Page 5 of The Friend Scheme
I can’t hide in here for long, so I need to make every second of peace count. I pinch one nostril closed, breathe in deep, then let go and exhale. It helps a little, but not enough. I can’t get the sight of the burning restaurant, along with Dad’s look of disdain through the rearview, out of my head. And then there’s the fact that my family has been talking about me.
It’s a pretty killer trio.
I wait for as long as I can, and then I step outside.
And find I’m not alone in the bathroom.
Washing his hands is a guy I haven’t seen before. He’s wearing a dark blue shirt tucked into gray slacks and nice black shoes. His dusty brown hair is short, cut in military fashion. The top two buttons of his shirt are undone, showing off some pale skin.
He has the kind of body you notice.
I ignore him and start washing up.
“Rough night?” he asks.
“Huh?”
“You look like you’ve been through it,” he says, turning to face me. He’s drying his hands with a paper towel. I notice his posture, too; it’s weirdly great.
Dead straight.
I shrug and turn off the tap.
“I’m Jason, by the way,” he says.
He looks young, maybe around my age. It’s not super uncommon for the sons and daughters of mob players to show up here: They like to get us indoctrinated early. So much illegal stuff happens here; underage drinking is the least of their concerns.
“Matt,” I say. “I’d shake your hand, but you know…”
I raise my wet hands.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, and he smiles. “Hey, this might be a long shot, but are you up for sneaking out of here?”
His smile makes my heart beat faster. This boy, whoever he is, has a great freaking smile. It feels almost dangerous. He should warn a guy before smiling at him like that.
“What?” I say.
He steps closer, and his shoes click on the tiles. “Look, I can tell you’d rather be somewhere else right now. And conveniently, that’s what I want, too. I know a diner down the road. If you’re game?”
I eye him warily. Who suggests something like that? Who is this guy? But he’s right. Iwouldrather be somewhere else right now.
And fine, I’ll admit it. He’s absurdly hot.
“Sure,” I say. “Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER TWO
Jason and I are walking down a quiet alley.
It feels a little like this stretch of the city belongs to us.
I’m not sure if anyone else would want it, though. It smells like trash, and the walls are covered in graffiti. I look up. The moon’s out, and I can hear the ocean. I feel a little unsafe, but weirdly I kind of like that. At the end of the alleyway, across a road, is a diner, called Sunshine Diner. Its signage is blue neon.
I look across, at the tall hot guy keeping pace beside me. It doesn’t feel real, that I’m doing this.
“What?” he asks.
“Huh?”
