First Robbery
Nothing feels so right than doing something so wrong... Sure, try to prove me wrong, but save that until after the thrill. My adrenaline pumps in time with my legs as I try to keep up. This is way better than some rollercoaster ride or any feelings one could get from speeding around on a Harley Davidson with a burly, dangerous stranger. I glance over just in time to see Aidan rip the metal door off the back of the Cola truck. Sweat sheens on his brow, and his muscles strain from the weight of the metal sheet as he hurls it over the edge of the overpass, regardless of the oncoming traffic below.
The images on the TV screens do nothing to match the reality of this man I love. "Here, just in, off of highway 11..." The anchors begin, before rattling off a story meant to capture the attention of the nation and warn them of the vagrant out to destroy them. I understand on some level that the metal sheet he just threw likely caused an accident and a pile-up below; I'm also vaguely aware of the helicopter above that is bent on capturing video of this active crime. And I know I should be helping, but I am cemented in place, fixated on the ripple of muscle flexing in his back as he unloads the goods.
A gust of wind hits my face, and I am resisting the urge to pull off my face cover. I busy myself with looking over the wall at the traffic below, and sure enough, there is a pile-up, about six cars total. Shit. We have to move faster. I move over to Aidan and start pushing the dolly he's loaded to a car we stole. The shiny glass bottles are calling to me as I reach the trunk. I'm an addict for sure, but there are worse addictions than a little sugar. I pull a bubble-gum-flavored lollipop out of my pocket and pop it in my mouth. I tug the black mask into the proper place; after all, it is the last defense of my true identity.
I hear Aidan whistle low, and I know that we have reached our quota and secured what was requested. I finish loading the trunk in record time and sidle up next to Aidan. He bends down to give me a kiss as I side-glance into the truck. He just brushes my cheek when I dip out of his arms and pluck a bottle of soda from the refrigerated semi-trailer. Stalking my way to the front, I glance back into the drivers seat where the driver slumps behind the wheel. I can't help the smirk that takes over my face. I learned pressure points when I was younger, and they surprisingly come in handy for robberies, not that I've done too many of them yet. I'm not sure how long he'll be out - I haven't timed it or gotten the science of it. But the voice in my head wants me to leave one more mark that we were here.
The bottle hisses when I break the seal, and the addictive sugary lemon-lime concoction wafts into my nose. I take a long sip of the beverage, letting the flavor meld with the bubblegum lollipop on my tongue, contemplating how to leave my mark. It hits me in this moment that I should probably get rid of the bottle in my hand as well, and the idea already moves through me. I pour the cool liquid on the man's crotch, careful not to get it on his beer belly. For a bit of extra fun, I shove him forward a slight bit before dumping the rest of the contents down his pants in the back. I tuck the bottle into his hand as Aidan strolls up next to me, assessing the damage.
"Now what do you think you're doing?" He chuckles.
I pull the lollipop from my lips as I say, "Leaving a message."
"And what message would that be, my sweet?" He wraps his arms around me tight so I can't escape the next kiss he plants on my cheek.
"That it's dangerous to fall asleep behind the wheel," I smile mischievously. In this moment, the realization of all I have just done settles in. I'm shivering. I don't want to mess anything up for him, for me. If I'm caught, I can only imagine the kind of trouble I'd be in...
"I see, and since when did you learn to use pressure points?" He asks, lightly massaging my waist. I hear the lovely chorus of angry honks as his strong arms turn me to face him directly. The comfort from my boyfriend's gesture coaxes me out of my anxious state, and I breathe my next witty response.
"When it became dangerous to be in the candy business." I lean forward and he meets me, our lips colliding to the cacophony of chaos below. We pull away when the helicopter sounds closer. I pop the lollipop back into my mouth and saunter to the passenger seat of the car. Aidan already put two crates in the car's trunk. "Ready to head out?"
According to a timer set by Jason, the cameras will only be out for another three minutes. Aidan knows this and nods his head as he starts the car. Just before he takes it out of park, I drag him in for one more deep affectionate kiss, stunned he blankly shifts gears and the car speeds away from the scene. In the passenger seat, I use the rearview mirror to make sure we weren't being followed, and oddly enough, we get away with it. No cops were called, nobody recognized either of us, and we made away with the goods.
We leave the stolen items in Jason's meet-up point, a shack in the middle of a wooded area about 20 miles out. Apparently, Mexican Cola is a rarity in prison...
As we are leaving, Aidan jabs me with his elbow, "How was that for a first time?"
I shake my head in disbelief because I almost can't believe I did that, "I-i ... I don't know..." I look down at my hands, trying to detect literal dirt on them indicative of the crime I just committed.
"Woah, relax, Luna. It's not like you killed anyone; you just stole a couple of Cola crates. Also, you did it with me, so you weren't alone. Next time, it will be more intense though." He stares out at the road for a minute, then slams his fist down on the wheel. "Damn, this was a bad idea, you weren't ready for something this big. We should have started off with shoplifting."
"No!" I blurt, "I-i am ready, really... Besides, shoplifting is a five-year-old's crime, and last I checked, I'm in high school. I can handle it." I know I wasn't convincing enough, even though I don't believe the lie.
"You won't be if those cameras were working and we were unaware." He grumbles. The steering wheel bends under his grip, but his hands, like mine, are hidden behind black gloves.
"Are you questioning Jason's hacking abilities?" I feel hurt by the thought, but he's right; we need to be more careful. Jason is our main contact, but I haven't worked with him before this, and Aidan wouldn't put it past him to try and haze me. But I want to trust him, both of them.
