by Raathi Chota
“Nah, they’re always working, so they don’t have time for me, but I got my grandma,” he said with a smile.
“Holy shit,” Nick muttered as we turned to him.
“What?” Liam asked.
“That picture was taken at Route 28, and the sign is exactly opposite Ethan’s cottage,” Nick said as we looked at Google Maps.
“What? There must be another Route 28,” I scoffed.
“Nope, it’s identical to the image,” Nick said as he shook his head.
“Then what the hell was Jack doing there?” Benny asked.
“Do you think Ethan will know?” Liam asked.
“Sure, he’d know when a random hobo had a photo shoot opposite his cottage,” Nick sarcastically replied.
“I have a strange feeling that this Jack guy isn’t who he says he is,” Benny mumbled as he stared at the wall.
“Maybe he’s a model who just dresses poorly and hasn’t shaved in days,” Liam guessed as my phone vibrated. Benny and Liam argued about who Jack was while I read the text. I let out a sigh because my mother needed her car.
“Guys, I gotta go. My mom needs her car,” I mumbled as I shoved my phone in my pocket.
“I’ll come with you,” Benny suggested as I slowly shook my head.
“Then how are you gonna get home?” I asked as we walked out of Liam’s room and to the living room.
“True, I’ll just go with Nick, but call me when you get home,” he said, then kissed me.
“I will.” I nodded, then walked out of the apartment. I strolled out of the building and to the car. It was already dark outside as I got into the car.
I drove out of downtown and decided to take a shortcut. As I turned the corner, a few people came out of a bar. It seemed to be a fight, and I squinted my eyes when I noticed a familiar bald head. I parked next to the sidewalk and got out of the car to see men roughing up Keene. I ran toward him and yelled at the guys.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded as I stepped between them. Keene’s eye was swollen, and he had a bloody nose. I turned to the guys, who glared at me.
“Get lost, bitch,” the one guy demanded as he shoved me out of the way. I kept my balance as I turned around and pulled on his shoulder. He turned to me with a glare as I whipped out the pepper spray Dad gave me. I sprayed him in the face as well as his friends. They cursed as the covered their faces.
“Fuck off, assholes!” I yelled as they backed away. I watched as they walked back into the bar while rubbing their eyes. I spun around to see Keene wiping the blood from his face. I noticed he was drunk as he swayed and had a dazed look on his face. “Come on.” I sighed as I helped him to the car.
***
We arrived at his apartment five minutes later, since he also had one downtown. I got out of the car, then walked to the passenger side to help him out. I swung his arm around my shoulder, and he gave me a sloppy grin as I kicked the door closed.
“Lana, guess what? Guess what?” he asked as we walked upstairs.
“What, Keene?” I asked as I pulled him up each step.
“I got meat,” he breathed out, and I held my breath as the alcohol hit my nose.
“Good for you,” I muttered.
“Yeah, I heard you love meat.” He smirked as I raised a brow.
“Err…yeah,” I mumbled as we reached his floor. “Where are your keys?”
“You have to find them.” He poked my nose as he leaned against the door.
“Keene, come on,” I whined as he smiled at me.
“Lana, come on,” he mocked as he raised his arms so that I could find his keys. I huffed as I crouched down and searched his pockets. “You’re warm,” Keene hinted as I looked up at him. I moved my hands down, but he shook his head. I stood up straight as my hands moved to the middle of his belt buckle. He smirked at me as I raised his shirt and took out his keys from his belt. “You’re hot.” He stepped out of the way so I could open the door. I unlocked the door and pushed him in. He skipped into the kitchen as I turned on the light. A few seconds later, he came back with a can of beer, but I shook my head.
“No, you had enough.” I snatched the can away from him. He lowered his head and pouted as he turned the light off.
“I like it dark!” he exclaimed as I raised my arms. I cursed under my breath as we plopped down on the sofa. Out the corner of my eye, I saw him open the can and drink. I let out a sigh as I glanced around, but I barely saw anything since everything was dark. “Thank you, Lana.”
