No Turning Back - Chapter 13: Chapter 13

I groaned as I heard my phone ring loudly on my nightstand. I rolled onto my stomach and pulled my pillow over my head in an attempt to block out the music. After a while, it stopped and I felt myself drifting back into unconsciousness. That bliss didn't last long though since my phone started ringing again. I gave up and finally answered the phone. "Hey," I heard Jayden's voice say. "Did I wake you up?"
"Yes. Do you know what time it is," I told him.
"It's noon, white boy. It's time to get your ass up." I groaned.
"No. I'm still tired after last night. I didn't know you could get hangovers from too many Monsters." I heard Jayden chuckle.
"You are such an amateur," he stated. I lay back down against my pillows. "So, what are you doing later?"
"I don't know," I said with a yawn. "I was planning on sleeping. Why?"
"Well, we never got to talk yesterday about the stuff on your mind so I thought maybe we could hang out and you could get some stuff off your chest."
"Sure. That sounds good." Jayden hesitated for a moment.
"You...you can come over to my house...if you're not too scared."
"Your house," I asked in surprise. "Um, yea...sure. I'll be there in an hour. Just text me your address."
"Okay...see you then." He then hung up, leaving me in a bit of confusion. First of all, I was a bit surprised that he actually invited me to hang out so that we could actually talk instead of doing more work on our project. Second, I was surprised at the fact that he invited me to his house. I knew that he lived in the Spanish ghetto and I knew a lot of gangs and such resided up there. I think he was trying to get me killed or robbed or something. He knew that I couldn't possibly last five minutes up there. Hopefully, my GPS would get me to his house safely and everything would be fine.
I reluctantly hopped out of my bed and started to get my clothes together. I decided on a plain white tee, a pair of worn jeans, and white Nike sneakers. I didn't want to dress too nice and draw attention to myself. Then again, I am white and that would draw enough attention. I guess I just didn't need any more. I took a long shower before getting dressed and brushing my hair. I also threw on an old Brown University hoodie over my shirt. Once I was all set to go, I headed downstairs. My parents were in the living room watching television. "Where are you going," my dad asked as I walked past the doorway. I walked backwards so that I was in the doorway and facing them. My parents were looking at me curiously, taking in my simple clothes and slightly messy hair. "And why do you look like that?"
"I'm going to Jayden's house," I said. "I look like this because I'm trying to blend in." My dad raised an eyebrow.
"You guys are working pretty hard on this project I see."
"Uh, actually, we're starting to become friends. He called me a while ago and asked if I wanted to hang out so...yea." My dad nodded, his eyes gleaming a bit of suspicion.
"Be careful," he told me. I nodded before turning to leave. "Wait," he said as he got up. I saw him leave the living room for a moment before he returned with a small gun in his hand.
"Dad," I started. "It's not that serious." He pushed the small pistol into my hand anyway. "Dad, I don't-"
"Just in case," he said. I sighed but hooked it into my jeans. "Good boy," he said with a smile. "Have fun now." I forced a smile at him before retreating out of my house. I got into my car and punched the address Jayden had given me into my GPS. I also threw the pistol into my glove compartment. I wasn't positive if I was going to need it but I was positive that I couldn't let Jayden see it on me. I didn't want to raise any suspicions in him nor did I want him to see me as a threat - not that he would anyway. Once the glove was firmly tucked away, I hit the road. My GPS led me out of my neighborhood, through center city, through the middle class houses, down to the Spanish ghetto. The houses down there weren't too bad. They weren't as big as the houses in my neighborhood but they weren't much smaller than the middle class houses. I noticed a lot of people walking up and down the streets in their hoodies, smoking and talking. There were also lots of streets that were lined with small food and convenience stores. The area didn't seem too bad, I guessed. Jayden lived on a cul-da-sac where the houses were pretty decent, I guess. They weren't as bad as I thought. His was the one all the way at the end. I noticed before the GPS said so since I spotted his motorcycle in the driveway in front of the small garage next to a red Chevy Malibu. I parked next to the curb before turning everything off in my car. I took a deep breath, noticing that I was nervous. Since I was at his house then I would most likely be meeting his family. Now, I wished that I had dressed a little nicer.
I got out of my car and began to walk up the walkway onto the big porch. I knocked on the front door and waited, my stomach starting to twist into knots. I heard some yelling going on inside the house – probably about someone answering the door. Thankfully, Jayden was the one who opened it. He was wearing a fitted gray tank top in which his arm muscles bulged out freely and a pair of black sweats that hung low on his hips. His curly hair was a mess on top of his head and his emerald eyes looked annoyed. He looked me over and raised an eyebrow. "Hi," I told him. His glowing eyes looked back up at my face and his tiny smile appeared.
