The Friend Scheme

by Cale Dietrich

  Jason didn’t.

  His family wanted him to betray me. But he stood up to them. He knew what he was doing to me was wrong, so he stopped. My situation is more complicated than his, though. And way harder to escape.

  Or maybe I just feel that way.

  I know it was a big deal that he stood up to his parents. It terrified him, like what I’m facing now terrifies me.

  Yet he did it.

  I need to see him. I can’t do this alone.

  I’m hoping that maybe, just maybe, he will have some sort of idea as to how I can stop all of this.

  I unfollowed him on everything, though, and deleted his number. I load Instagram, and search for his profile. Huh. He’s switched it to private, so I can no longer see his photos. I wonder if that has anything to do with me.

  I tap the follow button.

  Request sent.

  I turn my phone upside down and stare up at the ceiling.

  I think this is the right move. On my own, I have no chance of dealing with this. I can’t tell Jason any of the details about what is going to happen. I’m just hoping that he will be able to give me some perspective and maybe some advice.

  That’s all I need from him.

  I check my phone.

  Nothing.

  I get up and go about my usual routine. I play with Eddie for a while. I make myself pasta for dinner. I play some Fortnite with Luke.

  I keep checking my phone.

  It’s quarter past midnight, and I’m about to call it a night. That’s when my phone lights up.

  He’s followed me back.

  Hey.

  Hey. Thanks for being in touch.

  I didn’t know if I should. What’s going on?

  I need your help. Is there any chance we can meet?

  I don’t know, man. You might be leading me into a trap.

  I’m not, I promise. We could meet somewhere public? Dude, I swear, all I want is some advice. This isn’t a trap. And yes, I know that’s what someone who was setting a trap would say.

  Haha. This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but okay. How about Bayshore Park, after school tomorrow? And it’s public, so don’t try anything.

  Bayshore Park is Donovan territory.

  Yet another risk. That’s Jason in a nutshell, though.

  Endless risk.

  Sounds good. I’ll be there.

  * * *

  The park is super pretty.

  There’s a row of palm trees, and in the middle of those, evenly spaced, are wooden park benches. I watch as a couple, two women, walk down the pathway in front of the ocean, holding hands.

  Jason chose a great spot, is all I’m saying.

  Still, what am I doing?

  Maybe I should leave.

  But then I see him in the distance, and it all makes sense. He’s wearing a light blue dress shirt and slacks. Honestly, I can’t believe I didn’t see who he really is before.

  He looks just like a rookie cop.

  He stands. His mouth is hanging open, and he looks at me like he hasn’t seen me in decades.

  My heart goes wild.

  He slowly walks toward me.

  “Hey,” he says.

  “Hi.”

  He throws his arms around me.

  He holds me tight, and my first thought is that I should push him off.

  Instead, I sink into the hug.

  God, how did I survive without this? How was I strong enough?

  We hold each other. I rest my cheek on his shoulder and close my eyes. He smooths down the hair on the back of my head. For the first time in a while, everything feels somewhat okay.

  I’m exactly where I want to be. With him.

  We break apart.

  “You look so good,” he says. “I knew coming here was a risk, but I’ve never been able to resist a handsome man. It’s my Achilles’ heel.”

  I mean. That helps. He’s not totally off the hook, but it definitely helps.

  “Thanks.”

  I smooth down my shirt. I’m wearing a white shirt and my tailored black slacks. I wanted him to see me like this, as a reminder of who I really am.

  A Miller.

  I’m done pretending.

  He narrows his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  I shrug and stick my hands into my pockets. “How much do you know about what’s happened?”

  “Just that the bar burned down. That’s all I know, I promise.”

  I picture the open window of the car blocking our path. Then the sound of gunfire.

  “Were you there that night?” he asks.

  “I was.”

  “I’m guessing it was more than a gas leak?”

  “That would be correct.”

  He nods.

  “You aren’t going to tell anyone I said that, are you?” I ask.

  “Not if you don’t want me to.”

  “Good. I don’t. You can’t.”

  “I get it, Matt. Should we sit down?”

  “Yeah.”

  We both sit down on the park bench. I keep a comfortable amount of space between us.

  “You know,” he says. “If you need to frisk me, you could. But I promise I’m not wearing a wire.”

  I blink.

  “Sorry, that sounded way more sexual than I meant it to.”

  “No. I think it’s a good idea. Can you, please?”

  “Sure.”

  He quickly unbuttons his shirt, and then opens it. His chest is totally smooth.

  “Thanks,” I say as he buttons it back up. “This is weird.”

  “What, me stripping in public?”

  “No. Just being here, with you. Your mom’s a cop.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is your dad a cop, too?”

  “Nah, he’s in software. Cops don’t make mansion money.”

  “Right. So what happened with you, after…”

  He lets out a puff of air. “Well, Mom lost her shit. She knew how close I was to finally cracking you. The only thing she wants to do is take down your family, and I blew it.”

