Maggie spent the morning telling Juju some of the things that had happened to her and the others over the last several years. When she was finished, she sat still. The two teens watched each other.
Finally, Juju spoke. “Holy fuck! So you’re telling me that you were kidnapped when you were eleven, put into some freaky sex thing, Cali and Max were killed, and now you’re here.”
“Yeah, that’s what happened. I worry about Seth. He’s the one Rock took to his house to live with his wife, Thelma. Rock told me he’d kill Seth if I ever lied to them again. I wish I could see him so I would know for sure he’s OK,” Maggie said sadly.
“He’s OK,” Juju said tentatively. “I’ve seen him. A bunch of times.”
“What? You’ve seen him? How?” Maggie asked.
“I go to Rock’s house every two to three days to pick up my dope. He’s a little blond-haired kid, right?” she asked.
Maggie nodded vigorously. “How is he? Is he doing OK?”
“The last time I saw him was a couple of days ago. He was very quiet. He was sitting on the sofa. Thelma said he was being punished for talking back to her, and he wasn’t allowed to move or speak. I only know ’cause when I said hi to him and he didn’t say anything, I asked her if something was wrong with him,” Juju explained.
“What else? How did he look?” Maggie persisted.
“He looked…well, he looked like shit. He had a bruise on the side of his face and didn’t make eye contact with me. I was gonna say something to Rock, but he don’t like anyone getting into his business. I know they send him to school, though. I’ve seen him walking there a couple of times when I was in the neighborhood selling,” she said.
“They let him go to school? Oh my God, I can go see him then,” Maggie said joyfully.
“Yeah, they always let the kids Thelma raises go to school. Rock needs them to be smart enough so they can sell dope when they get older. Thelma doesn’t want them when they get too old. She only likes to raise them—if you can call it that—when they’re young,” Juju said.
Then she added, “I can figure out what time he leaves the house, and we can meet him along the way to school. Would that work?”
“Yeah, that’d be good,” Maggie said, and then she thought hard for a moment. “Are you sure you want to do that for me? I mean, if Rock ever found out, he might kill you.”
“Rock is an idiot. He ain’t gonna find out. He could care less about Seth. Just as long as that useless piece of shit, Thelma, is happy, he doesn’t give two fucks about anything,” Juju informed her.
Maggie sat back on the old folding chair with the cracked seat. She reveled in the thought of seeing Seth again. She’d missed him so much and wanted him to know that she loved him. She had worried over the months that he’d think she’d abandoned him. Now, with her new friend, she’d get to see him again.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Juju said cautiously.
Maggie nodded.
“Do you ever think about calling your mom and dad?” Juju asked the question quickly.
“Yeah, like every day. But Rock and his guys know where my family lives. They told me they’d kill them if I ever try to contact them. Besides, I’m nothing like I was the last time they saw me. So much has changed, and I’ve done so many horrible things—they’d die if they knew everything I did. Believe me, I’d be a complete embarrassment to them,” Maggie told her.
Juju was raised by screwed-up parents who were as irresponsible and stupid as they come. She could imagine how her mother would treat her if she were in Maggie’s shoes—she would disown her, if for no other reason than not to have to be a mother anymore. Juju knew nothing about Maggie’s parents, but based on her own experience, she believed that Lorraine and Rob Clarke would do the same to Maggie.
“Parents can really fuck you up. I’m probably lucky mine ditched me when I was still young before they screwed me up forever,” Juju told her. “Let’s make a plan to get you to see Seth. I’m gonna pick up more dope in the next couple of days at Rock’s house. I’ll see what time Seth leaves for school,” she said.
Maggie was beaming. She was so happy to have someone she could talk to. “Thank you so much, Juju. I’ll come back here in a couple of days,” Maggie said.
“Hey, how about if we go down to Needle Park now? I can introduce you to some other people that I know. Most of them are drug dealers like me, but some of them are just addicts,” Juju offered.
Maggie was a bit terrified at the thought of hanging out with dealers and addicts.
“Aren’t you afraid to hang out with those kinds of people?” Maggie asked.
“I am those kinds of people, Maggie. There are some real assholes out there, but there are also a lot of decent kids that are doing it for the same reasons as you and me…it’s all we know; it’s how we survive. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my problems with some real thugs. You learn who to trust and how to take care of yourself,” Juju told her, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
“Yeah, speaking of that, how exactly did you get me from the car all the way up to your apartment the other night?”
Juju flexed the muscles in her arms like Popeye. “I carried you up. You weigh like ninety pounds; you’re so skinny. I just put you over my shoulder and carried you. I stopped to rest a couple of times, but that’s it. I work out a lot, so I’m pretty strong. I had to learn how to defend myself on the streets. Being a girl and all, people think I’m an easier target. But I ain’t. I know mixed martial arts—you know, kickboxing and grappling. I do a lot of training.”
“Wow. So you know how to beat people up?” Maggie asked, not completely sure of what it all meant.
“I know how to defend myself. When people fuck with me, I give them an opportunity to walk away, but if they don’t, I can handle it. Sensei, my teacher, has helped me a lot. He doesn’t know what I do to make money—he would never approve—but he’s taught me how and when to defend myself,” she said humbly.
“I have to learn how to take care of myself on the streets too. That’s what Trinity told me. She said there isn’t anyone who’s going to help me. I have to learn how to survive on my own,” Maggie confided.
“Well, I know you’re gonna be just fine. You’re smart and beautiful. All that shit that happened to you just makes you stronger,” Juju said, encouraging her.
A short while later, the two girls walked over to Needle Park. Even though the sign read McPherson Park, Maggie quickly understood why it was known by a different name. There were used syringes and small plastic bags scattered about. Empty beer and liquor bottles seemed to be growing from the earth, sprouting up through the snow. It was a depressing place, yet Maggie didn’t feel threatened or unnerved by it. It was no worse than the prison or the farmhouse she’d once lived in. Plus, even though everyone was stoned, people seemed friendly.
Afterward, as Maggie walked back to the house to get ready for the evening, thoughts of Juju ran through her mind. She felt safe with her. She liked Juju a lot and wished that someday she could be just like her…strong, independent, and in control of her own life.
But Maggie’s wishes wouldn’t come true in the near future.