Chapter 31 #2
The music and lights continued. The DJ danced on the stage before looking up, confused why everyone had stopped dancing.
“Our table’s on the left side, near the stage,” Cary said. “We’ve got it all to ourselves.”
The six of them walked through the crowd together. A few people said hello to Foster as they passed, but it was only a small handful. No one said a word to Jude. They simply stared, wide-eyed.
Most looked as guilty as they should’ve felt.
After they found their seats, Foster scanned the room and saw the bar. He leaned over to Jude. “I’m going to get us something to drink. Any requests?”
“Whatever’s the hardest. And keep them coming,” Jude said.
“I’m afraid it’s a dry reunion,” Cary said. “Sodas and water only.”
“Who’s bad idea was that?” Jude asked.
“You can’t have alcohol on school grounds,” Roan said.
“What’re they going to do? Expel us?” Jude asked.
“Arrest you,” Roan replied.
Cary reached into his jacket. He brought out a hint of a flask. “Don’t worry. I came prepared.”
“Thankfully someone did,” Jude said. He lifted his gaze to Foster. “A soda, please.”
Foster took orders for the rest of the table before marching across the room to the bar. He searched the faces he passed, seeing a little less guilt and a lot more curiosity. Once at the bar, he got in line.
“So, Foster…?”
Foster looked over his shoulder and found two guys he’d been on the football team with—Mario and Jeff.
“You gay now?” Jeff asked.
Foster lifted his chin. “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
“No, no…” Mario said. “Just never expected you’d be one of them.”
“One of them?” Foster asked.
Jeff flicked his hand down, bending his wrist.
Foster rolled his eyes and faced forward. “Nice talking with ya,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
“But hey. I heard a rumor it was Rick’s dick Jude was sucking under the bleachers,” Mario said.
Foster spun to glare at them. “It was not. It was Jude and I, in the locker room, kissing. That’s all.”
Both men frowned.
“Well, after what we heard, we figured Rick was involved somehow and was trying to put it all on Jude to cover his ass,” Mario said.
“After you heard what?”
“About Rick getting arrested this morning,” Mario replied. “Haven’t you heard?”
“No,” Foster said. “What did he get arrested for this time?”
“Public Lewdness. Indecent Exposure…” Mario looked at Jeff. “What else was it?”
“Trespassing…” Jeff said. “I think there was one more.”
“Public Nuisance,” a guy standing behind Jeff said.
“Right, right,” Jeff said before turning to the guy behind them. “Thanks, my dude.”
“What was he doing?” Foster asked.
“Having sex in Lambert Park at four o’clock this morning,” Mario said. “And you’ll never guess with who.”
Foster searched their excited faces. “Who?”
“Coach.”
Foster’s jaw dropped. “Coach O’Brien?”
“Yep,” Mario said, snickering. “So, that asshole bullied Jude soooo hard about blowing a guy and turns out it was Rick smoking the meat pipe all along.”
Foster narrowed his eyes. “I seem to recall both of you were more than happy to join that asshole in Jude’s bullying.”
Both of their smiles faded.
“If memory serves, you were right at his side,” Foster said, taking an aggressive step forward.
“You know how Rick was,” Jeff said. “If you didn’t do what he wanted, he’d wail on you. If you pissed him off enough, you’re the one he’d end up torturing.”
“So it was better to be the tormentor than the tormentee,” Foster said.
“Basically,” Mario said. “Hey, we got carried away with it. It was like that book we had to read in 10th grade. The flies book with the kids on the island. It started off just messing around… and then suddenly, it was going off the rails.”
“Which one of you guys delivered the death threats under his door?”
Both of them looked away.
“Which one?” Foster demanded, his voice a raw growl.
Heads turned in their direction, but Foster didn’t care.
“It was Rick,” Mario said. “But we were with him.”
“The vandalism to their home, business, and car?” Foster demanded.
“Rick,” Jeff said. “But we were there, too. As lookouts.”
“Either you make it right to Jude, or I’m going to be the one making your lives a living hell,” Foster said. “You hear me?”
“What do you want us to do?” Mario asked, frowning.
“Apologize, for one,” Foster said.
“Sorry,” they both said in unison.
“To Jude, you dumbasses,” Foster snapped. “Then you need to pay him back for the damage you caused his family—and the mental anguish.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Jeff asked.
“I don’t know,” Foster said. He took a page from Anton’s book. “Get creative.”
They stared at him, looking completely lost and confused.
“You remember that Jude owns a butcher shop, right?”
They both nodded.
Foster chuckled. “He’s got this massive commercial meat grinder and a bunch of bone saws.”
“So?” Jeff asked.
“After I tell him what you two just told me, he might start itching to use them.” He smiled at them. “If you don’t make it right, I might let him.”
The pair cocked their heads, incredulous.
Well, it worked to spook Rick. Maybe I’m just not as ominous as Jude is.
“You know there’s a statute of limitations with the bullying laws. Five years for the more serious ones,” Mario said. “We might be dumb, but we’re not dumb enough to admit we were accessories to a crime without having checked if we could get arrested.”
Foster shook his head. “How about you just do the right thing,” Foster said before muttering, “For once.”
“We are sorry for our part in things,” Jeff said. “And we’ll tell Jude that. As far as getting creative—we’ll have to think about that one.”
Foster didn’t hold out hope they’d do more than apologize, but at least he knew it was Rick who’d made the threats. Not that knowing made anything better—but it confirmed doubts.
A few minutes later, he had an armful of soda cans and water, along with a stack of Solo cups, and made his way back to the table.
“Have you heard about Rick?” Foster asked the table.
“No,” Jude said, rolling his eyes. “Please tell me he’s not here.”
“No. He’s not. He’s in jail,” Foster said, grinning. “And you’re not going to believe how he got there.”