Dude Smith

Darren

Darren Anthony Smith. Thirteen years old, taller than most of his friends, wealthy, good-looking, and smart. Who is that kid? That kid is me. As early as thirteen, I could have had any girl I wanted. I had girls of all ages giving me constant attention all the time, but at thirteen, I had no idea what to do about it. I was just a kid after all.

At sixteen, things were different. I think I had my first real kiss at fifteen with a girl who was a real slut. She piqued my interest in girls, but I already knew she wasn’t the type of girl I wanted. I dreamed of my soul mate even at that age. Would I ever find her? No idea.

I could go out on chaperoned dates to find that soul mate. No one ever knew that I was looking for my soul mate. That was a secret that I even kept from my closest friend, Jeffrey Hughes.

Even though we were the same age, Jeffrey was more like a little brother than my best friend. He kind of hung on to me to meet girls, not that I minded. He could have met girls on his own. He was a rich kid too. He just wasn’t as good looking as I was, and that was the truth. But he was good-looking.

I went through the last two years of my high school life pretending to be something that I wasn’t. At eighteen, I was popular with the male population at school, because they saw me as a stud. The female population was all over me just to get a chance to sleep with me. I ate it up. Everyone thought I was sleeping with every female that approached me. That wasn’t the case. I was a virgin.

Jeffrey had an insane crush on a girl by the name of Ravyn Kirk. Yeah, she was hot. She even tried to get at me, but I wasn’t having it seeing as I knew Jeffrey was crushing on her pretty hard.

Who was the girl that deflowered me? Her name was Lucy Legend. A beautiful, chocolate, young woman who was not exactly good for me, but at the time, I wasn’t aware of it, nor did I care. How did I meet her?

Jeffrey convinced me to leave school early and go into the city. I had no idea what was going on in his head, I just went with it. By midafternoon, I found myself midtown in a smoky dive bar. Jeffrey and I walked in and I almost choked to death. The air was so thick with smoke; I knew I was going to hear it from my mom when I got home. I certainly didn’t want to stay in there too long, for the smoke was certainly going to stick to my clothes like glue.

I looked around the room and didn’t see any girls our age. Or at least it didn’t appear that way. I did notice that some of the men wore colors. There were some of the women who wore the same colors. Jeffrey brought me to a smoky dive bar where some gang hung out. I really didn’t want to be there. “What the fuck man?” I exclaimed. “I thought you said there would be some girls here.”

Jeffrey feverishly looked around the room. “Funny, Ravyn said this is where she hung out.”

I smirked. “I should have known this had something to do with Ravyn. Come on let’s go.”

“Can’t we just stay for a few minutes?”

I inhaled to yell at him and started to cough. That’s just how thick the smoke was. “In this smoky ass bar?”

“Yeah. Maybe she will show up.”

“She set you up, man. There is no way Ravyn would come here.” I too looked around the room at some of the faces of the women just to be sure none of them were Ravyn, and then I saw her. Drop dead gorgeous smoking a cigarette. Beautiful brown skin, wicked, soul sucking eyes, long thick black hair. She cast a spell on me. I was busy staring at this gorgeous girl when some guy got in my way.

“We gotta go get some money from Johnny. Come on, Lucy,” the tall good looking white guy said.

He looked at that gorgeous girl and called her Lucy. What a beautiful name. She started walking toward me, and I began to sweat. I was never nervous around girls, but for some reason, this one was different. She wore a little mini-skirt and a shirt that showed off her mid-section. Her stomach was flat, and she had enormous boobs.

“Why hello there handsome. What’s your name?” She asked as she put her face very close to mine.

“My name is Darren.”

She gave me a seductive smile and tapped the patch on my school blazer. “Andrews Academy. Nice.”

Before she could ask any more about me, that tall white guy interrupted us.

“Bring your ass on Lucy, and stop flirting with this kid,” he said firmly.

Lucy crossed her arms across her large bosom and replied, “Do I always have to leave when you do?”

“Yes, you do. Now come on. Gotta go get that drop,” he said as he walked away again.