"No! No, baby, that's not what I meant, my sweet, I'm so sorry." He looks at me apologetically, and with a deep breath, I release the tension building in my shoulders. There's no need to fuss because Aidan loves me; he'd never let anything happen to me. Speaking of being cautious, the chair cushion below me starts to burn into me, a reminder of our other crime.
"Isn't this car something we need to ditch?" I propose. I know a bit about crimes from my true crime podcasts; it's just one of my first times participating instead of sitting on the sidelines. I know that it's unlikely the owner won't have noticed their car missing from the grocery store parking lot after three hours.
Aidan's eyes widen at the bent wheel between his hands, "Shit! You're right! Why didn't I think of that?!"
"Maybe because secretly you like ending up on television," I challenge.
"Well, maybe someday we'll be on there together," He kisses me, "Don't worry I'll take care of it.
We change out of our blacks and into average clothes. Then, crash the stolen car into a tree. I direct Aidan to put his clothes and mine into the back seat, and I douse the car in extra gasoline. Aidan throws the lit match, and we race away from the explosion, putting as much distance between us and the inferno that was once our getaway. We head back to our hometown of Clearwell with the help of a ride app, leaving from a gas station. And again, I am wearing my brown wig and my school clothes, looking the epitome of an innocent girl.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YiRnM9QKE
When I get back home, I am pleasantly surprised at how everything went today. I was never given a directive to pour the drink on the man or to set the car on fire, but they were probably my favorite parts of the whole day. If it were not incriminating, I would have suggested making s'mores over the smoldering ashes of the getaway car.
During dinner, neither my mother nor father seem aware of my eventful afternoon. They probably will at some point, and it scares me near to death to think about how disappointed daddy will be in me, but it was such a thrill. I daydream about what next crime we will take up. I finish up my dinner, and mother gives me my goodnight kiss as usual.
I slip into my night clothes and fantasize about Aidan (or as authorities call him, Zandor) and me robbing banks. I even start to daydream about us evading the police and having turf wars with other villains. The anxiety tries to creep in, and I fear what punishment will await me. But as I shift in my bed, my poster comes into view and I smile, remembering his words from the day he offered a way in to his life, "Everyone likes Bonnie and Clyde, where could we go wrong?"
The sun greets me in the morning, not a hoard of police vehicles, so I stride behind Elly to first hour. Despite my better judgment, I am still fantasizing about how I'll look on TV? What moniker will they give me? I pat my wig self-consciously, hoping not a single strand of the pink hair is visible. My real hair is short, pink and noticeable. I had once dyed it red, but I soon learned red dye fades fast. So, when it turned pink, I kept it pink. But my school doesn't take kindly to dyed hair, so I chopped it and hide it, the best I can, under this godforsaken wig.
Elly nudges me. "What?" I ask.
"Would you stop messing with your hair? I know you're embarrassed that the hair salon only had a light brown rather than your normal color, but it looks fine. Besides, everyone is talking about Viktor's party. Which, by the way, I didn't see you at..." I look away, hoping to escape this conversation, but it's harder than ditching the getaway car. "Where were you? Was your father- Wait a minute! Wait, one agonizing minute! You better tell me you haven't been seeing Aidan!" She shrieks. About half the hallway is staring at us now, and embarrassment burns my cheeks. I walk faster and pull her towards a random locker area.
"So what if I am..." I mumble, "He's not that bad."
"Oh yeah? Whenever you're seeing him, you wear more makeup. Eye shadow today, case and point." I pull a pocket mirror out and check it to make sure it's not smudged.956Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HzFDWLukg
"Whatever, I like wearing makeup. That doesn't make him bad," I say.
"Fine, but you're beautiful without it. Regardless, I say this because I'm your best friend, he's 19! He graduated last year; he should be out in the world dating hot girls who are his age, going to college parties. Not hanging on to my innocent bestie," she pouts. Ha, innocent!
"Jeez, just say you don't like him... first, I am a junior, so not so innocent. And aren't you being a bit melodramatic? It's not like he's robbing the cradle; there are two years difference, and I've seen, like, way worse. Lastly, it's my decision who I date," I say. Her eyes are narrowed in and her mouth is set in a frown.
"I am in the drama club for the right reasons if I'm melodramatic. And excuse me for being concerned for my best friend! I really think-"
I cut her off, "Can we please change the subject?"
"Well," she looks at me skeptically, "Okay. So, while I was at the party you skipped, I heard from Zach, who heard from Alex, who heard from Mrs. Alacurki, who heard from Principal Wyatt that there's gonna be a new student."
"So in simple terms, there's gonna be a new student? Nevermind, the grade, gender, name, previous school, et cetera... What really matters here is who told whom?" I say sarcastically.
"Glad we're on the same page. He's in our grade, and yes, he's a he. No name as of yet, nor previous location. But, not to worry, I'm on the case," She says. She puffs out her chest and puts on her I'm-gonna-stop-a-murderer-with-my-attitude face, and I bust out laughing. She will find out those details, I just wish luck to the poor sap she's going to talk it out of. We walk into first hour and Elly lectures me on guys up until class begins, as if I were single, ignoring the fact that I am still seeing Aidan after "the incident". She then threatens to set me up with the new guy if he is hot. I laugh at the thought of that, yet find myself, oddly enough, considering it. Class begins, and the idea of this stranger sticks in my head for the rest of the day.
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