by Emily Knight
"At attention, maggot!"
Peter's eyes flew open. He tried to jump out of bed, but his body was wrapped in sheets. He ended up tumbling face-first onto the floor in a mess of blankets and camo boots. A pair of occupied camo boots stood over him. He tilted back his head and blinked up at Marcus's grinning face.
"I always wanted to do that to someone," Marcus told him.
Peter sat up and rubbed his nose. "Lucky me."
Marcus grabbed his collar and pulled him out of the sheets. "Ah, come on, don't be like that. I've got a great way to make it up to you. There's this great breakfast joint near the school. They serve the best grub."
Peter winced. "I don't know about-" His stomach interrupted to make its needs known by a loud, long grumble. He sheepishly grinned at his friend. "Maybe I could go for something."
Marcus slapped him on the back and sent him reeling onto the bed. "Thatta pal!" He paused and frowned as he looked down at Peter. "You're not going to get any breakfast by going back to bed."
Peter stumbled to his feet and rubbed his back. "I'm ready."
His friend wrapped his arm around his neck and dragged him from the room. "That's the spirit!"
"I said I was coming!" Peter yelped as he tried to free himself from the neck hold.
Marcus laughed. "Nobody escapes from the neck hold, but I'll give you a break since you had a tough time last night."
He opened his arm and released Peter. Peter stumbled to one side and rubbed his neck. "Thanks."
Marcus laughed and slapped his back. Peter flew into a nearby wall. "What are friends for?"
Peter's rough friend led him outside. The bright sun told Peter it was about ten in the morning. They walked a few blocks down to what the college students called the 'Finals Menu.' It was a long road lined on either side with fast-food restaurants. During finals the places were where one went for food between studying. A quick cram session of food was sandwiched between cram sessions for the tests.
They walked into one of the casual dining restaurants and took a seat in one of the booths. A pretty blond waitress in a short skirt walked up to them and smiled at Marcus. "The usual?"
He grinned and nodded. "Yep."
She glanced at Peter. Her eyes looked him over and her smile took on a more sly appearance. "Who's your friend?"
"Pete, this is Trixie, my lifesaver," Marcus introduced him.
Peter nodded his head. "Nice to meet you."
She winked at him. "Likewise, I'm sure."
"Pete'll have what I'm having," Marcus told her.
She scribbled a few words on her pad and nodded. "Got it. A few squealing pigs, some screaming spuds, and eggs-on-the-run. I'll be right back with the jug of coffee."
She walked off. Marcus admired her rear before it disappeared into the kitchen. He sighed and turned to his friend. "A beaut, isn't she?"
Peter nodded. "She's something."
Marcus slid a container of Tabasco sauce closer to him. "So what're ya gonna do today?"
Peter ran a hand through his messy hair and shook his head. "I don't know. I don't have my books, I've missed half my classes and I need to visit Rich."
"You go visit Rich first. That's more important than school," Marcus told him.
Peter smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I-" His eyes swept over the area and he frowned. "Why's everyone looking at me?"
Marcus followed his gaze and looked at the other customers. Most were already turned away, but a few stole fleeting glimpses at Peter. He shrugged and flashed a smile. "I don't know. Maybe they're just trying to avoid looking at your dazzling host."
Contrary to Marcus's modest appraisal of himself, Peter knew the other people were looking at him.
The waitress returned with a pitcher of coffee and two large mugs. "Here ya go, boys," she announced as she set one mug in front of each of the customers. She placed the pitcher between them and turned to leave, but her eyes fell on Peter. She furrowed her brow and put her hands on her hips. "Looking at you now I swear I've seen you before."
Marcus glanced at his friend. "You ever been here before?"
Peter shook his head. "Never."
The waitress snapped her fingers. "I know! One sec." She hurried over to a newspaper stand by the front door and returned with a paper. "This is where."
She held the front page of the paper so both boys could see the top headline. It read Local College Student Finds Another Body. Below the headline was the article and three photos lined in a row. The picture on the left was of the first victim, the one on the far right was Rich, and wedged between them was a picture of Peter.
Peter cringed. Marcus took the paper and studied the pictures. "Wow, Pete, you're famous."
"More like infamous. . ." Peter mumbled as he slid down his seat.
"You've got to pay for that," Trixie warned Marcus.
"Paid and framed," Marcus quipped as he handed her the money and she went to another table. He raised the paper in front of him and grinned. "This is gonna look so cool in my den. One of my best friends involved in a murder case."
Peter's eyes widened and his pulse quickened. He leapt to his feet and slammed his palms on the table as he leaned over. "Murder? Who's been killed? Is Rich okay?"
The whole restaurant paused and turned their attention to the table. Marcus grabbed Peter's shoulder and pushed him back into his seat. He lowered his voice to a hiss. "Nobody's been murdered. I was just saying you were in a kind-of murder case. You know, attempted-murder." Marcus paused and looked him over. "You sure you okay?"
Peter ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "No. I didn't sleep well."
Marcus glanced at the kitchen. His eyes lit up and he leaned back. "I can't fix your sleep, but I'm gonna fix your appetite."
Trixie came with two platters of everything, and double the amount. She slid the platters in front of the pair and smiled. "Good luck."
Marcus picked up his fork and grinned. "I'm not gonna need any of that." He pointed his fork at Peter's fork. "Come on, Pete, race you to the end."
Peter winced, but reluctantly picked up his fork. The contest was over before it even began. Peter set down his fork with his plate half-empty. Marcus's plate was obliterated. There were no survivors.
Marcus leaned back and sighed. "That's a good start to the day."
Peter dropped his napkin onto his plate. "I think I'd better go check on Rich. Thanks for inviting me."
He stood and pulled out his wallet, but Marcus held up his hand and shook his head. "No way, man. This is my treat. Just tell Rich one thing for me."
Peter tucked his wallet back into his pocket and arched an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Marcus grinned. "Tell him he'd better get better soon. He's the best drinking buddy a guy could ask for."
Peter smiled and gave a nod. "I will."
CHAPTER 14