Stray Bullets 5

ISSUE DETAILS

 * Page Count: 42 Pages
 * Print Release Date: August 1995
 * Digital Release Date: 17 December 2013

STORY DETAILS

 * Date: Spring 1981
 * Main Characters: Spanish Scott / Orson / Rose & Joey / Beth

SYNOPSIS
Spring 1981, Baltimore: Orson, a 17-year-old high-schooler close to graduation with big college plans, is minding his own business when he is startled by a speeding Ford pick-up. The driver, who we recognise as Spanish Scott, appears crazy.

Orson is then startled by a scream and races around the corner to discover a crowd gathering around the bloody scene of a violent death. Scattered across the area are a variety of pills and a gun. Orson also notices what looks like a phone number written on the dead man's hand.

The police soon arrive and Orson, out of shock and curiosity, watches as the area is cordoned off. As he is moved around by the police Orson bumps into a fellow onlooker, Rose.

Rose introduces herself and asks if Orson has a cigarette, she clearly find him cute, and his evident innocence makes him all the more attractive to her. She suggests they get lunch and the pair are soon in a bar/restaurant. Rose orders rum and cokes for them both. Orson protests as he is just 17, but Rose convinces him and gives him some drugs to help him relax.

Orson confides in Rose that he saw someone driving away from the scene very quickly and speculates that they might have been involved in the death of the dead man they saw earlier, but Rose dismisses this, and distracts Orson with questions about his life. The two finish lunch and Rose gets Orson to walk her home. On the walk the pair chat, with Rose indicating she is far more worldly wise than Orson. Rose asks if Orson is single and expresses surprise to find that he is, although Orson's social awkwardness is evident.

When they arrive at her flat Rose invites Orson to come up to her flat, a suggestion that seems to freak Orson out. Rose smiles and asks Orson directly if he wants to sleep with her. Orson doesn't know what to say, but expresses interest and Rose invites him to a party she is having on Saturday.

Back home we meet Orson's sister and parents. It seems Orson is considered the "good" one, and is much less rebellious than his younger 16-year-old sister.

Orson confides what he saw with his sister and the pair call the number Orson remembers from the dead man's hand. The call connects, but Orson doesn't know what to do next - and just listen as the woman at the other end of the phone asks if this is Scott calling.

Saturday rolls around and Orson's parents press Orson into visiting his grandparents, and missing his date with Rose. Rose calls him on his parent's house phone late in the evening expressing her disappointment. Orson agrees to meet Rose on Wednesday, then realises it is both his graduation and birthday, and his parents already have things planned for him, but Rose isn't going to let him back out of their date, which she now plans to turn into a party for Orson.

On Wednesday, Orson buys some flowers and heads over to Rose's flat, but hears the sound of an argument as he approaches - Spanish Scott is telling Rose that she has to move to Vegas rather than California and they are relocating in a week. Monster, who is also in the flat, spots Orson and seems ready to beat him to death for eavesdropping, but Rose intervenes telling the two mobsters that Orson is just a kid. Scott relents and gets Monster to do the same.

Orson is understandably freaked out after being attacked by Monster but Rose calms him down with a cocktail of tequila and weed. Soon, Rose's friends arrive and the party begins in earnest. There is more drink, more drugs and plenty of people. The party goes by in a blur for Orson until his brain suddenly makes the connection that the man he saw in the pick-up truck is Spanish Scott, the man who stopped Monster beating him to death, but he's too drunk and drugged up to do much more than hallucinate about it.

The next day, Orson wakes up in a pools of his own vomit with his pants round his ankles: it has been one of those parties, and he is still hip-deep in its messy aftermath. Rose is cooking breakfast, and her son Joey is sitting on the couch. Orson is pretty hung over and is shocked to discover Rose is a mom. Orson feels pretty disgusted with himself and the whole situation and leaves in a huff.

On the street he bumps into Beth, who recognises him - we assume they met the night before at the party, but Orson doesn't recognise her. Then they are interrupted by the sound of of a traffic accident - a lady has knocked over a man with her car, and he looks dead. Orson, still very disorientated and hungover, freaks out and attacks the driver - we assume because he thinks she is in someway connected to Spanish Scott and the violent death he witnessed the week previously.

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