Hazel Angel's Story

Rolling out from under a car, Spitz tossed a wrench into the toolbox just adjacent to his body. His shop suit was open, the upper half rolled down to his waist in a bunched kind of way. Sitting up to rest his elbows on his knees, he rhythmically rolled back and forth on the mechanic's scooter. He rubbed the oil from his fingers off onto the tough, navy material of the suit. Mahogany eyes gazed over towards the next car, raised on the lift with its engine exposed. Hazel had been working on the BMW, its direct inject engine wasn't enough of a thrill for her so she was working on putting in the straight six turbocharge. He grinned his usual flawless white smile, chestnut eyes following as he blurted out, "You think the owner of that whip is gonna' know you played around with it a little more than you were asked to?"

They'd been friends for a year or so, give or take. He knew she was on the run from something, which was nothing new with New York tenants. He didn't pry on that aspect. But she was unusual in her ways, usually focused and fascinated with motor cycles more than the typical car. She proved to be a trustworthy friend. And damn, she knew her way around a motor and everything it encompassed. Spitz didn't see that a lot at the shop, in fact he laughed at most of the female applicants they got. As it stood, Hazel was the only one aside from a much older, butchy type named Dee that worked on strictly foreign cars.

Finally he got to his feet, closing up the toolbox and sending a friend or two a text about the supposed 'promotion' event at Mick's, the bar down the road. It was guaranteed to turn into a banger given the location and with fancy little Jaylene attending strictly for business, someone was sure to piss in her cornflakes at least by some point throughout the night. She didn't answer his texts which didn't shock him, so he nodded and muttered to himself, "Alright ma, I see you." After washing his hands he paced toward the BMW on the lift, glancing around for Hazel and calling out, "You gotta' ditch this ride, come on now girl. Got a party to get to, you coming or what? Plus I heard there might be a little turbo event afterwards and they're going for pink slips."

Menacingly he rubbed his hands together at the idea of them winning yet another race - more pinks, more stacks. He'd feel bad about it if there weren't so many amateurs showing up in their bonestock Audi's and barely altered Mitsubishi's. Honestly, most of them were jokes. It was like taking money from babies. Sometimes it was almost like Hazel and Spitz were cheating. But it was money, and it was a good time. The two spent a lot of time laughing to themselves and counting their way through Benjamin's. The second best thing about a race was the usual crowd that kept his pockets lined with their stimulant addictions. He hadn't gone hungry in years and didn't plan on it.

Turning his back on the BMW, he peeled off the jumpsuit and shook the dirt and grime from it before tossing it onto a desk near the wall. The wife beater he'd worn all day was caked in motor grits, suctioned to his abdominal muscles by the force of sweat. When he opened one of the garage doors he was relieved to feel a gust of brisk, fall air. He didn't know exactly what the night had in store for him. He had a fair idea, and what he was idealizing was nothing short of a good time. Tomorrow, Hazel and Scully would be laughing all the way to the bank.

Just like that, Hazel was off again. Belted up and took off. Spitz guessed it was up to him to close up the shop. So he heaved down all garage doors except one, bolted the hatches and shut down the lifts and the generators. The thud of his boots followed wherever he walked, but in any other way the carport was noiseless. Everyone usually knocked off early on weekends, and he was left to grunt and mumble to the silence about how he always got dicked into closing by himself. He paced along one wall, flicking switches. At long last, one flickering beam of light remained in the middle car pen. Below the swinging bulb, parked and polished, was a charcoal colored Dodge Challenger. Spitz preferred to keep it in the shop rather than off of the road he lived; he'd probably wake up with the windows bashed in or the car gone all together. Even if the car was briefly nearby, it never stayed overnight. He wasn't going to risk a Hemi slipping through his fingers like that. A few smug notions crossed his mind while he settled into the driver seat which was draped over by a towel so that he wouldn't damage the leather with work grunge.

The engine roared with pride and glory, rumbling the very concrete below. Jerking forward, the Charger surged for a moment, then screeched into park again so that Spitz could get out and lock up the last door. He gave his place of employment a mock salute before whipping the automobile out of sight.

