“You’re right,” he said.
“So talk to me. You’re wasting my time.”
“Yeah. Big shot up there.”
“Hey, man. I have a target on my back. For a lot of reasons.”
“Need our help?” Darius offered.
I grinned, thinking about it.
Damn, if he and Simon showed up…
Now that would be a war.
This whole bullshit thing of HCH against BFH would look like a squishy ball dodgeball game compared to what I could bring.
“No, I’m good,” I said. “Just get to your point.”
“Someone is up here missing you,” Darius said. “Started sending texts and asking questions that shouldn’t be asked.”
I didn’t need to ask who that someone was.
I nodded as though Darius could see me.
“Okay,” I said. “That’s a situation I can handle later in life.”
“And the noise?”
“Just ignore it,” I said. “Let it be noise. What’s going to happen?”
“There’s a lot that could happen,” Darius said.
“And you and Simon can keep the noise to a dull roar,” I said.
“Damn, man, she was saying-”
“I don’t give a fuck what was said,” I yelled. “Okay? My fucking brother was murdered. And I need to find out why. The real reason why. I need to see what is actually happening around here before I do anything else.”
“Got it,” Darius said. “I didn’t want to make this call, you know?”
“Of course not. I don’t want to hear about it again. I don’t give a shit what happens. Or what she does.”
“Understood,” Darius said. “If you need anything down there, let me know. You know me and Simon will be there in a heartbeat.”
“Of course you would. It’s a bunch of rich girls that have never seen the dark side of life.”
“All that fresh blood,” Darius said.
“What are you, a shark?”
“No, man. Pussy monster.”
“Fuck,” I said. “Later, man.”
I ended the call as Darius laughed.
I gripped my phone tight.
I took a slow breath and traded my phone for a cigarette.
Everywhere I went…
Problems.
Most of them I couldn’t solve.
But a few I could.
They weren’t easy to solve but I’d get there.
And I needed a win.
Right now.
Right fucking now.
I smoked my cigarette and smiled.
I knew what to do to get that win.
* * *
Nero put the window down on his limo sized SUV and looked down at me.
“That’s a little toy car there, man,” he said.
“You’re driving a fucking school bus,” I said. “Can’t get that thing past fifty I bet.”
“Don’t need to,” Nero said. “Get in my way and I’ll run your ass down.”
“You want to debate vehicles or help me?” I asked.
“I’m here, man. What’s up?”
“Need to take care of something,” I said. “This is on me though. I don’t want you stepping in. But I want you there.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Yes, it does,” I said. “Just need to keep someone boxed in while I take care of something.”
“Which is what?”
“Don’t fuck with my girl’s heart,” I said.
I put the window up and sped off.
I left Nero as a little blur on the horizon and laughed my ass off as I sat in the middle of the road waiting for him to catch up.
I could have taken a fucking nap by the time he did catch up.
I saw his hands on the steering wheel through my rearview mirror.
He lifted his middle fingers.
I laughed harder.
Then I lit a cigarette and drove, slower, ready to take care of something that had been eating me alive since last night.
When I got to HCH, I saw a few vehicles in the parking lot.
I figured this jerk off would be here on a day like this.
Sunny and beautiful. A day for the beach. A day for girls. Or drinks.
At the very least, a day to spend with your girlfriend.
The easy play would have been to fuck with his ride.
Send a message.
That wasn’t good enough on Nova’s behalf though.
I got out of my car and Nero put his window down. “What the fuck?”
“Just wait and watch,” I said. “When Conor walks out those doors, your job is to make sure he doesn’t try to run.”
“What are you going to do?” Nero asked.
“Whatever I feel like.”
I lit another cigarette.
I had smoked way too many for the day already.
But that’s what Nova fucking did to me.
My nerves were bouncing.
I wanted to go back to last night.
I wanted her to be sober.
I wanted her in my car.
I wanted to show her that what we had in the summer could last all goddamn year.
The thoughts raced through my mind, only breaking when I saw Conor.
Walking across the parking lot, staring down at his phone, not seeing me leaning against his car.
I motioned for Nero to back up and leave me alone.
If Conor tried running, then Nero could prove his theory on running someone’s ass over with his bus of a SUV.
Conor was a few feet away before I cleared my throat.
When he looked up, his eyes went wide.
“Elijah.”
I flicked my cigarette to the ground. “Conor.”
“What are you…”
“What the fuck did you do last night?”
“Last night? What? Why?”
“Answer me.”
“Get out of the way,” Conor said. He tucked his phone away and slipped his bag off his shoulder. “I have somewhere to be.”
I side stepped and blocked the door handle. “No. You’re staying here. With me.”
“Seriously?” Conor asked. “What the fuck is this?”
“You left her at a party to get drunk,” I said. “You know what could have happened?”
“Who are you… wait. Nova? This is about Nova?”
“No. Your mother.”
“What?”