She smiled at me and said, “Oh he’s such a bully. But I will see you later. Count on it.”

She walked out of the smoky bar, leaving me with an erection that threatened to free itself from my pants. I had no idea why she told me she would see me later. I was never coming to this bar again.

“What the hell was that?” Jeffrey asked.

I laughed hysterically. “Just face it man, I’m just better looking than you. Let’s get outta here.”

Jeffrey and I walked out of the door. I didn’t think I was ever going to see Lucy again. But there was always hope.

When we got into his car, we smelled like we had been smoking ourselves.

I sniffed my sleeve. “Holy shit, my father is going to kill me.”

“Why? You didn’t do anything.”

“Are you kidding man? I smell like I’ve been smoking. He’s gonna wring my neck.”

“Not if you change at my house.”

“Good idea.”

Jeffrey pulled away from the curb and we drove to the building we both lived in. We went to Jeffrey’s place, and I changed my clothes.

“So, do you think you will ever see that Lucy girl again?” Jeffrey asked.

“Nah. She’s in some kinda gang or something.”

“So, what if you do see her again? What are you gonna do?”

“Shit man, I don’t know.”

A few days later, I was eating lunch in the quad with my friends. We were doing what guys do. Talking about sports and girls. Jeffrey looked up and his mouth dropped open.

“What?” I asked and turned around myself. I couldn’t believe it. It was Lucy, and one of her friends. They were walking toward us, both looking rather good, I will admit. She seemed to glide as she walked; with her black leather skirt clinging to her hips. My palms began to sweat as she walked toward me with her hips swaying back and forth.

One of my friends asked, “Who is that?” I couldn’t answer. I just watched intently as she continued to walk towards us. Another one of my friends walked up to Lucy with a smile on his face.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” She didn’t even bother looking away from me. She put her hand up in front of his face and kept walking. My other friends laughed as he was shot down by one of the most gorgeous women any of us had ever seen.

She finally made her way to our table and simply said, “Hello, Darren.”

I swallowed hard and stood up. “Hey, Lucy.”

“You wanna go to the park with me?” she asked as she stroked my chest.

I managed a smile. “Sure.” I turned to Jeffrey. “See you at home.” I easily and purposely ditched the rest of my classes and went with her.

We went to Central Park and walked around and chatted a bit. It was an unusually warm day. There was evidence of the last light snowfall we had, and it appeared to be melting. It was early spring, and the breeze was still a bit chilly. She scooped up some snow, threw it at me, and ran laughing as she attempted to escape. I was quicker. I managed to hit her with a snowball.

She turned to me and said, “Hey, no fair!”

I laughed. “All is fair in love and war, my dear.” I was falling for her and I didn’t even know her.

A few months later, I decided that I would introduce Lucy to my parents. It was kind of risky, seeing that she wasn’t a girl from our same social circle. Before I just sprung her on my parents, I had a conversation with my mother first.

My father was still at the office, and my mother was in the library reading. Now was a good a time as any. I walked into our library with a smile on my face. I was smiling because I was happy to see my mother. Eleanor was her name. She was named after one of my grandmother’s favorite actresses, Eleanor Parker. In some ways, Lucy reminded me of my mother. They were both gorgeous chocolate women with long hair. Both had huge hearts and were very gentle. Perhaps that is what attracted me to Lucy. Well, besides her large breasts, and mesmerizing hazel eyes.

“Mother, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked.

She closed her book, looked up at me and smiled. “Certainly, Darren. Come, sit.” I sat next to my mother on the couch. “How was your day?”

“Fine. Mother, I met a girl.”

She sat up with a huge grin on her face. “Really? Who is she?”

“Her name is Lucy Legend. She’s pretty, really nice, and I like her a lot. I was wondering if I could bring her home, so you and father could meet her.”

“I have no issues with this son. You can bring your girlfriend by anytime.”

A week later, I invited Lucy to eat dinner with my family. I had no idea Lucy was going to show up in her colors. Had I known that, I would have taken her shopping first. My father lived his life by the clock. You had to be on time, or he would be…not so pleasant.

