Chapter 5
“Hey Hoops.”
Darius was walking in the darkness with his head down as he stared at the sidewalk, but the loud shout caught his attention. There was only one person that called him by the nickname Hoops as a joke and he lifted his gaze to see it was the person he expected. He shook his head then let out an irritated sigh as the gang member approached him and it didn’t go unnoticed.
“Yeah, it’s fucking good to see you too, you asshole,” Marcus complained as he threw out his hands in a shove to the chest.
“Fuck off,” Darius complained as the push made him lurch backwards and almost trip over his feet. “I don’t need any more grief tonight.”
The pair of them had known each other since they were kids and the broad smirk spread across Marcus’s face as he went on.
“It’s nice to see you so happy,” he joked. “Get some of this inside you. It’s guaranteed to drive away your demons.”
Darius narrowed his eyes as he stared at what his friend was holding. Normally he would have refused the offer, but for once he reached out to accept the bottle and immediately took a swig from it. The whisky burned his throat and he coughed as he wiped his fingers across his lips.
“Still a pussy, I see,” Marcus mocked him and grabbed the bottle to drink from it. “What the hell are you doing out so late anyway? Shouldn’t a good boy like you be in bed by now?”
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep,” Darius replied morbidly.
“Then come and have some fun,” Marcus said and put an arm around his friend’s shoulder.
“I’m not in the mood,” Darius went on and tried to shrug the arm away.
“Fuck me,” Marcus went on. “What made you so happy?”
Darius pinched the top of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he visibly winced.
“I just broke up with Gemini,” he said.
“You really are such a pussy,” Marcus went on and laughed. “You’re seriously letting a woman get to you? No wonder you never became a gang member. You look like you’re about to cry.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Darius let out.
“Come on,” Marcus encouraged as they started walking. “I’m going to the Shrine Tavern to meet a few of the boys. Just come along and have some drinks. It will help you drown your sorrows and forget all about women.”
Darius stared at his shoes and considered the offer. He knew it probably wasn’t a smart idea, but the alternative was to remain on his own walking the streets and that didn’t seem too clever either. It would only lead to him obsessing over Gemini and he was already thinking about calling her to apologize. He knew what his friend would think about that and it made him feel weak. That convinced him to go along with the plans.
“Yeah, sure,” he agreed. “I’ll come for a few drinks.”
“We’ll make a gang member of you yet,” Marcus joked.
The pair of them continued to chat and pass the whisky between them as they made their way to the bar. The bottle was almost empty when they arrived, but the effect of this was barely noticeable on Marcus. Darius, on the other hand, was unused to drinking and already slurring his words slightly when they came to a stop at the place.
There was no missing the pounding vibe of gangsta rap when Marcus opened the door to walk inside and Darius glanced around when he followed. The worn state of the décor gave the place a slightly dilapidated appearance and this was all too evident on the stained surface of the serving counter they walked up to.
“Hey Alisa,” Marcus shouted to be heard over the sound of the music. “Give me a couple of beers.”
The older woman behind the counter dropped down from the stool she was sitting on and walked to a fridge. She opened the door to get two bottles and popped the caps before putting them down in front of Marcus. He was quick to pick them up and laughed as he walked off.
“Pay the woman then,” he said.
“Fuck,” Darius cursed as he got his wallet out.
He handed over the money then turned to see that Marcus was at the pool table in the corner of the bar. Walking across to him, he shook his head as he grabbed the bottle held out to him.
“Thanks for that,” he complained.
“What?” Marcus said. “You drank my whisky, so you owed me.”
Darius shook his head as he focused his attention on the pool tale. The blue baize surface was ripped, but that wasn’t stopping a couple of drunken gang members playing and they argued with each other as they traded missed pots.
“So… Darius got fucking dumped tonight,” Marcus said to the guy standing next to him.
“Fuck you,” Darius interrupted. “I did the dumping.”
“Yeah, sure you did,” Kelvin said.