“Asshole,” I said. I lunged and grabbed Conor by the shirt. I pulled him close. “She needed you last night, dickhead. And you were too busy studying.”
“We talked,” he said. “Nobody goes to Elmer’s parties. They’re a waste.”
“She went.”
“No…”
“I carried her ass out of the house,” I said. “Drunk.”
“She called you?”
“No. My buddy did. And good thing too. She was ready to pass out in a bathroom. Then what? Huh? What if some piece of shit found her like that? What if he decided he wanted a little fun? Tell me, Conor. Then what?”
“I don’t know,” Conor said. “I don’t… I didn’t do anything.”
“Exactly my point,” I said. I turned and threw Conor against his car. “She needed you and you weren’t there. You bailed on her when she wasn’t feeling it. And you have no clue what happened last night.”
“Meaning?”
“She slept in my car,” I said. “With me. I kept her safe. I held her hair when she puked. I tucked her in. You did nothing for her.”
“Fuck you, Elijah,” Conor yelled. “You fucking loser. That’s all you are, man. A loser.”
“Then let’s figure this out,” I said.
I stepped back and lifted my fists.
“Yeah?” Conor asked. “Figure this…”
He threw his bag at me and turned to open the car door.
I punched the bag away and grabbed for him.
He kicked back, hitting the inside of my leg.
Cl
ose to my balls.
Meaning he wanted to fight dirty.
Conor dove over the hood of his own car and started to run.
A second later, Nero’s SUV barreled toward him, blocking the way.
In fact, Conor ran right into the side of the SUV.
When he stumbled back, I was waiting for him.
I spun him around and he threw a punch.
I had to give him credit for hitting me square on the nose.
Blood sprayed everywhere as my head snapped back.
That was okay though.
I gave him a punch back and that did more to him than he did to me.
I grabbed his shirt again and screamed as I turned and threw him through the air.
He slammed onto the hood of the car and cried out, grabbing for his back.
I pulled him from the hood and he withstood two punches before dropping to the ground.
He looked up at me, putting his hands up, already defeated.
“You’re the fucking loser,” I said. “And you don’t deserve her. Your little fantasy is over, man. It’s done. What you did last night sealed it. You’re never going near her again. And if you try, I’ll start breaking bones. Now… do you believe me?”
“Okay, fine. Yeah. Sure.”
I grabbed his shirt and he whimpered. “She could have been hurt. Don’t you get it?”
Conor looked ready to cry.
“Hey, man, are we good here?” Nero called out. “We’re too far in the open for this kind of shit.”
“You guys leave,” I said. “Thanks for the help.”
My eyes never left Conor.
He was whimpering. “What… do… you… want…”
“Just tell her it’s over,” I said. “Whatever else she’s going through, she doesn’t need you.”
“And you’re the one who’s going to make it right?” Conor asked.
I swung my left fist again and smashed it against Conor’s jaw.
He groaned and fell to the side.
I dropped to one knee and pulled him back up. “Do you know anything else that’s going on with her?”
“No,” Conor said. “I swear.”
“Get your phone.”
Conor fumbled for his phone and handed it to me.
I dropped it to the ground and stood up.
“I’m going to have a smoke,” I said. “And you’re going to end this fake bullshit with Nova.”
Conor used a shaking right hand to hit the screen and send a text to Nova.
“There,” he said. “Done.”
He looked up at me.
“Good,” I said. “Now have a cigarette and learn to loosen up a little.”
I dropped the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and walked away.
I wiped blood off my nose and curled my lip.
When I got to my car I had a text from Noelle.
Asking me how my day was going.
I looked at my roughed-up knuckles.
Then I watched as Conor climbed to his feet and struggled to get around his car and get inside.
How was my day going?
Just fucking fine.
* * *
I caught up with Nero, Lars, Paxton, and Turner a little later.
Lars smoked a cigarette, leaning against the front of Nero’s bus-like SUV.
Turner held up his cellphone like he was taking a picture of himself.
Paxton and Nero were talking. Looking a little heated as they went back and forth.
When Nero spotted me, he took the heat off Paxton and threw it right at me.
“That was a bad call,” he said. “Right there in the parking lot, man?”
“Had to be done,” I said. “And you still helped.”
“Gave my word to you. I don’t break my word.”
“I appreciate you saying that and backing it up,” I said.
“That was some wild outlaw shit back there,” Lars said.
“That a problem for you?” I asked Lars.
He shook his head. “No. I’m good with it. Like you said, had to be done.”
“What did he do to you?” Turner asked as he tucked his cellphone into his back pocket. He ran a hand through his perfectly placed hair. “Something pretty bad?”
What exactly had Conor done?
I told myself it was a loaded question. But it wasn’t.
“Personal shit,” Nero said.
“That must have been some really personal shit,” Paxton said.
“It was,” I said. “Now, do you want to hear all about my shitty childhood too? Should we talk about our broken dreams in life? Have a pillow fight in our underwear?”
