Caught In The Middle

facing danger head on

I WOKE up a little late the following day, I was running a little late for my meeting with Arianna’s uncle so I rushed my way through bathing and got dressed as fast as I could and ran to my car. I was at Arianna’s place 10 minutes later pounding at her front door,

“You are almost late” she said with a smirk as she opened the door

‘I know I overslept, is he here yet?” I asked and she nodded

“But he’s still talking to my dad we can wait for him by the pool” she said as she led me in and we headed to the pool and sat on the chairs there.

We sat there and Arianna started complaining about her boyfriend whom she hadn’t seen since the weekend began and she told me how she would punish him for it when we got back to school. I was just nervous about what her uncle wanted to say to us, I wondered what had happened after we left. What did Marcus say to him and I hoped he didn’t make it look like I lead him on because I didn’t.

Did I?

“Hello girls” said Uncle Phil as he took a seat next to Arianna and we both sat up and took off the sunglasses we had on

“Hi Uncle Phil” we both said

“Ok so let me start by saying how impressed I am at your hard work yesterday, I am truly impressed at the way you handled yourself, especially you Sabina. I know that it wasn’t easy for you to deal with Marcus; he can be an ass at times and demanding too. I would like to apologise for his behaviour towards you yesterday, and the mistake Antonio made. You were not supposed to be in there with him we normally leave that for the more experienced workers. Are you ok though?” he finally asked

“Yeah am ok, Marcus was just being weird and probably drunk. I guess that’s the other part of being a waitress...you have to deal with all the drunkards” I tried to brush it off

“True as that may be, I don’t want you to think every customer behaves like that. And if anything ever makes you uncomfortable let me know right away...both of you” he said looking at both of us and we both nodded

‘Ok now that we have cleared that, I will email both of you your working schedule so that you know when you will be coming in and I will make sure you get all the same shift” he said and we both nodded again.

I was just relieved that id I didn’t lose my job, how would I have been able to explain it to my mum after she had said that she was proud I was taking responsibility. To turn around and tell her that responsibility would have been a nail in my mistrust coffin.

After we spoke to Uncle Phil Arianna convinced me to accompany her to the mall. I wasn’t up to it because I was just exhausted both emotionally and physically and I just wanted to rest before school the following day. As we drove from the mall I noticed that there was a car behind us that kept taking every turn that we took.

“Are we being followed?” I asked Arianna

“Stop being paranoid, Marcus had people to kill he wouldn’t waste his time with us” she said and i agreed hesitantly, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that we were actually being followed.

After we got to Arianna’s place I decided to head home because I was still tired and it was already late afternoon. I drove home still deep in thought, no matter how much I wanted to deny it, I was drawn to Marcus. I couldn’t stop thinking about him ever since I had met him, the way he held me and ran his hands on my cheeks. The way tried to brush my hand each time I handed him something or took something from him. I was going crazy trying to figure out what it was that made him drawn to me.

After having dinner with my mum I went straight to bed in an attempt to hide that I was consumed in thoughts. I didn’t want her thinking something had happened at work; in fact I didn’t want her thinking about my job period.

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The following day I woke up early to go to school fully intending on burying myself in my school work. My weekend hadn’t turned out the way I wanted it to, I couldn’t get Marcus off my mind it was like he was all I wanted and all my mind wanted to entertain. Arianna ditched me for her boyfriend so I was alone the whole time at school.

After school I headed to my car and then I noticed a black suburban parked outside the school gate, but I figured it was none of my business and because I had been so paranoid after meeting Marcus I brushed it odd as my paranoia.

I headed to my car while searching my dag for my car keys, and then I bumped into a hard chest. I fumbled backwards and all my things from my bag flew all over. I squatted and started picking them up and the owner of the hard chest helped me pick them up.