Darius lifted the bottle to his lips to drink as he was roundly mocked by the other two men, but he gave as good as he got and the conversation soon passed on to other things. He finished his first beer in only a few gulps and moved on to a second then a third in quick succession. It was making his head spin, but the loud music, alcohol and camaraderie of the others around him was at least taking his mind from the argument with Gemini. He was starting to enjoy himself and wasn’t about to slow down when it was his turn to buy more drinks. Moving across to the counter, he signaled towards Alisa. She was already serving other customers, so he sat down on a stool and it was a couple of minutes before she got to him.
“Three beers,” he said.
“What about me?” a feminine voice said from behind.
Darius glanced over his shoulder to see who it was and cursed under his breath.
“Fucking hell, Phaedra,” he complained as he spun around. “Will you stop bloody following me? It’s starting to get boring.”
The only response he got at first was a quiet laugh and it irritated him.
“What’s so funny?” he snapped at her.
“I walked here right after I got off the bus,” she answered. “If there’s any following being done, it’s you that came after me.”
“I didn’t know you were here,” Darius replied. “I…”
He wasn’t really in the mood to tell her the story of what happened after they parted at the bus stop, so he just turned away to stare across the counter.
“You did what?” Phaedra asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Darius said. “Just leave me alone.”
She moved forward to lean on the counter and he knew she wasn’t going to give up.
“What happened to your buoyant mood after the game?’ she asked. “Something must have brought you down from the high and, more to the point, what are you doing here? I’ve never seen you coming in this place before.”
The three bottles were placed in front of Darius and he handed over the money, but he needed to wait for his change. He shrugged off Phaedra’s hand when she put it on his forearm.
“Nothing happened,” he said.
He looked to where Alisa was now speaking to a customer and wanted to shout at her to hurry up with his change so that he could get away from the girl beside him. It would only draw attention to himself, though, and he decided against it. His head spun even more when he picked up one of the beers to take a sip and he knew he should probably stop drinking before he did something stupid.
“What the hell is keeping you, Hoops?” Marcus said. “We’re dying of thirst over there.”
The shock of his friend’s hand landing on his shoulder startled Darius and he let out a long breath to slow his racing heartbeat before speaking.
“I’m just waiting for my change.”
“Hey Marcus,” Phaedra said.
“Oh hey,” he replied. “Is this you trying to cheer up your cousin’s boyfriend after she dumped him?”
Darius screwed up his face as he hung his head down towards the stained counter, but he didn’t respond to the comment. Marcus leaned past to pick up two of the bottles then walked off without saying any more, but the damage was already done.
“So… nothing happened then,” Ph
aedra commented.
“Look, it’s got nothing to do with you,” Darius said irritably.
“Did she really dump you?” Phaedra asked.
“No,” he replied. “We just had an argument and…”
“Split up?” Phaedra added to the end of his sentence.
Darius just let out a sigh and said nothing. In truth, he didn’t really know where he stood with Gemini now. It wasn’t as if they’d never argued before, but he couldn’t shake off the sense that getting over this one was going to be more difficult, and there was no taking back the hateful things they shouted at each other. He couldn’t get away from the fact that she didn’t believe in him, but guessed the same emotions would be going through her head.
“I’m sorry,” Phaedra said quietly to break into his thoughts.
Darius narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously.
“Oh yeah, sure,” he said in a disbelieving tone. “Like you give two shits what happens between me and Gemini.”
“I’ve been through it,” she went on and shrugged her shoulders. “So I know it isn’t easy.”
Darius wasn’t sure quite how to reply to her comment and lifted his beer to take a long sip. He saw the smirk on her face when he set the bottle down on the counter.
“It’s not fucking funny,” he commented.
“I didn’t say it was,” Phaedra replied. “But you don’t need her anyway. I told you already that you could take your pick of the girls from the crowd at that game tonight. Any one of them would have more than willingly given you anything you wanted.”
“Shut up,” he told her and shook his head.
“Seriously,” she said and laughed. “You’ll be spoilt for choice when you’re playing in the professional leagues.”
“You think I can make it?” he asked.
“Of course,” Phaedra exclaimed. “You were the best player out there tonight. I’m no basketball expert and even I could see that.”
