Текст книги "Corrupt "

Автор книги: Penelope Douglas

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

I cocked an eyebrow, looking away. Well, he was right, wasn’t he? I had every intention of hurting her beyond repair.

But he didn’t know that. He was reading into something else. Knowing nothing about the bad blood between Rika and me, my father thought I wasn’t good for her.

I walked out of the office, slamming his door closed behind me with a loud thud. Anger coiled in my gut, and I hardened my jaw. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered, I reminded myself.

He thought he’d secure the Fane money and connections and that he would control everything through Trevor. He had no idea that I was going to drive everything into the ground.

And he had no idea that my plans had just now changed. He and Trevor would never get their hands on her. I’d see her dead first.

I stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby and feeling my phone vibrate inside my suit jacket.

Pulling it out of my breast pocket, I clicked on a text message from Will.

No more house.

And my eyes rounded, seeing a picture of the foyer of the Fane’s home covered in flames.

What the fuck! My heart filled my throat, and I stopped breathing. They’d acted without me.

We planned to take the house, not burn it down!

I worked quickly, dialing the security office at the community.

The night guard answered immediately.

“Ferguson!” I growled. “The Fane’s house!”

“Yes, sir,” he rushed out. “I already called 911. Fire trucks are on their way.”

I hung up and instantly twisted to the side, slamming my fist into the elevator wall. “Goddammit!”

Three Years Ago

I SHOULD’VE BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. Miles and Astrid were ugly and vile, and I couldn’t believe what they’d tried to do to me in there.

I fisted my hands as I sat in Michael’s car, waiting for the guys to come out of Sticks.

Astrid and Miles deserved so much more than what they got. Tears welled as I chewed on my thumb nail and stared out the window, holding my cries back.

They would’ve raped me in that bathroom. And they would’ve gotten away with it.

Rage fired under my skin, and I wanted to go back in and hit them until they understood. Until they knew I wasn’t a victim.

I moved to open the door, but I looked up and stopped, noticing the guys coming out of the pool hall.

They still wore their masks, and I spotted several people inside following them with their eyes.

Everyone knew who the Horsemen were and probably had no doubt about the shenanigans they were up to tonight. While interested, onlookers wouldn’t interfere.

Michael and Kai slid into the front seats while Damon climbed in Will’s side, dropping into the back as usual. Will followed, sitting down next to me and slamming the door, and I noticed that the sleeve of his sweatshirt was torn. There must’ve been a struggle.

I almost started to worry if he was hurt, but he was laughing his ass off.

“What did you guys do?” I asked.

Everyone pulled off their masks, setting them aside, and I watched Will wink at me and shoot me a dashing grin.

“Hold out your hand,” he instructed.

My stomach sunk. Shit. What now?

Reluctantly, I inched out my left hand and watched as he lay something soft and red across my hand, the strands spilling over the sides like a scarf.

He removed his hand, and my eyes rounded.

“Oh, my God,” I gasped, horror heating my blood. “Is this…” I breathed out, trying to wrap my head around it. “Is this from them?”

In my hand, sat a bloodied tooth and a thick rope of long, red hair.

I cringed, acid burning my throat as the weight of what was in my hand suddenly went from nothing to a thousand pounds.

“We took a souvenir from each,” Will explained.

Kai spoke over his shoulder from the front seat. “They won’t ever touch you again.”

“They’ll never even look at you again,” Damon chimed in from the back.

“But won’t they tell someone?” I knew I sounded worried, but my hand was shaking, desperate to get rid of the shit in it.

“Who they going to tell?” Michael started the engine and peering at me in the rearview mirror, smirking. “My dad is in three real estate ventures with the Andersons.”

I sat there frozen as realization hit. Holy shit. He was right.

The law may have failed to protect me, but it also worked the other way around, too. Who were Miles and Astrid going to tell to get justice now?

I let out a smile. No one.

“A ‘thank you’ might be in order,” Damon said behind me.

“I...” I stared at the tooth again, its bloodied root growing cold on my hand. “I’m just a little weirded out.” I offered a nervous laugh.

“You would’ve been a lot more weirded out waking up naked with the cum of ten guys spilling out of you at that party,” he retorted. “Not to mention what they were going to do to you in that bathroom.”

I dropped my eyes, the horror of what’s he’d said hitting me as I stared at the tooth and hair.

“Yeah,” I whispered, in complete agreement.

