Rumble Fish Page #4

She's living

with a f***ing movie producer!

She was then... I don't know.

Was she?

Was she glad to see you?

Oh, yeah, she was. She said it was

the funniest thing she ever heard of.

She wanted me to move in with her.

California is a...

It's very funny.

It's even... even better than here.

California's nice, huh?

Nice place?

California's like a...

California's like a beautiful,

wild girl on heroin...

who's high as a kite,

thinking she's on top of the world,

not knowing she's dying

even if you show her the marks.

Hey, man. It's so cool over here.

I really dig it over here.

The lights! All these people, man!

I love crowds.

Ah, you know, I don't know why.

Maybe it's because...

I can't stand being left alone.

I really can't. It f***ing...

I feel like I'm getting choked,

you know what I mean?

I feel like I'm being choked.

I can't deal with it.

See, when you were two years old

and I was six,

our mother decided to leave.

She took me with her. When the old man

found out, he went on a 3-day drunk.

He told me

it was the first time...

He told me it was the first time

he ever got drunk.

Come on, get off me.

Go ahead. What were you saying?

Hey, sweetie. Like a date?

What were you saying?

I said he told me it was the first time

he ever got drunk.

Anyway, he left you alone

in the house for those 3 days.

We didn't live where we do now.

It was a very large house.

And...

Anyway, what happened was

eventually she dumped me.

They took me back to the old man.

He sobered up enough

to go home. And I supposed...

That's how you developed

your fear of being alone.

You never told me that before.

No?

I didn't think it'd do you any good.

Look it!

Get outta my way!

- Hey ugly, get the f*** outta my way.

- What are you doin'? Don't do that.

- Steve, don't bug me!

- Just don't go pounding on people!

- I'm not in the mood for you, man.

- Why are you pounding on people?

I'm not in the mood, all right?

You think it would've crossed

his mind to tell me

that he saw our mother

when he went to California?

- Who?

- If it was me, I would've told him.

- I'm his brother. I've a right to know.

- What are you talking about?

How you doin', my man?

I'm sick and tired of... Help!

He's a deep motherf***er.

I'm gonna be just like him, too.

I'm gonna look like him.

You ain't gonna never be like that.

How do you know?

What the f*** do you know?

I might look like him.

You ain't gonna be like that, man.

He's a prince.

That's right.

Give it time, buddy boy. Give it time.

Know what he's like? Royalty in exile.

You know what I mean?

Isn't there anything he can't do?

Shh!

Officer, I salute you!

I'm f***ed up.

Rusty, let's get outta here.

Come on, let's go.

Wake up!

- Wake up!

- F***!

Don't go to sleep.

Where'd he go?

Come on! Where'd he go?

Where's the living legend?

He probably swiped a cycle

and took off.

I thought we were sticking

to the middle of the streets.

I'm in a hurry!

- If you're scared, I should be terrified.

- I ain't scared, man!

This place just gives me the creeps.

I just don't like dark, empty alleys.

All right?

It's the same thing.

- Why are you whispering?

- I'm not whispering. Slow down.

Oh, God, we're dead.

You got any bread?

What? He's not gonna bash us

even if we've got bread?

- Sure, that's it.

- Progressive country, integrated mugging.

I ain't got no f***ing money, man!

We don't want any trouble.

Really, man.

We really don't want any trouble.

F*** off, man!

Rusty James!

Rusty James!

Rusty James!

- Six dollars.

- What's he got?

Rusty James!

Something for cigarettes.

That's all he's got.

Son of a b*tch!

Patty...

You were the only one,

I swear, baby.

A toast to Rusty James,

a very cool dude.

To Rusty James!

Rusty James, please!

Steve!

Come on, motherf***er!

- Rusty James?

- What?

Rusty James, you still alive?

No. I don't know.

My stomach!

What happened to those guys

that creamed us, man?

He bashed 'em. Clobbered 'em.

He nailed one of 'em really good.

- The other took off.

- Way to go, man.

Way to go.

You're going to the hospital

this time, I mean it.

- When the rumbles were going on...

- Would you shut up about that?

- Somebody was always getting mangled.

- I said shut up!

You and your gangs!

It was bullshit, Rusty James!

It wasn't anything you think it was!

- A bunch of punks killing each other!

- You don't know nothing.

Don't tell me I don't know nothing.

You, tell him!

You, tell him!

It wasn't anything.

You see?

- What?

- You see? Did you hear him?

Man, you must've thought

it was something.

You were the f***ing president, man.

Yeah, well, you know,

it was fun at first.

Then it got to be a big bore.

You know, I managed to get credit

for ending the rumbles,

simply because everyone knew

that I knew they were a big bore.

They were gonna end anyway.

- There was too many people...

- Don't say it was fun!

It wasn't fun!

I was speaking

from personal experience.

I mean, most of them didn't think

it was fun when we had a fight.

Most of them were scared stiff.

Blind terror in a fight

can easily pass for courage.

There was something about it,

I remember.

You're just stupid enough

to have enjoyed it!

- F*** you!

- You remember something, Stevie.

Loyalty is his only vice.

The Motorcycle Boy!

I wonder why somebody hasn't taken

a rifle and blown your head off.

Even the most primitive society has

an innate respect for the insane.

I wanna go home.

Cheer up.

The gangs are gonna come back.

And once they get

the dope off the streets...

...people will persist in joining things.

You'll see the gangs come back.

If you live that long.

What's the matter with you?

I ain't never seen you

sit still so long.

How do you know

when someone's crazy?

Well, you don't always.

Depends on how many people

think they're crazy.

Yeah!

Woo!

It's so f***ing hot in here, man.

Here comes your old lady,

Rusty James.

- What?

- Patty.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Hey, she means business.

- Coke, Benny.

Sh*t.

Thanks.

- You looking for me?

- No.

Hey, doll.

Ah, sh*t.

You really look nice.

You look really beautiful.

- How you doin'?

- Fine.

- Did you know I've got a gift for you?

- For me?

That was me

on my 5-year-old birthday party.

I was good-looking even back then.

Thank you.

- You want something, Rusty James?

- What?

Can I help you?

Nah, I think we should step outside.

I'm not gonna fight you, man.

I just said...

Just go outside and talk.

Look at you, man.

Look at you.

It wouldn't be fair now.

You're not in any condition to fight.

I told you, I didn't say nothing

about fighting. I don't wanna fight you.

Did I say I wanted to fight you?

I said, we'll go outside...

And talk, communicate.

Get it, man?

All right.

Smokey, the other night when we were

out at the lake house with your cousin,

and those chicks were there...

Did you plan

for it to get back to Patty?

Maybe she'd break up with me

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