Ricky

The Closing

         “Well, Ricky, I would say that it’s nice to see you again, but it’s not really,” Rob greeted the teen. At that, Ricky fought to keep his emotions hidden and to slow the speed his head wanted to spin towards the voice. Ricky looked calm as he turned to look Ms. Wright’s killer in the eye. He quickly glanced at his brother and saw that Blayze was looking at Ricky nervously.
         “No problem, Rob. I feel the same way. What did you wanna talk about?” Ricky questioned, trying not to let Rob’s hatred damage his calm.
         “That punk stepson of mine dead yet? If not, it’d be Viper’s turn to die,” Rob countered. Ricky noticed that Blayze was still watching him, but he ignored his brother’s gaze and stared into Rob’s eyes coldly.
         “Yeah, Drake’s dead. You and Viper are even now. How long are you gonna be in hiding?” Ricky asked calmly. It seemed that they both had questions for each other, so this meeting might not be too bad. As Rob thought over Ricky’s question, he looked around, leaving the brothers’ wondering minds without an answer for a minute. He turned back suddenly.
         “Probably not long. I’ll find somebody else to set up to take my fall. As soon as I figure who it’ll be, it won’t take long at all. Maybe two weeks. I’ve gotta give the cops a chance to clear me,” Rob added, sounding as thought he was simply thinking out loud. Ricky glanced over at Blayze and was suddenly glad that Viper had been on their side. If he hadn’t been, Blayze could’ve easily spent twenty years in prison, innocent with no way to prove it.
         “Well, is that all you wanted? If it is, we’re gonna head out,” Ricky informed Drake’s step dad as he slipped off the hood and stepped towards his door. Rob held up a hand and stopped Ricky. Ricky glanced at the ex-soldier with interest. That’s when the teen noticed that Rob hadn’t gotten out of his car alone and that Blayze wasn’t looking at Ricky anymore. It seemed like the broken piece of concrete under Blayze’s feet had gotten very interesting. The man that was standing behind Rob looked as though he had glass eyes because of his lack of feeling in them. He had shaggy black hair and his eyes were a dark brown, and the combination made him seem evil. At his waist was a gun similar to Viper’s. He must be Rob’s bodyguard, Ricky decided.
         “Actually, that’s not all I wanted. I promised your brother I wouldn’t hurt you. I’m a man of my word, so you’re safe, but he’s fair game,” Rob told Ricky. Before it fully sank in, Ricky heard the shot and saw the fire in the barrel of the gun. Rob’s bodyguard had slid his gun out while the brothers were paying attention to Rob. Ricky spun around and watched his other best friend fall. The bullet struck Blayze in the chest, but it didn’t seem that Ricky’s brother was dead yet. Ricky quickly stepped over to his older brother and dropped to his knees next to Blayze. His blue eyes were still open and there was still some life in them. Ricky felt the tears welling up in his own eyes.
         “Ricky, I’m sorry, bro. This is my fault,” Blayze whispered. It seemed to be all Blayze had energy for. Ricky let his tears flow for the second time that day and shook his head forcefully.
         “It ain’t your fault, Blayze. You can’t believe that! I would’ve done the same thing,” Ricky admitted, his voice breaking and his tears streaming down his face. The tears rolled over his lips and it seemed to Ricky that he would drown in his own tears as he held Blayze’s hand. He watched as his best friend in the entire world forced a smile and faded away from life. When Blayze’s hand slipped out of Ricky’s and the beautiful blue eyes no longer had the spark that Ricky knew, the now only Claver wiped his tears away, knowing that they would return again at a moment’s notice. He stood fists clenched, ready for a fight. The anger was slowly replacing the pure grief. He turned to Rob and stared into the ex-soldier’s eyes. They were calm with no real emotion to speak of.