Overhead the sky lowered and grew dim. Gray masses circled into view, the moon hatching over a dusky horizon. Spitz pulled up to a somber apartment complex, fifteen stories high and showing every bit of its age. It wasn't much, but it was home. The way Spitz saw things, he didn't need a nice crib anyway. He was barely around, usually on the go. Convenience was a key factor where his home was concerned, he was only on the second floor and never had to worry about taking too much time getting in or out. As he made his way down the main hall he could hear the electrical operation of flickering headlamps. "Things is a safety hazard, man," he snorted to himself as he unlocked a series of latches on his apartment door.

The keys from his car skittered across the surface of a small table in the living room, catching the edge of the burnished glass and nearly falling off of it. But they steadied to a stop as Spitz disappeared into his bedroom and tossed a pair of straight leg jeans, a black Obey hoodie and a white snapback onto his bed.

He was in the midst of showering the shop's grime from his body, grating a wash cloth against his muscles when his phone began buzzing from the sink parallel to the stall. Kicking off the faucet with his foot, he pulled the shower door open to let otherwise subdued steam erupt and coat the pale green bathroom walls in condensation. Droplets of water rolled down his torso. With a grunt, he wrapped a towel around his waist and seized the phone a few rings short of it going to voicemail. He didn't recognize the number - but he always had to risk it, there was almost always money potential at any given time, with any given caller.

Her name was Alex. Bearing in mind the tone of her voice and her inquiry, she had a car problem and maybe a little drug lust on the side. She was perfect for his type of clientele, didn't sound too bad either. With a smooth reply, he told her, "Meet me at Mick's tonight ma, we'll get your shit all squared away. I got you."

The phone call was over quickly and he was blotting the towel down his abdomen before taking a once over in the mirror. To say the least, he definitely wasn't unsatisfied. With an arrogant, bright grin to the reflective surface, he nodded then walked back to his bedroom to throw on some clothes. He loosely laced a pair of black Ostrich Double Buckle Gucci boots onto his feet then snatched his keys off of the edge of the table once again.

He took his car to an off alley, just a street or two from Mick's. Figuring it was best to leave his product line in the car, he tucked his duffel bag under the driver seat before getting out of his Charger. When he walked into the bar, he carried himself with an heir of cockiness and shook a great deal of hands before finally sitting down by himself in a corner booth, lighting a CAO Bella Vanilla and ordering a drink. He figured if Jaylene was there she would roll her eyes at his bottle of Ciroc, but she couldn't fool anyone into thinking Mick's was a five star joint, no matter how many of her fashion slaves pinned banners and makeshift cloths to the tables. His jaw tightened as he inhaled a deep breath of smoke, then respired, letting it curl into the air with a smirk.

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Nothing surprised him or excited him much anymore. Well, except the skimpy outfits that looked like they were painted on half the girls that showed up and their willingness to be social and outgoing. That at least, made any event compelling. What kept him enlivened was the Ciroc and the incubating anticipated race that would come after-hours. Hazel wasn't anywhere to be seen just yet, and he wouldn't, for any chance in hell, use the Charger in a race should she decide not to show. But he wasn't surprised by Hazel's lateness, she had a habit of pregaming. He wasn't surprised either, to see Jaylene's lustrous silhouette tearing a path under the blinking lights, her likely issued clothes from Du Jour itself and her hands multitasking between placing business cards on tables and pointing in various directions. In between a drink, he texted Hazel asking where the fuck she was at.

He ashed out the cigar, its lasting smack of vanilla soaking into his tongue. Sepia eyes glanced back and forth, his complacent mien never changing even slightly. When he locked eyes with Jaylene, he sensed a familiar impression. He wasn't new to this; she desperately needed a fix. From the looks of her though, she was as clean as a whistle.

She took the stage, drifting towards the microphone with a certain uneasiness in her eyes that most wouldn't distinguish. But Spitz knew. He raised a glass as she spoke, a few following his cue. She had the throng of them cupped in her hands and she hardly knew it but, that was the splendor that came with her. Always did. Not shit changed, he thought to himself. Sometimes even he was dumbfounded by how much time could ameliorate and keep the same person all at once. A resounding ovation took the bar by force as Jaylene left her post, propping the microphone on its stand and letting the light fall dim in her aftermath. In a way, seeing her like that up on stage as a picture of health and glow before a crowd, he hoped she'd never go back to the drugs. She looked good. Made. Professional.

