by Bradon Nave
“He trusts me!” Turning to her, my hands pressed in on either side of my head—attempting to squeeze the confusion from the situation. “He trusted me…I should have done more. We all should have done more.”
“Duke! Listen to yourself. This is not on you. None of this is in your control. You’ve done nothing but be a loyal friend.”
“It’s in my control now. If I go to the police, I leave the outcome to circumstance. I can’t…no. He trusts me. I told him I would bring him home and that’s what I’m going to do.” Her pleading had me aching inside. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.
“Duke…boy…you’re eighteen years old. You are one person.”
“I know that, Lily. You didn’t hear him. He’s not right. I don’t know what’s going on but I know he’s not right. I don’t know what the outcome will be if a bunch of trigger happy assholes show up after him. I can’t…I can’t risk losing my best friend now that I know for certain he still has a heartbeat. I’m going after him.”
“Duke.”
“I’m going after him, Lily—”
“And I’m coming with you.”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you do this by yourself. If…if I can’t talk reason into you then I’m going to be part of your insanity.”
“It might be dangerous.”
“No shit? We have no clue where they’re at other than a dot on a screenshot. We have no cash, and from the way it sounds…Jess doesn’t seem to be in the most solid state of mind.”
“That’s why it’d be best if I went alone.”
“Nah, D. That’s why it’d be best if you went to the damn police…but I know you and I know you won’t. And I love you, so you’re not going alone.”
Pushing past me, Lily lifter her phone to her face. “Sarah? Yeah…no stop what you’re doing. Nine-one-one. I need you to Duke’s stat…’k.”
***
“No. I know you’re anxious, Duke…but you can’t leave without money. And if you’re not going to ask your folks for it, then I’m your best option.”
“We need to leave tonight, Sarah.”
Inhaling deeply as she sat next to me and Lily on my couch, Sarah developed a stern yet calm expression. “Okay, let me put this in the simplest terms possible. You have what, a half a tank of gas and twenty-seven dollars to your name? That’s going to get you about four hours from home, and then you’ll be left to what? Call your mom, tell her everything so she can come to your rescue? All I’m asking you to do is to wait until morning. I’ll go to the bank in the morning, take out enough of my savings to get you there and back, and also enough just in case something happens. You could have a flat, or anything could go wrong with this ridiculous plan.”
She was right. We had no other choice. “Okay. You’re right. I just…I wish there was another way.”
Chuckling, Sarah shook her head.
“What?” Although I was thankful for her offer to assist, I was in no mood for her crass attitude.
“It’s just…this is really happening, ya know? This is really our life. This type of shit doesn’t really happen…but it is happening and it’s happening to us.”
***
The night dragged by. It allowed Lily and I time to gather a few items, Larry’s handgun included, and get my car packed up with snack food from the kitchen. Finally, at around three in the morning we passed out—only to be wide awake about four hours later.
Sarah made good on her word. It was nine thirty when she walked through my front door. A slender envelope with ten one-hundred dollar bills was presented. I had to hug her.
We’d given the conspiracy second thoughts, but not really. Loaded up in my car with a fragile plan of action, we took off for Mississippi at eleven in the morning. Without a doubt, I knew this decision would have me in trouble with my mom and probably the law…but I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I we pulled away from my house.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“How long until your mom starts blowing up your phone?”
“Oh, I doubt that happens. She’ll assume I’m with you. Your mom and Larry will assume you’re with me. We’ll have the fugitives loaded up and we’ll be back in town before anyone even notices we’re gone.”
“Yeah…you’re right.”
“Do you hear that noise?”
“What noise?”
Within seconds the car was hobbling down the road. “Dammit. Flat. Sarah called it.”
“It’s okay. We’ll just throw the donut on and be good to go.”
“Donut?”
“Oh my god, Duke, you don’t have a spare tire?”
Flushing with frustration and anxiety, I felt my face heating as we slowed to a crawl.
“This…freaking…sucks.”
“Duke…”
“I know. I know. We can call roadside assistance.”
Pulling to the side of the road, I felt the urge to punch my windshield.
“We’re good, D. Maybe someone will be by. There’s a Walmart about ten minutes from here.”
“Right…what kind of idiots climb into a vehicle with complete strangers?”
The minutes turned to hours, and hours into frustration. We were told by roadside assistance that it would be at least three hours before they could get to us. The only options were to call four-one-one or our parents. And then a white Suburban appeared in my rearview mirror.
Exiting the vehicle was a petite woman with red hair and sunglasses. Exiting the vehicle to meet her, the woman approached us with a cautious look on her face.
“Oh…oh I thought you were Tommy from down the road.”
“No ma’am. My name is Duke…my girlfriend is in the car.”
“Is somebody coming to help you kids?”
“We called roadside…they said they’d be here in a few hours.”
Cautiously, the woman stepped closer, looking into the car. “Is that a basketball jersey in the back seat?”
“Yes ma’am. I played up until last year. I only do track and—”
“My nephew plays varsity at Florence…Bishop.”
