Wheels of Steel, Book 1 (18 page)

“Ain’t nothing ‘short’ about him,” Jason bragged.

Raymond reached for a towel and tossed it to him. “Well here. Go get dressed. And…if some bio matter appears on that towel, just leave it on the bathroom floor.”

“That is gross.” He lowered himself easily into his wheelchair and with the towel balled in his lap, wheeled to the lockers. It was true that his body could withstand a hard massage, because his leg muscles were atrophied. But what people didn’t understand is that his skin was just the opposite. His skin was ultra sensitive to touch. The hint of a breath against his neck, or the feel of someone’s hands pressed to his chest to keep him from falling out in a seizure—all of those things were magnified in intensity.

Chapter 14

Jason plugged his MP3 player into Robin’s CD player as they drove back to his apartment. “Oh! Your braces! How am I going to give them to you if your Mom’s home?”

Jason made a face. “You’ll just have to hold them until Monday. It’s no biggie.” Once they were parked she helped him into his chair and followed him to the apartment with his things. Her plan was just to dash in, drop of his things in the closet and leave. It had been a long day despite the fact that it had ended a few hours earlier than normal, she still needed to complete her last day at the restaurant.

But when she got inside, Jason’s mom greeted them enthusiastically. “How was therapy?” She asked while placing a kiss on Jason’s cheek.

“Good.” He answered while returning her hug.

“And your feet?”

“Tight, but they move.”

Robin closed the closet door and opened her mouth to say goodbye but Jason’s mother turned her sharp eyes on her.

“So Robin, how are you getting along with this job?”

“Fine.” She seemed to be waiting for more. “There’s a lot to learn.”

“Oh?” His Mom waited again.

“Well…about seizures.”

“Ahh, true.” She wrinkled her nose. “What is that smell?” Jason and Robin exchanged looks. “It smells like…feet and…fish.”

Robin turned to the door on that note. “Well I better go. It was nice meeting you Ma’ame. Bye Jason.”

“See you Monday.” He said.

When the door was closed his mother turned to him. “She smells funny.” Jason wheeled into the kitchen.

“Mom, that was lunch you were smelling. We had fish.”

“Son, fish is a choking hazard. Does she even know what to do in the event that you choke? She doesn’t seem too experienced.”

“She’s fine.” He responded in a short manner. He could have mentioned that she’d handled it just fine, but then his mother would have harped on the point that he should never have been eating fish because even filets still had hidden bones and blah blah blah…

He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of soda. His mother came over and took it out of his hand, then she unscrewed the top even though he was capable of doing it himself. He gave her an incredulous look which she ignored, or chose not to see. When she handed it to him he just wheeled away without drinking it. She drank it absently as if it had been her idea all along to get a soda.

“So when is dinner going to be ready?” He wasn’t hungry but knew that she wouldn’t leave until after dinner had been eaten and the dishes washed and put away.

He was right. She stayed another two hours, not leaving until close to six pm. Jason loved his mother, so it really bothered him that he hated being around her. When he was younger his mother was everything in the world to him; she was god and satan and the sun and the moon.

But then he grew up.

She hadn’t been out the door half a minute before he picked up the phone and called Link. He’d been anxious to do this for hours. It was time for Link to face the music.

“Hey, Top. What’s up?”

“What are you doing?” Jason asked.

“Not what I’m doing…but who I’m doing.”

“Oh sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Hold on.” The phone went mute for almost a full minute. When Link returned he sounded out of breath. “No, I’m cool. What’s up, son?”

Jason’s lips pursed together. “Amberly told me to go fuck myself.”

“Damn. I didn’t know Amberly knew the meaning of the word. Maybe she thought she was telling you good morning.” He joked.

“She and Patty quit the group.”

Link didn’t respond.

“You there?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, any reaction to that?” By this time it seemed that Link had figured out that this was not just a casual conversation.

“I mean…what’s the point of having them? For the videos? Like…what I want to do is play the music. I don’t care about the videos.”

“People like the videos. It…completes the music.”

“Whatever dude. I’m happy they’re out.”

“Well…thanks to you there is no more Wheels of Steel. Are you happy about that?”

“WHAT?! Thanks to me?”

“Dude I know you’ve been taking gigs under Wheels of Steel. And you’ve been keeping all of the money for yourself!”

“What?!”

“Oh fuck, Link! Don’t play me. Patty called down at Omicron and got the truth. Man…you are treacherous.”

“What the fuck…Who told her that I was taking gigs under WOS?! That’s a damn lie! I told you, Jason, I’m trying to do my own music! I mean, Wheels of Steel, I love this group but I’m not trying to share my take with two people that ain’t helped with the music! Fuck that!”

“Wait a minute-” he blinked and then squeezed his eyes closed.

“Call Mikie Hall at Omicron. He’s the one that got me the gig!”

Jason frowned and shook his head. “I-I-I c-c-can’t-” He felt a seizure coming and rapidly began flexing his fists.

“Fuck…not now Jason! I’m on my way over. Don’t bust your head open! You there? Fuck…” Jason didn’t hear the line go dead because he was already seizing.

Link was at the door fifteen minutes later and Jason wheeled to it and let him in. Link had an evil look on his face to rival any that Jason had ever worn. Jason just blinked at him unsure.

“Did you call him?” Link demanded.

“No…I called Amberly and Patty. They’re on their way over.”