“That’s partly what we argued about,” Darius said ruefully as he stared at his beer.
“You argued with Gemini about basketball?”
“Yeah,” Darius replied. “She pretty much told me I was wasting my time.”
“She’s crazy and what the hell does she know anyway?” Phaedra went on. “Everyone at that game tonight could see you were the one that would make it.”
“Thanks,” he said without much conviction, but it was nice for once in his life to actually hear someone being positive about his chances of making it all the way to the top in basketball. He picked up his bottle to take another drink before carrying on speaking. “I should go.”
He got up from the stool, but the alcohol in his system made his legs wobbly and he reached out to the counter to steady himself. Lifting his free hand, he rubbed his fingertips on his forehead and waited for the bout of dizziness to pass.
“Are you alright?” Phaedra asked.
“I’m fine,” he replied. “I just need a couple of seconds.”
“You should get some fresh air,” she told him. “It will help clear your head.”
He was aware of her hand grasping his upper arm as the effects of drinking so much whisky and beer too quickly continued to wash over him.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” he agreed.
He let himself be led from the counter and only realized they weren’t walking to the front door of the place after a few seconds.
“Where are we…” he started to ask.
“There’s a rear exit,” Phaedra cut in and tugged on his arm to keep him following her. “It will be quieter out there.”
They walked down the narrow hallway where the restrooms were located, but moved past them and turned left. Phaedra opened the door they came to and the blast of cool night air made Darius even woozier for a few seconds as he stepped outside. He leaned on the brick wall of the building and let out a slow breath to make the sensation pass.
It was only after a few seconds that he realized just how close Phaedra was. The scent of her perfume surrounded him and he opened his eyes wide as he tried to get control of his reeling senses. A glance around showed they were in a dingy rear alley next to the bar’s dumpster.
“I’m OK now,” he said when his head stopped spinning so badly. “We can go in.”
“There’s no rush,” Phaedra said.
Darius slowly became aware of her palm pressed on his thigh and looked down.
“What are you doing?” he said and heard her seductive giggle.
“What do you think I’m doing?” she answered as her hand crept higher on his leg.
“We can’t do this,” he went on and tried to knock her hand away.
She was quicker than him and grabbed his wrist to drag his hand to her thigh. His fingertips grazed on naked skin and it brought his attention to just how short her skirt was.
“Do you want to see what’s under it?” she asked when she saw the way he was looking at her.
“Are you fucking craz…” Darius started, but his slurred words halted as she grabbed the hem of her skirt with her other hand and whipped it up to reveal the skimpy panties she was wearing.
He found himself mesmerized for an instant as he stared and his hand was yanked up so that his fingers brushed across the silky material.
“Come on, Phaedra,” he grumbled as he tried to free himself of her grip. “I don’t want this.”
“Are you sure about that?” she replied instantly and let his wrist go to press her palm on the front of his jean. “I’m not sure your body agrees.”
Darius gasped as the pressure increased on a swelling erection that he was unable to contain. The flush of unexpected pleasure made him shudder and the drunkenness made him too slow to react when Phaedra threw herself forward to a kiss. His breath rasped out when it ended and he could only watch as she dropped to her knees in front of him.
“Isn’t this what every basketball superstar wants?’ she teased him and let out another seductive giggle. “A pretty little groupie to worship his body and give him some relief after a tough game?”
“Stop it, Phaedra,” Darius complained, but his protest was weak and she ignored it as she reached out to stroke her fingertips along the stiff outline showing through his jeans.
He closed his eyes and tried to summon up the will to end things before they went too far, but failed as the delicious thrill of the touches weakened his legs. Phaedra slid her fingers to the zipper of his jeans and glanced up with a wide smile on her face as she eased it down. Her hand slipped inside the gap immediately.
“Oh yeah,” she let out in a hoarse gasp as she touched on hot, hard flesh. “You really do need some help with this, don’t you? We can’t leave you all stressed out and frustrated.”
Darius rocked his head back as his erection was dragged out of his jeans, and the way Phaedra’s soft caresses stroked along it was a tease he was unable to resist.
“Fuck,” he let out through clenched teeth.