         “Rob, why’d you do that? Blayze didn’t do anything to you; it was me that you wanted to get even with,” Ricky informed Rob. The bodyguard was watching Ricky with interest as Rob thought over his answer. Did the hired gun know anything about Blayze when he pulled that trigger? Ricky didn’t think he’d be able to kill without asking questions. Then again, in the past two or so hours, Ricky had lost his two best friends because of Rob. He hadn’t pulled the trigger in either case, but he had been the cause of both.
         “Kid, this is how I get even. If it weren’t for you, Drake wouldn’t’ve gotten beat and your principal wouldn’t have told his mother and I where he was. I figure that you’re the best person to blame,” Rob explained with a slight grin. That smug little smile flared the hatred in Ricky. Ricky’s clenched fist quickly connected with Rob’s jaw for the second time. Rob’s bodyguard stepped between the two, pushing Ricky away from the man’s employer. Rob was holding his jaw, obviously in some pain and Ricky shook his fist to release the pain he got in his finger again. Two solid punches and the ring was still in good condition. Ricky was glad because that ring was Blayze’s memory now.
         “Bastard! You might wanna get outta here now, before I lose my cool,” Rob warned the teen. Ricky simply glared and didn’t move. Rob shoved his guard out of the way and stepped closer to Ricky. The anger and hatred showed in both pairs of eyes, but it was more pronounced in Ricky’s green eyes because he didn’t want to hide it at all.
         “You killed Drake, you killed Blayze, and you just expect me to walk away without saying anything? You obviously don’t know anything about common sense. I’m not gonna let you slide too easy. One punch and you want me to leave, like you’re afraid that I’ll keep going,” Ricky informed Rob, anger weaving into the comments. Right away, Ricky noticed the knife in Rob’s hand, so the Claver punched Rob again, but left-handed to throw Rob off. Ricky slipped away so he wasn’t caught between the Ferrari and the blade in Rob’s hand.
         “Kid, you’re gonna really regret that,” Rob warned, stepping towards the teen. Rob’s bodyguard had been staying out of this conflict. He had probably seen the anger in Rob’s actions and decided to stay out of it. It’d most likely be in the man’s best interest anyway.
         “Ya know, I think we’re done here,” Ricky decided, opening the Mustang’s door and grabbing his book bag. He slung it over his shoulder as he slammed the door, looking straight into Rob’s hating eyes as he stepped backwards.
         “You better forget you ever saw me here, kid,” Rob informed Ricky, angering the teen yet again. He seemed to be very good at that. Ricky hated being told what to do and normally did the opposite of what he was told. Ricky realized that it’d seem to Rob that he won if Ricky walked away now. At that, the teen slipped his book bag back off and set it next to the Ferrari tire.
         “Now that you said that, maybe I should call the one detective now. He was even nice enough to give me his card. I know I have it here,” Ricky added, patting his pockets. Detective Early hadn’t given Ricky his card, but Rob didn’t know that. Ricky wasn’t planning on telling him anytime soon either. At that, Rob’s knife glinted as Rob stepped closer to the teen. Ideas raced through Ricky’s mind, some of them stupid, others just hurt his pride. He decided on the best way out of here, even though one little mistake and he’d join Blayze and Drake.
         “Kid, you need to watch yourself. I’m not in the mood for games today. I’m thinkin’ it’s time for your parents to become childless. Maybe then they can start over without you two punks in their lives,” Rob added, making Ricky’s fist clench again. Rob spun the knife in his hand and slid closer yet to Ricky. Instinctively, the teen stepped backwards, but ran into the bodyguard. Perfect, Ricky thought. It was time to act. As the blade came closer, Ricky slipped his hand back and grabbed the guard’s gun. The man was watching Rob nervously, so he didn’t even notice. It was sheer luck that Rob didn’t see the hand disappear. Ricky gripped the gun and slid it out of the holster. The guard hadn’t reattached the safety strap after he shot Blayze. That thought fuelled anger in Ricky and changed the plan. Ricky was stuck, with a car on either side, then Rob and his bodyguard blocking the other ways out. The plan spun in Ricky’s mind until it clicked into place and his body got the order to act. Ricky slid the gun out quickly, rolled onto the trunk of the Ferrari, and stopped on his knees. He took aim and shot the bodyguard between his fearful eyes. As the man fell, Ricky tossed the gun away from Rob and himself. The next one was going to be up-close and personal.
