Author's POV
Jotape was a pretty laid-back guy, thrown into life at a young age, never knowing his father and losing his mother to drugs. He had to fend for himself and support his sisters. He loved the twins dearly and wanted to give them a better future, but he knew that given his circumstances, it would be nearly impossible. So when the social workers arrived, he couldn’t resist and let them take the little five-year-olds with the promise that they would have a better future. Since then, Jotape lived alone, hustling by day to eat at night.
In one of those hustles, the police found him and another kid; they both ran like madmen, knowing that if they got caught, no one would help them. Jotape hid, feeling no obligation to help the skinny tall guy, but he couldn't leave him behind, so he let the other kid hide with him. They spent that time talking and realized they had a lot in common, and from that moment, Jotape knew they would be friends and that he would never feel lonely again. And so it was; they never separated again, loving and respecting each other like brothers.
But for a while now, Jotape had felt that something was missing in his life, something that none of the things he loved could satisfy, and this left the dark-skinned guy bored with everything.
But his boredom ended the day after the takeover of the hill. Jotape was out with the men "cleaning" the streets, hunting down the men still loyal to Metralha. When he climbed one of the slopes of the hill, he came across a large commotion in front of a snack bar, a crowd yelling and causing chaos. Amidst the confusion, he spotted the likely culprit of the chaos—a balding, overweight man, red with rage, standing on the sidewalk, the target of a woman’s fury.
Jotape moved closer to put an end to the disturbance, ordering everyone to leave, and headed towards the troublemakers.
"That's enough, let’s cut this crap, what's up, old man? What’s going on?"
"This woman, always offering herself to men and then acting offended."
"Your old man’s a piece of shit! When did I ever give you the time of day? Filthy old bastard."
"That’s enough!"
"Enough, my ass! This sleazy old man came into my place, laid his filthy hands on me, and you expect me not to break his face? I’m going to knock him out!"
The dark-haired woman was already moving towards the old man, her eyes filled with bloodlust. Jotape had time to stop her, holding her by the waist and pulling her close. He turned to the old man, who had backed away a bit, fearful of getting hit, and yelled.
"Get out of here, old man, and it’s best I don’t find out you’re doing this again in my turf, or you’ll wake up with a mouth full of bullets. I don’t have time to teach grown men how to treat women. Get lost!"
Once the old man was far enough away, which didn’t take long since he was scared out of his mind, Jotape turned his attention back to the fiery woman in his arms.
When he looked into her green eyes, Jotape knew he was done for.
Let’s use our imagination, folks, pretend those green eyes are right there.
"Enough of this, sweetheart, it’s over, the old man is gone. Later, I’ll deal with him myself. Now calm down or you’ll break everything."
Jotape held the woman firmly in his arms while she looked at him with disbelief and confusion.
"What’s your name, princess?"
Suddenly, the woman grew furious and broke free from Jotape, who stood there dumbfounded, not understanding anything.
"Are you an idiot or just pretending to be one?"
"What the hell did I do? Can't you call a woman princess anymore?"
The dark-haired woman looked at the man in front of her and understood everything; he had no idea. And she wasn’t going to tell him—it wouldn't take long for him to find out, and it wouldn’t matter; once he knew, he wouldn’t look at her the same way again. She was used to that.
"My name is Ariel."
"Even your name is princess-like, hehe. I’m Joao Pedro, but everyone in the hood knows me as Jotape, nice to meet you."
He said, extending his hand, thinking he was being the most polite of men.
"I know who you are. Thanks for the help, I guess. I have to get back to work now."
"Alright, but I'll be back, princess. You can bet I will."
"Don’t come back, but it's okay; you won’t be the first or the last."
The woman said as she walked in. With the brunette already at the bar, Jotape stood still, trying to comprehend the meaning behind Ariel's words. Her voice sounded bitter yet resigned, which was strange. He was sure a guy had a hand in this, probably some toxic ex who messed her up.
"I’m going to find out who the jerk that hurt you is, princess, and I’ll be your prince, and you’ll be my princess."
Yes, my princess! Jotape was already determined to have the brunette for himself; she was everything he needed—emotion, adrenaline, and sensuality, a gorgeous woman from Carai. A princess and stunning, there was no way not to fall for her. Jotape was resolved to discover everything about Ariel. He was committed to winning her over and would invest heavily in this mission.
He left with a smile that could be seen from behind, buoyed and excited about his newfound love. He strolled down the street, back home, confident that his life would never be the same after meeting Ariel.
Days passed, and Jotape was more confused than ever in his life. As he had decided, he uncovered everything there was to know about Ariel. The dossier still in his hands burned as if demanding an answer: what to do now?
The first page read:
Name: Ariel Messias Junqueira
Gender: Male
Age: 20 years
Marital Status: Single
Education: Pursuing Higher Education
Student of Pedagogy at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Profession: Waiter
Attached was a photo of someone who bore no resemblance to Ariel, a boy without braids and makeup, with a sad, empty gaze.
But Jotape was lost.
"I’ve never been gay, so why this now? Why!"
Jotape didn’t understand why he felt no disgust or revulsion upon learning about Ariel's sexuality; he should have developed an aversion to her and erased her from his mind forever. But none of that happened; every time he closed his eyes, he saw that beautiful face and seductive gaze.
He decided to do what he thought was the most mature thing at that moment: drink heavily.
He stopped at the bar, bought a bottle of whiskey, and headed home, always avoiding the diner where he first saw the brunette.
Once home, he sat on the front porch, played some pagode, and started drinking. He was already messed up anyway; whatever!
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice Santo arrive.
"I came to ask for advice, but you seem to be in the same mess as I am, or even worse!"
Jotape looked into his friend’s eyes, hoping with all his heart that talking to him would help untangle the chaos within himself. He pulled a chair out for Santo.
"Sit down, brother; let's wallow in this sorrow together." He took a long gulp of his drink "So what happened, did you fight with your little guy?"
"He’s not my little guy, damn it. Santo shot back, fully aware that Jotape wouldn’t believe anything he said, and even he didn’t believe it anymore. Lacking the strength to argue further, Santo gave in" I messed up, Jotape; I think this time I'm really in trouble.
Jotape straightened his shoulders and looked at his friend beside him, knowing things were about to unfold; it was going to be a long night.
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