Cranberry Lane

by Laurèn Lee

  “Right. Well, I’m going to the bathroom now. You have a good night.”

  He walked away and left me feeling more vulnerable and more embarrassed than I’d ever been in my entire life.

  Asshole.

  “Hey, Serenity,” a voice called to me.

  Part of me hoped it was Wayne coming back to apologize, but instead it was my annoying supplier.

  “Hi, Joey.” I sulked.

  “Do you have the stuff?”

  “Shut up!” I elbowed him in the stomach causing him to double over.

  “What gives?”

  “Maybe you can try to be a little more discreet? Although, that’s never been your strong suit.”

  “Are you on your period or something?” he asked, rubbing his belly.

  “You really are as stupid as you look.”

  “Then why are you still friends with me?”

  It was an excellent question. Joey pissed me off more often than not, and he was beyond clingy. So, why didn’t I just tell him to fuck off? Deep down, I knew why. I didn’t want to find another drug supplier.

  “It’s because you have a huge dick,” I said and rolled my eyes.

  He stood a little taller and then whispered, “So, do you have it?”

  “Yes, and there’s none for you.”

  “Come on! What’s the point of having a drug dealing friend if she won’t let me sample the product Plus, I’m the one who sold it to you. Doesn’t that get me a friends and family discount?”

  “You’re not coming near my stash. It would all go up your nose and I have bills to pay.”

  “You’re so boring,” he moaned.

  “Fuck off, Joey. Seriously. Go away.”

  “Girl, you are all sorts of messed up.”

  “Then why don’t you leave? Huh?”

  “Yeah. Fine.”

  Joey left the bar, thankfully. He’d probably go home and play his X-box. He hadn’t gone to college either. He worked at the Waffle House right outside of town. We’d known each other since elementary school and had been friends ever since. I knew he was in love with me, but he also knew I wasn’t in love with him. He was like my Dad and the last thing I wanted in life was to follow my mother’s footsteps.

  Although, he had his purpose. He’d introduced me to the drug business during a party a few years ago. I saw him arrive with a few dozen baggies and leave with even more money. Once I saw how lucrative the business seemed, I needed to get my hand in the pot, too. And then, my new career was born. Joey stepped back from dealing and simply supplied me with the product.

  Wayne left the bathroom and I saw him wipe his hands on his dark, yet faded jeans. I opened my mouth to say something, but he kept walking past me.

  I never cared for impressing guys, but there was something about this one that had me intrigued. I hoped I’d have another shot to prove to him I was someone he’d want to get to know.

  7

  Wayne

  “Dude, did you buy drugs from that chick?”

  I scoffed. “No, Danny.”

  “Why not? She’s hot,” he whined.

  “She’s like twelve. I’m not a cradle-robber.”

  “Maybe she’ll liven you up a bit.” He licked his lips.

  “No. Stop,” I pleaded. All I wanted to do was finish my beer, go home, and wait up for Sammy. I didn’t want to talk about hooking up with a girl not much older than my little brother.

  “You’re boring,” Danny said.

  “I’m okay with that.”

  “How’s Sammy?”

  “He’s doing well. He’s already gotten a few scholarships,” I admitted proudly.

  Danny slapped me on the back. “That’s great news, bud. Get him outta this shit hole.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  I turned back to look at Serenity. She really did look young. I wondered what could’ve led her to be a drug dealer who hung out at a hole-in-the-wall bar. Did she ever want to leave? Try to leave? What’s keeping her here? Although, I couldn’t talk much. I was still here after all these years. Not sure my boss would be so happy to hear I was leaving, though. When the time came to take Sammy to college, I wanted to go with him. Make sure he stayed on track. It would take more than a little convincing for my boss let me go. I was the best hit man he had.

  I finished the remaining dregs of my beer and stood to leave.

  “Oh, come on! Not yet!” Danny whined. He was definitely drunk.

  “Yeah, I gotta go. But, hey, thanks for the drinks. I gotcha next time.”

  “All right. See you later.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Serenity had gone into the bathroom with some guy I didn’t recognize. He had black spiked hair and several piercings lining his ears and nose. He must be new around these parts, otherwise, I would have recognized him. Well, maybe not. I didn’t remember ever seeing Serenity around before tonight either.

  I shook my head and walked past the bathroom to the front door. Just before I grasped the doorknob, I heard a frightening shrill of a scream come from the bathroom.

  Serenity!

  I ran into the men’s room and couldn’t believe my eyes; the punk kid had Serenity up against the wall, his hand grasping her neck so hard, her face nearly turned blue. She struggled and clawed at him to try to remove his grasp, but she was too meek.

  I charged the kid and sucker punched him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  “Fuck you,” he spat as he finally let go of Serenity.

  Serenity slid down the wall and massaged her throat. Carefully, she pulled herself up and limped toward the asshole who’d nearly killed her.

  “Think you’re a tough guy, huh? Beating up on a girl half your size?” I kicked him in the ribs with my steel-toed boots.

  He cried out in pain and writhed across the grotesque bathroom floor. “Why do you care? She’s just some slut from Cranberry Lane!”