"Hey," he replied, his accent the strongest I've heard it. He stepped aside to let me in. "Come on in." I shot him a polite smile as I came into his house. Immediately, I got a whiff of a strong cinnamon scent that had been faint on him. I also smelled the faint smell of pancakes that might have been from earlier. His front door led into a hallway in which I could see a staircase on my right, a doorway to what was probably a living room on my left, a closet door farther down and a doorway into what looked to be a kitchen.
"Jayden," I heard a small girl's voice say. Her accent was strong but not as strong as Jayden's. "Where did you go? The show isn't over yet!"
"Ugh," he groaned under his breath. I smiled softly as I raised a playful eyebrow. "She's making me watch My Little Pony. It's absolute torture," he whispered to me.
"Jayden," the girl whined.
"Alright, Cece, I'm coming," he said. He nodded his head for me to follow him into the living room. His living room was pretty big with a nice red carpeted rug, dark chestnut furniture, a big flat screen TV in which some cartoon with ponies was playing, dark burgundy curtains over the windows and candles burning in one corner. On the big couch in front of the television were two little girls in their pajamas. The older one reminded me of Jayden with her emerald almond shaped eyes and dark curly hair. The other one had the same eyes and hair as her siblings but her face was rounder and sweeter since she was younger. They both eyed me with curiosity.
"Who's this," the older said as her head popped up in excitement.
"Yea, Jayden, who's this?" The younger one repeated. Their squeaky voices were so cute and they were so tiny. They reminded me of little baby dolls.
"This is Daniel," Jayden said. "Daniel, that's Adriana," he pointed to the older one, "and Cecilia," he pointed to the younger one.
"You can call me Anna," Adriana said.
"And you can call me Cece," Cecilia said with a warm smile. Some of her teeth were missing but it was cute. "We should be friends," she said as she got up from her seat on the couch and ran up to me. She grabbed my hand and towed me to the couch. She made me sit between her and her sister, both of them smiling up at me.
"He doesn't want to be bothered with you two," Jayden said as he walked up to us. I looked up to see a teasing smirk on his face, his eyes bright with amusement. "He came to hang out with me."
"Maybe he'll like us better. Besides, we're cuter than you," Adriana said. Jayden stuck his tongue out at her causing me to laugh. Cecilia poked at my arm causing me to look over at her.
"I like your eyes," she told me. "They're blue like the sky and I like blue." I smiled at her.
"Thank you. I like your smile," I told her. Cecilia smiled wider, her eyes brightening with happiness.
"You do, Daniel, you really do," she asked. I nodded.
"You can call me Danny, you know."
"Do you call Jayden Jay Jay? We call him Jay Jay," Adriana said causing me to look to her.
"No, I just call him Jayden."
"Why," Cecilia asked.
"Because he knows that if he calls me Jay Jay then I'll punch him right in his mouth," Jayden said. Adriana glared at him.
"Stop being mean," she scolded him. "Do you go to school with Jayden, Danny," she asked as she looked back up at me. I nodded. "Are you getting ready to graduate too?" I nodded. "That's so cool! Are you excited to go to college and stuff? What do you wanna be when you grow up?"
"I wanna be a princess," Cecilia said.
"I'm going to be a lawyer," Adriana said with a proud smile.
"Jayden's gonna be a soldier," Cecilia said. "So, what are you gonna be?"
"I'm gonna be a doctor," I said. Both of the girls' eyes widened in awe. I blushed softly under their gazes before glancing at Jayden. He was staring at me with that tiny smile on his face. I unconsciously blushed deeper as I looked away.
"I like you, Danny," Adriana said. "I hope you and Jayden are friends for a long time."
"Thanks. Me too," I told them. Jayden stood up causing all of us to look at him.
"Come on, Daniel. You're well acquainted with my sisters now so it's time for you to meet my mom and my grandmother." Immediately, I felt the nervous knots in my stomach return. Why was I feeling so nervous anyway? I mean, this wasn't really a big deal. I met my friends' parents all the time and they always liked me. I'm sure his mom would like me...hopefully. I bid a goodbye to his younger sisters before following Jayden down the hall to the kitchen. Inside was a petite, curvy woman with long black hair, bright emerald green eyes, and a soft but fierce face. Jayden looked exactly like her – just the boy version. She was really pretty though and I could tell that she didn't really take a whole lot of shit. She smiled warmly as Jayden and I appeared in the doorway.
