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When I returned to the house, the guys were working on Joker’s bike. One of his neons had burned out and needed to be replaced. When I pulled up, they stopped what they were doing and came to the car to get the bags. I did the shopping. The least they could do was put the shit up.
Joker was like a kid when I brought groceries home. I didn’t understand it, but he got so excited by the new food in the house. He never got excited for anything, but digging through a grocery bag, you’d think he was ripping into presents at Christmas. He was such a fucking weirdo.
“You got this?” I asked Crow, nodding toward the bags on the counter.
“I’ll take care of it. Where are you going?” he asked when I turned away.
“I need a ride. I need to clear my head.”
I turned to see a concerned look on Crow’s face.
“I’m good,” I announced as I went into the garage and got on my bike.
I needed the freedom of the road and the sounds of my engine. I needed peace. Everything was so fucking crazy lately. I thought a trip to Tybee Island was due. Just me, the waves, and the sand.
Instead, I found myself parked across the street from Tori’s apartment. The bus was slower since it had so many stops, which meant I was there for a few minutes before she got off at the stop close to her house, bags in hand, and started walking toward her apartment. I don’t know why I cared, but I wanted to be sure she made it home okay.
I was relieved that she kept the groceries. She needed to eat. She seemed to be losing weight since the first time I saw her. She went inside, and I sat for a bit, watching the apartment building and the people dealing in the parking lot. I was about to leave and go home when I saw Tori leave the apartment again in her work clothes.
It was crazy, but I followed her to work again and ensured she safely entered The Huddle. It wasn’t my responsibility, but I needed to do something. The problem was she would never take anything I offered her, and I didn’t want her to know anything was coming from me. I wasn’t a nice guy, and I needed her to continue to hate me so I could keep hating her.
A rusted black truck pulled close to where I sat, and an older guy got out. An idea struck me as soon as I saw him.
I got off my bike and started in his direction. When he realized I was walking to talk to him, he paused and crossed his arms.
“Hey, man, could you do me a favor?” I asked.
He nodded. “I could try. What’s up?”
“See that girl right there?” I said, pointing at Tori, who was working behind the counter.
“Yeah. What about her?”
“Tip her with this when you pay. You can even use some of it to pay for your meal. Deal?” I unfolded my wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.
His eyes grew large when he saw the hundred-dollar bill I held out to him. “Yeah, man, deal.”
“Don’t fuck me over, you hear me?” I let him know I wasn’t playing games. “Use it for your meal, then the rest goes to her, got it?”
He swallowed and nodded. “Got it.”
He took the money and started to go inside.
“Oh, and one more thing,” I said, stopping him again. “I don’t want her to know it came from me. As far as she’s concerned, you’re just a paying customer leaving her an amazing tip.”
He grinned as if my words had some other meaning. I didn’t care what the fuck he thought as long as he did as I said.
Once he disappeared inside, I waited outside and watched. Tori spent most of her time cooking, and I worried she wouldn’t clear his table and get her tip. However, after finishing his meal, he went straight to the counter, got her attention, and handed her the bill I had given him.
They exchanged words before he waved whatever she was saying away and left. My heart skipped a beat when her face lit up at the tip he had left behind, and once her expression settled and I could see the relief in her eyes, I left feeling better about our situation. That bit of money could help her out. After all, it was my fault she was stuck in such a shitty place.
One thing was for sure: I would leave Victoria alone. She had enough on her plate. She didn’t need the memories I brought forth for her any more than I needed the memories she made dance through my brain. I had a feeling I wouldn’t see her at The Strip anymore, and while that should have made my day, I couldn’t help but feel fucked up about it.
Later that night, when I thought my week couldn’t get any worse, my aunt Sherry and my cousin Tina showed up at the door. They had no problem leaving me to rot on the streets, but now that I had money, they didn’t hesitate to hold their fucking hands out.
“Why do you do that?” Joker asked when I came back inside two hundred dollars poorer.
“What?” I asked, collapsing onto the couch.