“Where is this girl, Darren? Dinner was scheduled for six. It’s now six twenty, and she still isn’t here.”

My father, David Smith was a brilliant businessman, tall, smart, and yes, extremely wealthy. Women besides my mother found my father attractive, and not just because he had money. It is from him, that I got my good looks. He wasn’t aware that I knew about his cheating on my mother, and I never said anything to him about it. I figured that once my mother tired of it, she would leave him. Yet, she never did.

“She will be here soon father, I’m sure.”

Not five minutes later, the doorbell rang. I smiled a nervous smile. “See, there she is now.”

Moments later, Lucy walked into the dining room clad in leather from head to toe. This night she wore a short tight leather jacket with a black leotard. Her bottom half was a black, gladiator skirt with silver rings in each of its pleats. On her feet she wore knee high Gothic style boots, black with silver buckles that went from the toe, all the way up. My god she was so hot. I saw it, and I’m certain that my father saw it. My mother was surprised. I’m not sure, but perhaps she expected a short, mild mannered girl in a frilly pink dress to show up. Nope, not my type.

Dinner went well enough, though I could tell my mother didn’t care for Lucy at all. My father on the other hand pretended not to like her, but he would have fucked her in a New York minute, if he thought he could get away with it.

By the end of the night, both of my parents agreed that I was not to see her anymore. That was not going to happen. I cared deeply for Lucy, I was eighteen, and I was going to do what I wanted.

Many more weeks went by and I skipped class a lot to be with her. It was a good thing I was smart. I was able to keep up with my classes.

One Saturday, I told my parents that I was going to hang out with Jeffrey, and of course I was hanging out with Lucy. Why did I lie to them? Because they didn’t approve of her.

When she left my house after dinner, my father called her trashy. My mother simply said, she wasn’t the right girl for me, but like I said, I cared for her, and I was going to see her. I digress.

On this particular Saturday, Lucy and I were walking through the city and we ended up at Grand Central Station. As usual, the station was a hustle and bustle of people. Some hanging out with their friends, others, carrying many shopping bags, but most were just moving along minding their own business as most New Yorkers often do.

She smiled widely at me and bought a ticket. She didn’t utter a word yet urged me to buy a ticket as well. It wasn’t until we were through the turnstile when I asked, “Lucy, where are we going?”

“Nowhere special. I just thought I would take you to my house.”

“Your place? Why are we going there?”

She giggled and asked, “Wouldn’t you like to know a little more about me?”

“I suppose so.”

“Well come on, let’s go.”

I had no idea where she lived, so I was a little nervous. What if she was setting me up? “I have to be home before it gets dark,” I said with a hint of fear in my voice.

She giggled again. “Dude, you are such a goodie, goodie. Live a little.”

The train sounded its horn and she took my hand. “Come on, Dude! The train is about to leave!” She was excited to show me a bit of her world, and I let her drag me onto the train.

We ended up in Queens. I had never been to Queens before. I found it a little frightening. Queens was quite a way from Park Avenue. I grew up amongst the wealthy. Everyone I knew was upper class. Classmates included.

When I stepped off the train in Queens, it even smelled different. I could smell what everyone was cooking from inside of their houses. I thought something was wrong with everyone’s windows. Why did I never smell any food cooking on Park Avenue? It wasn’t a bad thing. I rather enjoyed the smells of varying cultures.

We walked for a few blocks after we got off the train. Convenience and liquor stores on every other corner, various homeless in the alleys, and a lot of other things a privileged kid like me had never seen before. Passing several row houses on the way, finally she stopped in front of what I could have only assumed was her house.

“Is this it?” I asked. I was less than impressed.

She walked toward the front door. “Are you coming or not?” I hesitated. “You’re not scared are you, Dude?”

“No. I’ve just never been to this side of town before.”

“Don’t worry. None of us bite...hard,” she said giggling, opening her front door.

She knew my name, but she never addressed me as so. I’m not sure why, but Lucy always called me Dude. I didn’t mind so much. At this time, I was used to it.