"Ah, so this is your amigo, hm," she said. Her accent was strong but it was laced in nicely with her motherly voice. Her eyes went to me. "It's very nice to meet you," she told me.
"Él es muy guapo," I heard another woman say. I looked over to see an elderly version of Jayden's mother sitting at the table, her fingers busy with knitting what seemed to be a scarf. His grandmother housed the same emerald eyes as her daughter but her hair was gray and her face was warm.
"Mama, abuelita, this is my friend, Daniel. The one I told you about," he said.
"¿El que con los ojos azules del océano hermosos que estás loco por, verdad?" His grandmother said with a mischievous smile. Jayden blushed deeply at her words as his eyes widened.
"Abuelita," he yelled in embarrassment. His grandmother and his mother giggled at his response. He groaned and grabbed my arm. "Whatever you two," he said before the back door in the room opened. In came a tall, deeply tanned man with dark brown eyes, facial hair, and wavy hair. He was holding bags in which he set down on the table. The man didn't look mean to me but by the way Jayden's muscles tightened up, I guessed that this was his mom's boyfriend. His mother smiled weakly at the man as she went to kiss him on the cheek.
"Gracias, Nicolas," she told him. He nodded before looking to Jayden and I. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of me.
"Hanging out with white boys now," he asked Jayden. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"Nicolas," his mother said sharply as her hand tightened on his arm. "Stop. We have a guest." I noticed Jayden was glaring at this man, probably killing him a thousand different ways in his mind. Now, I thought the looks he used to give me was bad but the one he was giving this new man was much, much worse.
"Come on, Daniel," he said, grabbing my wrist. "Let's go upstairs."
"Asegúrate de que utilizas protección!" His grandmother yelled as we entered the hallway. Jayden sent a playful glare back at her but continued to tow me to the stairs and up to his room. I had to say that I was a bit surprised at what his room looked like. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I sure wasn't expecting to see a huge bookshelf practically filled to the max with books or the trophies lining his dressers or the UFC posters on his walls or the bulletin board filled with pictures of his family and friends. His room was filled with the average teenager stuff. There was a bed, a desk in which a laptop sat atop it, a small television on a stand, a few dressers and a closet. His room was neat too. You could see the entire floor which surprised me. His walls were painted a deep gray but the way the sun reflected it made it look like a dark silver. Jayden shut the door behind him as I walked up to look at the trophies on his dresser. Most of them were for mixed martial arts tournaments while a few others were for academics.
"You know karate," I asked lamely. I glanced at Jayden to see that he was staring at me, his eyes waiting expectantly for me to comment. He rolled his eyes at my question.
"No. Karate and mixed martial arts are two very different things. Karate is about disciplining your body and all that other stuff. Mixed martial arts is about beating the shit out of people."
"What do you learn in these mixed martial arts classes or whatever?" Jayden took a seat at his desk, his eyes staying in contact with mine.
"Well, we learn a combination of techniques from wrestling, boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, and some karate. It's known as an extreme sport because we beat the shit out of each other. But to dumb it down for you, we usually strike our opponents or punching per to say, we kick them and we grapple. Basically, it's the stuff you see on UFC." I nodded in understanding.
"How did you get into it?"
"My dad was really into it when he was growing up so he threw all his sons into it. My brothers enjoyed it too but I took more interest. While they did it for fun and to attempt to stay out of trouble, I entered into tournaments and stuff like that."
"Judging from all your trophies you must be pretty good at it." He shrugged.
"I think I use it to help get my anger out. Punching someone really does help get rid of steam." He put a hand behind his head as he spoke next. "You should come to one of my matches sometime. Bethany always goes and she gets pretty into it. Besides, it'd be nice to have another supporter there."
"Okay. I'll come. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there." His small smile returned.
"Cool," he said simply. I walked over to where all of his UFC posters were and looked at them curiously. Jayden watched me, his eyes analyzing my facial expressions. "So, you're into sports, right?"
"Yea. I play football, basketball and I run track."
"No baseball?"
"Nah. I think it's boring." I turned around to look at him. "You don't like sports?"
"I like watching them but I don't like playing them. It's just not my thing."
"You're more into fighting, huh?" He nodded. "When did you start getting into classes? Were you little?"
"Yea. They start you off just learning all the different combinations and holds and how to do certain things. You don't actually get to full on seriously fight someone until you're in middle or high school. Everything before that is just sparing and grappling."
"Is it...fun?"
