Title: "Revelations: Part 2 of 14"        

        March 1st, 2000
        2:17 PM

         "I had another dream about her last night."

        Zero sat on the curb in front of the Gilman Apartments. The afternoon sun beamed down onto his standard attire of a black T-shirt and long cutoffs. He looked up to the sun, the glare of it refracting through the shade of his sunglasses.

         "Another brick on the problem?" His neighbor, Matt Lee, sat on the curb beside him. He looked straight ahead at the passing traffic on Gilman. He was a young nineteen years old. Despite the six years that separated he and Zero, the two were able to talk about a variety of topics that arose in their lives. Truth be told, Matt was the only one who Zero would now allow into the whole thought process that ran through Zero's mind. Too many times before, Zero had allowed trust in people, only to see that trust vanish. In fact, the subject of their conversation centered on one of those very people.

        He could trust Matt, though. Matt had nothing to gain by betraying Zero. He was living life the hard way, on his own at nineteen. Finding any job he could just to pay the rent that his ground level apartment at Gilman cost him. Despite his young rebellious look of piercings and wild colored hair, Matt was more responsible than a majority of the kids who were then going to the University after high school.

        Zero ran his hand through his hair, breaking all of the spikes that the gel had cemented into place earlier. "No, this was different. More of like a release from her. A final send off."

        Matt looked over at Zero. Slowly looking back to the passing traffic, he recalled the numerous stories. He had met Zero after the time of the police evasion and trial. But he had been there when the complete truth about where Karen had been unfolded. To see some type of closure in Zero's mind over her was a step in progress.

        Looking to the passing cars, he asked, "Do you think it will last? She did some fucked up stuff. I know I wouldn't be able to get over someone so quickly if they done something like that to me."

        Zeros grabbed a pebble from off the curb and skid it across a vacant moment on Gilman. He turned to look at Matt. "I can't honestly answer that. I'm ready for it to be over. I'm ready to move on. I've been ready for a long time."

         "Then I think you're past that point, then."

        Zero turned his gaze back up to the sun. "Maybe you're right. If I can convince myself of that, and convince my whole body of that, then it will be so. In my mind, I'm over and past her. There's…"

        Matt interrupted him. "You are, man. It's been almost a year. She already knows what she's lost."

        Zero listened to what Matt said, but finished what he was about to say first. "There's…other stuff that comes up in life, too, that can make a person really question what is important, and what really matters. Karen mattered. But she's the past now. But the past can seem like the present so often, that it's hard to decipher which is which."

        Matt nodded his head in agreement. "I know, man. The past from when my parents kicked me out always seems to pop up in my everyday life."

         "Exactly. It makes you wonder and question what in life is actually a farce. I'll give you an example…" Zero opened his mouth to finish his statement, but was stopped by a large, bald man in the back seat of a car on Gilman Street.

        The car, a blue convertible, slammed on their brakes in the middle of Gilman. In the driver's seat was a dressed up and neat looking young male. He was Patrick Balmore, high school football standout, and younger brother of professional football player and the usual talk of Berkeley, Theodore Balmore. And the look in his eyes was that of someone with a plan always circulating through their mind.

        Beside him sat a lovely young brunette. She was Erica Storm, girlfriend to Patrick. She was a fellow name from the high school that she, Patrick, and even Matt had went to. Her eyes did not quite carry that same glare that Patrick's held, though. She looked on in more of neutral agreement.

        In the backseat was the drunken loudmouth himself. Standing at six foot, three inches, and carrying way more than what was needed in weight, he was Karl Simmons. His baldhead glared, and his goatee surrounded the usual adult beverage that could be seen around his lips. He grew up with Patrick's older brother, Theodore, and had assumed the nurturing process of Patrick during Theodore's absence in the professional sports world. It was seldom that you could find him without some type of alcohol content running through his blood. This moment was no exception.

        He propped his knees onto the backseat of the convertible, and leaned onto the window cutout. He started laughing as he looked down at Zero and Matt on the curb. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Lint Douglas. Oh wait, I'm sorry. "Zero!" How's it been going, 'ol buddy!"

        Zero tried to not pay attention to what Karl was saying. He turned his head, looking further down the street as Karl leaned further over the car's edge.

         "Hey man," Karl said, his voice rising in volume, "I asked how's it been. You can at least say good or bad, can't you?"

        In the front of the seat, Patrick laughed. He looked over at Zero and Matt. "Karl, man, I don't think he can speak. What a zero!" Patrick laughed again.

        Karl took another drink from his can, looking over at Patrick with a grin. "This is the guy your brother would always talk about when telling you stories from when we were kids. This is the little shitbag himself."