“Am so sorry beautiful lady I should’ve watched where I was going” he said and I immediately recognised the voice, or was I being paranoid again. Damn it I couldn’t get my head off Marcus

“It is....” my words failed me as I looked into those blue green eyes, and I got lost in them once more

“It’s ok” I whispered not taking my eyes off him

“What are you doing here?’” I asked him unintentionally and he laughed a little

“I won’t lie ok and say I was in the area, I came here to see you...I just had to see you again” he said

“Why?” I asked, the question came out faster than intended

“I don’t know why, I’m...I’m just drawn you. I just want to see more of you at any given time. Ever since I saw you, you are all I have been thinking about” he said and I realised that people were now watching us and small groups of spectators were being formed as people started recognising him. Of course everyone knew who he was and everyone was afraid, and I also knew they wanted to know why he was talking to me. I wished the ground could just swallow me

“Can we go somewhere, too many eyes” I said pulling him to my mini cooper and he was heavier to even pull. It he had resisted I would’ve probably would’ve fallen to the ground.

 I drove us to the park nearby and parked my car at a hidden spot so that no one could see me at tell on me. But what was I thinking being in a secluded place with the country’s most feared man i was just a teenager for crying out loud.

“So what do you want?” I asked as fast as I could to avoid any awkward silence

“You...” he said as if I was a simple thing to handover

“I mean, i think am in love with you I have never really believed in love at first sight but it has happened to me. All I know is that I need you in my life otherwise I will never be complete without you” he said and my eyes widened in astonishment

“A whole Mafia, is after me and am pretty sure you are too old for me” I said

“Not really you are 17 and I am 22. I am the youngest to ever take over but I had to since my dad’s untimely death. I had to keep the family legacy going” he said proudly and I was disgusted

“A legacy of what...dead bodies?” I asked and his expression became serious

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t go around killing people for fun. But when I do kill it’s for a very good reason” he said as if that excused killing anyone

“Well I googled you...” I said and he smirked

“I didn’t cyber stalk you, I was just curious what the big deal about you was” I said in my defence

“I see, but I would advice that you don’t take anything you read about me to heart” he said

“Whatever it doesn’t matter anyway, I can never be with you. I am in high school” I exclaimed

“That doesn’t mean anything, it’s not like am asking you to marry me...for now” he said and I raised a brow

“And what the f**k does that mean?” I asked annoyed and he laughed

“You are very feisty...I like that. You are not as sweet and innocent as I thought you were” he said referring to my use of vulgar

“Ok that’s it get out of my car” I said starting my car

“You are kidding right?” he asked in disbelief

“No am not kidding, get the f**k out and I don’t ever want to see you again” I said

“You know a lot of women would kill to be in your position right now” he said

“What position is that? Anyway I would kill to not be here with you” I said

“So why did you bring me here then?” he asked and I hesitated before answering, that was a very good question why did I bring him here...?

“Just get the f**k out and go” I snapped and I could see a vein pop up on his forehead, he seemed pissed and I didn’t give a rat’s ass

“You b***h, at least take me back to where I was” he snapped

“no way you freak, you were stalking me remember... so as far as am concerned you can walk back” I snapped back, if he was used to using women as his doormats  he wasn’t going to get that from me.

He got out of my car and made sure to slam the door behind him and I didn’t even care to see which direction he went. I started my car and sped off leaving him to figure out how he was going to get back to where he was.

How dare he speak to me like that and call me a b***h, he didn’t even know me like that. I didn’t even have a boyfriend to begin with i had never even had one. I was fuming as I drove home and realised that I had a couple of missed calls from my mum and a voice message.

I listened to it and she was just telling me that she would home late because she had to work an extra shift at the hospital and urging me to make sure I kept the door locked and to call her if I needed anything or if anything happened. That job wasn’t even paying her for the hard work she was doing for them, why was my life this hard and complicated.

Why did my mum constantly think I was in danger?

Was I in actual danger or she was losing her mind? I always wondered.

But now I could’ve have been in actual danger if I went on with pissing a man like Marcus off

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I failed to notice the suburban parked right by my driveway until I got closer. The driver was blocking my way in and I didn’t recognise the car, all the warnings of being careful that my mum had issued flew out the window as I saw red...

The right thing to do was drive past and pretend I didn’t live there, but I didn’t...