“Yeah, you nailed it. I don’t know what’s there, but one thing is for certain.” I turn to him. “You and I have to stick together. I’m not getting burned by Ricky again, and you sure as hell can’t afford to, either.”
Neither of us says anything for a bit, probably because that was pretty messed up. Or maybe it wasn’t messed up at all, but smart.
I stop walking. It’s time to tell him. “Hey, we’re selling our house.”
John stops and looks at me as if waiting for the rest of the joke. When it doesn’t come, he asks, “What? Why are you doing that?”
I shrug. “My parents, man. Bunch of nonsense with my dad’s job. So we’re selling.”
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.” I almost laugh, but am glad I don’t because John grabs my shoulder.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” His voice rises and falls.
“If my dad takes a transfer for his job, we’re gone, like across the country. If he doesn’t, we’ll need to save cash, so we’re moving into an apartment around here.”
John looks up at the sky. “Please tell me you’re going to be around for the rest of the year.”
I know he’s not that stupid and can comprehend the fact that there are two scenarios to what I said, but I say, “Of course.”
His shoulders come down from around his ears. “Good, cause you’ve lived down the street from me my entire life. You can’t just up and go.”
I slap his back. “Don’t worry. One way or another, I’ll be around.” I don’t have a clue if that’s even remotely true.
We part ways at his house, and when I head inside mine, Ginny’s on the couch with her laptop and a couple of thick textbooks. She’s wearing her glasses, not her contacts, and looks like a strung-out secretary. She doesn’t do hangovers well.
“How you feeling?” I slam the door behind me.
She scowls. “Don’t start with me, Benny. I’ve got a paper to write.”
I go to the kitchen, make a sandwich, and think about today. How can so much be happening at once, when normally my life is so boring it hurts? I don’t have answers and know I won’t find them sitting here.
I change into my work shirt and delete my conversation from last night with Ricky. It feels strange following Trevor’s advice, but who am I to question? I make sure to slam the door again on the way out, and Ginny yells behind me.
I drive to Pizza and More and walk into Chuck at the end of some joke. He and the cooks are laughing. He sees me and turns on his heel.
“Doctor, doctor, doctor. What’s the prognosis for my ad?”
Damn it! I blanked on that. “Um, I’ve got some leads, but I want to make sure before I talk to them.”
“Smart. But I’ve always known that about you.” Chuck returns to the cooks and I go and punch in. Alexia’s on her cell and her face is intense as she fires off a text. She grunts and mumbles, “Asshole.”
I snatch up the order slips, get the pizzas together, and head out the door with the deliveries.
It’s a slow evening, so I take my time driving, not concerned about what time I get back. The weather’s got the fall crisp to it, but the sun’s still strong enough to warm me and I feel peaceful. With all that’s going on, a bit of a clear head is exactly what I need.
Back at the shop Alexia is pouting over the counter. I sneak up and stand beside her. She doesn’t see me. She keeps staring out the front window at the traffic. “You’re not getting any ideas are you?”
Alexia jumps and puts a hand to her chest. “Jesus, Ben! You scared the shit out of me!” She swats, but there’s no real anger behind it.
“I’m sorry. You looked so depressed. Were you thinking about playing in traffic?” I hoped she would laugh, but she sinks lower on the counter.
“I should. Jesse broke up with me.”
I do a fist pump in my head. “Really? That’s awful. Why?” I sit on the stool next to her.
“No reason. He’s being a douche. Like all guys. Can’t be tied down or some shit. It’s his senior year. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled this.” Her voice wavers at the end, and I’m reminded of my conversation with Chantel. I need to speak with her again. Or if I get the courage, to Alexia.
“When I got my braces off, at first I wasn’t happy. My mouth felt weird, like there was way too much space. I kind of wanted the braces put back on,” I say. “Crazy, I know. But then after a while, I realized how much easier everything was—eating, talking, smiling. You know what I mean?” I know Alexia’s never needed braces, she’s a natural beauty, but I hope she understands the analogy.
She turns to me, eyes dancing. “I remember that. You really looked happier without them.”
The moment is too intense. That’s not new for us, but such a distant emotion. “You said it, not me.”
“Truth.” She nods. “Thanks, Ben.”
“You’re welcome. But I think you would have figured that out on your own.”
“Yeah. Maybe?”