I walked into a room about the size of my foyer, and assumed it was the living room. Ratty sofa and love seat sat along the walls with a perfectly out of place fifty-five-inch HD television on the wall. My guess, stolen. There was a bit of a moldy smell in the room, but it was clean. I appreciated that. I wondered who else lived there. Did she live alone? I certainly hoped so.

Before long she pulled me close, and she kissed me. It was one of the most amazing kisses I had ever had in my life. My guess is that she brought me to her place, so we could be alone. I think she wanted to sleep with me. I was still a virgin, and she had no idea that I was. I was a bit nervous. Could I perform to her expectations? I was going to try even though I had no idea how.

Her hot lips were all over mine. She rammed her tongue in my mouth, and I couldn’t help but go with it. I took my time and explored her body. Everything I touched was hard and firm. The only thing soft about Lucy was her large bosom. I wanted to touch her skin. I pulled her in tighter, and her breasts pushed up against my chest. I felt my erection beginning.

Just as I was about to remove her shirt, to get at her ample bosom, a deep voice came from behind me. It was Charlie. That good-looking guy that was with her when I first met her. Come to find out, Charlie was her boyfriend.

“Lucy, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Charlie asked.

We quickly broke our embrace. I was terrified. I knew Charlie was the leader of their gang. Perhaps he was going to kill me.

“Hey baby. I was just...” Lucy tried to explain.

Before I knew it, he slapped her across the face. That pissed me off, but I was too afraid to do anything to stop him.

“I have told you fifty fucking times not to fuck around on me! Now get the fuck outta here!”

He was pissed. Perhaps I should have stayed in Manhattan.

“Charlie, he didn’t do anything!” She yelled, trying very hard to protect me.

He slapped her hard in the face again. “Why don’t you listen to me for once and get the hell outta here!” Lucy looked at me, and sadly walked up the stairs. Once she was out of sight Charlie started grinning. “She’s pretty hot, right?”

That’s what he had to say to me? She’s hot? Of course I agreed, but I didn’t say it out loud. What came out of my mouth was pure fear. “We didn’t do anything. Please don’t hurt me.”

He laughed an evil laugh, which scared me even more. “You seem pretty harmless. I’ll let you go. Just stay away from her.”

I took off running. I ran out of the front door, all the way to the train station. I didn’t relax until I was on the train headed home.

A few days passed, and I didn’t see Lucy at all. She tried to call and text, but I refused to talk to her. I was afraid if I did, Charlie was going to kill me.

Charlie Brewster was a poor white kid from Brooklyn. He fell into his current life, trying to help his drug addict mother take care of his three younger siblings. At that time, Charlie was only sixteen. He was a mild mannered kid who on the streets had to pretend to be hard, as he lived a hard life.

His mother eventually died of an over dose when he was nineteen. His three younger siblings were shipped off to separate foster homes, and as much as he wanted to see them, he was never allowed to. He let them go. He didn’t have a choice. Perhaps one day he would try to find them, but at the time, he had more interesting things going on in his life.

Years later, he managed to be second in command in his crew. All it took was for his leader, Freddie, to leave or die, and the crew would be his to command. By the time Charlie was twenty-three, it happened. He found Freddie face down on his living room floor. There was no blood, but there was a pound of coke next to him. Freddie died from an overdose of cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana. Lucky for Charlie.

Charlie became the king of the streets. He had a choice of any woman he wanted, and he chose a beautiful black woman by the name of Lucy. Lucy was in the crew, not by choice, but by necessity. When she joined, she had no one else to turn to, and she needed a place to belong.

Charlie looked at Lucy as a challenge. Beautiful black women were always a curiosity to him. He approached her, and she gave herself to him willingly. She was also smitten with him. They became a couple.

Charlie was always good to her, but Lucy would sometimes stray, and this angered him. He never hit her until one day he caught her in the act of sleeping with someone else. He beat that poor kid to a pulp and gave Lucy a warning. “I love you, Lucy. Sleep with someone else, and I am going to start beating your ass instead.”