Last spring, passed out on that bed, what would’ve happened to me after they were done? Would they have invited more to come in and hurt me, one after the other? Pictures? Videos? How many people would’ve violated me?

I clenched my teeth, suddenly wanting them to hurt more. I wanted to kill them. No one should hold the power to change your life forever.

Closing my fist around the objects, I stared hard. “Thank you.”

I heard the click of Damon’s lighter and then an exhale as he blew out smoke. “Your attempt to strong-arm them was cute, though.”

I rolled my eyes, opening the door and quickly disposing of the tooth and hair in the stream of water flowing to the gutter. The remnants of their assault disappeared into the void.

There was nothing wrong with my attempt. Maybe I didn’t chop off body parts, but I’d defended myself. What more did they want?

Slamming the door, I wiped my hand on my black sweatshirt, thinking I should definitely burn my clothes after tonight.

As if sensing my questions, Kai peeked over his shoulder, speaking to me, “When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.”

I nodded, understanding. I wasn’t sure if I could ever do what they had done, but I knew what he was saying. When your enemies didn’t know your limits, they didn’t press them.

Michael pulled away from the curb, rounding the corner down Baylor Street.

“What took you guys so long?” I finally asked, remembering that they’d waited far longer to come in after me than I’d told them to.

“We waited for his girlfriend to follow,” Will answered.

“Don’t worry,” Kai assured. “We wouldn’t have waited too much longer. You did good.”

I stared out the window, seeing teens laughing and joking around on the sidewalk outside the theater as we passed. Halloween decorations—ghosts with flowing white gauze—blew in the breeze as they hung from the street lamps. Orange leaves spilled down from the trees, and I could smell rain coming.

“Let’s go find some food away from the scene of our latest crime,” Will joked, reaching up the front and cranking up Drowning Pool’s Bodies.

He started rocking out to his air guitar as Michael took a right onto Breckinridge, circling the town square. I glanced over, always enjoying the sight of the park in the town center. The small pond glittered with the white lights from the trees surrounding it, and orange bulbs had replaced the normally white ones in the lanterns, bringing a festive feeling to the square. Halloween flags danced off poles hanging outside the shops along with jack-o’-lanterns and more decorations.

“Hey, stop!” Will shouted. “Stop!”

“What?” Michael called, slamming on the brakes and making all of us jerk in our seats.

Will rolled down his window, and Michael turned down the music, waiting.

“She finished it,” Will said, gazing into the park.

I cocked my head, trying to see what he was seeing, but I wasn’t sure what we were looking at. I glanced to my right, seeing FANE, my family’s store across the street. The glass display cases were all lit up, and even from here, I could see jewelry glittering.

I turned back, seeing Will still staring out the window in silence. He then twisted his head, holding his hand over his shoulder to Damon.

“Give me a bottle,” he ordered.

“Why?”

“You know why,” Will shot back, and I blinked, surprised at his suddenly sharp tone. “Give it to me.”

“Not out in the open like this,” Kai argued.

“Screw that.” Will shook his hand at Damon, urging him. “Now!”

What the hell was going on? I saw Damon shoot Michael a quick glance through the rearview mirror as if still not sure.

“Give him a bottle,” Michael said quietly.

My heart skipped a beat, wondering what he was going to do. If Kai was nervous, whatever it was wasn’t a good idea. And if Damon was nervous, it definitely wasn’t a good idea.

Will slid his mask back on his face and pulled his dark hood over his hair before reaching over, sticking his hand in the center pocket of my sweatshirt, and pulling out my matches. Then taking a bottle of liquor and cloth from Damon, he swung his door open and hopped out.

“Jesus,” Damon said, sounding suddenly worried as he shouted after him. “Fuck that bitch. I don’t even know why you care!”

But Will didn’t seem to hear him. He kept walking, fiddling with the materials in front of him.

Who were they talking about?

“Let’s go,” Michael said, opening his door and climbing out.

I watched as they all pulled on their masks and hoods and slammed their doors shut.

I clutched the handle, not sure I wanted to follow. They didn’t all seem on board with what Will was going to do, and I didn’t have a mask.

“Come on.” Michael peered through Will’s open window. “We all go. It’s the rules.”

Ooookay. All for one and one for all then? But that wasn’t really true. Damon had gotten away with doing his prank in private, but I guess, since it was a very private thing he was doing, I wouldn’t want to be around for that anyway.

I hesitated, blowing out a sigh and yanking my hood up.

I climbed out Will’s side and walked briskly next to Michael, stuffing my hands into my sweatshirt.