  “I care because I don’t like boys trying to act like men beatin’ up on women, you piece of shit.”

  He tried to get up again and I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him up myself. With my left hand, I held onto his collar and with my right, I punched him two more times. Now, I’d drawn blood and surely broken his nose.

  Meanwhile, Serenity had made her away across the room and stood next to me. “It’s my turn,” she said and smiled menacingly.

  I dropped the scumbag back on the floor to let Serenity have a go at him.

  “You think you’re a man? Think you’re a cool guy because you assaulted some slut?”

  “If the shoe fits,” he spat.

  Serenity kicked him square in the mouth and his head flew backward and slammed against the tile upon the wall.

  “I’m going to kill you, bitch.”

  “I’d love to see you try,” Serenity said.

  Damn, she was fierce!

  Goth boy slowly stood and Serenity put her hands on her hips. Before either of us saw it coming, the jackass lunged toward Serenity. In the last second, I hip-checked Serenity out of the way and grabbed her assailant by the throat before he could do any additional harm. I threw him back against the wall and if he didn’t have a concussion before, he surely had one now.

  “What’s your name?” I asked, seething.

  “None of your business,” he mumbled as he spat blood onto the floor.

  I laughed heartily. This mother fucker wouldn’t give it up. I bent down to him and whispered in his ear, “Get the fuck out of here. If I ever see your pansy ass again, I’ll kill you.” I flashed the gun in my coat and smiled.

  His eyes grew to the size of quarters. He struggled to stand and quickly limped out of the bathroom and out of the bar. If he knew what was good for him, he’d never come back.

  “You okay?” I asked Serenity.

  “I could have finished him, ya know?” she said as she wiped sweat from her porcelain forehead.

  “You sure about that?”

  “I was just about to make my move,”
she chided and puffed out her chest.

  “I’m sure you were.” I smiled and brushed aside a loose tendril from her cheek.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled and blushed.

  “You really gotta get out of the drug business.”

  “No, I don’t. That was the first time someone ever attacked me. He was an asshole.”

  “It won’t be the last time, doll face.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  “I have a name. You can call me by that.”

  “All right, Serenity. Let me walk you home.”

  “No!” she blurted.

  “Listen, that kid didn't seem too smart. I don’t know if he’s going to come back here and start more trouble. Or, he might be waitin’ outside for you.”

  “I don’t care. I can handle it.” She brushed her jeans off and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it back down.

  “I’m sure you can, but I’m not takin’ no chances. Let’s go.”

  “If you say so,” she finally conceded.

  I held the door open for Serenity and we made our way into the cool, dark night.

  8

  Serenity

  Wayne hovered close to me as we left Mickey’s Bar. I grabbed at my jeans pocket to see if I still had my stash on me.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, fine.” I sighed in relief; I still had it.

  “You shoulda flushed it.” He smiled.

  “I might as well throw cash in the garbage can,” I retorted like a brat.

  Wayne chuckled. “So, where do you live?”

  “Cranberry Lane,” I said and noticed his eyes light up. “What?”

  “I thought that asshole was just spoutin’ his mouth off when he said that. I grew up on Cranberry Lane, too,” he said.

  “You did?”

  “42B in the brick complex.”

  “That’s right across from me,” I said knowingly.

  “Small world,” he replied.

  Silence took the wheel again as we walked on, now only a few blocks from my apartment.

  “Why did you come in the bathroom?” I asked sheepishly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you were the only one who seemed to give a shit.” I shrugged.

  “If you haven’t noticed, many of the people in Mickey’s only care about drinking as much as possible. I bet half of ‘em didn’t even hear you call out of help.”

  “You heard me, though. And, you came to my rescue.” I blushed.

  He shrugged his shoulders and didn’t respond. The moon illuminated the sky and reflected in Wayne’s steel eyes.

  “How did you leave Cranberry Lane?” I asked.

  “Well, I packed up my stuff and had someone help me carry them to my new place.” He smirked.

  I punched him in the arm. “You know what I meant, jackass.”

  “I know. Well, I had a rough time growing up. Didn’t want my little brother to go through the same. Once I had the cash, I got us the hell out.”

  “You have a little brother?”

  “Yeah. He’s a great kid. I hope he turns out, well, different than I did.”

  “You seem fine to me,” I said.

  He smiled knowingly.

  What are you hiding, you sexy knight in shining armor?

  “Do you parents still live on the lane?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said quietly. “I think so.”

  “I had a rough time growing up, too,” I admitted meekly.

  “That’s the typical pattern for these parts.” Wayne sighed.

  “Seems like we have a lot in common for only just meeting tonight.” I grinned.

  We were outside of my apartment now. If it were anyone else, I might be embarrassed by the state of where I lived, but since Wayne grew up here, I knew he felt like home.

  “Well, uh, thanks for walking me home. Even though you didn’t have to.”

  “No problem,” he said simply.

  I narrowed my eyes trying to read him. He seemed like a kind man, but I also sensed he had a dark past and an even darker secret.

  “Will I see you again?” I asked hopefully.

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “Soon?”