        Matt's eyes looked over at Zero, but Zero didn't move from his spot. He only brought his eyes slowly around to Karl.

        Karl watched as Zero looked at him. "Hey man, you're not on trial anymore. You can say whatever you please. There's no 5th to put you away now."

        Zero stirred in his sitting position.

        Matt jumped into the verbal assaults. "Hey man, what's your fucking deal? That goes for all three of you. I don't care…" Zero motioned for him to be quiet.

        Karl's temper began to flare up. "Oh shit boy, you think you can talk that way to me? Do you even know who I am? Why, I should come down there and show you."

        Patrick jumped into the mix of it. "We're the Balmores and company. Nobody can think that they can talk that way to us for no reason at all." He started to unbuckle his seat belt.

        Erica quickly spoke up, though. "Patrick, no! Let's just leave, ok? Ok?"

        Her remarks caused Patrick to get angry. "Bitch, this guy thinks he can say whatever the fuck he wants to me and get away with it. That shit doesn't fly with me or Karl, as it never would fly with my older brother!"

        Erica didn't respond. She turned her face, trying to look away from the scene.

        Matt began to get up out of his seat in anger. Zero grabbed hold of Matt's shirt, though, and pulled him back down to a seated position.

        Karl, leaning further and further over the car, hollered out, "Yeah, you better just listen to what little Zero wants you to do. You don't want any…"

         "Karl…" Zero interrupted him. He raised his eyes up to Karl, staring dead even with his pupils. "This has gone on for too long. I think you have selective memory about what happened the last night we all came to a full blown confrontation." Zero began to rise up, so as to meet Karl's stare on an even level.

        Karl lowered back down into the car. Patrick watched what all had happened. "Punkass! He doesn't even know what he's talking about. Karl…"

        Karl laughed a little. "Fuck this guy. Come on Patrick, we have better things to do than to spend our good time on trash like this."

        Patrick looked back at Karl, but didn't say anything. He looked over to Erica, but she would not return his look. Patrick had nothing to do but to adjust his safety belt and get ready to leave.

        Zero watched as this all happened. Matt stood up as well, standing just behind Zero to his left. The lock of eyes with Karl and Zero returned.

        As Patrick lowered his convertible into drive, Karl sent out one last verbal message. "Just remember who's the chicken-shit, and who the people are who mean something to this city. It's not convicts like you."

        As they drove off, Matt looked over to Zero. Zero was still following their trail, and continued to do so until they turned off onto a street far away.

        As Matt looked on, it was Zero who spoke first. "That…was what I meant when I had said that you sometimes have to question what is really important in life."

        Zero slowly turned back to face Matt. His face obviously shown the stress that he had masked so well during the verbal confrontation. "What really matters anymore? Does 'Zero' matter anymore? Not to the ones who it was intended for."

        Matt was confused. He cocked his head to the side, obviously wondering what that meant. "What do you mean?"

        Zero nodded his head back down the street, and the replied, "That that just happened. It was all because of 'Zero.' It's not important anymore. It's served it's purpose."

        He had Matt completely confused. "Wait, you mean you?"

         "No. I mean, my name. It's something that I have been thinking about recently, but what just happened only confirms it." Zero sighed with a long, deep breath. "Perhaps 'Zero' has ran its course. It's no longer needed."

        Was Zero having an identity crisis or something? Matt looked over at him. Zero had turned and was beginning to walk back to the apartments. Matt followed in suit. "Wait, what do you mean? And aren't you going to do something to those guys, after the stunt they just pulled?"

        Zero stopped in his stride and looked further down the street. Looking back to Matt, he replied, "I already have done something about that. They're just living in the past now. And I think I am, too."

        They started back with the walk to the apartments. "I don't think I really understand, Zero," said Matt.

         "In time, you will. It will all come together. Right now, I just need a little time alone. I need to sort some things out in my head that can't be done on the curb of a street." Zero spoke while walking further towards the apartments.

        Matt knew that it was going to be another one of those times. "Alright man. I'm going to head over to Lucky's. Maybe he'll change his mind this time."

         "Don't bet on it. But do enjoy yourself over there." Zero had made his way to the staircase that led up to his apartment.

        Matt had branched away, heading down the sidewalk that led to Lucky's bar further down the street. "Maybe just this once he'll let me. But I'll try to enjoy myself. I hope you work out get whatever is you need worked out with yourself."

        Zero nodded to him, and began the walk up the stairs to apartment thirteen. Matt continued on further down the street.

        It would be nearly two weeks before the two saw each other again