Chapter 4 IN THE BEGINNING

TEN YEARS EARLIER

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

A U R E L I A N O

Dipo is a fucking nerd, but I gotta hand it to him, he could command an army with his words.

"We all need to stand up and fight against the mayhem taking place at Wayne state University. It is one of the finest universities in Detroit and it's got a reputation to maintain. We have got to stop this person or persons who think it's right to go around killing people at will. They can't create life, so they have no right to think they can take life, not even theirs. That's not right at all. If we let this continue, the next person could be you, or even me." He pauses and does a sweep with his eyes, of everyone standing. Once he has the attention of his audience, he slowly lifts his index finger in the air, swirling it around like a magic wand, and then sweeps his gaze once more across every person avidly watching him.

Everyone stands at attention, lapping up every word and syllable that falls out of his mouth. Even though it's 40°c worth of sunshine raining on their parade, that shit doesn't faze them. They're like blocks of statutes, frozen on the spot staring straight at him.

Everyone . . . except me.

I'm hung over and can't even stand straight without almost crashing into the next person.

That's what I get for mixing margarita, tequila and hennessy together. That shit mixture tore right through me after the fourth sip. Kind of sucks when your drinking partner is a 5'5 feet Australian female that can drink you under the bus. I'd better remind myself that Trisha's a drunk. It's go slow or go home around her.

"Watch it, bozo." Someone sneers at me.

Shit! I was slipping.

I open my eyes that are valiantly trying to close themselves of their own accord and look into the murky grey eyes of a guy who thinks rocking a buzz cut is cool.

Clearly he doesn't know what time it is.

"Up yours, beaver." I shoot back at him immediately, arching a brow so he knows I'm not gonna back down.

He mumbles something under his breath and turns away. "Yeah, that's right, look away. Don't be starting something with me, 'cause I'll come on strong and you don't want that."

He cranes his stumpy neck left and right and moves to a corner, safely away from me. 'That's right man, run away. Mighty smart of you to do so. "I shout after him. I watch as he scurries further away from me.

I totter on my feet, almost loosing my balance as a sudden wave of dizziness engulfs me. My head begins to pound furtively.

I've got to get out of here.

Dipo doesn't have to know I'm giving him the slip. Rallies have never really been my thing, anyway.

Just as I begin slinking away, someone blocks my path. I look into the shining blue eyes of Tracy. She's a cute, shy thing with a model's figure. Presently she's wearing a long free dress that covers her up, but does nothing to hide her big bazookas.

"Hi! Fancy seeing you here." She gives me a shy smile, one filled with memories of moaned pleasure being thrown into the air. I remember feeling her up at the library when we were studying for a test. I'd wanted to take her back to my place for a late night rendezvous, but she'd declined.

Tracy doesn't understand the concept of free - styling. She wants a boyfriend --- that --- is something I don't have the time for. I'm a love and leave 'em kinda guy.

Yet here she is, giving me fuck - me eyes.

She ready to rumble now?

I lick my lips and stare at her boobs that are straining against her dress. They're calling me big time. "What's up, Trace?

She giggles and covers her mouth with chewed - up fingernails.

"Not staying for the rally?" Her voice is breathy, excited.

"Nuh uh! Too sunny, so I'm just gonna bounce." From the corner of my eyes, I see Dipo lifting a fisted hand in mid - air. Suddenly from all around me, chants of 'we must fight,' rent the still air. I sigh and turn back fully to look at Tracy.

"Isn't that your friend up there?" She points to Dipo who has begun riling up the crowd from his perch on the pulpit.

Yeah! That one's right up your alley. I'm too much man for you.

"The pyscho that's killing people has to be stopped," she continues heatedly, not waiting for my reply. "Your friend is doing a good thing speaking out against it . . .. yada yada, yigi, yada. . . . " I loose track of her rantings and focus instead on the rise and fall of her boobs, straining against her dress.

"Trace!" I begin, bored out of my mind now. "I'm just gonna bounce, you know, sleep off this hangover." I begin walking away without waiting for a reply.

"Can I come with you?" Even though shouts of declaration keep rising up around us in earnest, I'm still able to hear her words loud and clear.

Holy cow! Now that's what I'm talking about.

I slide back into my former position, my headache all but forgotten. I move close to her, so close that not even a pin can pass between us.

"Is this what you want, baby?" My arousal presses against her thigh --- hard and unyielding.

Sharp plumes of exhaled breath have begun coming out of her slightly parted lips, and her eyes have gotten all big and cloudy. She's breathing faster now. I snake a hand up to cup a boob, tweaking an already hardened peak between my thumb and forefinger.