She didn’t believe him until he caught her flirting with another man. Charlie slapped her in front of everyone around and yelled at her at the same time. Lucy didn’t believe that Charlie loved her. So, she endured his abuse, thinking that it was just in him to do that. That was so far from the truth. Charlie only wanted her to stop cheating on him and had no other way to get his point across, other than an opened handed slap to the face.

I was terrified of Charlie, but I was falling in love with Lucy the more I spent time with her. I was young. I really had no idea what real love was, but I know how I was feeling. Charlie was a gang leader, and well, now, I was banging his woman. Not sure how much longer he was going to put up with it.

Yes. Lucy managed to take my virginity. It happened when my parents went out of town, and left me in the care of my housekeeper, Josephine. Josephine didn’t care what I did when my parents were out of the house.

“So here it is,” I said, showing Lucy my room. It wasn’t as neat as it would be if my parents were home, but at least there were no dirty underwear laying around.

She looked around my room, “Homey,” she said sitting down on my bed.

I was nervous. I had never been alone in my room with her. What were we going to do?

“Over there is my computer,” I said pointing to my desk. “And through that door is my bathroom.”

“Bathroom? Mind if I pee?” she asked with a huge smile.

I shook my head. “No. Go right ahead.”

Lucy went into my private rest room and was gone for a while. I sat on my bed with full view of my rest room door and waited on her to return.

When the door opened, she was completely nude. I mean extremely large breasts; small waist and flat stomach greeted me when the door opened. This was it. I was going to lose my virginity that day, and I had nothing to say about it. Lucy wanted me, and shit, I was not going to turn her away.

I managed to stay away from Charlie, but every other time I saw Lucy, she had a new bruise, a black eye, or some other injury on her body. I personally was getting tired of it, and I was going to do something about it.

Jeffrey and I went to the movies one weekend, and I thought I would let him know what was on my mind. We walked out of the theater, and I was absolutely disgusted.

“That was the worst movie I have ever seen. Why did you drag me to see that bullshit?”

Jeffrey chuckled. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I heard Ravyn talking about it, so I thought we should check it out.”

“Man, why don’t you give up on that girl? She doesn’t even know you exist. From what I heard she’s dating Ivan now.”

“Hell naw.”

“Whatever man. Just give her ass up.”

“Look who’s calling the kettle black? What the hell are you gonna do about Lucy?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. However, I knew exactly what I wanted. How I was gonna get it was a bit tricky.

“I know you like her. So, what are you gonna do?”

I sighed a heavy sigh and looked my friend dead in his face. “I’m gonna kill Charlie.”

“Darren, are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Nope. I even got a gun.”

Jeffrey’s eyes almost fell out of his head. “Don’t do this man,” he said shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’m tired of Charlie hitting on her. I’m going to protect her.”

“Darren, I’m all for getting rid of Charlie, but-”

I smiled widely, and eventually laughed.

“What’s so fucking funny?” My best friend asked.

“You, dumb ass! I’m not gonna kill him, and I don’t have a gun. I was just fucking with you.”

“Don’t fuck with me like that. I thought I was gonna have to bring you women in prison.”

I laughed even harder. Jeffrey eventually joined in my laughter. I only told him what I did to see if he was on board or not. Since he obviously wasn’t, I played it off. But in truth, I was in love with Lucy, and I really was going to protect her.

A few weeks later, I took the train into the city alone after school. Usually I would ride home with Jeffrey, but not this day. I was going to spend time with the woman who now had both my heart and my virginity. Whenever I knew I was going to be with her, I carried the gun I got from some guy in her neighborhood. I never knew if I was going to have to protect myself from Charlie.

We walked to the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge to look out over the East River. School was almost out, and I was going to be going to college soon. I wanted Lucy by my side.

We stood in silence as we could hear the soothing sounds of the water slapping up against the stone beneath us. There was a cool breeze blowing her soft hair away from her face, and I could then stare in her mesmerizing eyes. I pulled her close, and just let the words that were in my head fly.

“I love you, Lucy.”

She pulled away from me slightly, looked me in my eyes, and giggled a bit. “Dude, I helped you out. You can’t be in love with me. I have Charlie.”

