Friendly Face

"You!" shouted the officer, gun drawn. "Show me your hands!

Now!"

The figure at the back of the train eased out, hands up, and turned.

"Do you have any tea?" he asked.

"Dammit!" the officer spat, as the train pulled out of the station and roared towards Guelph.

Kani wasted no time getting out of the area. She ran back to the street below, hopping into a taxi and ducking low. The driver peered over his shoulder.

"Pre-pay the first ten," he said, motioning the the thumb-print pad attached to the glass partition. Kani reached up and pushed her hand there. It registered with a green light and the driver smiled.

"Welcome aboard. Where to?"

Kani looked up, bit her lip.

"Toronto. Downtown. Eaton Centre."

"That's a long way, miss."

"Just go!"

The driver sighed, put the car into car and drove off, turning towards the highway. More police cars raced past, lights flashing.

Kani winced, tapped the glass.

"Take the side roads. I need time to think."

"Feh," grunted the cabbie. "Your funeral."

They turned onto a smaller road, lampposts lighting the street every half block. Kani stayed down, rubbing the dirt off the edge of Stacey's phone, whispering to herself.

"Turn myself in, get arrested for sure. Maybe cut a deal. Probably not. Stacey'd go to prison. Never talk to me again. If the mob keeps her alive that long. Dammit, my head..."

She squeezed the sides of her head with her palms, closed her eyes tight as a wave of swirling pain washed over her. When she opened her eyes, the world was spinning again. Vertigo. Worse than ever.

"Okay, no cops," she whispered. "Get Stacey back myself. I can do it. I just need a plan. Get her back, get her safe, and nobody has to go to jail."

Bright lights caught her attention, and she looked up to see tall lamps beaming hot white light into a football field. She peeked over the edge of the door and saw the familiar colours of Trudeau High wrapping up after a home game.

She tapped the window urgently.

"Here!" she said. "Here's good. Let me out!"

"It's not Toronto," said the cabbie, but pulled over. "Have a nice - "

She slammed the door and ran to the bleachers, hopping to see over the crowds. There, at the back, she saw him, facing away from her, arm around a giggly blonde, laughing loudly with friends. Kani pushed her way through, tapped him on his broad shoulder.

"Simon," she said over the noise. "Can we talk?"

Simon and the blonde turned. Simon looked surprised to see her, and the blonde looked positively repulsed.

"Kani... what's... are you okay?"

"I can't talk about it here," she said. "Can you... just for a second?"

"Simon, we're on a date," said the blonde.

"It'll just be a second," Kani said politely.

"Make her go," said the blonde.

Kani held herself back. She smiled as pleasantly as she could muster.

"You must be Simon's new girlfriend. I'm his old girlfriend. We should compare notes."

Simon sighed, rubbed his forehead.

"Trudy, this is Kani."

"Wait, you're Trudy?" Kani laughed. "Is it true you had your grandfather sent to prison?"

Trudy's face turned bright red, and she pushed away from the crowd, running towards the school. Simon watched her go, but didn't go after her. Kani waved it off.

"Buy her something shiny, she'll forget all about this."

"Kani, you can't just - "

"Can we do this somewhere else?" she said. "We really need to talk."

"Kani, I don't know what rights you think you have, but you broke up with me, remember?"

She grabbed his nose and pulled him down to her height, glowered right into his face.

"Shut up and follow me," she said.

He followed her without complaint. She found his old Model-T in the parking lot and waited by the passenger side, fingers on the handle, while he fumbled with his keys.

"You going to tell me what this is about?" he asked.

"Inside," she said.

They got in and she patted the dashboard, wiped away some dust.

"Drive," she said.

"Kani, Trudy's going to - "

"Please, just drive. You can go back and get her after."

"After what?"