She lets out a moan and I know she's ready. Needing no further nudge, I grasp her fingers and drag her away for the promise of a good time. I've got a spare key to the boys quarters of Dipo's parents mansion in South Bay. It always comes in handy when I need to take a girl there.

One hour later, with us getting rid of our clothes like cavemen in heat, Tracy drops a bomb on me when she tells me she's still a virgin.

My lil boy deflates immediately, as my ardore all but vanishes.

Her naked body stares me in the face, calling out to me, but I can't fucking do shit.

With an unsatisfied growl, I leap up, dragging my pair of boxers up my hips. I'm not able to meet her eyes as I spit out. "Get out!"

"Wh. . . what!" She sputters, her eyes rounding out to almost saucers.

"You fucking heard me --- get out." I pass a hand across my face, pissed at the turn of events. I know I owe her an explanation for my sudden change of heart. "Look Tracy, I'm sorry but I can't do this. Maybe some other lucky dude can do the honours of dis -virgining you, then you can come back and I'll give you a good time, I fucking promise you, but I can't do it." I shrug in regret, as I start getting dressed, my mind already moving onto other things.

Dipo will soon be here.

I can't afford him seeing Tracy here, least especially with me. He's been eyeing her all this while, writing poems about his undying love for her and dropping them in her bag when she isn't looking, without actually telling her who they're from. His chick game is -0, he can't talk to a girl to save his life.

I tried. I really did try to help him step up, but he's either thick - headed or he just doesn't get it. Either way, I've got to get Tracy out of here now. Can't afford to get caught in a webbed triangle with my best friend's, not - girlfriend. Dipo would definitely not take kindly to that, plus I still need him and the favours he keeps dishing out.

Don't get me wrong, I love Dipo. We were probably brothers in another life, but, I gotta do what I gotta do. Right now, that's get Trace the fuck out of here.

She keeps throwing me love - sick glances that she has no inkling won't score any favours with me.

Fact!

She gets up slowly and begins wearing her underwear. 'But. . ." She starts, throwing me a doe - eyed look, probably in the hopes that I'll change my mind, but nope, I don't spare her a single stare. Clearly she didn't get my initial memo of not wanting to be the first to get into her honey pot.

Two main reasons why I don't want to go in there first; Tried it once with the first chick I got down with, but got blood all over my jeans. So much blood. It freaked me the fuck out.

Second reason, is, the pain was too much for her to handle. She couldn't stop balling her eyes out.

Third reason I can't stand disvirgining a girl, is, I want to see that my partner is enjoying our sexcapade. I need to hear her moan, eyes glazed in pleasure, head thrown back, mouth wide open.

I also want participation, so make that the fourth reason. She must give pleasure as good as she gets from me. Don't want no zombie, neither do I want a block of ice just lying there in wait for me to do everything. Nope. Not happening on my watch.

Tracy sends me another doe - eyed look as she pats her hair down into some semblance of neatness. The look she sends me this time is more subdued than the others. Hopefully, my not - subtle message has been passed across.

I ignore her and walk out the door. She comes out ten seconds later, head bent, shoulders slumped, avoiding my gaze. I've gotta say something to her. "Um. . . Trace." Her head whips up so fast, I'm afraid she might have a creak in her neck later on. "Don't come to me until you've got this problem solved." And with that, I leave her standing with her bottom lip unhinged, staring sad holes into my back like I'm actually the devil himself. I quicken my steps as I fast walk away from her, ready to take a bus to the one bedroom apartment mum and I stay at in downtown Detroit.

Days come and go with Tracy actively pursuing me and me ducking into empty classrooms when I so much as see her shadow coming close. Lectures move on pretty nicely and my friendship with Dipo remains strong, with him not being the wiser about what 'almost' happened between Tracy and I.

Well . . . thank goodness for little mercies.

One Friday after exams, some friends and I decide to meet up in a bar for drinks to celebrate and most probably hit the club later.

I need more than a few sips of alcohol to get me through the night. I need more than a bottle of Hennessy to get me through the fog that's begun to swallow me whole.

Shit! I need a warm body to rock this night. I need someone, willing and ready to rumble.

I need me a woman . . . plain and simple.

It's been too long.

"Aureliano!" A distinctively familiar voice calls out my name, making me cringe in --- not fear ---- but something closely related to it.

Tracy comes into view and I groan inwardly. "Hi Aureliano." She pouts, staring at me with big, sad eyes. She looks terrible. Her hair is unkempt, like a comb hasn't been run through it in days. Dark bags hang, like sacs, under her eyes. My eyes almost pop out when I find out she's wearing her top the wrong way --- inside out. The jeans she has on was once a natural light blue, but now it's turned a blue - brown colour, because of all the stains dotting almost every surface of it.

