First Time Misadventures

"Speak now." Angela Wilcox didn't show any emotion as she uttered those words but the tone clearly showed her anger. She didn't care what her friend - well, her ex-friend at this point - had to say. She already knew the truth and Titan was too late to say anything else. "Okay, never speak to me again, Titan," she growled.

Deshawn Harris, or "Titan" as most of his friends called him, sat uncomfortably in his chair. He was six feet four and muscular, yet he trembled under Angela's glare. She was almost a foot shorter than him, yet he felt weak and powerless before her. He swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say, not wanting to lose his friend.

Titan looked down at his hands as his thoughts returned to that night. Two weeks earlier, he had told Maria Lopez, his boss, that he couldn't work because he had to attend to some personal business. The reality was that he wanted to meet his best friend. He wanted to get high, talk about his shitty day, and maybe do other things. His best friend was gay and often joked with Titan about the things he could do if Titan's girlfriend ever needed a break. Well, after the huge fight he had with her and their breakup, he was ready to experiment tonight.

He picked up his friend from the community college campus outside town. Neither of them had a safe place to retreat into the night. "Let's go over to the Perimeter Street Mall. It's too late for anyone to be there," his friend suggested as he packed the oil burner to smoke some meth. "I promise, it'll be totally safe at this time of night."

Titan had only watched others smoke meth before. He had heard how it made people feel and wanted to give it a try. After the day he had, he was ready for whatever his friend had in mind. So he drove to the only other destination on the north end of the city, Perimeter Street Mall. This was only a mile from the college, separated by a sprawling, quiet suburban district. As this was where his friend had grown up, if he claimed the mall was a safe place to spend time, Titan wasn't about to question it. "Park over there under those trees in the corner of the lot," his friend instructed. “That's where I always go to relax.”

As soon as the car was parked, his friend handed him the bowl and lighter. He showed him what to do as Titan smoked meth for the first time. He felt the tension from the day drain away as they smoked. Over the next half an hour he grew hornier and the two of them started to do things he had only thought about before. He was so high that everything afterward blurred together. All he remembered was not seeing the patrol car pulling in next to them.

They both scrambled to pull their clothes back on but it wasn't fast enough. They were both arrested for indecent exposure and his friend cried. "I'm so sorry, dude! I never meant this to happen! You know I would never hurt you! I've always been there for you, no matter how many times those girls broke your heart."

Titan couldn't speak, his heart pounded too fast in his chest. He watched, handcuffed, as the police officer searched his car. His friend was led to a police car and shoved inside. Once the cop found crystal meth inside the center console, Titan knew it was all over. Titan was about to experience another first arrest.

The officer read Titan his rights, then walked him to the other squad car. Twenty minutes later he was at the jail, sitting in front of the magistrate on duty. It was almost four in the morning. "Do you have any relatives in the area? Prior convictions? Have you failed to appear in court in the past?" the magistrate questioned, entering all the information into a computer. Finally, the magistrate looked him over. "Your bond is fifteen hundred dollars. Trust me, that's low for this kind of offense."

Titan swallowed. His mouth was dry, but he could speak. "Thank you very much, Sir." As he walked back to the intake lobby, he saw his friend sitting down, staring at his feet. He sat down next to him. "They gave me a bond, man. Fifteen hundred dollars. I'm never going to come up with that. My life is over."

His friend laughed, then shook his head. "That means you only need a hundred fifty bucks and someone willing to sign for you. They gave me the same bond my first time around." His friend sighed deeply. "No bond for me but I already called my mom to let her know what's going on. Good thing she stays up at weird hours. The phones here are free if you have anyone you want to call. This includes Maria, Angela, or that bitch who keeps your balls in her purse." Then his friend laughed, quickly turning it into a hacking cough.

That was two weeks ago and Angela paid the bond. But he had avoided her questions, lying to everyone about what had happened. He still had no idea how she found out, but she exploded when she did. Now they were sitting in silence, neither having anything to say.

Finally, he spoke. His voice choked with emotion. "Girl, what do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? That I screwed up?" He clasped his hands tight, barely looking up at her.

Angela smirked. "Maybe tell me why you were caught by the cops with your pants down. In a public place... with a dude, I might add," she sneered.

Titan shifted in his seat. "Look, I didn't mean it to happen, Angela. I was high out of my mind when it took place!" His voice rose an octave, as it often did when he was under duress. "It was a one-time thing, baby. It won't happen again. I swear! Please don't tell nobody," Titan begged, barely above a whisper. "You're the only one who knows what really went on. Maria doesn't need to know."

"Why not? You know she won't fire you from the club," replied Angela. "In fact, she's only pissed for the same reason I am. You lied, Deshawn."

He hung his head. "I know I did, Angela. I know."

She shook her head. "You need to come clean with everyone. At least about meth. You know people can look up your charges online, right? It's only a matter of time before everyone finds out anyway. You'll be fucked."

Titan forced himself to look into Angela's eyes. They were deep green, an indicator that she was really upset. Her eyes changed color based on her mood. "All right, you're right," was all he could say. "Thanks for understanding."

Angela smiled. "Deshawn, this ain't the dark ages, no one cares if you hook up with a man, a woman, or anything in between. The problem is you lied about it."

"Maybe you feel that way, but I'm not sure everyone else will," Titan responded. "Maybe I really should leave town, start over somewhere new. I was getting tired of Palmer Avenue anyway."

"Do whatever it takes, Deshawn. I don't think Gladys will refund your security deposit if you break the lease though. You've only been here for a couple of months." They both stood up, and Titan reached over and hugged Angela. She smiled. "You know, I'm looking for a place of my own. What if I convince that pleasant old lady to let me take over the lease? Think she will?"

Deshawn pulled back and nodded. "She let my neighbor across the hall adopt a cat even though she has a pet policy. I still can't believe that little girl was only a block down the street. Instead of helping Hannah find her, I was on a mission to get high and get laid."

"It's not like Hannah needs you, though." Angela twirled a strand of her long, brown hair between two fingers always a sign she was about to leave. "I gotta get moving. My asshole boss called me into work and I have about twenty minutes to get there."

"Angela, please, I have just one question before you take off!" Titan blurted out. "How did you find out what had happened?"

Angela stopped and stared at him. "You really want to know the answer to that?" Titan nodded slowly and Angela continued. "My boyfriend and the boy you're playing with are in the same jail block. No names were mentioned, but enough circumstantial evidence helped me figure out the rest. After all, the meth community is very small in this city. Everybody knows everybody, and everybody talks about everybody. "

Titan's heart dropped. "Oh, shit," he whispered. He sat back down, unable to say another word. He felt his world slowly crumbling away, tears coming to his eyes as he wondered what other secrets might come to light.

Angela grabbed her purse and headed for the door. "Have a good night, Titan," Angela chuckled as she left the room.