Spitz' vision trailed towards the bar where a unique blond was shuffling through alcohol. He recognized her - he wasn't a stranger to Mick's. She stood out among the rest of them, taut ivory lace wrapping her torso and a bold, small skirt. His best, wordless impression was that she was spewing confidence and frankly didn't give a fuck about much. He made a cognitive note to keep an eye on her and get a word and drink or two in with her before the end of the night. Maybe even invite her to the race, but it was all up in the air. He was known to leave with a few girls on many occasions. To the left of the bar came another doll-looking girl, eyes as wide as the moon. Just from the looks of her he could tell she was here to potentially get a place on a line. Du Jour's line. Maybe make a few connections. But shit, wasn't that what everyone was here for in some way or another?

His eyes were cast away from her when a gruff voice broke over the microphone and a bright beam dripped around the contour of none other but Kaleb Sivaj.

History sure had a tendency of making itself known and very present in Scully's life, but as far as Kaleb went, that shit was old news. They'd both been in New York long enough and Spitz was alert to Kaleb's existence and didn't bother to provoke or push at it. Man to man, neither of them cared for the other. The ebbing memory of the kid's conspicuous anger, jealousy and drug problem was enough to keep Spitz safely distanced from him. He didn't have time for that childish mess anymore - life was business, money, and the pleasure that came with all of the above. But the dude packed a solid group of females, so it was bizarre to see his band taking the bar by force without a gathering of groupies close in tow. And when Jaylene floated over to Spitz' booth, swathing the back of his head with her small-boned fingers and drinking her champagne, his inner deviant grinned with muted competition that so far, he'd won. Besides, out of all the times he'd seen Jaylene in the past few months, she didn't speak a word about Kaleb. Not even that crazy ass girl Summer.

Adios homie, he thought to himself spitefully.

He wrapped an arm around Jaylene's narrow waist, letting it stay loosely disassociated while he ordered a round of drinks. Nodding to her gratitude, he shrugged a little and said over the music, "Gotta' support my kins, right?"

What followed then was a confusing situation for Spitz who found the upcoming conversation nothing but hilarious and strange. His jaw jerked a few times as he gritted his teeth, attempting not to bust the fuck up at the blatant gay designer gushing at Jaylene and about the 'twinks' in the bar. When the man in the mint blazer straightened his collar and sauntered off, grabbing a drink from a tray, Jaylene looked at Spitz with utter comical disbelief in her eyes. In response, he put his hands up, surrendering himself to the hilarity. They were being as polite as what appeared to be business partners or comrades, and that suited Spitz just fine. She could dangle off of his arm like a charm all night if she wanted to. But she wasn't the type of merchandise he'd take home and fuck. He could find that mostly anywhere else.

On the thought of divine looking females, coincidentally the sultry tone of one before him spoke his name. His left hand was just about to raise another cigar to his lips when she arrived, simply dressed but drop dead to the last of inch of her. What embellished the young woman more than anything was her obscure hazel eyes and the dog tags hanging from her neck. A few years ago just the sight of dog tags would make Spitz cringe or squirm, but like most things in this world he came to find it wasn't always what it appeared. As the musicians on stage performed what was slowly becoming a crowd thriller, the noise roaring all about and shaking the very foundation of the bar, Spitz straightened his comportment and stuck the cigar between his teeth and flashed the chestnut-haired woman an angled, mischievous white grin, "Just Spitz is good with me."

He nodded to Jaylene whose blond tresses swayed from her waist as she stood in a more de rigueur fashion, extending a hand to the newcomer. In a gentlemanly manner Spitz motioned to the booth for the woman to take a seat. There was business to be talked or inaugurated. Having taken the hint, Jaylene set down her empty champagne glass and excused herself from the conversation. Spitz positioned himself in his seat so that he sat directly across from Alex, a playful inquisitive look riddling his face, like he had droves of questions about Alex herself. And what would have been expected to escape his mouth, didn't. Alternately, he breathed in the succinct silence of the band's finale, "So what can I do for you?"