“No problem. I thought you’d be at Blake’s house.”
“You get annoyed when you hang out with them too much,” he said as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against my temple. I felt his heavy breaths on my cheek.
“Err…Keene, what are you doing?” I asked as I tried to lean away, but he followed.
“Lana, guess what, guess what?” he whispered as he placed his index finger on my cheek and turned my face to him so that our foreheads touched.
“Wha-what?” I backed away, but he followed, which made me fall flat on the sofa. Keene hovered over me as he pressed his forehead against mine. He placed an arm on each side of me as I placed a hand on his chest. “Keene, what are you—”
“He’s here,” Keene whispered as I raised a brow at him. I heard the rattle of keys and turned my head to the front door to see someone’s shadow underneath the door. I watched as the shadow moved underneath the door. The doorknob twisted. Keene collapsed on me. I let out a groan as I shuffled underneath him and off the sofa. I turned back to see that he had fallen asleep. I looked at the door again to see the person in front of it. He gave me a strange look as he shut the door. I gave him a once-over, and something about him seemed so familiar. He was tall with dark brown hair and chestnut eyes. He looked to be a few years older than me with his full structure and stubble.
“Am I disturbing something?” His voice sounded deep as he glanced at Keene and me.
“No, err…I was just helping him, found him at a bar,” I mumbled.
“Okay. I’m Noel. I share an apartment with this idiot.” He pointed to Keene.
“Wait, you’re Noel Brighton. As in Jennifer’s older brother,” I clarified.
“Yeah. How do you know my sister?” he asked and sat on the armchair.
“We go to the same school, and I remember you when I was a freshman,” I said.
“So, if you’re in high school, what are you doing with an intoxicated twenty year old?” he pointed to Keene, who snored.
“Oh, I was supposed to go ho—” I cut myself off as my eyes widened. I remembered that my mother needed her car to go to work. I quickly took out my phone and read the message she left.
Mom: Never mind your dad’s taking me. Don’t stay out too late. Love you.
I glanced up and noticed Noel had gone into the kitchen. I put my phone back in my jeans pocket, then turned to Keene.
“Oh, just leave him. He’ll wake up soon enough, then walk to his room,” Noel said as he walked into the room with two glasses of water. I moved Keene’s legs so that I could sit by the coffee table. Noel placed the glass down and took a sip of his. I mumbled a thank you and took the glass and drank the water. “I would give you a beer or something, but my sobriety and all that shit.”
“Oh, I understand.” I nodded.
“You do?” he questioned, then laughed. “No, you don’t…no one does.”
“Okay, then make me understand,” I blurted out as I set my glass on the table.
“Well, what do you know?” he asked as he glanced at me, then the glass.
“Well…all I know is you were in rehab for being a drug addict. Your dad put you in there because he didn’t want the family name going bad.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone knows. I’m not addicted. I swear!” Noel stated as he stared at me with a panicked look in his eyes. “He made me do it! Ugh, I was so stupid.”
“Who made you do what?”
“Do you really wanna know? So
rry if I’m bothering you. You probably want to go home.”
“No, no, no. Remember? I want to understand,” I said as I leaned back in my seat to show that I wouldn’t go anywhere.
“Okay, well, it was senior year, spring break. I was home alone and heard a knock on the door,” Noel began as he stared at the floor. “I answered it, and it was a few guys who told me they were there because they wanted to see my father, so I just told them to wait and that he’ll be here soon.
“I was gone for a second, and when I came back, I saw them unloading stuff. That’s when I got suspicious, because it was parcels. When I went for my phone and tried to call my dad, one of the guys stopped me. He told me to do what he said or he’d hurt my family.” Noel whispered the last part as my eyes widened.
“This guy who threatened you…what was he wearing?” I asked as I tried to put two and two together.
“A suit, but the other three guys wore black,” Noel answered as my jaw dropped. Although James only had two guys when I saw him.
“They must’ve talked. What were their names?” I asked.
