Chapter 2
TWO
JACKSON
Waylon catches my arm before we reach the car. “W-Where’s Leland this morning?” He’s looking behind him like Leland might pop out from behind a bush or something.
“I’m going to be really honest… I have no idea.
He jumped out of bed and just… ran off,” I say as I pass that godforsaken fence that is the bane of my existence.
Ever since my pants got caught on it, it’s haunted me every day of my life, and as if that wasn’t enough, Leland chose to tear the panel of fence out of the original yard the moment he heard it was going to be demolished.
And instead of tossing it in the dump where it belongs, he moved it to our front yard.
He treats it like it’s some monument, but I guess one good thing did come of it: Leland and all of the chaos he brought into my life, which led me to our friends and Waylon.
“Do you think if you glare at it enough, it’ll go away?” Waylon asks. “I bet I could make a bomb that would decimate it if you want.”
Oh, to watch that thing go up in chunks. “No, that’s… no, you shouldn’t be making bombs!”
“It’d be for a good reason,” he says, eyeing it. “I think. I don’t know. I just want to be useful.”
I glance over at Waylon as I get into my sports car. “You realize you don’t need to be ‘useful,’ right? Like… we’re not keeping you around based on your usefulness.”
He’s quiet, and I look at him while I start the car.
“Waylon,” I say, since I’m not sure what I said sank in.
“I know, I heard you. I just…” Then he pastes on a rather forced-looking smile, like he thinks that’ll make me forget everything. “Do you think Leland is doing something I should be afraid of? Should Cam and I simply… go to a different friend’s house? Or maybe Henry will take us in.”
“I think you’ll be alright,” I respond, a little uncertain myself but doing my best not to show it. “Does your friend know Leland and I are a couple? If that bothers you, you don’t have to tell him right away.”
“I told him. He didn’t seem to care,” he says. “I… I haven’t told all of my friends but I knew he wouldn’t care.”
“That’s good.”
“But I didn’t warn him about Leland.”
“I don’t think there really is a good way to warn someone… they just have to meet him,” I say, which makes Waylon laugh.
I drive to his friend’s house, and before I’m even stopped, the teenager comes rushing out with a bag.
“This car is so cool,” he enthuses as he slides into the back.
“My dad would love it, but he’s not here right now.
He’s picking up the food for the party thing they’re having tonight.
I’m so glad I don’t have to be here for it.
My mom’s friends love to pester me, and this one lady brings her daughter who’s like four years younger than me and thinks I should babysit her.
And all she wants to do is put makeup on me. ”
“I don’t blame you. Why should you have to watch her kid?” Waylon asks.
“No idea.”
“Cam, this is Jackson.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” he says.
“I got some new games. Thought I’d wait to try them out until you came over,” Waylon tells Cam before rattling them off.
Cam seems quite impressed. “You got all of that? Do you have a part-time job?”
“No… they just… I don’t know, Leland and Jackson just buy me whatever I look at for some reason,” Waylon says.
“Leland does,” I correct. “I think he has this strange idea that showering you in stuff will make you happiest… he did the same thing to me when we were first together.” I pat my car as a clear example.
“I told him it was too much, but he really doesn’t listen very well,” Waylon says as I pull into the driveway, and he nervously eyes Leland’s car which signals his return. “I… I see Leland is here.”
“I see that too,” I say.
The front door opens, and Waylon locks the car door with all of us still in it.
“What are you doing?” Cam asks.
“Ha… haha. My hand slipped,” he says as I look at the way Leland is beaming from the doorway. It’s the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen, and if I were Waylon, I’d also run.
I sigh and get out of the car before heading toward Leland. “Hon, your happiness is terrifying our child.”
“There’s no possible way!” Leland says. “I want to introduce his little friend to The Fence.”
“I’m sure that’s the very thing a fifteen-year-old boy would love to spend his Saturday doing.”
“I’m happy you also think that,” Leland says as he walks over to the rear door and raps on it.
“Waylon, you need to grab the handle. Pull the handle. Like this.” He mimes how to open the car door while Waylon shrinks in his seat.
“Waylon, I know you can do it. You have that big brain in there that’s always working overtime.
Grip and pull. Do it with me. Grip… and… pull.”
“You’re embarrassing him,” I warn him.
Leland gasps. “I would never.”
I use the keys to unlock the door, and Leland pops it open and smiles down at Waylon. “You better hurry,” Leland announces.
Waylon’s brow furrows. “Why do we have to hurry?”
“We don’t want to miss an ounce of fun.”
Waylon looks concerned but gets out of the car, and Cam follows after him. “Cam… this is the other one.”
