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AT AROUND ELEVEN-THIRTY, my old man started calling and leaving me messages, including a text.
Dad: Sorry for earlier. I overreacted. Come home, Son.
Still angry, I didn’t reply. It wasn’t his first apology and it wouldn’t be the last. I was tired of being his punching bag.
“Sonny, could I stay at your place tonight?” I asked as we headed out of the diner.
“Yeah, no problem,” he replied.
“Thanks.”
“Having problems with your old man again?”
I nodded.
“You’re eighteen now. You could move out.”
“I’m planning on it. I just need a place to sleep until I can figure out what I’m going to do.”
“I’m sure if I talk to my mom, she’ll let you stay for a while.”
His mother was cool but she also was a busy-body. I didn’t want her knowing my business. The entire town would find out about it before tomorrow’s breakfast.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t say anything. I just need a place to stay tonight. I’ll figure things out tomorrow.”
“No problem.” He took his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll meet you at my place.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again.”
“Anytime, bro.”
AS I FOLLOWED SONNY home in his Chevy, I thought back to my conversation with Gus and wondered what in the hell I’d been thinking. It wasn’t the bet that worried me. It was trusting that he’d play fairly.
And what if she really was in on it?
Gus claimed that this was on the up-and-up. But, he was also from Lancaster and trusting him was probably a total dumbass move. But, I’d agreed and couldn’t back out. I’d be out one-thousand dollars if I forfeited now. I’d also look like a pussy. Being naïve was one thing; being a coward was far worse, as far as I was concerned.
Unfortunately, we’d also made a pact to keep this wager a secret, so I couldn’t talk about it to anyone. Not even my best friend, Sonny. There were too many jabber-jaws around me and I knew it would get leaked and Mackenzie would eventually find out.
My cell phone vibrated and I picked it up.
A text message.
Mattie: Sorry about my dad. I had no idea he was going to show up tonight.
I didn’t blame her for her old man interfering with the race. I was actually surprised he hadn’t busted us previously. I was just tired of dealing with her and the bullshit.
WHEN I GOT to Sonny’s, I replied to her, telling Mattie it was no big deal.
Mattie: I wish you’d come over. My dad went back to work and my mom is still out of town.
Me: Can’t.
Mattie: Why?
Me: I’m tired and going to bed.
Although I was heading to Sonny’s, that was the plan. I was really tired and needed to sleep.
She sent me a nudie photo of herself, which almost changed my mind. But, my face hurt and I knew if I went to her, she’d think we were a couple again.
Instead of answering her, I turned off my phone and got out of the car.
“Thanks again for letting me stay over,” I said, following Sonny to the porch.
“No problem. It’s not like we don’t have room.”
An accurate statement. Sonny’s mom, Jane, was a successful real estate agent and they lived in a huge cabin on the north side of the lake. It was just the two of them living there. His older sister was away at college and his parents had divorced the year before.
We walked inside and headed upstairs to his bedroom. That’s when we ran into his mom. She was dressed in a short, white velour robe and held an empty wine glass in her hand. Her eyes were glossy and it was obvious, from the way she was swaying, that she was half-in-the-bag.
“I thought I’d heard a noise.” She looked at my face. “Oh, my God, what happened to you?”
“It’s nothing. I just tripped over Sonny’s ego.”
She blinked and then realized I was joking. Jane laughed. “Must have been quite the fall, we all know how big that thing is.”
“You two are hilarious,” Sonny replied wryly. “You should do stand-up. Seriously.”
Jane smiled and looked at me again. “You should put some ice on that. It must hurt like a bitch.”
I shrugged. “A little.”
She turned to Sonny. “Why don’t you and get him some ice.”
He sighed and headed back down the stairs. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
“Wrap it up in a washcloth,” she added.
“Okay,” he replied.
We were left alone and that’s when things turned awkward.
“Come here, let me see that eye of yours.” She moved so close that I could smell the soury-sweetness of her breath. “So, tell me the truth. Who gave you that black eye, Chase?”
“Just some asshole.”
She smiled grimly. “Let me guess, you drew the attention of a girl and her boyfriend got jealous?”
I shoved my hands into my front pockets and chuckled. “No.”
Jane took a step back and her robe loosened a little. She looked down. “Oh, dear.”
Out of respect, I looked away.