“I don’t know the guy in the suit, but I think one was named Mike and the other Christo,” he answered as I paled.
“Oh. T-then what happened?”
“It was probably about three hundred parcels. Our house was pretty big, so he told me to keep them, and he’d contact me when he wanted them,” Noel mumbled.
“So then how did you end up in rehab?” I asked as he looked at my glass again.
“One night I was drunk with my friends, and one of them found a parcel in the basement, and we started…” He trailed off as I nodded. “One of them snitched about it, and my dad found out. He didn’t want the family name going bad, so he sent me to rehab when he found the other parcels.”
“What happened to the parcels?” I asked, then slid my glass toward him, and he thanked me as he took a sip.
“From what my sister told me, Mike and Christo broke in one night and took them. You could see they’d done it before because they were so fast in doing it,” Noel explained as I nodded.
“So, if your house is big and stuff, why aren’t you living there?” I asked.
“My dad only cares about money and what the public will think. When I came out of rehab, he let me stay for a few days, then kicked me out.” He shrugged and placed the empty glass down.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“It’s cool. My fault, I guess,” Noel responded with a shrug. We sat in silence as I thought over what Noel said. James used other people to hide his drugs. It’s like he wanted to get caught or something…
“Well, I have to go. It’s getting late,” I said and rose to my feet. We stood up at the same time. Noel towered over me as he smiled. He honestly didn’t look like a drug addict; he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
“Yeah, err…I’ll tell Keene you dropped him off because I doubt he’d remember how he got home.” Noel chuckled as I followed him to the door. “Hey, I didn’t get your name.”
“Oh, Lana Willson.” I smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Lana. You’re the first person who doesn’t think I’m crazy after telling them that story,” he said as the corner of his mouth pulled up.
“Well, everyone’s got a story,” I murmured, and he nodded. I opened the door and walked out into the cold. With one last wave, he shut the door, and I walked downstairs to the car.
***
It was late on Saturday afternoon, and we decided to stay indoors. We sat on the sofa and finished Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which Uncle Griff “downloaded” since he knew that I loved J.K. Rowling’s books. I curled up on the La-Z-Boy and continually sneezed. I noticed she turned to me with a raised brow.
“Are you getting sick?”
“No, Mom, it’s just one sneeze.”
“Mm.” She pursed her lips. “Where were you last night?”
“I was at Liam’s apartment when I got your message, then while driving home I saw Keene and helped him get home,” I explained, then shrugged.
“But Keene lives downtown,” Dad chimed in as he raised a brow at me.
“Yeah…” I trailed off as his jaw tightened.
“I don’t want you going there alone at night. Wait, scratch that, I don’t want you going there at a—” Dad cut off when the doorbell rang. I let out a sigh of relief as Dad got up and walked out of the living room. I turned to Mom, who sent me a suspicious look. “Lana, you have guests,” Dad muttered as he walked into the room. I looked over his shoulder to see Benny, Nick, and Liam come in with a box.
“Thanks, Bobby.” Liam smiled as my dad wrinkled his eyes at him.
“Don’t call me that if you know what’s good for you, Liam,” Dad said.
“Sorry, Sheriff. Can I interest you in some donuts?” Liam pouted as he opened the box.
“Just because I’m a cop doesn’t mean I eat donuts all the time. It’s a stupid stereotype because everyone loves donuts!” Dad huffed, then walked toward Liam. “Now give me one.”
I watched in amusement as Dad and Liam ate the donuts. Benny and Nick greeted my mother, then approached me.
“Hey. What are you guys doing here?” I asked as they sat on the big sofa next to me. Nick raised his brows, then looked over his shoulder at Liam. Mom got up and took a donut. Once they were done, Mom and Dad walked into the kitchen while Liam joined us on the sofa.
“We’re investigators!” Liam cheered with his donut.
“What does he mean?” I asked.
“He wants to investigate. So we’re taking a drive somewhere,” Benny said.