Damn, I so want her to be more decisive. But that’s self-serving so I switch gears. “Remember, you owe me a party?”
“You’re right, I do. Um, I think Danielle Thompson is throwing one in a couple of weeks.”
“If so, then I’m bringing John.”
Alexia looks at me like she’s expecting me to say I’m kidding, but just as quickly, seems to realize I’m not and turns away. Seeing that makes me want to smack myself. Very hard.
“Doc! Big order coming out!” Chuck startles us both, and I slap the counter to steady myself. Alexia sits up, but pats the back of my hand.
“Thanks.” She slides off her stool and gets the order slip before I can say anything.
I load the pizza, wings, antipasto, bread, and bucket of meatballs. The house is in the rich part of town, so I double check my GPS, hoping that it’s updated for those streets. I turn on the Jeep and the lights illuminate the dusk. Standing in front of my Jeep is Chantel.
I roll down my window, but don’t get a chance to speak.
“You going for a ride?” She asks.
“One more delivery. You here to see Alexia?”
She smiles. “Yeah, but since I’ve seen you first, can I come along?”
I know Chuck’s rule, but I have a feeling he’d cut me slack this time. “Sure.”
Chantel steps around and climbs into the passenger seat. She buckles the seatbelt and it cinches between her boobs, making them pop. “Let’s go,” she says.
There are two routes we can take, and because I have a feeling Chantel will enjoy it—or maybe only I will—we take the second. I turn at the top of the hill, onto the off-road path.
Her eyes go wide for a moment, displaying every fear I am currently feeling. She doesn’t deserve this. But then she grabs the
oh-shit
handle and laughs. “I love off-roading.”
I pop into four-wheel and hit the first turn.
We go up and down the inclines, pitch left and right around the bends until the new development looms in the distance and the trail plateaus on a small rise. I park. “Ben, that was so not what I expected.”
“Me neither.” I look out the window and down the slope, to the pond below and realize where we are and how steep the jump will be.
“Whatcha doing?” Chantel asks.
“Sorry, I was, uh, just thinking.” I know I’m blushing. I hope the almost-dark covers it up.
“About what?” She leans toward me.
Right now I should be able to supply some line, something witty like I can manage with Alexia, but I can’t. I am overpowered by her appeal. Or my fear of the upcoming dare.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.” She slides away.
“No, it’s . . . complicated.”
Chantel turns back. “Here, this isn’t.” And with that we’re kissing. She’s unbuckled her seatbelt, and I follow her lead. We’re leaning over the seats and my mouth is entwined with hers.
She laughs, and it vibrates against my teeth and we pull away. I don’t know why she’s laughing and I search her face. She pats the stick shift. “It was jabbing my thigh. Thought it was something else.”
I sit back in my seat. The worry floats away.
“You feel better?”
I turn to her. “I do. Thanks.”
She smiles and I almost wish she didn’t, because my mind turns. What’s her interest in me? Where is it coming from? We don’t know each other. Have only talked once, and that was about her friend. Is this possibly some by-product of completing the dares? Like what Ricky said?
She scrunches her face and then leans over and kisses me again. It’s a quick kiss, but full on the lips and she nibbles at the end. “You’re adorable.” I blush and she slides away, but my questions do not.
—
The owner doesn’t tip me
when I finally arrive with his dinner. He yells about how late I am and says he’s already called Chuck to complain. I apologize but find it difficult to really care.
After I drop Chantel off in the brand-new, expensive development over, she blows me a kiss and tells me she’ll see me later. I float back to work and almost can’t look at Alexia when I return. Somehow Chantel and I both forgot that she had come to see Alexia. Chuck storms at me when I come through and sniffs the air around me like he’s some drug dog.
“Doc, you, uh, mistake your mom’s perfume for your cologne?”
I laugh and play it off for two reasons. One, Chuck would yell at me for the ride-along, but then pull me into his office for details. He is one horny and vicariously living man. No, thank you. Two, I might have to explain myself in front of Alexia. No way. She’s always been fragile. Me getting frisky with her friend right after she’s broken up with Jesse, there’s no way that’s going over well.
His eyes dance off his face. “Doc, I’m glad your shift is over. You’re starting to lose it. I’m docking your pay for that order.”
I don’t argue. I punch out, say good night to Alexia, and bolt. When I get in the Jeep I check my phone and have a text from Ricky:
Check’s here. We’ll take care of it tomorrow.