She had Charlie? What the hell? He was an abusive asshole. How could she pass up the chance to be with me? “No, no. I want us to be together. I even got a gun.”

My statement totally took her by surprise. “A gun? For what?”

“Charlie hurts you. I don’t want him to hurt you anymore. I want you to be with me. I’ll kill him for us.”

She pulled away from me completely. She looked out on the water before she replied. “Darren, you don’t understand. I am in love with Charlie.”

How any woman could love a man, who kicked her ass when he felt like it, was beyond me. All I knew is that she made me feel loved when I was with her. I only wanted to feel that way forever. I didn’t understand.

“But we...we made love.”

This woman took my virginity right in my very own bedroom. Her body was beautiful with clothes on, but nude, holy shit. I couldn’t get enough of her.

“Dude, you are a cute rich kid with lots of potential. I can’t be with you. Your parents might disown you or something horrible like that.”

“I love you, Lucy.”

She gazed at me and seriously replied, “No you don’t. You just think you do.”

What the fuck? How could she tell me what I was feeling?

“Look,” she started. “With what I have taught you, you will make many women happy.”

This was a kiss off. I didn’t want to let her go. “I don’t want many women. I want you.”

She smiled at me showing off her brilliant white teeth. “You’re cute. Kiss me and we can end this.”

End it? Hell no. “But Lucy...”

She smiled at me and simply replied. “Kiss me damn it.”

Who was I to ignore her demands? I loved her. I stepped closer to her and put my hot lips against hers. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to leave me for good. However, her kisses lit my brain and my loins on fire as they always did.

It was late. I was gonna be in so much trouble when I did get home, but I didn’t care. Lucy demanded that I give her a kiss, and I was not going to tell her no.

As my lips engulfed hers, I let my free hand wander. If this was going to be the last time I saw her, I wanted to remember how she felt. I heard footfall near where we were standing, but I wasn’t going to let her go.

“That’s enough, Lucy,” Charlie said calmly.

I knew he was gonna kick her ass again, and tonight, I was not going to put up with it. I let her try and explain away our feelings for each other. I had a gun on me, but I was still insanely afraid of Charlie.

“It’s not what it looks like Charlie,” Lucy tried to explain.

“You must think I’m a fool. I’m tired of you cheating on me.”

“I wasn’t cheating.”

“Bullshit. Step away from the kid and I might not hurt him.”

Lucy had a huge choice to make. Me or Charlie. I understood that if she chose Charlie, she was doing it to save me. I kept my mouth shut and let her choose.

“Charlie, he’s innocent.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Lucy? He had his hands all over you.”

Afraid of what might happen if she left us alone, she continued to try and help. “Charlie, don’t!”

“Get out of here Lucy! I’m tired of your mouth!”

“Charlie, you can’t do this!”

“Can’t do what?” He shouted. “You don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do! Now, get the hell out of here, Lucy!”

Unsure about what Charlie was going to do, she did as he demanded and walked away from me. She gave me an apologetic glance and left the bridge. I had no clue what was going to happen, but I loved her, so I was ready to except the consequences.

Charlie walked closer to me and gave me a threatening stare. “Now pretty boy, it’s just me and you. I want you to tell me why in the hell you insist on hanging around my girl. You do know I am not only her man, but I am her leader. What you are doing with her is making me look weak, and I’m not going to put up with this shit anymore. Lucy has cheated on me before, but nothing like she has with you. I want this shit to stop, and I want it to stop now.”

I looked Charlie dead in his eyes and shook my head. I was scared out of my mind, but I still had the gun in my pocket. “I love her, and you aren’t good for her. I can give her a better life,” I said with the utmost confidence.

Charlie let out a huge belly laugh. “Are you kidding me?” he asked as he continued to chuckle. “What can you give her? Cotillions, banquets, and whatever else you rich people do to have fun. Fake. All of it. None of it is real. Just a bunch of people that get together to compete. Who has the most money? Who has the better looking kid? Whose son is going to marry which daughter? Which kid is going to Harvard? Man, give me a fucking break. What we do out here on these streets is real. Every bit of it. Lucy is a part of my world, not yours. She wouldn’t even know how to act at one of your fancy ass parties. So, I suggest you let this be the last time I see you and go about your way. Find some rich babe to hook up with and stop slumming. It’s dangerous in the slums, kid.”