“Bishop James?”
“You know him?”
“Oh, yeah. Bishop and I are buddies. We go way back.”
The hesitation drifted from her face. “What are you kids doing so far from home on a school night?”
“Well um…we had a little bit of trouble at our school. We’re out all week.”
“Holy…do you go to school with that Kasper boy?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“When all this shit…sorry, when all this stuff came out, Bishop swore on everything that there had to be something deeper going on. He just thinks the world of that Kasper boy.”
“Well…we all think the world of Bishop too, ma’am. Damn good guy and a good ball player.”
“Hey, how about you kids let me take you to town and get you a new tire. I was heading there anyway.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
***
Waving as she drove away, I looked toward a somber looking Lily.
“You okay?”
“I thought only idiots got in vehicles with strangers.”
“That doesn’t apply to hot thirty-five-year-old soccer moms.”
Standing on the side of the road next to the newly replaced tire, I hugged Lily. “I’m tired, Duke. We had no sleep last night.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting our rescue to take that long in the store.”
“Apparently, she only goes to town once every decade.”
“We’ll be there in a few hours—”
“It will be dark, Duke. We have no clue what we’re driving in to. And you fell asleep twice on the drive back. We need to sleep for a few hours.”
“No, Lily. We’re already running behind—”
“Behind what, Duke? We have no schedule. The only plan is to get there, get them, and get home. Throwing a few hours in the mix so we don’t run off
the road and kill ourselves isn’t going to hurt anything.”
I was irritated…genuinely irritated. I couldn’t argue with her logic. We were going in to the situation basically blind. Adding the night and exhaustion to that would only worsen things.
“Okay. We’ll pull over at a rest stop.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“It was never like that…nothing like that. Mom always says it’s not what God throws at you but how you catch it. I don’t need blood. Maybe I thought I did, but that’s not what defines a family. It’s sure as hell not what defines loyalty.”
My eyes felt like I’d been up all night gaming or watching some Saved by the Bell marathon with Lily—scratchy and kinda tingly in the corners. My hands were a bit shaky, but I was loaded up on Monster and Skittles. The rain was like a freakin’ waterfall on top of my car—relentless.
It was little more than total adrenaline, gut instinct, and a screenshot by this point. Whatever it was, it had me awake and far from home…far from them. I was done with it all. I was done with them. Failure to act is cowardice. That’s how I see it. They’d say we acted erratically and irresponsibly. They could say whatever they wanted; hell, they could do whatever they wanted. I wasn’t concerned with consequences at this point.
“Please just remember…you’re one guy, D. You’re his friend…you’re always going to be his friend. But if we get him back—”
“When we get him back, Lily.”
“I know…I know, when we get him back he’s going to need a lot of help. They’re both going to need so much help. This is beyond you, boy.”
“I know that. I get it. Something just tells me that…that eventually it’ll be okay if I can just physically find him.”
Her hand on my leg reminded me of who was there—who was really there. She’d been the definition of loyalty. She’d been awake half the night, keeping me awake half the night—girl can’t hit a note for shit.
“This is a big world, D…and you’ve got it by the balls. I just hope you go after it with all you got.”
“What makes you think I won’t, silly Lily?”
Sitting quietly chewing on her bottom lip, I figured it was something to do with school—boom, I was right.
“D, your grades are outstanding. You’ve had scholarship offers. I just…I know why you’re staying close to home for college and…it’s good…it’s good that your so close to him and that you’re there for him. I’m glad that you’re able to help him—”
“You nerd. You’re staying there for school too. You trying to get rid of me?”
“Nope…I just hope you see your full potential.”
Turing down some creeper-style backroad, per Siri’s command, I thought about her comment.
“And then what? What is potential anyways? A few things I’ve learned is that life is short, and not just my life—but the people I love too. I’m gonna be happy and successful no matter where I get a degree from. And just so you know…Jess has been there, Lily. Jessie’s a good guy. That’s what family is really all about.”
“Okay.”
Her pretty smile let me know she got what I meant. The thing with Lily, give her a hint at some feelings, and she’ll run with that shit.
“You think we’ll get stuck, D?”
“Hope to hell not. We’re about there.”
“It’s all coming down to this, D. If he’s not here…”
“He’ll be here.”
“And if not?”
“If not we go straight to—”
“The police. Thank you, Duke.”
“Thank you for coming with me.”
“Duh, boy. You’re stuck wif me.”
“What the fu—”
“Duke!”
Swerving and honking in the rain, I watched some idiot fall down in the ditch from the side view mirror.
“Duke, keep going…this is creepy.”
“Oh…my…god.”
Slamming on the brakes sent my car sliding away. Jumping out of my trusty car, I raced in the rain to see for sure—but I knew it was her. It had to be her. I had to have had the biggest smile on my face…and then I saw hers…I saw her face.
“Kacey? Kacey! Holy shit is that you?”
“Duke? Oh my god!”
