Chapter 11 #3
Taking my stunned look as a cue to go on, Dreux continued.
“Bon and I go way back, even though he was a year older we still got along and talked about movies, music, and girls.
I never really messed with the drugs and alcohol, but when it got real bad with my dad, I did start smoking and being careless.
Bonham was right by my side, telling me my dad was a prick who should pay for what he does.
“One night, we got faded as fuck, and I was just thinking about going to my dad’s law firm and torching the place, or at least trashing it.
To take something like what he was draining from my mom and me.
Bon thought it was a good idea. It didn’t take much convincing to get into his car.
We were both messed up, and I guess he was speeding, he was so excited. That’s when we got pulled over.”
I was beginning to get an idea of what happened, but I needed confirmation. “What happened, Dreux?”
He was ashamed as he frowned at the memory. “It was Rick. He could smell the weed on us and he was so disappointed. But it didn’t matter, Bonham was driving, so Rick let me go and took Bonham in.”
My mouth fell open, immediately understanding Bonham’s grudge against Dreux.
“Holy shit,” I let out.
Dreux reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, I spent the summer doing stupid shit, and my mom was getting fed up, and my dad didn’t notice. This was a big strike, but Rick let me go. My parents found out, and that’s when my mom rained hell on me.”
“And Bonham?”
“Got in a lot of trouble. He already had a record, and the driving under the influence was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He had to pay a fine, his license was suspended, he got some time in juvie, and ended up failing his senior year because of it.”
“Shit, Bonham.” I sighed.
“I always told him I was sorry,” Dreux spoke up. “But he’s got it in his head that I dimed him out to avoid getting in trouble.”
I wasn’t sure which boy I liked more, but I was more on Bonham’s side after hearing the story behind their feud. Sure, Bonham was driving, but for Dreux to get off while Bonham took the whole rap was fucked-up.
“Did they know about the arson?” I asked.
“God no, we would’ve really been in trouble then,” Dreux said. “We just got in trouble for the weed and speeding. And even then, Bonham never ratted me out about my true intentions. He never even said anything about my being high too to the judge.”
Because he was a nice guy.
“I started hanging out with Aidan, and Bonham’s hated me ever since,” Dreux concluded.
“Well, yeah, have you met Aidan, the guy’s constantly tearing Bonham down.”
“Yeah, he’s Bonham’s biggest critic.” Dreux smirked at the thought. “And the thing is, Bonham isn’t that bad. He just likes to do stupid shit, but he’s not a bad guy.”
He wasn’t, that I was sure of.
“You think you two could ever make up?” I asked.
“I’m not sure what I could do to mend that bridge. I didn’t ask Rick to take my side, but I’m family, so he just did it off the strength of that.”
I closed my food up, now interested in eating it later.
Dreux came and propped his arms on the table. “So, I’m not the golden boy you think I am.”
“No,” I disagreed. “You did your shit out of anger. Everything I’ve ever done was out of pleasure. I can’t say I blame Bonham for hating you, though.”
“Yeah, me too sometimes.”
“You told me he was bad news, and you’re the reason he failed the twelfth grade and got his license suspended.”
“I didn’t make him drive,” Dreux shot back with little conviction in his voice.
“But it was your idea that got him out the door.” I shook my head.
That was like me blaming Jack for my crashing the police cruiser and landing me here in Meadow Grove.
He’d played a part in my breaking into my school that night, but it was my own doing that landed me where I was.
“I take it back, we’re all responsible for our own actions. ”
“Don’t just say that because you think you’ve hurt me,” said Dreux.
“No, I get it. The reason why I’m here? I got faded and drunk one night and my friend convinced me to break into my high school so he could get his jacket from my locker. A cop showed up, but we got away, or we would’ve if I didn’t steal his cruiser and crash it.”
Dreux’s eyes enlarged. “Shit.”
“Yeah, my mom’s also married to an attorney.
He got me off, and because it wasn’t my first time, they made some deal with the judge to ship me off instead of throwing me in the slammer.
That’s how I ended up with Scott, a stranger I don’t even know.
” I studied the customers walking around the produce department as the whole situation weighed me down.
“I mean, I knew I had a father and it wasn’t Richard, but it was never a real issue until she shipped me here. ”
“So out of nowhere she decided to just send you to your dad?”
I shrugged. “Basically. I didn’t even know she had his information. It’s completely random.”
Dreux couldn’t deny this. “In all your seventeen years, you’ve never met or spoken to Scott?”
“No.”
Dreux appeared confused. “So why did he say yes?”
The million-dollar question. “I don’t know.”
And the scary part was, I was afraid to ask.