Scanning the area, I noticed several bystanders, teenagers and couples, and they were all staring at the men in masks. I kept my head down, trying to be invisible.

I spotted Will with a rag now stuffed in the bottle of alcohol as he, Damon, and Kai headed for what looked like the Witch’s Hat Gazebo in the park.

What?

“Why’s he going after the gazebo?” I asked Michael.

“Because he’s in love with the girl who built it,” he replied, “and she can’t stand him.”

I pinched my eyebrows together, confused and not caring who saw my face anymore.

“Emmy Scott?” I shot out, wanting to laugh.

“What?” Michael looked at me, not sharing the joke.

“Well, she’s not…” I trailed off, thinking of moody little Emory Scott in her black-rimmed glasses and overalls who never wore a stitch of make-up. “Well, she’s not really his type, is she?”

I couldn’t believe it. This had to be a mistake. Will had only ever been seen with girly girls in short skirts with perfect hair. Girls who knew how to flirt. Emmy Scott was…well, kind of a nerd by everyone’s opinion, including her own.

We stopped as we neared the gazebo, and I turned my head, seeing Michael’s piercing eyes lock with mine.

“We want what we want,” he explained, the weight of his soft words meaning more than I think he intended.

And my heart starting beating faster.

I glanced over to the guys, seeing Damon hold the bottle as Will lit the cloth, and I shook my head.

“I don’t like this,” I whispered, keeping my head down again. “Emmy’s a good person, and she worked her ass off on that gazebo. It was her senior project for Social Science. It got her into Berkeley.”

She’d built the gazebo a year ago last summer, and while she may have been thrilled to get out of here and go off to college, she’d certainly put everything she had into that gazebo, as well as a few other little projects she’d built around town.

Michael tipped his chin up. “He’ll make it right,” he assured. “Let him go through his shit.”

And then, before I could say anything, I saw a flash of light fly through the air. I held my breath as the bottle crashed into the gazebo, an explosion of flame bursting forth and drowning every inch of wood in fire.

“Oh, Jesus.” I shot my hand to my forehead, guilt filling me up. “I’m not watching this. This is a dick move!”

I spun around, but Michael grabbed my arm. “You stand with us or you can go home,” he warned.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp, scowling up at him.

I didn’t want to go home.

But this wasn’t fun, either. They were being assholes, and if I didn’t stand my ground, he’d always see me as weak.

I stalked off, back toward to the street to where the car sat.

Screw them. I’d find an open business and call Noah to pick me up.

Pulling open the car door, I dug inside the back pocket of Kai’s seat where I’d stuffed my phone and pulled it out, slamming the door.

The fire blazed only a short distance away, and several excited voices rang out around me.

“Oh, shit!” someone called, noticing the blaze.

There were more gasps and a few excited laughs. Certain people knew what to expect on Devil’s Night and had probably been waiting for it.

I ignored them and swiped the screen of my phone, dialing 911. Maybe the fire trucks had gotten back through.

I hesitated a moment, not wanting to get the guys in trouble, but then I remembered that they didn’t get in trouble.

Fuck it. I pressed Call.

“Stop!”

I jerked my head up, seeing Officer Baker across the street in the park. My stomach dropped.

Oh, no.

He was headed straight for the guys. With his hand on his firearm, he slowly approached where they all stood together now. “Hands in the air! Now!”

I ended the call, knowing he probably called it in already.

“Shit!” I heard Will growl. “Dammit!”

“Hands up! Now!” Baker bellowed again. “You little shits are done for the night! I’m taking you in!”

“Son of a bitch,” I breathed out, stuffing my phone in my sweatshirt.

Michael’s hands went up first, slowly followed by everyone else.

“This really ruins our night, Baker,” Will joked, and I heard the rest of the guys erupt in laughter.

“Down on the ground!” the officer shouted, ignoring their teasing. “Slowly.”

“My father’s going to have my head,” Kai grumbled.

My pulse raced, and I watched as they all lowered to the ground and a crowd of spectators gathering around the scene.

It wasn’t the first time the guys had gotten taken in. Baker would probably just keep them for the night so they didn’t do any more damage and then release them in the morning.

But then I shot my eyes back and forth, noticing several people take out their cell phones and begin recording.

“Take your masks off,” the officer ordered.

My jaw dropped open as I breathed hard. No.

Not with everyone fucking recording! Michael would be made, and he’d lose his spot on the team. Not that I cared.