"What the fuck Trace, are you okay?" Concern laces my words as I stare, shocked at her.

Her bottom lip trembles slightly as moisture springs to her eyes.

Damn! Not the water works, no, please.

"I miss you, Aureliano. I can't focus anymore. I miss you." She stands staring at me with broken, hopeful eyes. Here and now I make the decision not to ever have anything physical to do with her again.

She's trouble. I've got to steer clear from her. Steeling a hard gaze on her, I shake my head as anger courses through me at a fast pace. I try to reign it in, but when I feel cornered like right now, there's little or nothing I can do about it, except to ride the tide and hope for the best.

"I don't think you understand what it is you're doing right now, which is why I'm going to help you." I smirk, as I watch hope flare in her eyes. "Don't worry, you'll thank me later." The smirk on my face dissapears, replaced with a steely look as I narrow my eyes at her. "I'm going to act like you don't exist. I'll block and delete your number, and when I do happen to see you on the road, you'll be like air --- non existent. You've been warned." With that last parting shot, I stride off in the opposite direction. I was going to see if Dipo had finished history exams, but I'm just gonna bounce, instead. I'll call him when I get home.

*

The club is bursting loose. People keep bumping into me. The music is off the chains and Dipo is nowhere to be seen.

Whatever!

I know he's too much of a pussy to show up to a club, anyway, so I don't even bother looking out for him. My other friends are having a good time dancing with random chicks they just met at the club. Femi is a crackpot as he dances with two chicks on either side of him. How that guy always happens to snag two females at a time gives me pause for thought. One woman is more than enough for me.

I've had my eyes on this brown skinned chick ever since I got here. She's got on a tight short black dress that shows off all her sumptuous curves. I'm close enough to notice she's rocking three piercings --- one on her top lip, another on her lower lip and the last one on her tongue. I've got some colourful ideas on how I can put them all to good use.

I wink and raise my glass to her when she catches me watching. She's dancing with some dude that keeps wriggling like a fish. She on the other hand is fluid with her movements as she bursts a move to the right and then to the left, flinging her hair out according to the beat of the music. She's got her dance game on and I've got my eyes on her, watching her every move.

I make sure to sidle closer to her, keeping my eyes on her and waiting for the moment the fish guy moves away to get a drink.

She keeps throwing me looks to ascertain if I'm watching her. As a result of this, her dance steps have gotten more seductive. Fish guy doesn't know he's got major competition. That competition is about to get real as I sidle even closer to her.

You couldn't pry me away with a crow bar, baby.

Still looking at me, she turns around completely, backing the guy in the process and gives me a show as she puts a finger in her mouth and licks it. She slides down low against fish guy's legs and slides back up again.

Out of the blues, I see Dipo on the dance floor, performing his usual wierd shuffle dance. I'm about dismissing him altogether, when the guy in front of him steps away to reveal the most beautiful girl I've ever set my eyes on.

Brown-skinned girl is totally forgotten as I gaze at her. There's a particular aura surrounding her that's electric. Her long black hair flows down her back in waves and bounds, casting a kind of halo around her. She's got eyes for no one else apart from Dipo. The searing jealously that pierces me is almost crushing in it's intensity.

I realise I'm standing and gaping at her. Needing to get myself under control, I take a few sips of my drink then turn right back to staring at her. I feel the pull as I walk towards them on the dance floor.

Still keeping my eyes on her, I walk over to Dipo. "Hey man, what's up? Who's the chick you're dancing with?" I raise my voice over the din of the music so as to be heard, but Dipo just grins at me and continues dancing. He's either playing dumb or he didn't hear a word of what I said.

Either which way it doesn't stop the crushing dissapointnent that hits my chest as I slink back to my seat. I make sure to position myself at a vantage point so as to keep my eyes on them --- her, actually. Not long after, they come to where I'm seated. Dipo leaves to get drinks for both of them. It's a golden opportunity for me, so I smack on a winning smile and slide close to her.

"Hey! My name's Aureliano, what's yours, beautiful?" With my hand outstretched, I wait and watch, as my heart almost climbs into my throat. It seems like ages as she assesses me. Just when I'm about to retract my hand and lick my wounds while sulking in a corner, she stretches out her's and grasps mine firmly with a blinding smile on her face.

"I'm Roxy." She snakes out her tongue and does a sweep of her bottom lip with it and I swear, it's the most sexy thing I've ever seen a woman do in my entire life.

There and then I make the decision to pursue her by all means necessary, never minding the fact that I'd be getting into the same mess of a webbed triangle I was initially trying to avoid.