“You’ll see. Now go get ready!” Liam said and gave a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Err…okay,” I mumbled as I pushed myself off the sofa. They followed me upstairs and into my room. Thankfully, I was dressed and just needed to put on my shoes. While they hung out in my room, I took out my contacts and decided to wear my glasses. I put them on in the bathroom, then brushed my hair. When I came out of the bathroom, Liam held up my white Converse, which I picked out.
“You can’t wear these,” he said, then walked to my closet.
“Why? Are we going to the beach?” I sarcastically asked as Liam put them away.
“Nope.” Benny sighed as he laid on my bed.
“Don’t you have other Converse?” Liam asked as he rummaged in my closet.
“I did have black and white high tops, but y’know, they were supposed to be dumped at a junkyard.” I shrugged as I walked to my closet and took out a pair of maroon Doc Martens.
“Let’s just hope that they were. Oh, that reminds me, did you get rid of yours after they made such a dramatic return?” Nick asked as he looked at Liam.
“Yeah, of course,” Liam mumbled as he looked at the ceiling. I quickly put on my shoes, and Benny helped me as he did the laces. When I looked down at Liam’s shoes, I checked if he wore the black high tops. Thankfully, he wasn’t and wore black Vans. I put on a denim jacket, then followed the boys as we walked out of my room. Mom and Dad watched TV as we passed them.
“Put on a jacket. I don’t want you getting the flu!” Mom demanded.
“I’m already wearing one, Mom,” I said.
“Oh well…make sure you’re wearing enough layers!” She pointed to my clothing.
“I am. I have a ve—” I cut off when a car honked outside. Benny tugged on my hand as he looked at my parents.
“I’ll make sure that she’s warm and returned home without the flu,” Benny said, then winked at me.
“What do you mean by warm?” Dad narrowed his eyes at Benny.
“Love you, bye!” I pulled Benny out of the house before he could answer my father. We got into the back, and Nick drove while Liam sat in the passenger seat. Liam belted out the lyrics to a hip-hop song as I turned to Benny with a grin. “How are you going to make sure that I’m warm?”
“Oh, I have my ways,” he replied, then kissed my hand as I bit my lip.
“Do you
really have to carry that everywhere? I’m pretty sure our class doesn’t want this in the yearbook,” Nick spoke up as he glanced at Liam. Benny and I watched as Liam took random pictures, then turned to Nick with a grave expression.
“Relax, I have separate memory cards, one for the yearbook and the other for our pictures.”
“What pictures will you be taking?” I asked as Liam raised the camera and took a quick picture of Nick’s stone hard look.
“Anything that gives us a clue about Jack August,” Liam mumbled as he put the camera on his lap.
“What do yo—where are we even going?” I asked as my eyes widened.
“To Ethan’s cottage, because we’re investigators!” Liam cheered as he raised his fist.
“Are you out of your mind? We can’t go there! What if, what if—”
“Relax, Lana, it’s abandoned, which makes it easier because we’re investigators!” Liam assured me as Nick groaned.
“Adding the words ‘we’re investigators’ at the end of every sentence doesn’t make the situation better,” Nick muttered. Liam pouted.
“You’re a big meanie, Nicky,” Liam said as he pressed the button to open his window. Nick let out a sigh as he looked back at the road. I let out another sneeze since Liam’s window was wide open, and his head stuck out like a dog in the wind.
“Dude, close your window! You’re making Lana sick!” Benny scolded Liam.
“I need some air,” he yelled and shook his head.
“There’s air in here, you idiot,” Nick muttered as he pressed the button on his side that closed Liam’s window.
“I don’t want your air!” Liam frowned as he looked at Nick. “It’s thick and tense, like you!”
I threw my head back and closed my eyes as Liam and Nick argued about the air. It went on for five minutes, then the car went silent; even the radio was off. I opened my eyes to see Nick drive while Liam’s arms were folded as he looked out the window. Benny was on his phone, then looked up at me. He rolled his eyes, then looked down at his phone again.
“Just say sorry,” I stated after a while.
