to. These Jellies need breaking in anyway."
"Where are you going?"
"To find Pam before your T-club makes everything worse. 'T' is for 'testosterone'," she paused, "And 'turd'. Which also describes you very well right now," she was next out of the room, striding like a woman on a mission with only a desultory, "Bye, Janey," by way of parting.
"Quinn," Fitz whispered to, well, Quinn, "Not to sound like an uber chicken or what have you, but I am nervous," he really wanted to say he was 'afraid' but was afraid to, "Kirk has a lean and hungry look. If you know what I'm sayin'."
-Paula, Fitz, Jason, and Sam
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Quinn replied, just as nervous as Fitz was now, though he wouldn't admit it. "Never seen him this pissed. But I mean...he's Kirk. Captain Kirk himself. He knows what he's doing. And if he doesn't, he's got Spock driving shotgun." He planted his hand on Fitz's shoulder, leaning in close. "It'll be cool, Fitz. Trust me."
"Well, Jason?" Kirk zipped up his jacket and stood at the door. "You coming or what?"
-Quinn and Kirk
"Cool," Fitz echoed, marveling at his friend's composure in this grim moment, "Yes. Right. On we go."
"Right, right," Jason nodded at Kirk's summons, "I'm coming. But I'm not happy about it."
He considered mentioning how he really wanted to go after Paula, if she would even look him in the face after all this, but given they were all going out after the other girl in the group, it felt like it would be in poor taste.
And he really didn't want to piss Kirk off.
"I'll, uh…be in the Benz," he shuffled forlornly out of the room.
-Fitz and Jason
"Alright," Quinn beamed, feeling more sure of what they were doing with another friend on board. "Let's do this." He jogged out the room, calling out to Sam, "Beam me up, Spocky! Let's go!"
With all of the others gone Kirk made to close the door, almost forgetting the lone person left. "Bell's gonna ring in about fifteen minutes. That'll be Laura. Nice girl, you met her before. If you need anything, chat with her, got it?" Then, on top of that, he added, "FYI, she's bringin' her kid because...well, she isn't supposed to be working tonight but as you can see...shit happens." In a determined haste to start looking for Pamela, Kirk didn't even wait for an answer and shut the door behind him, heading out to the car to join the others.
Kirk was going to find his sister. He'd turn over all of Lakewood to get to the truth of what happened and most important of all, he was going to bring her home.
-Quinn and Kirk
Laura arrived with her usual sunny disposition and also a baby.
"Babysitting a grown woman, that's nice," she muttered, closing the door behind her with her heel, having already done the labor of getting the toddler's stroller over the threshold.
"Hey, you!" she nodded to the house's sole occupant, "Robo-woman, stop staring and make yourself useful. Least you can do, since I'm not even on the clock and the princeling's got me watching you."
-Laura
Jamie shook her head and said, "Sorry. How can I help you?"
"You can put these..." with a mammoth groan, Laura offloaded a bottle of formula from one of the many bags over her shoulder, "In the fridge. Baby girl's missed her feeding on account of all the hoopla."
She spent the next few minutes fussing over the baby girl in the stroller, a round-faced toddler with a curl of baby blonde hair almost absurdly positioned atop her head.
"Come on, Princess," she groaned, hefting the girl up and into her arms, "Let's get you comfortable."
Her eye went to the window and the empty driveway outside, as if confirming that they were, indeed, alone in the house.
"What? Everybody else went to the raver and you're left to mind the store?"
-Laura
""I guess. He probably didn't want any distractions," Jamie said as she put the formula in the fridge, "Besides, it's his sister. I get it."
"His sister?" Laura looked briefly invested in the little drama, as if she were considering asking further, but she decided the business of the household should be kept well away from her.
"You know, I got in some hot water with your man, or whatever he really is," she continued casually, perching on the loveseat with the baby in her lap, "Didn't like me thinking you two were an item, which I guess he's gonna be sensitive about, since he has a girlfriend and all. But that never stopped a guy before, especially one like him. He's used to getting what he wants. Isn't that right, sweetie?" she leaned forward, booping the baby on the nose, "He gets what he wants! That's what he gets!"
She indulged a rare smile as the baby giggled delightedly.
"Ah, God, I'm gonna be so lost when that stops working on her."
-Laura
"About this morning," Jamie said, walking back to Laura, "I wasn't fully awake. We're just associates."
She sighed, "I'm sorry you got in hot water."
"Associates, huh?" Laura smirked, "We had a different name for it when I was a kid. My 'associating' days are long behind me..." she engaged in a sort of halfhearted clapping game with the baby, "But they were fun for a while. While they lasted."
The baby cooed pawing for Laura's finger, which she extended so the teething toddler could gnaw it.
"So...how long are you gonna keep up with him?" Laura asked, "Because that girlfriend he's all moony over is gonna be back sooner or later, and when that happens..." she shrugged, "Well, he's already made up his mind which of you is for keeps if you ask me."
-Laura
"I don't intend to be here that much longer."
Unless Galdamez had decided, for her many, many lies, to punish her by keeping her in the past forever and always. In which case, she was screwed.
As she walked back over, she nodded to the baby, "What's his name?"
Laura made a face, "Well, she is a girl," the baby cooed again, and Laura's face softened in a second, "And this girl is named Annie."
-Laura
Jamie's raised her eyebrows.
"My sister's name is Anne."
Laura blinked, her smile fading a few notches, "Well, isn't that a nice coincidence? I wanted to name her after my mother, and my old man wanted to name her after his mother. He won out. It's a habit he has. Figuring is I get dibs on the next one, like we can afford…"
The doorbell rang. Laura heaved a sigh and got to her feet, "This house is never so popular when the kids' damn parents are around. Do me a favor and hold her for me?" she hesitated, "You know how to hold a baby? It's harder than it looks."
-Laura