  “Did she take away your trust?”

  “Yeah. And my college fund. I’m hoping Dad might be able to get her to change her mind about that. Maybe I’ll get a scholarship, but if not, my college plans are, well, I don’t really have college plans. I was betting on that trust, honestly.”

  “You’re smart; you’ll find a way, with or without it.”

  He smiles. “So what do you need?”

  “Advice.”

  “About what?”

  “Well, some things are going down with my family and the Donovans. People’s lives are in danger. And I can’t sit by and let it happen anymore. I need to stop it. But I can’t think of anything I can do to stop them. They’re too powerful.”

  “Okay.”

  I wait. I’m hoping he’ll have some idea that’ll fix this whole mess.

  “So what do you want to do?” he asks.

  “Stop the war. Prevent any further bloodshed. Keep my brother and my dad safe.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “I know. That’s why I need your help.”

  He thinks about it for a while.

  “I don’t think you can do anything,” he says.

  “Not good enough. There has to be something I can do. I can’t just let them do this.”

  “I know it’s hard. Trust me, I know.”

  “You stood up to your parents, though.”

  “I did. For so long I tried so hard to bend myself into someone okay with what she wanted from me. I’ve spent hours at baseball because it’s what she wants. She thinks it’s the mark of a successful young man.”

  “I know,” I say. “I think it’s why we get along so well.”

  “Yeah. But that’s the thing. I’ve stopped. After I told her I couldn’t follow through with the scheme, something flipped. It’s like, I realized I don’t actually have to do everything she says. I can live my own life. You could do the same thing.”

 
“What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying you should tell them you quit. You can’t stop them, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a part of it.”

  I’ve never thought about it this way. Instead of changing them … I could change my destiny. I could stop putting up with this life.

  I could tap out.

  “My dad wouldn’t let me,” I say. “There’s no way.”

  “Then don’t ask him. Just tell him what you’re doing.”

  “I can’t. He’s … he’s someone who always gets his way.”

  “Would he really go against his own son? I thought family was everything?”

  “It is, but only if you play by the rules. He has expectations of me. I’m not who he wants me to be, but it doesn’t matter. He’s going to keep pushing me to live up to being his son.”

  “That’s an assumption. Have you ever told him that you’re unhappy?”

  “No.”

  “Then maybe that’s worth a shot.”

  “But what about everything that’s going on? People are in danger. I can’t just walk away from them. I can’t let my family kill people.”

  “Sure you can.”

  “How? What kind of person would do that?”

  “Matt, you don’t need to be the one who solves this problem. Leave it to people who signed up for it, people like my mom. You never asked to be born into your family. Seriously, man, you don’t need to be the one responsible for stopping them.”

  I see it now. But can I really let myself off the hook?

  I have no idea how my father will react if I tell him what’s going on with me. But it can’t be that much worse than it is now.

  Jason is right: It’s worth a shot.

  “You might be the smartest person I’ve ever met,” I say.

  “You need to meet more people then. But thank you. You’re very sweet.”

  Silence falls.

  “I’m guessing this is still it for us, though?” he asks. “You aren’t going to see me again after this, are you?”

  “I mean, never say never, but…”

  He is still linked with the cops. This is so risky.

  “Well,” he says. “Then I’m hoping for a kiss goodbye…? Maybe it’d help with closure. One last kiss, and then…”

  “You don’t need to explain,” I say. “I get it.”

  I lean across and put my hand on his chest. The material of his shirt feels silky, and I can feel his firm muscles underneath. I close my eyes and kiss him like my life depends on it.

  Honestly?

  It is, by far, the best kiss we’ve ever had. It feels so good. I know I need to stop right now, or I’m never going to be able to stop myself from seeing him.

  I move away.

  “There you go,” he says, smiling. “Was that cinematic enough for you?”

  “Definitely.”

  “One last thing,” he says. “I got you something, actually.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a leather wristband.

  “What’s this?” I ask.

  “It’s a bracelet. I bought it a while ago, because I thought you’d like it. Then I realized I never gave it to you. I thought I’d give it to you now, as, like, a thanks-for-the-memories thing.”

  I take it from him. My first thought is that it might have some sort of recording tech in it. It’s thin, just a strip of leather. But still.

  “This is a friendship bracelet,” I say.

  “Exactly. I knew you’d get it.”

  “Well, thank you. I love it. But, dude, I really need to go. The longer I stay here, the more I want to keep you around. But I can’t. If my dad finds out…”

  “I know. I don’t want to be sappy or anything, but I want you to know something.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “I think we’re always going to be friends.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We got so close and have gone through so much together. That’s never going away. So, like … no matter what, we’re going to be friends. Till the end.”

  I want to believe him. The thought gives me a strange comfort. Friends till the end.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  I need to tell Luke first.

  Well, I don’t need to.

