Chapter 14: H.B.

As I mentioned earlier, Carson had older brothers. In Hermosa Beach the Santini family was actually pretty well known. The oldest brother Bobby had been one of the leaders of a local surfer gang called H.B.

Bobby was built like Carson except buff and taller. Most people in the area were afraid of him because like Carson he also had a temper.

All the Santini brothers were members of H.B. except for Carson. In high school I had seen members of H.B. beat the crap out of some guy at a party using their studded punk belts and skateboards as weapons.

There were a few times growing up I had ridden my skateboard past where H.B. hung out near the Hermosa Pier. They threatened me or threw beer cans at me for no reason.

Jody was third oldest Santini brother. He was a year younger than me. Jody was actually the guy who rode the motor scooter and sold weed to Dougie. He did not look like the rest of his brothers. He was short and skinny. Like Lil Ron height. Nobody messed with Jody though because they knew his brothers.

Jody and Bobby hated Jason. They blamed him for the entire eight grade incident, introducing Carson to weed at a young age and getting him into trouble.

Lil Ron had robbed Jody, so they hated him too. A year prior he tricked Dougie into calling Jody for a few ounces and then ran up and snatched it out of Jody's hands as he was parking his scooter. Lil Ron got away. They knew Jason had sold weed for Lil Ron and was also his cousin. That made them like Jason even less.

When Bobby heard Carson was hanging out with us at Jason’s house, he called Jason up very polite and professional and told him:

“Carson is not allowed at your house anymore. I am going to make this very clear, if I find out Carson came over to your house again, I will be coming over there as well. You don’t want me to come over.”

I don’t think Bobby realized Jason was selling majority of Carson’s weed and helping him make money for their family. I think he assumed we were just mooching off him and taking advantage. Bobby was in his twenties already. He did not want to get in trouble for fighting minors like Jason.

So, Bobby put Jody who was only 17 in charge of watching Carson and dealing with Jason.

Carson continued to show up at Jason’s house like normal.

Jason told him “Bobby is going to kick my ass if he finds out you came over here. You gotta leave!”

“Bobby is a fucking bitch! Fuck Bobby I’ll go where I want!” Carson replied.

Carson refused to listen to his brothers. At first Jason refused to let Carson in. Carson ended up sitting down outside the garage and crying. Like a stray animal stuck in the rain eventually we let him in.

Monday through Friday I worked till 4pm with my dad. When I got off work I would head over to Jason’s house and hang out with the boys. We would take bong rips, play video games and drink Jägermeister.

One afternoon I had just got off work. As I walked up to Jason’s house, I noticed the front door was open. When I turned the corner to enter his garage, I found Jody and another random H.B. guy holding Jason down on the couch ready to start punching him.

My first thought was they were trying to rob Jason. I didn’t even know who Jody was. I knew where Jason kept a baseball bat near the door though. I grabbed it instinctively as I walked in. I held up the bat and told the two of them:

“Get the fuck out of the garage before I put some angels in the outfield!”

They both retreated pass me. Jody stood in the doorway and told me I would regret getting involved.

After they left Jason explained to me who they were and brought me up to speed on the Santini drama.

Jody was like Lil Ron in the sense he too had a prescription pill problem.

He would take too many pills and then get the urge to come over to Jason’s house and start problems.

He would come over with his H.B. friends and throw rocks at the windows and harass Jason’s mom and sisters as they were going in and out. We just locked the doors and ignored him.

Majority of the time Jody was accompanied by his two right hand men. Mike Hampton and Gorilla Reese. I said Bobby Santini was big, well Gorilla Reese made Bobby look medium.

Mike and Gorilla Reese were on the Mira Costa Varsity football team. Reese was the linebacker. I really have no idea why they hung out with Jody. I guess they liked drugs.

One Friday night Jason and I were sitting in the garage getting high and playing video games. It was raining. Suddenly the door opens and a wet Jody charges in at Jason out of nowhere.

Jody was completely gone, intoxicated off pills. Jason is 6’4 Jody is 5’6. Jason was throwing Jody against walls like a rag doll. He tossed him on the couch in my direction, and I had to jump up out of the way to avoid Jody landing on me.

Jody kept getting up and charging at Jason and trying to jump on him and Jason countered on him every time. I had Jason’s back no question but there was no point in that fight I felt he needed my help, so I just stood back and watched.

Jason finally tossed Jody, so he fell backwards over behind the couch into a pile of boxes and junk from their garage. Jody did not get up for a few minutes.

Jason is way bigger than Jody, but I think Jody was also hampered by how intoxicated he was.

When Jody finally got up, he was all red in the face. He climbed over the couch and mumbled fuck you guys as he hobbled towards the garage door and left.

Jason immediately locked the front door and criticized his sister for leaving it unlocked.

At this point I am almost 19 years old. Jody was 17. Jason was maybe 16.

Jody used to act like he was not afraid of me, but I think if I ever tried to actually fight him one on one, he probably would have chickened out like Lil Ron. I could take him for sure.

I was an adult though, over the age of 18. If I kicked Jody’s ass Bobby was coming for me.

After that Jason and I joked that we were on H.B.’s most wanted list. It was not far from the truth.

One weekend Jason was out of town with his family on vacation. I was at another friend Milo’s house. He was hosting your typical teenage high school party.

I had been at the party for a few hours, and I was feeling sick from drinking too much. Milo had allowed me to go into a back part of the house to use a bathroom to throw up in peace and privacy.

Someone must have called up Jody and sold me out. As I was throwing up Jody, Mike and Reese walked into the bathroom.

Reese lifted me off the floor from in front of the toilet and held me up loosely in order for Jody to take a swing on me. Jody said he owed me a punch in the face.

I was pretty sick and also drunk so as Jody tried to punch me in the face I sort of stumbled over and my chin hit my chest.

Jody missed me completely and fell over onto the toilet. His hand landed in my puke. Then Milo came into the bathroom to check on me. He saw what they were doing and threw them out of his party.

Jody screamed “This isn’t over!” as he left with a hand covered in puke.

Carson eventually went back up north. He only could stay so many months down in the beach cities before he had to go back and work at the farm.

For the most part the trouble with H.B. quieted down after Carson left. Jody was basically the only person who refused to stop the drama.

By now Jason and I had formed our own crew. It was mostly just the guys we hung out with at the garage. We called our group BSOK which stood for Bud (weed) Smokers Only Krew.

I realize now as an adult how dumb this sounded. Especially since technically Jason and the other members of our crew took pills and other drugs besides smoking weed.

We were not a gang. We were just a bunch of dumb stoners who liked to draw graffiti in our notebooks. We looked out for each other, but Jody was our only actual enemy.

Our crew hung out at Jason’s garage and consisted of several members.

Chapter 15: Dyno Mutt