She stroked her fingertips along bulging veins that were pulsing and waited until Darius was watching before she leaned forward to kiss right on the tip of his cock. Their gazes remained locked together when she moved away slightly and gripped tightly around the thick base as she flicked out her tongue to lick all over the slick head.
Darius’s hands balled to fists as the rush of burning pleasure swept through his body and he pressed himself onto the wall to hold himself up. He knew that he should stop things, but was unable to do it. The drunkenness was dulling his senses enough to let the blowjob happen, but it wasn’t strong enough to take away the guilt that he was cheating on his girlfriend. He was too weak to break the spell he was under and his breathing became heavier as the bliss Phaedra was giving him intensified.
She kissed on the tip of his stiff shaft once more then parted her lips and slowly let them slide down until her mouth completely enveloped the sensitive head. Her tongue continued to grind on hard flesh as she looked up. The expression on Darius’s face showed that he was incap
able of stopping the action and her excitement mounted as she teased her fingers up and down his swollen manhood. She raised her head to glide the tip of her tongue around the little slit as she gripped tighter to work stronger touches up and down his cock.
“Are you going to give me your cum?” she teased him when their eyes met. “You can make me a bad girl by shooting it down my throat. I bet you like that idea, don’t you?”
She could feel the twitching of Darius’s cock in her hand as her talk became dirtier and liked the way she was making his legs tremble. Ducking her head down, she sucked the head of his thick, dark cock in her mouth again, but this time didn’t stop there. She stroked her hand right down to the base, so her fingers were jammed against his balls as she began to bob her head.
The blossoming heat between her thighs made her panties moist although there was no way she was about to stop the blowjob. That might let Darius reclaim his senses to escape her clutches, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She’d got him where she wanted him and there was no doubt he was losing himself to the thrill of her intimate attention. She really did want him for herself, so she went all out to show him exactly why she was the perfect girl for him. It made her clamp her lips tightly around his shaft and they slid over bulging veins as she worked them eagerly up and down.
She deliberately made herself gag on his cock by sucking it right to the back of her throat and liked the sound of Darius’s groans as his passion grew towards the moment she wanted. The struggle for breath eventually made her lift her head to gasp for air, but she kept the pressure on him with rasping strokes of her fingers along his erect length. The lubrication of her spit provided a silky sensation to the motion and she stared at what she was doing with wide open eyes.
She ducked down to lick on his balls and it gave her more of a chance to catch her breath. The shaking of Darius’s legs grew worse as he succumbed to the enjoyment of soft caresses on his body and the air spilled between his lips in desperate, ragged gasps. His hand went to her head and she let him pull her hair as he brought her mouth up to the tip of his erection. She could see how eager he was for her touch and his show of longing excited her as she worked her mouth on his swollen flesh again. Sliding her hand to his balls, she massaged them to try and coax their load out as she threw herself to a dirtier blowjob.
The sound of her gagging grew louder as she made his cock almost fuck down her throat with eager dips of her head. His grip tightened in her hair and it was a sign that the frantic oral action was getting to him. There was no way she was about to let up and she gripped his balls tighter to roll her fingers around them as she slid her mouth up and down until she got what she wanted.
Darius shuddered then sucked in sharply as he accidentally cracked his head on the wall, but it was the pleasure between his thighs rather than the pain in his skull that gripped his attention. He clenched his buttocks tightly as he tried to make the blowjob last for as long as he could, but Phaedra’s attention overwhelmed him and his groans of delight grew louder until there was no holding back. His cock quivered on the brink as she sucked it deep and the hot stab of ecstasy flooded his body as the burst of thick cum erupted to splash down her throat.
The convulsions as he let loose with more made his legs weaken and Phaedra massaged his balls to help in milking the cum from them. She could feel the shooting blasts hitting the roof of her mouth then spilling on her tongue before she drank his seed down, and she only backed off when the sticky deluge ended. Her breath came out heavily as she brushed her lips on the tip of Darius’s still erect cock and cast her gaze up to his.
“Doesn’t that feel so much better?” she teased him.
“Fuck,” he gasped as he tried to recover.