         “What the hell did you just do? Time to die, kid,” Rob told the young man who now had blood on his hands. Ricky simply grinned coldly, slid off the trunk, and motioned for Rob to come even closer. Ricky watched the knife as Rob thrust it towards the scapegoat of all this. Ricky stepped aside, over the guard’s body, but not quite quick enough. The blade struck Ricky’s arm and sliced it, going straight though the jacket. Before Rob had a chance to retract his arm, Ricky grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it. Ricky heard the bone crack as Rob cried out in pain and dropped the knife. Ricky slammed the hand into its owner’s head, Ricky’s force causing Rob to stumble backwards. Ricky calmly scooped up the knife and played with it for a moment before stepping over to Rob. This man had been powerful once, before Ricky came on the scene. Now he was holding his broken wrist gingerly and watching as Ricky held the knife calmly.
         “You were right. It is time to die. But it’s your time, not mine. Have fun in hell,” Ricky told Rob before he shoved the blade into the injured man’s chest. Rob doubled over and groaned from the pain. Ricky pulled the knife back out and elbowed Rob in the back of the neck. Rob cried out again as he fell. He laid on his back, watching Ricky, who was now spinning the knife. Rob was clutching his chest and breathing hard, occasionally coughing up blood.
         “Hmm… I must’ve hit you close to the lungs. That’s gotta be a bad way to die. Should I let you die slow or put you out of your misery?” Ricky asked himself. Rob propped himself up on one elbow, still holding the hole in his chest.
         “Kill me quick. I deserve it,” Rob responded, with a hint of hope in his voice. Ricky picked up on that and bit his lip, thinking. The teen stepped to the front of the Ferrari and looked into Blayze’s dead eyes. Silently, he asked his brother for help. When he decided, Ricky slipped back over to Rob. Rob looked into Ricky’s eyes and fear slid into his.
“Actually, you deserve to die slow. I’ve only known you for a couple of hours and I know that. Today, you’re gonna get what you deserve,” Ricky informed Deuce’s associate. Ricky swooped down and punched Rob in the throat, narrowing his air tube and making it even harder for Rob to breathe.
         “Good-bye, Rob. Pain is your way out,” Ricky whispered gruffly into Rob’s ear. The teen straightened, fixed his jacket, then slid back over to Blayze’s lifeless body. He kneeled down again and slid his hands over his brother’s eyes, closing them. Ricky wiped away the new wave of tears, then stood and walked around the Ferrari. He slipped around the trunk and stepped over the bodyguard’s body to grab his book bag. As he looked at the destruction and death in this parking lot, Ricky realized that he couldn’t go back to how life was before today. If he did, he’d have two counts of murder against him and everyone would have sympathy for him because he lost his brother. He couldn’t go back. He had to start over, leaving almost everything behind. He’d keep Blayze’s ring and the stuff in his book bag, but that’s it. Ricky checked his pockets and found that he had $31.68 to his name. He took his phone off of his waist and set it on the trunk of his brother’s beautiful Mustang. They weren’t going to find him. He glanced at Rob and saw that the man was just about dead.
         “I don’t know where I’m going or who I’ll be when I get there, but I’m outta here,” Ricky announced to no one in particular, to the world. He adjusted his book bag on his shoulder, then he spun around and slowly began walking away from his entire life. Strange how a parking lot could change a life so drastically. As Ricky walked, he gained his courage and walked faster and straighter towards his unknown destination. He thought about the day, how he had changed so much. Now he had blood on his hands from when he stabbed Rob. This morning he would’ve never thought of becoming a murderer, but he was one only a few hours after he was pulled out of study hall. Ricky was going to start a new life in a new place. He didn’t know much about what he was going to do, but he knew one thing: this time, being cold and heartless wasn’t going to be an act.

* The End *