Episode I [continued]

Amelia had a knack for getting into trouble, and Ollie always had to get her out of it. When he wasn't slapping himself in the face to stay awake as he drove he muttered obscenities under his breath. He couldn't understand why there was no one else for Amelia to rely on. He blamed himself most of the time. He had been in love with her for the better part of two years. It wasn't until he almost overdosed in a bender that he finally lost his devotion.

Maybe he was too persistent or tried to hard because when she told him about her steady boyfriend it pissed him off so much that he popped a whole bunch of pills, went for a drive and drove his car into a ditch. He tried to keep that idea in mind as he turned his headlights off and pulled into her driveway.

The driveway was situated on the back end of the house; the only way to get in was to pull in the alley behind the house. He hopped the fence and made his way to the door as he pulled his phone out of his coat and sent Amelia a message. He pulled out a clove cigarette and lit it as he leaned his shoulder against the door frame. He slipped a pair of leather gloves out of his other coat pocket and put them on as took a drag on the clove. As he peered through the window on the backdoor he could hear the guy in her house loudly asking for a drink. The guy's words were slurred.

"Girl you're fine as hell. Be a good bitch and get me a drink."

"Just a second. I'm... taking out the trash."

Amelia opened the door. As the smoke lifted above his face he could see her. Amelia had her hair in curls this time, like dirty blond ringlets tumbling past her shoulders. He could tell she had been at one of the close by clubs by her outfit. Her black tube top was bra-less and shoulder-less and because of the size of her breasts it left very little for the imagination, and her black leather skirt was definitely shorter than fingertip length. Her exposed midriff showed of the new diamond-studded navel piercing she said she got gratis, but he knew gratis meant a quick lay for the gentleman's troubles. That only aggravated him more, and led him to be more snarky than normal.

" So, what have we learned?"

"Don't bring strange men home?"

"No, who fucking cares who you fuck..."

"Don't play with weapons?"

"No, playing with weapons if fine, but if you have play around, make sure the chamber is empty and the safety's on!"

He looked at her as the outdoor light danced on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her mascara was running. Part of him wanted to take her and rest her head on his shoulder. She had done that a few times in the past. But, seeing as how she was still holding a M9 Beretta and the cops would soon be there, he had no time to be sympathetic. He grabbed the gun from her as he stepped into the kitchen. The kitchen was about twenty or so feet away from Amelia's living room where the guest who wouldn't leave was sitting. The television was loud enough that the guy couldn't hear Amelia and Ollie talking by the fridge.

"Boy, do you know how to pick em, haven't you heard of the buddy system, this is what they teach us to keep girls like you from getting raped. Where'd you meet this fucking mook."

"He shared a cab with me and followed me in."

"I bet that sobered you up. Where's Jenn or Shelly?"

"Jenn's off on a date with her bf, and Shelly's seeing her boyfriend off. He's getting deployed again."

"Do you even know the guy's name?"

"It's Craig or Kenny or Alex... Alex I think."

He removed the magazine from the gun and checked the chamber, which only made things worse.

"Christ, Amelia, there was a round in the chamber. You realize you could have killed this guy or yourself if you pulled the trigger. Keep the safety on at all times, unless you need to use it. Pleas tell me you didn't tell the cops you had a gun did you?"

She shook her head. Ollie whipped her prints from the gun and made his way into the living room after putting the magazine back in the gun and making sure the safety was on. By then Alex/Craig/Kenny was nodding off. Ollie walked up to him sitting in the recliner next to the front door. He put a round in the chamber, the sound of which made the guy wake up. He opened his eyes to a gun resting between his eyebrow. Ollie took a deep breath and spoke.

"Hey, chum, wake up the cops are coming; they'll be here any minute. It's time for you to leave."

He dropped his smile, pulled the hammer back, and watched as the drunken fool pissed his pants in fear.

[Continued]