She held his gaze as she licked her tongue around her lips, but he knocked her hand away then grabbed his softening cock to stuff it in his jeans. It made her get to her feet and she wiped a hand across her mouth.
“Does it show?” she asked him.
“What?” he asked as he zipped up his jeans and looked at her.
“Do I have your fucking cum on my face?” she said.
“No,” he replied.
“Then let’s go,” she said sweetly and smiled. “You can buy me a drink to say thank you.”
He shook his head as he looked away and she suspected that he wasn’t quite drunk enough to avoid the guilt of cheating on Gemini. That wasn’t her concern though, and she knew that she now had a hold over him. She motioned for him to go first and closed the door when she followed. They made their way inside the bar and he ordered the drinks when they got to the long counter. He lifted his beer when it was served and swallowed half the bottle. His hand was shaking and he was unable to stop it.
“Gemini doesn’t find out about this,” he said.
“You’ve split up anyway,” Phaedra replied in a dismissive tone.
“Yeah, but…” Darius started, but he grimaced as a light punch smacked on his upper arm.
He knew who it was and turned to see the two gang members standing behind him.
“We’re heading on,” Marcus said.
“I’ll come too,” Darius replied instantly and picked up his bottle.
The two men waited as he finished his beer and Phaedra drank the vodka in her glass then joined the three men as they headed for the door of the bar.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Darius said.
“What, is it a private party or something?” she replied.
“She can come if she wants,” Kelvin said. “She’s more of a gang member than you are.”
Darius wanted to argue, but saw the expression on Kelvin’s face and decided it was better to just keep his mouth shut. The four of them walked out of the bar and looked around.
“Are we walking?” Marcus said.
A smile spread across Kelvin’s face as he got the meaning of the comment.
“To start with,” he said and laughed.
The pair of them took the lead to head off along the sidewalk, but it wasn’t long before they stopped at the side of an SUV. Kelvin glanced around, but there was no one else in sight. He was quick to bring out a small lock-picking tool from his pocket and thirty seconds later the passenger side door of the vehicle was open.
“What are you doing?” Darius asked, but the question only elicited quiet laughter from the other three.
“What the fuck do you think we’re doing?” Phaedra said. “We’re going for a drive.”
Marcus smirked as he piled through the door of the SUV and moved to the driver seat. Kelvin handed in the small tool to let his friend get to work and in less than a minute the engine of the vehicle was running.
“Get in,” Marcus said.
Kelvin and Phaedra moved quickly to do just that, but Darius hesitated.
“We can’t steal a car,” he let out.
“We didn’t,” Kelvin mocked. “We stole an SUV. Are you getting in or walking?”
Phaedra opened the rear door and reached out to grab Darius’s wrist.
“Come on,” she said as she pulled. “I promise you it will be fun.”
Darius tried to resist and knew what they were doing was wrong, but the alcohol was dulling his senses even more and he let himself be encouraged into the vehicle by Phaedra. Marcus put his foot to the floor when they were all inside and the SUV took off in a smoking squeal of rubber on tarmac. He came to a corner and slung them around it in a handbrake turn and the sound of whooping laughter filled the interior.
“Go, Marcus, go,” Kelvin shouted and smacked his hands on the dashboard.
The vehicle shot forward as the accelerator was jammed to the floor and they hurtled along dark, quiet streets as if they were on a race track. Darius grabbed hold of the door handle to hang on as he was thrown around by the breakneck speed and body-jolting turns. He was suddenly aware of the pain in his thigh and glanced down to see Phaedra’s nails digging in his flesh through his jeans. He tried to knock her hand away, but she
wouldn’t let go.
“STOP!” shouted Kelvin.
Marcus jammed on the brakes and they were all thrown forward as the vehicle lurched to a halt. The laughter of the two men in the front seats was loud.
“What the fuck are we stopping for?” Marcus asked.
Kelvin motioned towards the liquor store they just passed.
“We need some beer for the ride,” he said.
Marcus put the SUV in reverse and backed up until he was parked right in front of the place. He surveyed the scene inside to see it was empty of customers, with the elderly store assistant being the only person in sight.