  But I think it’s the best strategy. If telling Dad about who I really am, and what I really want out of my life, is an epically bad idea, then he’ll be able to tell me.

  I could just walk into his room and do it.

  Rip the Band-Aid and all that.

  But it’s Luke. And as much as we don’t see eye to eye on stuff, I love him. I don’t want that to change. If Dad pushes me away, I think I could deal. But if Luke starts to hate me, that would completely and utterly crush me.

  I guess that’s the risk I need to take.

  It’s been only a day since I met up with Jason, but this is the first time ever where who I am is working. As terrifying as it is to show Luke and Dad who I really am.

  I can finish school and then apply for film school in California.

  Then I’ll be gone for good.

  Until then, though, I want Dad to know I’m stepping away from the family business.

  I can’t stop them. Jason was right about that. I can ask Dad to try to make peace with them, but that’s all I can do.

  I try to muster up the courage to go to Luke’s room. I’m shaking, it’s that bad. I tell myself that Luke already knows.

  He must. Everyone else just thinks I’m bad at the family business, but Luke knows me.

  I check the time on my phone. It’s ten to eight.

  I’ll do it at eight.

  I have ten minutes.

  I close my eyes, just thinking. This isn’t something I can ever take back. Once this is out, this will always be out.

  Eight minutes left.

  Now six. Now two.

  Now one.

  It’s time.

  I sit up. Maybe I don’t need to do this right now. Maybe I could just wait. Maybe …

  I stand up and leave my room. I made a deal with myself, and my deals mean something.

  Luke’s door is open.

  He’s seated at his computer, playing Dota.

  “Hey,” I say.

  He keeps playing. “What’s up? I’m mid-game, dude, make it quick.”

  I can’t do this here, when he’s so distracted.

  “I was wondering if you wanted to get burgers?”

  “Yeah, order them.”

  “No, I mean, do you want to go out and get them?”

  “Oh. Um, sure. Just give me ten minutes to destroy these clowns.”

  “Sure.”

  The next ten minutes pass so slowly.

  Finally, Luke rounds the corner and steps into my room.

  “Your car or mine?”

  “I mean, yours, obviously.”

  I do like my car, but there’s a reason he upgraded.

  “Shake Shack?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  I practically worship at the altar of Shake Shack. So does he.

  We drive out onto the highway, and he puts the top down.

  I glance at him.

  Time feels like it’s sped up. All too quickly, we’ve gone to Shake Shack and ordered our food. Now we’re parked in front of the beach, eating.

  “So,” I say. “I want to tell you something.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay … like, I don’t really need to know where to start. I…”

  “You’re gay,” he says.

  I nearly drop my shake.

  “What?”

  “Or are you bi? I can totally see you being bi.”

  “I … I mean, I am gay, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Oh.” He grins. “I knew it.”

  “Did you?” I ask. “I mean, you’ve always been on my case about girls.”

  He eats a french fry. “It’s not a big deal for me, I hope you know that.”
>
  “No, I do.”

  “So why’d you make such a big deal about it? You could’ve just been like, ‘Yo, man, I like dudes.’ And I would’ve been like, cool.”

  “I know. And if all I was doing is coming out, then I probably would’ve. But there’s more.”

  “Oh,” he says, his smile fading. “Okay. What is it?”

  “It’s really hard to say. I…”

  “Come on, it’s me. You can tell me anything. You saw how well I dealt with you coming out, right?”

  I stare forward, out at the ocean. To the side is the city.

  “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “Do what anymore?”

  “This life. The family business. I hate it so much, you have no idea.”

  He just nods.

  “Say something,” I say.

  “I mean, I get it. Well, I don’t exactly get it, but we’re different. This is the life for me; I’ve always known that.”

  “I’ve always known it’s not,” I say. “I don’t want to live this way.”

  “I get that.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, man. Sometimes things just don’t work. If you know it, you know it.”

  “But I don’t want you to think that I don’t love you and Dad. That’s not what this is about at all. But what we do … I hate it.”

  “Okay,” he says. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”

  “It is. This whole time I’ve just wanted it to stop. And I think I’ve realized that it’s never going to.”

  “But what about Dad’s plan?”

  “What? Mass murder? You don’t think that’s going to have ramifications?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “I need to get out. Then maybe apply to school in California. I should go as far away as I can.”

  My brother’s eyes spark. “I think you should tell Dad that. If you do, I bet he’ll let you go. Like, right away, too.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Just trust me.”

  “You don’t think he’ll be mad?”

  “Oh, he’ll be furious. But he’s different now, after the shooting. I don’t know—just be honest.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  Luke puts his burger aside and starts up the engine.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Driving you home so you can do this.”

  “There’s no rush, man. I sort of feel like this is nice, hanging out with you. Plus, you know all my secrets now.”

  “Huh, I guess that’s true.”

  He turns off the engine.