“It’s so wonderful meeting one of Waylon’s friends that I don’t have to pay,” Leland says, which makes Cam laugh. “I’m Leland.”
“Cam,” he replies.
“It’s nice to meet you, Cam. Before we go on our life-changing journey, would you like to meet… The Fence?”
“Sure?” He seems uncertain, as do most people.
Waylon shakes his head as he tries to save his friend, and I have to be honest, I’d like to save him from the experience as well. “Nope. No, he doesn’t.”
A vehicle suddenly slides to a stop on the road before the driver honks the horn.
“Why’s your kidnapper van here?” Waylon asks.
“I had the seats put back in it for child safety reasons,” Leland says as he sets a hand on Waylon’s head and turns him to face the van. Cassel, wearing a full face mask and gloves, gets out of it.
“Why am I the only one dressed up?” Cassel asks.
“See, Waylon. I could be weird like him. Don’t forget his house is where you wanted to stay,” Leland says.
Cassel gasps. “You texted me, ‘Grab the kidnapper van. Do not show your face or any skin… leave that skin to the only man who wants it: Jeremy. *Vomit emoji*.’”
Leland looks pleased as Jeremy gets out of the passenger seat, also dressed like he’s going to rob a bank.
“What…” Cam just trails off.
“Cam, don’t look at them. Guys, we’re going to go play video games, so have fun without us,” Waylon says, looking worried as he ushers Cam toward the door.
Leland slides in front of them. “No, no, my dears. Into the van.”
“I’d really rather not,” Waylon says.
“What is happening?” Cam asks.
“Leland thinks he’s funny. He’s not.”
My husband is so proud of himself. “That is quite wrong. I don’t think I’m funny. I know I’m funny, thank you very much.”
Leland swoops Waylon up and starts for the van. “Cam, you might as well come along unless you want to sit in the yard until we return.”
“Waylon, is this the guy Sally said tied a balloon to you and abducted you?”
“Sure is,” Waylon says, looking ultra defeated in Leland’s arms. “Please just remember that anything that happens today does not reflect on me as a person. I am a normal person. Please… please.”
Cam just laughs while Leland stuffs Waylon in a seat and buckles him in before putting a birthday hat on his head and snapping the band under his chin. “There we go. Do you need help with your seat belt like Waylon did?” Leland asks Cam.
Waylon just submits to the torture; he doesn’t even remove the hat.
“I think I got it,” Cam says as I get into the van with them. I mean… if this really is something atrocious, I need to be around to save Waylon and his friend. We could be heading out to see the world’s largest ball of yarn or bungee jumping off a bridge. One never knows when Leland is involved.
Leland gets into the driver’s seat while Cassel and Jeremy get in the back.
“This is Cassel… he’s like… Leland’s friend or brother or something, and his boyfriend Jeremy. Jeremy’s a police officer, so at least you know whatever we’re doing will be legal,” Waylon says. It’s kind of hard to reinforce this with Jeremy in his robber getup.
“Really? We have to do a career day thing where we shadow someone, and I thought it’d be neat to shadow an officer. Do you know if I can do that?” Cam asks.
Jeremy quickly pulls his robbing mask off and runs his fingers through his hair, like he’s trying to pretend the mask was never in play. “Yeah, of course. I’ll get some information and send it with Waylon.”
“You can shadow me,” Leland says.
“Do not shadow Leland,” Waylon warns.
“Waylon gets jealous. He doesn’t like to share me,” Leland explains.
“Cam, please don’t listen to Leland at all,” Waylon says.
“I think he’s funny,” Cam replies. “My dad is so serious all the time. He never wants to do anything fun. My mom is at least up for whatever.”
“Leland is up for too much,” Waylon complains before his eyes start to get wide. I’m confused why he looks so nervous until Leland pulls right into a Chuck E. Cheese parking lot.
“Uh… I think we’re a little old for this place,” Waylon says while Cam laughs, enjoying Waylon’s embarrassment as all good friends do.
“You’re never too old for adventure,” Leland counters as he parks the car and then slips into the back so he’s facing Waylon. “But first, the blindfolds.”
“Why… blindfolds?” Waylon asks.
Leland crams one onto him instead of answering and then looks at Cam. “You have two choices. Put it on or I’ll put it on you… with your consent… although… why would you not choose to be blindfolded by some strange man you’ve known less than an hour?”
“I’m all in on whatever is going on,” Cam says. “I will be blindfolded without any hesitation.”
I think Waylon’s just off trying to find his happy place in the darkness of his blindfold. “I give up. I’ve given up. This is me giving up.”