“Let’s do this,” he said, but turned before he got out. “Phaedra, you keep that old goat occupied. Darius, you come with us.”
The four of them got out to the sidewalk and stepped over to the door of the store. Phaedra walked over to the counter once they were inside and put a wide smile on her face as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on it.
“Hi,” she said sweetly.
Her approach got the desired effect and the elderly man was unable to stop himself staring down the front of her top to her pretty bra and breasts. It distracted his attention and Phaedra let him stare all he wanted as she pretended to show an interest in some of the bottles of alcohol behind him. It gave the three others the opportunity they needed and Marcus was quick to lead them to a display of beer at the rear of the store. It hid them from view and he grabbed a couple of six-packs to hand to Darius, did the same with Kelvin then picked up two himself.
“OK, let’s get out of here,” he hissed.
Darius suddenly cottoned on to the fact they weren’t about to pay for the beer they were taking and felt slightly foolish that he didn’t realize before that moment. Even with his brain dulled by the effects of the alcohol, he was a long way out of his comfort zone and it made him hesitate.
“Move,” Kelvin ordered and barged into Darius to make him start walking.
When they got closer to the door, they glanced towards the counter to see that Phaedra was now sitting on it with her legs crossed as she pointed out bottles. She was accidentally on purpose rubbing her fingers on the hem of her skirt to make it slide up her smooth thighs and the store assistant couldn’t tear his gaze from the sight. It allowed the three men to walk out of the store completely unnoticed.
“Fuck,” Kelvin let out and laughed. “We could steal everything from under the nose of that old pervert. All he can think about is pussy. Did you see the way he was staring?”
“We’ve got more than enough,” Marcus replied. “Let’s get out of here.”
The three of them got in the SUV and Darius looked inside the store to see they way Phaedra was playing up to the assistant. He saw her turn to look when Marcus honked the horn. She then seemed to say one last thing and shrugged her shoulders as she dropped down from the counter. The old man’s gaze stayed on her all the way to the door and he seemed unaware that his store had just been robbed.
“That old fuck must have thought his luck was in,” Kelvin joked when Phaedra got in. “He’ll be in the restroom before you know it whacking one off about you.”
“Hope he enjoys it,” she replied and let out a cheeky laugh.
Marcus grabbed one of the beers to pop the cap before getting them moving and in seconds all four of them were drinking as they raced along dark streets.
“Free beer,” Kelvin shouted and put his thumb over the top of the bottle he was holding before shaking it.
The eruption that followed sent beer splashing everywhere and complaints were followed by laughter as the inebriation dulled their senses to the danger they were putting themselves in. Darius was aware of the car swerving from side to side, but it just seemed funny to him and he laughed as he watched.
“Shut up,” Kelvin suddenly shouted before encouraging Marcus to slow down.
They rolled past a smart, black Dodge Charger and Darius saw the look that passed between the two gang members sitting in the front seats.
“What is it?” he asked.
“We’re going to fuck up that car,” Marcus replied. “It belongs to a rival and we want to send him a message.”
He brought the SUV to a stop and Kelvin turned to survey the scene behind them.
“It’s quiet,” he said.
“Then let’s go,” Marcus said and let out a drunken laugh.
Phaedra joined them and dragged Darius after her and he was too intoxicated to resist. The four of them kept low as they approached the vehicle and Marcus was the first to act. He dragged the keys in his hand right along the side of the vehicle to ruin the gleaming paintwork and let out a laugh. Kelvin got the tool he used earlier to break into the SUV and did the same with the Charger. In seconds he was inside and ripping the leather covering on the seats to shreds.
Marcus reached in his pocket to pull out a switchblade and pushed the button to expose the short blade. He held it out to Darius, who hesitated at first before taking it.
“Slash the tires,” Marcus said.
He carried on keying the paintwork then watched as Kelvin wrecked the dials on the dashboard. Darius worked his way around the car to puncture all four tires then stepped away. The Charger was now trashed and he looked to Phaedra when he heard her laugh. She just pointed at the sight of Kelvin urinating through the open door of the vehicle.