“I don’t wear underwear, man,” Lars said.
“Please don’t prove that fact,” Turner said.
“We get the point,” Nero said.
“We were going to head up the coast a little,” Paxton said. “There’s a sweet little spot up there to surf.”
“You all surf?” I asked.
“Some of us better than others,” Nero said, nodding to Lars.
“Fuck you,” Lars said. “You want to go down that road again?”
“Only one of us here has trophies,” Turner said.
“Trophies, huh?” I asked.
Turner shrugged his shoulders. “Had to make my parents proud.”
“Or else they wouldn’t love him,” Paxton said. “Right, asshole?”
Paxton jumped at Turner, putting him into a headlock and messing with his perfect hair.
Turner threw an elbow and shoved Paxton away. “Fuckface.”
Turner played with his hair.
“Your hair looks good, man,” I said.
“Athletic and pretty,” Nero said.
“Every guy’s dream,” Lars said.
Turner showed all of us his middle fingers. “Let’s take a poll of who’s gotten laid in the last week. Come on. I’d love to hear it. Your hands and pillows don’t count either.”
“Pillows?” I asked. “Tell me nobody here is doing that into a pillow.”
“Hey,” Paxton said, pointing at me, “you get yourself a really expensive pillow… good quality…”
I exhaled a breath, shaking my head.
“This is why I am the way I am,” Lars said. “Stuck with these assholes as friends.”
“I can’t look at Paxton anymore,” I said.
“None of us can,” Nero said. He put a hand to my shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Thank you for your help today,” I said. “I know that’s not the crew shit you probably figured. I know it’s not your business.”
“Neither was Walker and Ryker,” Nero said.
“It was though,” I said. “They’re tied to Wes. Wes to Aira. Aira to Nova. And then my asshole brother mixed in there.”
“Look, if you want to owe me a favor, just say it,” Nero said.
“Yeah,” Lars said. “You can go fluff Paxton’s sticky pillows.”
“Come on, man,” Paxton said. “I don’t do that every night…”
“I’m not looking to repay a favor,” I said. “And I’m not going near anything Paxton touches with his hands. I’m going to throw out all my pillows tonight too.”
“Too tempting, right?” Paxton asked.
“If we’re leaving, we have to go now,” Turner said. “We’ve already lost how much time?”
“You coming with us?” Nero asked. “Heard you’re pretty good with a board yourself.”
“You know, a little distance right now isn’t the worst idea,” I said.
“Perfect,” Nero said.
“Hold up there, Elijah,” Lars said. He dropped his cigarette and pointed. “I think someone is here to thank you for your services.”
I turned my head and saw Nova.
In that same vehicle. The cliché looking beach vehicle. All that money that flowed through this town and all the rich kids -including her- and she drove that thing. The engine spitting and bouncing, probably begging to be put out of its miser
y.
“I think I’m going to stay here then,” I said with a grin.
“Good call,” Nero said.
Nero and his guys loaded up in the SUV and backed away.
Nova sat in her ride and stared at me. She turned the ignition off, her collection of flower and surfboard keychains probably weighing fifteen pounds. Everyone else didn’t need keys for their vehicles.
She tossed her keys to the passenger seat and got out.
I lit up a cigarette and watched my Surfer Girl strut toward me.
Her hair still a goddamn mess. Blowing in all directions. Knotty hair reaching out like skinny arms. Her blue eyes brighter than the noon hour sun. Her shirt hugging her body in all the right ways. Her hips throwing her cut up jean shorts left to right. And for as short as she was, her legs looked like they went for miles.
My heart started to race.
That’s why I needed the cigarette.
My hands and mouth and mind and body needed a little distraction or else I was going to lose myself near her.
I had the cigarette between my lips when Nova was close enough for me to smell the sleep from my car still on her. The faint hints of her shampoo, the smell of my hoodie, and the guilt of the previous night all over her.
There was no guilt though.
I’d never judge her for getting drunk at that party.
I was just happy I was able to be there for her.
Save her.
“Hey, babe,” I said, the cigarette bouncing between my lips.
Nova reached up and snatched the cigarette.
For a second I thought she was going to take a drag.
Now that would have been something to see.
Nova threw the cigarette away.
Her eyes never left mine.
I waited for our lips to touch.
I was so distracted by her natural beauty that I didn’t see the fist coming for my face. And hell, I doubt I would have stopped her anyway.
My head snapped to the right and my jaw popped.
Nova pushed at my shoulder.
Then she made her first sound.
A grunting, crying kind of sound.
Jumping up and slapping at me.
Hitting the side of my neck.
She pushed at me again.
Then she stepped back.
“You stay the fuck away,” she said. “It’s not your business.”
I rubbed my jaw. “Yeah it is, Nova.”
“You beat up Conor and told him to dump me,” she said. “You’re pathetic. Not even strong enough to steal me from him.”
HIDDEN CREEK AGAIN: a hidden creek high novel Page 13