I was certain that Charlie was threatening me, but I was a big bad ass eighteen-year-old that night. I was going to get my way. I had the gun, and I was going to scare Charlie into giving Lucy up. “She told me that you cheat on her. And I see that you hit her. You are not good for her.”

“She lied to you. Get out of here kid. Go home.”

I couldn’t imagine that Charlie was remotely afraid of me, so I pulled my gun and pointed it at him. I was prepared to defend Lucy’s honor.

“She deserves better than you,” I said.

Charlie took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. “Put the gun away and go home. Mommy and daddy are waiting on you, I’m sure.”

Of course, they were waiting on me. At least my mother was, but I didn’t care. “No. Lucy is going to be my girl.”

Charlie laughed again. “You will have to go through me to get her.”

Something in me snapped. “Gladly.”

I pulled the trigger. The sound was loud, and it felt like my ears were going to bleed. I had never experienced anything like the sound of a gunshot so close. When some of the ringing stopped, I looked down, and Charlie lay on the ground bleeding. Hold the fuck up. Did I kill him? I didn’t wait to find out. I ran.

It was the day before Charlie’s funeral, and I hadn’t heard from Lucy. I wanted to see her. I wanted to explain. I walked into my empty bedroom.

“Charlie’s funeral is tomorrow. I wonder if I should go,” I thought out loud.

As I contemplated the obvious, there was a knock at my door. My dad wasn’t home, so I knew who it was.

“Come in!”

My mom came in. When I saw it was her, I froze. “Darren, I just got a call from your lawyer. Things are looking good for you.”

It looked like I was going to get away with murder. “Thanks, mother. That is great news.”

My mom expected me to be happy. “What’s the matter baby?”

“I miss Lucy. I want to see her, but she won’t answer my phone calls,” I replied hanging my head.

My mother sighed and lifted my chin, so I could look her in the face. “Darren, Lucy isn’t good for you.”

“Why not?”

“Well, first thing, she’s in a gang. Second, she doesn’t come from money, nor does she have any. Well, legal money I mean.”

I shrugged. “So, she isn’t a rich girl. I love her.”

My mother sighed again and tried to understand what I was feeling. “What do you love about her?”

I thought about her sexy curves and how well our bodies moved together. However, I couldn’t tell my mother that. “She’s beautiful, and gentle. She has a very good heart.”

“Darren, you can’t save her from the life she lives. She has made her choice.”

“How do you know I can’t save her?”

“Because look at what you did to protect her from that beast. You killed her boyfriend, and she still won’t talk to you.”

It was my turn to sigh. “I want to go to Charlie’s funeral.”

“Why?”

“I want to explain to Lucy what happened.”

My mother crossed her arms and said, “Darren, your father is spending a fortune to keep you out of jail. I don’t think you should go.”

“Mother, I have to go. I need to try and make things right with her.”

My mother looked at me and saw the love I had in my eyes for Lucy. She paced the floor knowing what she was going to say was going to make me happy. However, if my father found out, I was going to be in trouble, and so was she.

She turned to me and said, “Your father is going out of town tonight. I don’t know when he will be back. I still don’t suggest you go, but I won’t say anything if you do.”

I smiled and hugged her tight. “Thanks mother, you’re the best.”

I walked into the church to the sound of a woman crying. There weren’t many people there, but many them were members of Charlie’s gang. I only knew this because they didn’t bother putting on a suit to bury their leader. They wore their colors instead. For all I knew this was a sign of respect.

As I walked toward the front of the church, I got crazy stares, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to talk to Lucy. I walked down the main isle towards Charlie’s coffin. I got to the first pew and looked at Lucy. I never saw her cry so much. It upset me to see her so sad. I instantly regretted what I did.