The blood in my face literally pumped hot. Grinding my teeth and breathing hard through my nose, I hurried to my friend. Her bruised face and busted lip had my head thinking in a million different directions. The moment I reached her, her arms were around my neck, as if she were exhausted—completely done. Bawling, she just collapsed into my arms. “Lily! It’s Kacey! Kacey! What the hell happened to you?”
“You found us! How? You found us!”
Lifting her in my arms while she cried, I scurried up the bank of the ditch trying not to bust my ass in the rain. I was thankful to have found her, but worried Jessie wasn’t with her. Just as we reached the car, Lily flung the door open.
“Kacey! Kacey what the hell happened?” Lily was clearly concerned as she cleared the backseat and I placed Kacey in the car.
“Lily! Oh my god! You found us! How did you find us?”
I couldn’t contain it anymore; I had to know. “Kacey! Where is Jessie?”
“He has him, Duke!”
Jumping in the front of my ride, I turned around in the seat to face my friend. I couldn’t believe what the hell I was seeing. Her face was nearly unrecognizable. “Oh my god, Kacey who the hell did this to you? I swear to god I freakin’ kill ’em!”
Her eye was all but swollen shut. Her lips were busted in several places, and her face was literally black and blue. I knew by looking at her in the rain that she’d been hurt, but I had no clue how bad it was until we got in the car. My mind switched from a person to—maybe an accident.
“Avery! Avery did this!”
Watching her rock in the back of my car made me want to snap this Avery dude’s neck.
Staying as calm as possible was my safest bet…but the heat was coming on. The way her eyes darted back and forth out the windows like she was horrified—of course she was horrified.
“Is this real. You’re really here? How? How did you find us?”
Each time she spoke the split in her lower lip opened a bit. She kept reaching for her ankle. I knew we had to get her to a hospital, but first we had to get Jess. “Jessie…he called me on some dude’s phone. He wasn’t making any sense like he was completely wasted. He couldn’t even tell me where the hell he was so I told him to screen shot the map and send it to me. Everyone is looking for you two! We knew it was a long shot but we had to try. We left without telling them—”
“We didn’t kill him? We really didn’t kill my uncle?”
She didn’t know. Kacey didn’t know. How the hell could she not know?
“Kacey…” Lily smiled as she tried to calm Kacey. I was now more thankful than ever that Lily was with me. There was no way I could have this conversation with Kacey.
“You don’t understand! The things I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t mean for this to happen. It just—”
“We know everything, Kacey.”
“What? What do you mean, everything, Lily?”
“We know.”
“Oh my god. You know?”
“Yes. And it’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Kacey looked around—breathed a few times through her nostrils, and then looked directly at me.
“Oh my god we have to save Jessie! He still has him!”
“Who?” It was like none of it was real. Totally surreal. Like I was watching it or something. But the reality was that one of my friends was battered the hell of in my backseat and my best friend—my brother—was possibly with the same person or people that had hurt her.
“Avery! The man that tried to kill me. He’s been drugging him! He’s in a shitty house at the end of this dirt road.”
The words, drugging him didn’t sink in. Even with everything else going on right in front of my face, it still didn’t penetrate. Who the hell would drug J
ess? Still looking at Kacey’s busted face, it hit me—the same sonofabitch that did this to her. “I’ll gut him! I swear to god when I find this Avery mutherfu…”
This was all me. I was far from my mom, Larry, and Joe. This was on me. I had to act. If I didn’t act now I might lose Jess—just like Cory. Hell no.
Turning from Kasey I reached for the 9mm in the glove compartment. Nothing—not jail time, or even disappointing mom, the parent that still loves me, scared me as much as the hurt of losing someone again. I couldn’t feel that again. I can’t handle that.
“This is really happening…we might really live. You really found us…you actually found us.”
Looking at Kacey in the rearview I had a head full of feelings and questions—all of which had to wait. I had to get Jess back. Everything would be okay somehow once Jess was with us. “Hell yes we did. Let’s go get Jessie.”
***
This was it. Pulling down the driveway after listening to Kacey’s bizarre story, I was ready to dive out of the moving vehicle to grab Jess. Visibility was basically zero as the rains continued to pound my windshield.
“This is it.”
“Oh my god, Duke. Don’t go in there. What if—”
“I have to, Lily. I have to.”
Putting the car in park I turned to her. “Call the police…now. Tell them everything. Tell them where we are.”
“Why can’t we just wait for them?”
“We’ve waited long enough, Lils.” Kissing her head, I opened the door and stood out into the rain.
According to Kacey, Jessie was in the back room. Making my way up the frail porch steps, I opened the thin house door. The entire house smelled like the guy’s locker room—grimy and stuffy.
I made no hesitation, rushing to the back bedroom. Flinging the door open, I finally looked at what was left of my childhood best friend.
Pale, almost grayish looking, Jessie looked to me, squinting. Turning his gaze from me, it appeared as though he was oblivious to me being there.
“Oh my god! What has he done to you?” My shriek finally captured Jessie’s attention. Attempting to focus on me, I rushed next to him.