“Fuck,” Darius let out and laughed. “I don’t think anyone will be driving the car again in a hurry.”
“Hey Casey,” Marcus screamed at the top of his voice to the rival that owned the Charger. “Love the new look of your shit ride.”
“Go… go,” Kelvin said and the four of them ran for the SUV as lights came on in the house the car was standing in front of.
Marcus got in the driver seat and turned the key in the ignition. He revved the engine, but waited until he saw Casey coming out to his trashed vehicle before taking off. The sound of hysterical laughter filled the SUV as they sped around a corner to get away from the carnage they just caused.
“Did you see his fucking face?” Kelvin yelled.
Marcus just laughed harder as he pressed the accelerator to the floor and they tore along a deserted street flat out. He hammered on the brakes to take a corner and everyone hung on as the vehicle almost tilted onto two wheels.
“Come on, Marcus,” Phaedra said after a few minutes. “You can slow down now.”
“Shut up,” he replied as he reached for another bottle of the stolen beer. “I’ll decide when to slow down.”
The struggle to pop the cap from the bottle annoyed him and he was distracted as he concentrated his attention on it. The SUV drifted across the white lines to the opposite side of the road and the sudden flare of oncoming headlights made Phaedra cry out. The alcohol in his veins slowed Marcus’s reactions and he needed to swerve violently to avoid the head on collision. The horn of the other car blared as it flew past them and they did tilt up on two wheels this time.
They were going too fast for the problem to be corrected and the drunken hilarity disappeared to shrieks and screams. Things suddenly moved in slow motion as the SUV tipped over and the screech of metal on tarmac filled the air as it careened along on its side until it clipped a concrete lamp column and spun around violently before coming to a stop. The sudden silence was all encompassing in the darkness until it was broken by groans.
Darius lay still as he tried to gather his senses. There was a pain in his arm when he tried to move, but it wasn’t severe and he managed to sit up. The SUV was resting on its side, with the two wheels in the air still slowly spinning. He stared at them for a second before turning to see Phaedra rubbing a hand on her forehead.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
“Yeah… yeah, I think so,” she said in a shaky voice.
Marcus managed to get the driver side door open and clambered out of the SUV. He helped Kelvin out first before doing the same with Phaedra and Darius. Amazingly, they all seemed to have walked away from the crash with nothing more t
han aches and bruises.
“You fucking idiot,” Phaedra yelled as she slammed her hands on Marcus’s chest. “You could have killed us.”
“Chill out,” he replied. “Everyone is fine, aren’t they?”
“No thanks to you,” she went on in an angry tone.
She turned to the sight of Darius already walking away from the scene.
“Wait!” she shouted after him.
He just dismissively waved his hand as he continued moving along the edge of the road in a drunken stagger. The fact that he walked away from the accident uninjured was almost unbelievable and the only thought on his mind now was getting away from the others to go home. It made him put his head down and just walk.
“We should go after him,” Phaedra said.
“Fuck him,” Kelvin said. “He’s a big boy that can look after himself.”
He and Marcus walked off in the other direction and Phaedra was left standing on her own beside the wrecked SUV. She was unsure of what to do, but after thirty seconds or so she reluctantly moved off to follow the two gang members. They turned a corner to disappear from sight and she was about to quicken her pace to catch up when she heard the loud screech of tires. She turned to see a truck swerving, but the illumination of the headlights showed it was too late. Darius was too drunk to react and the front edge of the large vehicle caught him a glancing blow to send him flying through the air.
“DARIUS!” she screamed and immediately started running.
The truck didn’t stop and raced past her, but her only thought was to get to Darius. She came to a halt when she approached him and saw the way his shattered legs were positioned. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she was sure he was dead, but the movement of his arm told her otherwise and she raced to his side. The words he tried to say were barely audible before he slipped into unconsciousness.
“Hang on, Darius,” Phaedra pleaded with him as she reached in her pocket to bring out her phone and wallet. “Don’t die on me.”
There was only one thought on her mind as she dialed the number she was certain would bring help.
Hoop Dreams Page 5