“Good, I’m happy them bitches are on their way.”

“Aww, don’t say that, man.” Jason grimaced. He didn’t like this kind of thing at all. They were friends and partners and he couldn’t stand for their bond to be taking such a beating.

Link wheeled into the kitchen and got something to drink out of the refrigerator. Jason didn’t follow, knowing that his friend was pissed and didn’t want to talk to him.

Amberly and Patty arrived a few moments later. Amberly could drive; she was seizure free. And Patty, who didn’t have her own car, had evidently ridden with her. He greeted them. Amberly responded warmly, but Patty just gave him a brief, cold hello. Link had wheeled in from the kitchen and just scowled at them. He took a swig of his soda and after belching he gestured to Jason.

“So Patty, I hear that you have been making calls and digging up shit that you know nothing about.”

Patty stalked towards Link, looking every bit as masculine as a linebacker, stopping short a mere foot from his chair. “Peter, you can go to hell.” Her eyes flashed fire even though her voice remained calm. “I always knew you were a prick. I just never knew that you were a back-stabbing one!”

“I already told you a million fucking times! I got my own gig, sheesh!”

“That’s not what Darby said.” Amberly spoke.

“Darby? Who the fuck--? He didn’t hire me. Pick up the phone and call Mike Hall. That’s the one that paid me. Darby don’t know shit about the deal we had.”

Patty snorted. “You think I won’t, asshole?”

“Do it you big butch bitch.” He said, eyes seeming to pierce through her. She dug into her pants pocket for her cell phone. Mike Hall wasn’t at the house so someone had to get his cell number and after five minutes she was talking to him. The one way conversation was filled with a lot of yeahs, okays, Mhmm…

She finally pressed end on her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She stared at Link. “I oughta pick you up out of that chair and throttle you for calling me a butch bitch…but, I’m sorry for accusing you. I was wrong.”

Jason slumped in his chair. “Shit.”

“Yes.” Link said tightly. “Now all of you can kiss my BLACK ASS!” The angry blonde hair, blue-eyed white young man wheeled quickly to the door.

“Link.” Jason called. “Link!”

“Link, I’m sorry!” Amberly called out. He was out the door and wheeling down the walkway. Amberly and Jason moved to follow but Patty held up her hand.

“No. Let me go. I’m the one that started this.” Patty headed out the door, shutting it after her. Jason and Amberly looked at each other.

“Damnit Amberly.” He said bitterly.

“I know. I’m so sorry Jason.” Her big eyes were watery. Shit, he didn’t want to see her crying. He offered her a twisted smile. She just slumped on the couch and covered her face. Jason cursed under his breath and wheeled over to her.

“Oh my god.” She murmured. “Link must hate us…”

He placed his hand on her knee. “He doesn’t, he’s just pissed is all. He’ll get over it. He always does.” She wiped her eyes and looked up. “I’m sorry, Jason. Really.”

He took her hand. “It’s okay.” She gave him a shaky smile. There was a sudden trilling of musical notes as Amberly’s cell phone began ringing. He wheeled away but listened. It was Patty telling her that she and Link had gone off drinking.

“See.” Jason responded when she replaced her phone. “I told you Link would be okay. We’ll get together, make some music. I have some ideas for the next video.”

Amberly was already shaking her head. “No.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to join back up with WOS.”

“Amberly-”

“You heard Link. He doesn’t want us. And frankly, I’m not pressed. People aren’t cheering for me and Patty; it’s you and him. So…”

He struggled for something to say. “I…I don’t want to lose our friendship-”

She rose from the couch and limped over to him, reaching for his hand which he gave to her readily. “We were friends before Wheels of Steel; we’ll be friends after.” She absently brushed her dark hair back behind her ears.

“You promise?”

She sat on his lap and placed her hands around his neck, than she leaned her forehead to touch his. Jason’s hands went comfortably around her narrow hips. “I promise.” She whispered. They sat quietly like that for a while.

“Jason?”

“Hmmm?” He murmured comfortably. Touch was something he valued and didn’t get as often as he liked. His mother touched him, his physical therapist, of course, but beyond that no one; except Amberly, because her Cerebral Palsy made her skin just as sensitive to touch as his. “What?” He asked.

“Am I…ugly?”

“What?!” He straightened quickly. “Did someone call you ugly?” He would run them over with his chair, leaving skid marks on his back!

“No…I just wondered how others saw me.”

He gave her a serious look. “Amberly, you’re the one that taught me that I was normal and not some charity case.” He reached up and placed his hand on her cheek. “You remind me of a poem I heard in a movie called Cooley High. It went like…” He wrecked his mind until he had it all. It had touched him so deeply that he had rooted around on the internet until he had found it.

“Were I Pygmalion or god, I would make you exactly as you are…in all dimensions; from your warm hair to your intimate toes would you be wholly in your own image. I would change nothing; add or take away. That’s what I think of you Amberly…and that’s the way I want people to think of me.”

Amberly stared at him for a long time before her brow gathered and she quickly stood and walked away several steps. “Why…why do you think we never got together?”

Jason froze, surprised at the question, surprised at the thought. He rubbed his hands together, suddenly uncomfortable. Had she taken the poem and the show of affection in the wrong way? He wasn’t trying to hit on her. He gave her a serious look, unsure of how to proceed without hurting her feelings.