Okay, yes. I fucking cared.

I shot my head around, twisting side to side and looking for something—anything—to do. Something to distract the cop.

And then I froze, seeing the store windows of FANE.

My heart in my throat, I didn’t stop to think.

Just do it.

Lunging for the rear of the car, I opened it and dug out a crow bar. Slamming the back door closed again, I pulled my hood down over my eyes and ran up to the display case, which showed off a glittering set of ruby earrings with a matching necklace and a ring, probably worth over a quarter of a million dollars.

Yeah, my family didn’t fuck around when it came to jewels. We were worth as much, if not more, than the Crists.

I raised my arm, wincing with fright at what I was about to do. “Shit,” I whimpered.

And I just swung.

The crowbar crashed through the glass, the lights and alarms immediately blazing, filling the town square with its onslaught of noise.

I was just about to run, knowing the cop would come after me in preference of them, but then I quickly realized that I’d be leaving the jewels unprotected.

Grabbing the shit out of the case, I held it tight in my fist, the stones cutting into my skin, and I bolted.

“Oh, fuck! Really?” I heard Will’s excited voice and then a huge, boisterous laugh.

“Go! Get in the car!” someone else shouted, but I was too far gone to make out the voice.

I darted around the corner, down the street, and then I took another quick left, racing into one of the quieter, less ostentatious neighborhoods as I tried to lose the cop.

I didn’t know if he was after me, but hopefully he would think I’d kept going down Breckinridge.

I ran as fast as I could, pushing with every muscle in my legs, the crowbar in one hand and the jewels in another.

Noah didn’t live far from here, so I could make it to his house.

Shit! What the hell had I done?

No matter how much I covered my face, somebody was still bound to recognize me, not to mention to cameras around the store. And then I’d have to return this shit, and my mother would know.

I ran hard, the cool air pouring in and out of my lungs as sweat glided down my back.

“Rika! Get in!” a voice yelled behind me.

I spun around, seeing Kai with his head stuck out the window as Michael raced his G-class up the dark street.

He slowed alongside me, and I shot out, grabbing the door handle and opening it. I jumped inside and slammed the door. Michael laid on the gas and sped down the street.

“Woo hoo!” Kai slid the top half of his body out of his window, screaming into the night air.

“You robbed your own fucking store, Rika!” Will laughed and grabbed fistfuls of my sweatshirt, shouting into my face. “You’re the fucking king, baby!”

He released me, hysterical with laughter and smiles.

Tipping his head back, he howled up to the roof of the car, the rush of fear and excitement probably too much.

I breathed hard, heat overcoming my entire body, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

I glanced at the rearview mirror, running my hand through my hair in worry, and seeing Michael staring at the road with a small smile on his face. He raised his eyes, as if knowing I was watching him, and I could see something different there.

Maybe respect, or maybe awe.

Or maybe he finally thought I was worth a damn.

I dropped my eyes, forcing myself to relax, a small smile finally peeking out.

“Thanks,” a low voice said behind me.

I turned my head to see Damon, his arms resting on the top of the back seat as he stared at me.

I nodded, knowing that probably wasn’t a word he said often.

“Yo, turn it up!” Will shouted. “That’s her. Monster.”

He flashed me a smile as Skillet’s Monster filled the car, pumping through my veins.

Will started singing, then slid out of his seat, and I shook with laughter as he straddled me, giving me a lap dance to the music.

“To the warehouse,” he commanded, holding out his fist. “Let’s get fucked up.”

Present

I GRIPPED THE STEERING WHEEL, racing down the dark highway as I held the phone to my ear.

“Mom, where the hell are you?” I burst out, my heart thundering in my chest.

The line kept ringing and ringing, and even though I’d called her several times since I got the call about the house, she still wasn’t answering.

I’d even tried our housekeeper, but I couldn’t reach anyone.

Goddammit, why hadn’t I gotten the satellite number from Michael the other night? I’d just grabbed Alex and begged her to take me home, even though I’d had to drive because she’d had too much to drink.

Turning the wheel to the right, I curved around the bend, hitting End on the call and throwing my phone onto the passenger seat.

“Please,” I breathed out, my face cracking as I held back the tears.

Please let it be okay.

The fire trucks got there in time. They had to have.

Ferguson had called me over an hour ago, telling me that my parents’ house was on fire and that he’d called the fire department. They were already there, but he couldn’t get a hold of my mother or our housekeeper, both of whom were supposed to be out of town.