I am relieved that we got paid, that at least that end of the equation isn’t something I have to unscramble, but I am more concerned about what happened with Chantel.
My Jeep reeks of her perfume. Not a bad thing. A first for me, really. But the problem is Alexia. We’re rekindling this friendship, and I don’t think Chantel is worth the risk of what it might do to that.
I’m an idiot, I know. I’m sacrificing a hot girl who’s into me for a girl with some real baggage. But I know that baggage. I feel as if I have the matching set.
I step through my front door, and Ginny’s where she was earlier. But now she has her laptop turned toward me, and it’s paused on our bridge jump. I freeze. “Care to explain?” she says.
I can hear my parents in the background, arguing. I look between my sister’s face and the image of me on the screen, and all the good sensations fall away.
“Don’t even try to deny it. I know it’s you three idiots.”
I sit, because if I don’t, I might fall down. “How?” is all I can manage.
Ginny beams with her superior intelligence grin. “This nonsense is what I’m studying. But I’ve known you your whole life. The distortion doesn’t remove what I know.”
This is it. I’m done. John and Ricky will go on without me, maybe replacing me with Trevor. Ginny has taken this away. “Why, Ginny? Why do you care?”
“Are you crazy? Ha, stupid question, that’s a given. You are going to get hurt Ben, you already have. Right?” She points to her forehead. “You might die. Don’t you realize this?” She’s slid closer on the couch and her voice sounds more pleading than accusatory.
But still. “Ginny, we play it up to be worse than it is. You know, for the drama. We’ll be fine.”
“Famous last words right there.”
My parents’ voices rise and move toward us. At any moment they’ll enter and she’ll spill the beans. “Please, Ginny. What will it take for you to keep your mouth shut?”
She tilts her head. “Who said that was even an option?”
“It has to be. There’s more to this than the dares.” And I don’t quite know what to say, because I’m still not completely sure myself. There’s the money, but there’s more with Ricky.
“Like what?” she asks.
“I need time to figure that out.”
Ginny shoves her laptop to the side. “Figure
what
out? Ben, you aren’t making any sense.”
My parents enter the living room, still arguing, but see us and stop. “Sorry,” Dad says.
Mom takes a deep breath and looks at us. “What are you two talking about? You seem worse than we do.” She grabs my Dad’s hand and tugs on it. He looks down, sees it, and pulls her close. It’s a beautiful gesture, a way of saying:
it’s not you, it’s the world I can’t stand.
I think Ginny must recognize it, too, because she says, “School work and Ben’s future.” She shoots me a look and I know she’s not going any further, but I also know we’re not finished.
CHAPTER 11
I
f I had been
paying attention in physics, I could probably calculate how fast I’ll be going when I hit the water. But I’m not paying attention in physics or in any other class, so I wouldn’t know what to do with the dimensions of the ramp if I had them. Anyway, what good would my computations do me? We’re already here.
“Gather round.” Ricky straddles his bike. The same BMX we all now own, compliments of O. P.
We roll into a knot and the cold morning air tickles the skin at the back of my neck. So much for completing these dares later in the day.
“We’ll draw for order. Grab a slip.” Ricky holds his mask, and we each reach in and grab a slip of paper. We’re decked out in our uniform and now have helmets, which are wrapped in the company’s logo.
“Open ’em,” Ricky says, and we all look.
“Yeah, number three, baby!” Ricky shouts.
“Shit, same order as last time.” John throws his slip to the ground.
But this won’t be anything like last time. Everything’s different. Trevor’s on camera, we got paid for the bridge jump, and now Ginny knows. And in spite of how much Ricky swears he has this all worked out, he still hasn’t brought us copies of the contract. My brain is screaming questions I don’t have answers to, ones I should have asked over the past weeks but didn’t.
Ricky claps his hands like some coach and says, “Let’s do this!” Maybe that’s how he sees himself now. These past two weeks have been all about getting the ramp built and creating a quiet buzz for the dare. Trevor’s edited pieces of our last stunts into a fifteen-second commercial that pops up here and there, but no one can add its link anywhere or bookmark it. It’s unembeddable or something like that. He’s a shifty kid, but he meant what he said about knowing computers. It almost makes me wish I was an übernerd like him, rather than average, or possibly above.