"Well that depends if you're getting your ass kicked or not." I chuckled softly as I shook my head.
"Then I probably wouldn't enjoy it." Jayden got up from his seat and walked over to sit on his bed. His eyes watched me expectantly, telling me that it was okay to sit down. I smiled nervously before sitting down beside him. I looked down at his forearms to see that his bruises were gone and the healing cuts I had seen before had turned into faint scars.
"You don't know how to fight, do you?"
"Yea, my family didn't really think I needed to know. I've never really had any enemies...except you a while ago. I figured you already knew that I had no experience. You kicked my ass without even really trying."
"How did you know I wasn't really trying," Jayden said with a raised eyebrow.
"Because if you were then you probably would have killed my scrawny ass." We both laughed softly as Jayden rolled his eyes. "How come you started being...cordial, I think the word is, to me after we fought?"
"Because you owned up to what you did. You apologized and I respected you for that. It takes a lot for someone to swallow their pride and sincerely admit that they were wrong. But I think that I should've apologized too. I was being a dick to you from the start and you were only trying to be nice. I'm kind of used to pushing people away and I knew that you were one of those big shot dudes so I thought that you were going to be a dick too but you turned out not to be. You're...you're a good person. I wish I could have realized that sooner. Maybe then we would've started out better."
"It's alright. I mean, we're friends now so I guess God wanted us to be this way." He nodded.
"I guess so." He tugged out his cross again and traced it. "So, tell me, what's on your mind?"
"A lot," I said. "It's going to sound stupid compared to all that you've been through in your life but I just feel suffocated right now with college and my parents and Mia and it's all just a lot. I'm tired all the time, my brain never gets to stop running and I never get to be myself. I'm always putting on a show to make everyone else happy."
"Are you happy," Jayden asked.
"I don't know anymore," I said distantly. "All I know is that I can't wait to graduate and just start over."
"I think that's one thing we both can agree on." I smiled at him.
"That's a miracle." Jayden chuckled, shaking his head.
"You know, since you decided to share your interests with me with your books and stuff...I could...I could teach you some of the mixed martial arts stuff. There's a UFC gym a couple blocks away and I have some friends there who wouldn't mind helping. That's if you want."
"Sure," I said. "That'd be cool."
"Oh and speaking of books: I'm on City of Glass and I'm ready to kick your ass but I'm gonna wait until I finish City of Heavenly Fire so don't worry."
"Yea, you're definitely going to kill me after that book," I murmured lowly. Jayden smirked sadistically causing me to blush softly.
"I can't wait." He began to crack his knuckles. "Gonna kick me some more white boy ass."
"Hey, I could probably take you if you gave me a chance." Jayden stopped cracking his knuckles and looked at me as if I had three heads.
"Your scrawny ass can't do shit to me."
"You wanna bet," I teased.
"Five dollars," he said. Before I could say fine, he had tackled me onto my back on his bed and pinned me down. The next thing I knew, he was throwing light punches at my torso. I played along with him and we rolled onto the floor. He started laughing as we wrestled on the ground, struggling to get the upper hand on the other. I bet we looked stupid as we rolled around on the ground but I didn't care. I was having fun playing around with him and I could tell that he was having fun too from the sound of his care-free laughs. I liked his laugh and I liked the victorious smile that he gave me as he pinned me firmly to the ground. As I looked into his bright emerald eyes, I felt my stomach twist around in a strange way. I felt a bit...excited from the feel of his body on mine as he straddled me and his strong hands holding my wrists down above my head. For some reason, our wrestling had given me a thrill – one that I have never felt before. I kind of liked it though and I wanted to experience it more.
"I call five rounds before we decide a winner," I told Jayden. He raised an eyebrow.
"Four more rounds of you getting your ass kicked?" He shrugged. "Alright if that's what you want." He got off me and let me up before he tackled me down again. Of course, he won every single one of those rounds but I didn't mind. It was all for the fun of it anyway. After all of our rounds, Jayden decided to flip on some UFC matches so that I could get an idea of what he does for fun. Then we went downstairs and played the UFC game that he had and we goofed around. I had a lot of fun around him that day. I got to see a lighter, friendlier, warmer side of him. I almost didn't want to leave because I knew he would go back into his hard shell the next time I saw him. Or at least that's what I thought. Just before I left, Jayden shot me the brightest smile I'd ever seen and from then I knew that I earned his trust as well as his true friendship. He wasn't locking himself back anymore. He was going to be himself and that thought brought nothing but joy to my heart. I could tell that our friendship was going to go far and there were good things that were going to come along with that.