“This darn robe.”
I watched, out of the corner of my eye, as she tugged at the belt, until it opened all the way, revealing her heavy breasts and black panties. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before. His mom had flashed me on a few other occasions when Sonny wasn’t looking. Although she was pretty hot for an older woman, she had a drinking problem and it was more embarrassing than anything. For both of us.
She laughed. “Peek-a-boob. Sorry.”
“No problem.” I pulled out my phone and pretended to check my messages.
Jane set her wine glass down on the hallway table and stepped closer to me. “Your poor eye.”
I stiffened up as she lightly touched my other hand and then grabbed a hold of it. She placed it on her breast and let out a soft moan. “I bet I could make us both feel better.”
Embarrassed, I pulled it away quickly. She’d never taken it this far before. I felt sick to my stomach. I thought of Sonny as a brother and this felt so wrong. “I should probably get going,” I mumbled.
She tightened up her robe and took a step toward me. “Wait, no. Don’t do that. I’m sorry. That was... uncalled for. Please, don’t say anything to Sonny.”
The desperation in her voice made me feel even sorrier for her. I sighed and nodded. “I won’t.”
“I appreciate it.”
I knew that Sonny’s dad had cheated on her and I had a feeling she was trying to prove something to herself. I just hoped she picked someone else to try and seduce in the future.
Swaying, Jane picked up her wine glass, and without another word, went downstairs.
Sighing in relief, I waited at the top of the steps, not exactly sure what to do. Part of me wanted to leave, but there was really no place for me to go. Home was out of the question.
A few seconds later, Sonny returned with a small icepack.
“Sorry about my mom,” he muttered, with a disgusted look on his face.
Had she told him?
“What do you mean?”
He handed me the ice pack. “You know. She’s fucking lit.”
“It’s okay.” I touched the ice pack to my face and winced. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He frowned. “She didn’t try anything, did she?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him. He’d be mortified. So, I lied. “No, why?”
He placed his hands on the bannister and stared down below. “Last week I actually caught her having sex with the plumber. She didn’t know I was home and I walked into the kitchen...” He shook his head and closed his eyes.
Imagining the scenario, I felt disgusted for him. “Oh, man.”
“I pretended not to notice but... some shit you can’t unsee.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
He turned. “Let’s get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
We headed to his room. Once inside, Sonny, opened up his closet and pulled out the inflatable airbed.
“You know, we should just get a place together. I know you’re sick of your dad and the hell if I want to walk in on my mom getting smashed by the pizza guy.”
I chuckled. “What about college?”
“Fuck it. I’ll go to the one here in town.”
It was just a community college and I knew he’d wanted to try a university. “No, way. You’ve wanted to be a doctor since you were twelve. You need a good Ivy League.”
“No, I believe I said I wanted to ‘play’ doctor,” he joked.
“Right. Seriously, though, you can’t throw that dream away.”
He plugged the mattress into the wall and began filling it with air. “I might not even get accepted,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to even waste my time applying.”
“Bullshit. You’re always getting As. You’ll get in somewhere.”
“Maybe.” He yawned. “What about you?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking of taking auto mechanics somewhere. That way I can keep working for Lenny’s, too. Who knows, maybe I’ll open up my own shop one day.”
“Here in town?”
“Fuck no. I’m leaving Diamond Lake, bro. I want to get as far from here as I can.” I was tired of the small town bullshit, where everyone was into everyone’s shit. Of course, my real dream was to be a professional race car driver. There was no way I’d get close to that sticking around here.
“Where would you go?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Vegas or California.”
“But, you’re going to stay and finish high school first, right?”
“Probably. I guess it depends on how things go.”
“If you need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome here.”
There was no way in Hell.
Not with Mama Peek-a-boob.
But, I wasn’t about to admit that shit.
I smiled. “Thanks, man.”
After we both took showers, I lay on the airbed and thought about all the shit that had gone down that day. I had a lot of mixed feelings and hoped I hadn’t made a huge mistake. Not about leaving my old man’s house, but placing such a ridiculous bet. My gut told me that I’d fucked up. The problem was, I was too excited about where that ride was going to lead. Hell, I already wanted the girl. The money really was icing on the cake. It was a win-win if I beat him to the prize. It looked like Gus really wasn’t the only asshole who enjoyed playing with fire.
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