  “Goodnight, Serenity.” He smiled and started walking away.

  Disappointed, I went inside and climbed the dusty stairs to our second-floor apartment. Ma was already in bed and I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself up. When I looked in the mirror, I almost gasped. I had mascara running down my cheeks and bruises had already formed on my neck.

  Wayne probably thought I was a total mess. I shook my head. Why did I care what he thought about me anyway? I didn’t need his approval. And yet, I’d felt drawn to him. I knew we had a connection, but I wasn’t entirely sure why. I knew lots of guys who grew up on the Lane and I didn’t feel strangely attached to them like this. So, what was it about Wayne?

  I washed my face and braided my elbow-length hair. I did this every night so I’d have wavy locks the next day.

  I walked the few steps over to Ma’s bedroom and peeked inside her room. She snored softly, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was dreaming about. I always hoped she’d find another man after Dad left, but she never did. Maybe she was too broken. Maybe she didn’t want to find someone. Maybe she didn’t even know where to look. Of course, though, she’d flirted with far too young of men who usually ended up screwing her over somehow. Some wanted money, others tried to steal from us, and some, some guys just wanted to hurt her.

  Carefully, I closed her bedroom door and went into my own room. Barely eight by eight, my room felt more like a closet, like a prison, but it was mine and I cherished it. I’d covered the walls with posters, mostly of bands I discovered while working at the record store. I had Nirvana, the Rolling Stones and Chris Cornell plastered across the walls.

  Before the record store, I was strictly a hip-hop girl, but being exposed to different varieties and genres, I’d opened my mind to new music.

  I laid back on my bed, stared at my ceiling and thought again about Wayne. Would I see him again? Did he want to see me again? I thought back to how he kicked that guy’s ass for me in the bathroom. The fiery in his eyes; I recognized it. He wasn’t a stranger to inflicting pain on to another human being.

  A call to my phone interrupted my thoughts and I rolled over to see who was trying to get a hold of me. It was Joey. I pressed “Ignore” and hoped he wouldn’t try calling back. I’m sure he’d give me hell for ignoring his calls tomorrow, but tonight, in this moment, I only wanted to think about one man: Wayne.

  9

  Wayne

  As I walked home, I thought about Serenity. How did a nice girl, under a few layers of visceral toughness, get involved in the drug business? I wouldn’t always be there to save her, but I doubted her run in tonight with that scumbag would inspire her to switch careers.

  After a half hour, I approached my own apartment and saw the TV light glowing through the windows. Sammy had come home. I checked my watch; he was home before curfew. I shook my head. How did I get so lucky to have such a great little brother? If he was anything like me, I would have had my hands full. Life is funny like that sometimes, though. Sometimes, you get lucky and you have no idea why.

  “Hey, kiddo,” I said.

  He rolled his eyes. “Hi, Wayne.”

  “How was your night?” I asked.

  “It was good. We went to the diner and hung out.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Oh yeah, we, uh, scored a few nine balls and went to a rave.” He smiled.

  “They’re called eight balls, Sammy.” I snickered.

  “Whatever!”

  “Glad you had a good night.”

  “Any update if you can come to my football game tomorrow or not?”

  I sighed. “You know I’m going to try my best, bud.”

  I saw the hurt in his eyes. “Okay,” he said.

  “I’m
going to hit the hay. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

  “Yeah, all right. Goodnight, Wayne.”

  “Night, Sammy.”

  I went into my bedroom and carefully took off my boots, then my jeans and tee shirt. Wearing nothing but my boxers, I climbed into bed and fell fast asleep. In my dreams, I saw a girl with pink hair running down the street being chased. I tried to save her, but the closer I ran to her, the farther she seemed to be.

  10

  Serenity

  “Serenity, wake up!”

  I moaned and rolled over to look at the clock. It wasn’t even nine am yet. Why did my mother insist on waking me up so early?

  “I’m still sleeping!” I called back.

  “Not anymore! Come out here and help me make breakfast.”

  Ugh.

  I crawled out of bed and sat for a minute, trying to figure out why I felt so different. And then it hit me; I wasn’t hungover or sick. I’d gone out and not gotten trashed.

  So, this is what it feels like to be normal?

  “Serenity!”

  “I’m coming! I’m coming!” I hollered out.

  I put on my favorite pair of sweatpants and a hoodie before I headed to the kitchen. Even though I could have slept for a few more hours, I felt refreshed and energized. When I walked into the kitchen, Ma turned around and looked at me only to shriek and drop the frying pan which held sizzling bacon.

  “Jesus Christ, Serenity! What happened to your neck?”

  Instinctively, I covered my throat with my hands. “Nothing, it was nothing,” I said quickly.

  Tears poured from Ma’s eyes. “Who did that to you?”

  “No! It was nothing, honestly, Ma. I’m fine,” I said as I tried to comfort her.

  She wiped her tears away and looked down to see the mess on the floor.

  “God damn it!” She crumpled to the ground and started crying all over again.

  I rushed to her side. “Everything is okay! I promise!”

  “No, it’s not.” She wept. “I’m a horrible mother.”