Dana Chapter 12

It was the following Sunday and Dana was still moping on Davon’s couch. Yeah—it’s pathetic. So pathetic that Dana was drowning his misery in fatty pizza, beer and Pepsi. And the shame of it all was that Dana’s a Coke-drinker. He even called in sick to work for the week so he wouldn’t have to bump into Adrian. Amazing what a little bit of love can do to a guy. Still, he hadn’t shed a tear. Somehow he couldn’t cry this time like he did before. This time it was like he was so much more emotional that it was just too overwhelming to cry. This time he was confused, unsure, hurt, still in love, and just wanting to end it. With the entire jambalaya of emotions, he just couldn’t squeeze crying in. But the saddest of sads was that he checked all of his voice mails and saved every one. After all the extremes he went to, to avoid him, he still couldn’t survive the day without repeatedly listening to his voice. He was actually on the couch doing this as Jason walked in.

“So you checking another voicemail?”

Dana Chapter 11

“It’s two in the morning.” Dana was talking to Jason on the phone, very unhappy to be awakened after only just falling asleep.

“Yeah, I know, but you know I don’t sleep when I’m not working.”

“So what’s it like being an uncle?”

“My brothers have kids.”

“I meant to someone within driving distance.”

“Well, Jackson no longer wants to be called Jackson; he wants to be called Moses—his middle name.”

“No way.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t want to be known by the name his fake father gave him.”

Dana Chapter 10

December 20, 9:00 a.m.

“Hey, Lil’ man. Sorry about everybody calling you ‘Broccoli.’ If I knew it was gonna stick, I never would’ve said it. I think I passed everything and convinced all your professors to pass you based on what you had already done. There may have been some bribes involved by I can neither confirm or deny this. The next semester is easy enough since you’re going to be awake by Christmas. I know you don’t like me drinking so much, but I gotta cope somehow. I’m almost finished building our place, so you won’t be able to not take a key. Well, I gotta get to work. Yeah, I’m working again, but only ‘cause it keeps me away from everyone. They always gotta be telling me how bad it is to spend every waking moment with you, so I’m just shutting them up. Well, I’m not really going work, truthfully. I’m gonna hide out at Davon’s. His nephew stays with him now, by the way. Well, I’m out of here. Dream of me, Lil’ man.”

December 20, 10:30 a.m.

Dana Chapter 9

It was the first of December, and not much had changed—except for the date, of course. Dana had a full week of Adrian’s father and enjoyed his company much, but after he left just couldn’t bear to be in the apartment alone, so he moved into Adrian’s vacant room. He and the rest were studying hard. Exams were upon them, and they took tests very seriously. Dana went to the hospital to show Adrian the prints and models of what he was doing for his project. They were in the same class, actually doing this joint project—a model of a mall—but Adrian went into the coma right when they started to build. Dana was merely showing it off before he took it in. He then went on to campus gossip and friend-talk.

Dana Chapter 8

It was the following Friday, November 10, not that the date really matters, but there it is just the same.

“So you’re both on probation?” Rene asked as he sat down on the couch with a beer. They were staying in this Friday

“After forcibly trying to take me off the premises, you should be.”

“Whatever you say, sex offender,” Dana said before Adrian went into a coughing fit. They couldn’t fit him in until Saturday for surgery. He wiped a trickle of blood off his mouth with his finger and off the arm he had used to shield the cough when he bent over. Dana would’ve helped, but Adrian was persistent in declaring that he was fine. He went to the kitchen to get some water, and before making it to the tap, he collapsed. Hearing the fall, the others ran to him and then sped him to the hospital, not even thinking to call an ambulance or considering the fact they could get pulled over.

Dana Chapter 7

It was Monday night, around one-thirty. Technically it was Tuesday, but whatever. Dana was just getting in from one of his excursions and was about to wash himself off as he usually did. He decided to give Adrian a call. Adrian was either asleep or doing what he had just finished doing. Either way, he could leave a message.

“Hello.’

“Lil’ man. Guess you’re out getting yours, so you won’t be harassing me like usual.”

“Well, if you said yes more often—”

“I’m not a machine or a piece of beef that you can just heat up at will and have your way with,” Dana said with a chuckle, and Adrian laughed along with him. “So dare I ask who it is that you’re with?”

Dana Chapter 6

The morning sun was shining through the bedroom as Dana and Adrian woke up. It was about two thirty.

“Morning Lil’ man,” Dana said with a kiss.

“So. Italian mob. It’s not just the stuff of movies.”

“It’s my life. Was my life. But something happened and I decided I didn’t want to be anywhere near home anymore.”

“Fair enough. I haven’t been back home either. I can understand that.”

“It would seem that shooting two people is grounds for a visit. My cousin told his dad, who called me to tell me I should call my dad before he does and that was why I told you who I am. Seems I have no control over the situation.”

Dana Chapter 5

“Morning, Lil’man.”

“Morning. What time is it?” Adrian barely had his eyes open and was stumbling his way into the kitchen.

“You got time for breakfast. You won’t be late for class.”

“Okay.”

And that was it for Adrian. He saw no reason to force human status before caffeine consumption.

***

“And why were you late? Like I even need to ask,” Rene said to Adrian. He had just informed his friends that he was indeed late for his first class.

Dana Chapter 2

So the first week of school was done, and it was now the third week in August. Things were pretty much the same. Everyone had concluded that Dana was just a nice guy, anger issues aside, and there was no girl. There couldn’t be. That would mean their sleuthing skills were lacking and that obviously wasn’t happening—at least in their minds.

The twins were back at scheming to get Marco laid. He was just coming in the house late Friday night from another one of their blind dates, shouting furiously in Spanish.

“I guess it didn’t go well,” Rene snickered.

“Shut up, Rene.”

“Feisty.”

Dana Chapter 4

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Dana Chapter 3

It was now the first week in September. Dana was just getting out of the shower. He’d spent the night doing something that made him feel the need to be clean, to just wash. He was feeling a lot of that these days. He wrapped himself in a towel and headed to the kitchen for some juice only to find Jason sitting on the couch watching TV.

“You feeling better?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Just fine.”

“You don’t have to lie to me. I know what you’ve been up to. You can’t just wash this shit away.”

Dana Chapter 1

“Morning,” Janita said as she leant in and gave Rene a kiss.

“It’s Saturday. Can’t a man get any sleep?”

“No, ‘cause I made us breakfast.” Rene forced himself to get up. He didn’t feel the need to get dressed, so in his boxers, he went downstairs to the kitchen. Marco, his best friend, was already down. Coming through the door was Rene’s brother, getting rid of last night’s conquest.

“And who was that, Raul,” Rene asked.

“No one, Rene.”

“Come on. We’re twins. I know you better than that. You should leave those married men alone.”

Dana prologue

“Not guilty.”

After only a few weeks in court, a young man was walking down the stairs of the court building a free man—well, sort of. His mother was a dean at a prestigious college, and her husband just happened to be a high profile career criminal. Put those two elements together, plus a publicly hushed case, and you had the makings of mass media coverage. With no real information to go on the press could only follow him, take pictures and make stuff up. All things they are extremely good at.