I didn’t hesitate. I jumped in the car and left the city, speeding down the highway. Finally, after an hour of driving, I’d entered the dark, quiet roads of Thunder Bay.

It was after ten at night, after all.

Coming up on the left, I spotted the community entrance and pushed down on my horn, blaring it again and again and again.

Ferguson opened the gate, and I raced through, not even slowing down to talk. My headlights fell across the black road as I winded through the spacious forest, spotting gates and homes, lanterns and driveways melting into the landscape.

Passing the Crist house, I didn’t even spare a glance. I raced right past, clicking the remote for my own gate as it came up half a mile down the road.

Jerking the steering wheel to the left, I charged into the driveway and immediately slammed on the breaks.

Turning off the car, I jumped out, gasping as my chest shook.

“No, no, no…” I stared through blurry eyes up at the house.

Black soot spilled over the window frames, and I could see the curtains in the upstairs’ windows hanging in shreds.

The front door was gone, the roof was black, and the foliage surrounding the house was burnt up. The house stood dark and beaten as the smell of fire filled the air and black smoke drifted up from a few remaining embers.

I couldn’t make out anything from the inside, but it looked gutted.

Shooting my hands into my hair, tears spilled over as my face broke. I sobbed, struggling for breath as I broke out in a run, racing up to the house.

“Mom!”

But someone’s arms engulfed me, holding me back.

“Let me go!” I struggled and fought, twisting my body away from them.

“You can’t go in there!” he shouted.

Michael.

But I didn’t care. I broke through his hold, shoving his hands away and bolting into the house.

“Rika!”

I raced into the house, barely taking in the black floors, carpets, and walls. I rounded the bannister, feeling the grains of soot under my palm as I grabbed it for support.

“Miss!” a man yelled, and I briefly noticed firefighters walking about.

I ignored them and leapt up the stairs, the floor boards under the soaked carpet shaking with my weight and warning me with its creaking, but I didn’t fucking care.

The whole goddamn house could fall on me.

“Mom!”

But wait…she’s not here. She’s away, remember? Relief flooded me as I reached the second floor landing. She’s not here.

I dived into my bedroom, the pungent stench of the smoke filling my lungs as I went straight for my walk-in closet. I fell to my knees, coughing, as I rummaged in the corner for a box.

Water dripped on my back from the doused clothes hanging above me. The fire had been in here, too. Please, no.

I flipped off the top of a box and dug in, my hand wrapping around another hard wooden box, this one smaller. I pulled it out.

Water immediately spilled out of its corner.

My heart broke. No.

Wrapping my arms around it, I hugged it to my chest and hunched over, sobbing. It was ruined.

“Stand up.”

I heard Michael’s voice behind me, but I didn’t want to move.

“Rika,” he urged again.

I raised my head again, trying to force in deep breaths, but all of a sudden dizziness wracked though me, and I couldn’t breathe. The air was too thick.

I should’ve taken the box with me. It was stupid to leave it here. I thought I was trying to be strong, letting the past go and leaving it behind. I should never have left without it.

I opened my eyes, barely seeing anything through the blur.

Why was Michael here? He’d been here when I got here, which meant he’d found out about the fire before I had.

Slowly, all the control I’d fought to assume over my life was getting taken away from me. Being duped into living at Delcour, finding Will and Damon in my class, the constant threat of his friends hanging over my head, and then there was Michael. I had no control around him.

And now my house?

A weight sat on my chest, and I drew in hard, shallow breaths as I looked up at him. “Where is my mother? Why can’t I reach her?”

Holding his eyes, I started coughing again, the air like poison every time I tried to take a breath.

“We need to get out of here.” He reached down and pulled me up, knowing that the smoke was getting to me. “We’ll come back tomorrow after the fire department’s assessed the damage and made sure it’s safe. We’ll stay at my parents’ house tonight.”

A lump stretched my throat, but I didn’t even have the energy to swallow it down. I squeezed the box to my chest, wanting to sink away.

I didn’t fight as we left the room. I didn’t fight when he put me in his car or when I saw him pass his parents’ house and take me into town.

I couldn’t fight him tonight.

“ARE THOSE THE MATCHES YOU TOLD ME ABOUT?” he asked, gesturing with his chin to the box on the table. “The ones your father collected from his trips?”

I dropped my eyes, seeing the damp wood of the cigar box and nodded. I was still too deflated to say anything.

