Chapter 4 #2
Larry chuckled. “Scott? No, me and the missus have been trying to set him up on dates for years. I think the guy’s a priest or something.”
“Daddy.” Cameron leaned between our seats and smacked her father’s arm as she scolded him. She faced me next. “I always thought Uncle Scott was just nursing a broken heart.”
For a split second, I almost felt bad for Scott, but then I didn’t care.
This was the same guy who abandoned me my whole life, and then decided to step in when my stepfather was throwing a fit.
I unbuckled my seat belt. “Thanks for the ride, I’ll be sure to pass the dinner invite along to Scott. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Cameron.”
She got out of the car as well to hop up front, only, she reached out and pulled me into a hug first.
“Welcome to town, Saylor. We’re all very happy to have you here,” Cameron told me.
I didn’t even need to judge the smile on her face to know she meant it. It didn’t take long to know that this was just the type of person Cameron was.
“Before you go, let’s exchange numbers!” Cameron’s eyes brightened with her suggestion.
For some reason, right away, she liked me. There was something about this girl that was so obliviously cute, na?ve, and innocent.
We traded cell numbers before she got back in her car and rode off with her father.
I fished out my set of keys for the house Scott had given me the night before as I made my way for our front walk.
“Saylor!”
Across from me I caught Dreux jogging over from where he’d just gotten out of the SUV with who appeared to be his mother.
Not this guy again.
“Fuck off!” I snapped as I was determined to get into the house.
Dreux caught my wrist, stopping me. His hand was hot to the touch. Burning me in place.
Around his toffee-colored throat was a gold chain necklace. He even wore a matching chain on his wrist.
As I took in Dreux’s face, I slipped and wondered if he ever got so wasted he passed out, and if someone ever took advantage and played connect the dots with his freckles.
But I knew this type of scenario would never happen to Dreux. He reeked of good behavior.
Mr. Golden Boy was a pure heartthrob. Something straight from a Disney teen show.
His full lips pressed into a hard line as his jaw ticked. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. It’s not my way to act like that.”
“Dreux, get in this house.” Next door his mother had her arms folded as she glared at me with attitude.
No wonder he was a good kid, with a mother like that, where was the opportunity for mayhem?
Still, though, he ignored his mother’s command as he peered at me and our staring contest continued.
His eyes were dark voids of mystery, and the longer he looked at me, the more agitated I became. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and while I would normally not give a fuck, something about this kid and his silent observing pissed me off.
“Mom’s calling,” I said as I shoved my key into the door and pushed it open. “Don’t keep her waiting.”
Dreux shook his head, opening his mouth to say something, but then he didn’t. He turned and walked away.
I didn’t give it another thought before heading inside and kicking off my shoes.
With the house to myself, I was free to do whatever I wanted.
So I explored.
I tossed my bag to the floor and sauntered into Scott’s living room. The fireplace was also a mantel with two bookcases on either side. On one side Scott held an impressive vinyl collection, and a record player.
After sifting through Scott’s collection, I settled on a B-sides album from The Smiths.
Danny loved The Smiths. We used to sit up for hours and complain about being born too late to see all the greats.
The thought made me miss home. My friends. My boys.
I dug my phone out of my back pocket and dialed Ian.
No answer.
I rang Jack.
No answer.
Confused, I called Danny. The phone rang and rang until he finally picked up.
“What’s up, Say?” He sounded tired and stiff.
“Hey, what’s up?” I sat down on the floor, all too thrilled to be speaking to someone I knew and loved.
Over on his end, Danny sighed. “Nothing much.”
“I tried calling the others, but they wouldn’t pick up. They must be sleeping something off. It’s not that early over there, is it?”
Danny didn’t return my humor. “They’re probably busy.”
Hardly. It wasn’t like any of them took their jobs seriously. “Too busy for a friend?”
“Well some of us have shit to do.”
The attitude leaking into his tone startled me. Danny was the more serious one of our bunch, but he never got this upset before.
“Wait,” I said. “What’s going on?”
The silence between us caused a knot to form in my stomach.
“Danny?” I pushed on.
“Listen, Say, you got a lot of shit to work out down there. Get to know your dad, make new friends, turn a new leaf. Let LA go and move on,” my friend told me. “There’s nothing here for you but trouble.”
“I like my old friends,” I said through clenched teeth. “And my old life.”
“You almost killed Jack and that’s just not okay,” Danny replied. “This isn’t a joke. You really fucked-up this time. Don’t call any of us, I mean it. You just…you just be good, okay?”
“Oh, fuck off, Danny. This isn’t funny. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Once more he sighed. “Goodbye, Saylor. Be good, I mean it.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond before hanging up.
I fell on my back and stared at my phone at the ended call.
Seriously?
What the fuck?
First my own mother, and now my boys?
A scowl formed on my face as I abandoned my phone beside me. As my eyes grazed over the ceiling, I could hear Morrissey in the background singing about being unlovable.
Crazy thing was, I knew exactly how he felt.