She was being comforted by a large blond man. He was almost as big as Charlie was.

“Lucy,” I said quietly.

The large blond man instantly stood up. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Lucy looked up to find me standing there. She couldn’t believe it. “Dude?”

“He shouldn’t be here, Lucy. He should be locked up or dead. I think death is a better option,” the large man said, and he moved closer to me.

I didn’t care if he beat me to a pulp. I just wanted to talk to Lucy.

“Mason, wait,” Lucy said quietly. Then she stood up and walked close to me, tears still streaming down her face. “What do you want, Dude?”

“I am so sorry, Lucy. I didn’t mean it. I was scared.”

“I never should have continued with you. When Charlie told me to leave you alone, I should have listened. Perhaps if I had, he would still be here.”

“I just thought we could be together.”

“I already told you. I loved Charlie and he loved me. You killed him. Now I want you to get out of here. I never want to see you again.”

“But, Lucy-”

“Get the hell out of here, Dude! Now!” She yelled, and instantly broke down crying again. Mason held her as she cried.

“Lucy, please! I didn’t mean it!”

Mason let Lucy go. The next thing I knew I was on the floor, and my jaw hurt. Mason quickly straddled me as I was laying there, and he punched me two more times in the face. He was going to kill me. My mother was right. She’s always right.

“Mason, stop!” Lucy yelled, as she noticed more members descending on me.

He listened. He got off me and stood up. To add insult to injury, he spat on me before he said, “Get the hell out of here man. You’ve done enough,” Mason warned.

I pulled myself to my feet, and slowly made my way out of the church. When I got outside, I allowed a tear to fall for the woman I loved.

She was so wrong. I was the better man. Charlie was a piece of shit. But what was I to know? Perhaps he really did love her. She quickly became a part of my past. She said she never wanted to see me again, and well she meant it.

My parents spent a shit ton of money to save my hide. They didn’t have a choice. I was the sole heir to the Smith fortune. They had to save me. I’m not sure how much money it cost for the lawyers to keep me out of jail, but I’m sure it was a ton. My father’s attitude towards me changed after that. I mean he was always distant, but after I technically got away with murder, he did as much as he could to avoid talking to me.

Not long after my trial, he did tell me that I was not going to stay in the state to go to college. He was going to send me to Rhode Island to go to school. I wasn’t happy about it, but I couldn’t go against the great David Smith. I was upset because I was going to leave my best friend behind.

Jeffrey’s father and my father were business partners and had been for as long as I could remember. When we were kids, Jeffrey and I only wanted to hang out with our dads. That didn’t always happen. I think that is how we became best friends. His mother died when we were just juniors in high school, and that only brought us closer together.

One day during the summer, Jeffrey called me and asked me to come over. He had something to show me. “So, what’s up?” I asked.

“I got my acceptance letter to Brown.”

“Brown? I thought you were going to NYU?”

My best friend looked at me and replied, “Can’t let my boy go out of state without me.”

I couldn’t believe it. I laughed at my incredible friend. “Man, you are the best.”

“I know it. Now if I could just get Ravyn to notice.”

We laughed, sat down, and began to play video games.

In the fall, Jeffrey and I boarded a plane headed towards Brown University. When the plane took off, I thought of Lucy. I wanted to do something for her to make up for killing Charlie. There was only one thing that I could do. I became the very nickname she gave me. Darren Smith was the good-looking rich kid from New York. I didn’t want to be him anymore. I thought I would become someone Lucy would appreciate. She said she left me with skills to please any woman. So, to honor her, I became Dude Smith. Oh yes. I was still the good-looking rich kid from New York, but Dude Smith slept with everything. If women threw themselves at me, who was I to turn them down? I used protection, so I wouldn’t make any babies or contract some disease. I was a known man-whore on campus, but I didn’t care. I was using the gift Lucy gave me to cover up the pain I was feeling for losing her.

Four years later, Jeffrey and I graduated from college. We went back to New York and began our training to take over the business. It was cool hanging out with my best friend and our fathers. After all that happened to me, it seemed that I was finally able to put my past behind me.