Page 59 of Reckless At Raleigh High
29
ALEX
I’m going to fucking kill him. Going after me is one thing, but putting a mark on Silver ’cause he knows he’ll never get what he wants any other way? My worthless father’s really crossed the line this time. He’s going to regret he ever even thought about stepping foot inside Raleigh town limits.
I’m going to bide my time. If I go after him guns blazing, I’ll only end up tipping my hand. He’ll realize his plan’s been leaked and concoct a backup. He’ll scramble to regain the upper hand, and that could lead to all kinds of reckless behavior.
Back in the car, I thought Zander was going to tell us that my father had hiredJaketo pursue Silver. He probably wouldn’t have had to pay the psycho to do it, after all. He’d have done it for free. But no…he tapped Zander for the job. In his words,“You can get the closest, my man. Charm her in the parking lot at school or something. Tell her you’re a champion cunt eater. Girls pretend they they’re all embarrassed when you try to stick your head between their legs, but they love that shit just as much as we love getting our cocks sucked. And I’veneverturned down an opportunity to get my cock sucked.”
I nearly knocked Zanders teeth down his throat when he told me that. Wasn’t his fault, but the idea of him propositioning my girl made me want to eviscerate him right where he stood. He’d waited until Silver and Halliday had gone to cheer practice before he’d told me that ugly piece of the story, which was good. If he’d disrespected Silver by repeating my father’s repellant suggestion, I don’t think I would have kept my shit together. Not because I’m worried that she might have been offended; thanks to Jake’s campaign of hate at Raleigh, Silver’s heard much worse. No, I would have been ashamed that a man who would say such a thing was actually related to me, and the same blood flows through our veins. If I could drain every last drop from my body and somehow still draw enough breath to protect her, then I’d do it without hesitation.
Football practice goes about as well as can be expected. The entire team collude to make me suffer, but they picked the wrong fucking day to pull that shit. I’m just itching to break something. A helmet. A record. A rib or two. By the end of the hour-long debacle, two of my teammates, die-hard Jacob Weaving minions, have been benched with injuries that were very satisfying to inflict, I hold the title for most completions in a Raleigh High practice game, and vengeance isstillburning hot in my chest.
I want to rain down fire and brimstone on Giacomo Moretti’s head, and I want to laugh like a madman while I’m doing it.
Outside, Zander walks with me to the Camaro and hops into the passenger seat without bothering to ask if he’s welcome. My reservations have reservations where he’s concerned, but Silver’s words of advice have been ringing in my head ever since she said them:You should probably forgive him and move on before you lose him altogether.
I would have had a very different experience in juvie if Zander hadn’t been around. He showed me the ropes and made the infinitely slow passing of time more bearable. He just took a number of cage-rattling hits that were unquestionably meant for me in that practice game. And there’s no doubt about it that as president of the Dreadnaughts MC, Q will do more than kick him out of the club for telling me my father’s plan to jump Silver. That incursion will probably land Zander in a shallow grave just off the five if anyone finds out about it. Q’s been feeding my father information to pass along to the DEA, which means he’s a valuable asset to him. If Zander shared information that in turn compromised the club, then he signed his own death warrant. It doesn’t matter how big or small the transgression, clubs like the Dreadnaughts have a zero-tolerance policy and an equally swift and merciless system for meting out justice.
“Where’s Silver?” Zander asks, fiddling with the radio dial. I resist the urge to slap his hand out of the way.
“Teaching. Guitar lessons.”
“She’s good, huh.” He pulls a Subway footlong out of his bag and opens it, showering the Camaro with crumbs. My vision flashes red, but I bite down hard on my tongue, refusing to gripe about the mess. Zander gives me a wolfish smile, knowing just how badly I want to yell at him. Wordlessly, he offers me half of the sub.
“What is it?”
“Steak and cheese.”
I grunt, taking it from him.
“I saw you guys play at the diner together,” he says, taking a huge bite out of his half. “You werebothgood.”
That’s surprising. I didn’t see him show up at Harry’s. Didn’t see him sitting at any of the tables or in the booths either. I wasn’t exactly paying attention, though. I had other things on my mind. “Thanks,” I say stiffly.
“You never told me you played when we were in juvie.”
I shrug, taking a bite of the sandwich, hoping he’ll move on and talk about something else.
“There was a guitar in the common room. Two of them, actually. Why didn’t you ever play them?” he asks.
I chew. And I chew. And I chew. Eventually, I have to swallow, and Zander’s still sitting there, waiting for an answer. Fucker. I struggle for a moment to figure out how best to explain, shuttling the St. Christopher around my neck up and down on its chain. “Music’s personal, man. To me, anyway. If I’d picked up one of those guitars in that place, I would have sullied it. I wasn’t myself in there. I wanted to leave that part of me outside of the gates. And…music makes me feel free. Playing in there would have made me feel even more trapped than I already was.”
I wait for the mockery. This is an easy opportunity for him. I basically just handed him my ass on a silver platter, just begging for him to ridicule me for being a little bitch. Zander does nothing but nod, intently studying his steak and cheese sub. “I get it. Makes sense. You’ve got a talent, though, dude. You should definitely share it more often. Now that youarefree and all.”
Compliments about my playing have always made me break out in hives. I smash the rest of the sandwich, occupying myself with the act of eating. When I’m done, I start the engine and I say no more about my musical abilities. ‘Whole Lotta Love’by Led Zeppelin comes on the radio, and Zander turns it up as we pull out of the school parking lot.
“Where we headed?” he asks. I get the impression that our destination doesn’t really matter to Zander. He’s just content to be moving.
“The Rock,” I tell him, in a clipped voice. “It reallyisabout time I paid Monty a visit.”
30
SILVER
Istill get paid if a kid’s parents cancel a lesson.
When I arrive at Gregory and Lou’s place, Dr. Coombes hands me three twenty-dollar bills, folded in half, and informs me that both the boys have come down with a stomach bug. I try to give him his money back, though. Honestly, I wouldn’t charge him for the boys’ lessons at all if I could get away with it. I’m wracked with guilt every time I teach them, knowing what I know. Their mother was fleeingmymom’s workplace, after seeing Mom half-naked with her legs spread on her boss’ desk, when she careened through that intersection and was smoked by another vehicle. If she hadn’t seen her friend so flagrantly cheating on her husband, she wouldn’t have been driving that recklessly. She’d probably still be alive. By extension, I feel somehow responsible for Gail Coombes’ death.
