Page 117 of My Infatuation with Isabella

“Care to explain to me where we’re going at midnight?”

“Let’s go get Scott and then I’ll tell you.”

“Does Scott know that we’re picking him up?”

“Nope.”

And that’s good enough for him. “Okay.”

We walk out the front door of his house and he comes to an abrupt halt the second we get outside. He glances between me and the truck in his driveway. “Should I even ask?”

“You won’t like the answer,” I reply.

He sighs, shaking his head as he walks to the passenger side of the truck. We get in and I hand him my cell. I ask him to call Scott and put him on speaker.

“Dyl?” Scott answers groggily after the third ring. “Why are you calling at midnight?”

“We’re on our way to pick you up,” Pete answers.

“We’ll be there in ten minutes. Meet us outside.”

“Wait. What are you talking about? Where are we?”

Pete hangs up and looks at me. “He’s gonna be pissed.”

“He’ll get over it.”

We drive to Santa Monica where Scott lives now. The school Scott teaches at is just a few blocks away and it made sense for him to move. He’s quite far out from now, but we found a gym that’s convenient for all of us, so nothing has really changed.

Scott is already waiting out on the sidewalk when we get to his apartment and glowers at me when I stop the truck in front of him. Pete scoots over and allows Scott to climb in beside him. The hard slam of the door shows just how pissed off he is. But this is why both of them have grown to be my closest friends. They don’t know why I have the truck. They don’t know where we’re going at midnight, but they’re always willing to help me when I need them.

I pull away from the curb, and the silence is loaded with questions.

“What’s going on?” Scott finally asks.

“So...we’re going to the park in Bella’s neighborhood,” I reply cautiously. “There’s a wooden horse there...and we’re going to take it...put it in the back of this truck...and then go to Bella’s house.”

Two heads snap in my direction. Two pairs of eyes glare at me in disbelief.

“Dyl, that’s public property,” Peter says as if I don’t already know.

“No, that’sstealingpublic property,” Scott corrects. “I’m a teacher! I can’t be stealing public property. What kind of example is that setting?”

“It’s not stealing. We’re going to put it right back once we’re done.”

That still doesn’t settle him. “And what if we get caught? We’d get arrested. I’d lose my job. And who’s going to pay for bail or lawyer’s fees?”

“Pete will pay for all that.”

“I will?”

I tap him on the shoulder. “You’re a good friend like that, Pete.”

He snorts. “Thanks, Dyl.”

Scott complains for almost the full thirty minutes it takes us to drive back to Bella’s neighborhood. Once we get to the park, I turn the truck so I can reverse to the place where the horse is mounted. I get out once I stop the truck, then walk to the back to open the double doors.

“This is a crime,” Scott says when he meets me at the back. “I swear if we get caught, I’m throwing you under the bus. I’m gonna say that you held me at gunpoint and forced me to do it. I’m not going down for this shit, Dyl.”

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