After we’d left the firefighters to keep working at the house, he hadn’t taken us back to his parents’ place. He’d driven into town and stopped at Sticks, and even though I didn’t want to see anybody, I welcomed a drink.

I followed him in, and thankfully, he hid us in a booth and ordered us a couple of beers. The waitress gave me a quick glance, knowing I wasn’t twenty-one, but she wouldn’t argue with him.

No one ever did.

The bar was nearly empty, probably because it was a school night, as well as the college kids having all left town to go back to school by now. A few older patrons sat at the bar, some people played pool, and others loitered around, drinking, talking, and eating.

Slowly easing back into the chair, I touched the box with shaky hands and flipped the clasp on the front, lifting the lid.

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I looked away.

Ruined. Everything was ruined.

Most of the matchbooks and little boxes were made of paper, and even if the matches dried out, the containers were split, torn, and shriveled. The damp cardboard dripped with water, discolored and broken.

I reached over and picked up a little glass jar. The matchsticks inside had a green tip, and I still remembered my father returning from Wales saying he’d found them in a seaside shop in Cardiff.

I smiled sadly, holding up the jar. “These are my favorite,” I told Michael, leaning over the table. “Listen to the sound.”

I jiggled the jar next to his ear, but then my face fell, hearing the heavy clumping instead of the light, familiar sound of the wooden sticks tapping the inside of the glass.

I lowered myself back down into my seat. “They don’t sound the same now, I guess.”

Michael stared at me, his huge frame and height damn-near taking up the whole bench on his side of the booth.

“They’re just matches, Rika.”

I cocked my head, my eyes narrowing with ire. “They’re just matches?” I sneered. “What do you treasure? Is anything precious to you?”

His expression turned impassive, and he remained silent.

“Yeah, they’re just matches,” I continued, my voice growing thick with tears. “And memories and smells and sounds and butterflies in my stomach every time I heard the car door slam outside, telling me that he was home. A thousand dreams of all the places I’d have adventures someday.” I took a deep breath, placing my hand on top of the box. “They’re hopes and wishes and reminders and all the times I smiled, knowing he’d remembered me while he was gone.”

And then I looked at him pointedly. “You have money and girls, cars and clothes, but I still have more than you in this little box.”

I turned my gaze out to the pool tables, seeing him watch me out of the corner of my eye. I knew he thought I was being silly. He probably wondered why he was still sitting here with me. I had my car. He could’ve just let me crash at his family’s house tonight and gone back to the city himself and to whatever date or function he was dressed up for.

But the truth was, I wasn’t being silly. Yeah, they were just matches, but they were also irreplaceable. And the things that were irreplaceable in life were the only things of value.

When I thought about it, there actually weren’t a lot of things or people in the world that I loved. Why had I left them here?

“They think the fire started near the stairs,” Michael said, taking a drink of his beer. “That’s how it traveled to the second floor so fast. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

I stayed silent, watching as the waitress set down two shots.

“You don’t care?” Michael broached when I didn’t say anything.

I shrugged, the anger numbing the sadness. “The house doesn’t mean anything,” I said in a low voice. “I was never happy there without my father anyway.”

“Were you happy at my house?”

I shot my eyes up, locking with his. Why was he asking that? Did he actually care? Or maybe he knew the answer.

No. No, I wasn’t happy at his house. Not without him there.

In middle school and high school, I’d loved it. Hearing the basketball bounce through the house as he walked around, feeling him in a room and not being able to concentrate on anything else, running into him in the hallway…

I loved the anticipation of just being around him.

But after he left for college and barely ever made it home, the Crist house became a cage. I was constantly circled by Trevor, and I missed Michael so much.

Being in his house when he wasn’t there was the loneliest I’d ever been.

I dropped the jar back into the box and snapped it shut, turning my head to the jukebox along the front windows.

“Can I have some money?” I asked, turning back to him.

I’d left my bag in my car.

He reached into his pocket, taking some bills off a clip. I reached over, without hesitation, and took the five I spotted, climbing out of the booth and carrying my beer with me.

Chills broke out down my arms, and I remembered that I was still in the jeans and white tank I’d changed into when I got home from school earlier. Having jumped into the car in such a hurry, I hadn’t grabbed a jacket.

Michael was in a black suit and a white shirt, open at the collar, and I wondered if he had been coming from somewhere or was going somewhere.

It didn’t matter. He could leave. I could take care of myself.

I took sips of my beer as I fed the machine the five dollars and began choosing music.