“No, I don’t think he’s ever used the gun.”
“And the bullets go with your gun?”
“They’re the same caliber.” Julian had barely finished answering before he stood up with the loaded gun, aimed it at the woods, and started firing.
Pop pop pop pop pop!
Allie jumped, startled. She covered her ears, and David winced. Birds flew panicked from the trees. Leaves fluttered to the ground. A weird smoky smell filled Allie’s nostrils.
Julian laughed, his eyes oddly animated. “Cool!”
“Let me!” Sasha burst into giddy laughter. She and Julian crouched, reloading. Allie edged backward, shaken, liked she’d been on a roller coaster.
David crossed to them, frowning. “You guys don’t know what you’re doing. Let me show you how to reload. Give me the gun.”
Julian handed him the gun. “I thought you only shot a rifle.”
“My uncle has a revolver, too. I know the basics. Look, here.” David pressed the lever with his thumb, and the cylinder flopped open with the shell casings inside. “These are warm. Heat expands them, so they won’t come out by themselves.” He pressed the ejector pin in the center of the cylinder and pointed the muzzle skyward, so the shiny shell casings tumbled onto the grass. “See? You push this and they fall out the back.”
“Cool.”
“Now you can reload.” David handed Julian the gun. “This holds five shells, which is pretty common. My uncle has it, too.”
“Thanks, cowboy.” Julian smiled crookedly while Sasha grabbed the gun from him, took some bullets out of the box, and reloaded, then stood up and pointed the gun toward the woods.
“I see a squirrel!”
“Don’t you dare!” Allie heard herself shout, then couldn’t believe it came from her.
“What?” Sasha whirled around, her face contorted with anger.
“Don’t kill anything!” Allie shouted again. She’d seen something die, and she never wanted to see it again.
“I’ll do what I want!” Sasha shouted back, facing the woods again and raising the gun.
Allie felt herself trembling. “Sasha, if you kill anything, I’ll tell everybody about the gun! I’ll tell!”
Sasha glowered at Allie, but Allie only stared back. She could see that Sasha hated her guts, but Allie stood her ground.
David pointed at a large tree. “Sasha, see that knot, halfway up the tree? Bet you can’t hit it.”
Julian put his hand on Sasha’s arm. “Sash, shoot at the tree.”
Sasha aimed for the knot and started blasting. Pop pop pop pop pop! Wood chips flew from the trunk, pitting it. Birds squawked in fright, and bugs flew everywhere. Sasha and Julian reloaded quickly, and Sasha fired another five shots. Pop pop pop pop pop! The shooting stopped abruptly, and the only sound was the whoosh of traffic on the turnpike.
“Let’s go,” David whispered to Allie.
CHAPTER 13
Sasha Barrow
What a bitch!” Sasha said to Julian. They’d left the construction site and were walking through the woods off Connemara Road to bury the gun. Allie was with David far behind them, but Sasha was so mad she could spit. “Who does Allie think she is? I don’t even know why she’s here.”
“Because she’s in the pact.”
“Not anymore. She threatened to tell. If that’s not a violation of the pact, I don’t know what is.”
“She didn’t mean it. She’d never do it.”
“She’s a loser!”
“Losers don’t tell, so let it go.”
“You don’t know that. Girls know girls.” Sasha was mad at Julian, too. She wished she hadn’t invited him over to her house tonight. She’d intended to reward him for the bullets. “Why did you take her side against me?”
“I didn’t.”
“You did, too. You said I should shoot the tree. That’s taking her side.”
“It wasn’t about sides.”
“Everything’s about sides. You used to be on mine and now you’re not.”
“Yes, I am, you know that.”
“I did until today!” Sasha eyed him, gritting her teeth as they walked along. Julian looked upset, which made her happy.
“I got you the bullets.”
“So what? What’s the point if you won’t let me have any fun?” Sasha snorted. “Bullets are for shooting, and all I wanted to do was shoot. What should I do with the bullets? Throw them at the squirrel?”
“Sash, gimme a break.” Julian sighed, stepping over a log. The underbrush was getting thicker. “She was crying.”
“She had no reason to.”
“Her sister died. David told me.” Julian looked over, his expression reminding Sasha of a sad-face emoji.
“So? What does one have to do with another? What, I can’t have fun because her sister died? Why’d you even invite her?”
“David did.”
Sasha rolled her eyes, hard. “Ugh! Don’t tell me he likes her. He could do so much better.”
Julian moved a skinny tree limb aside so Sasha could pass. “Whatever, it was fun, wasn’t it?”
“It was fun until she ruined it.”
“I liked it more than I thought I would. It was easy.”
“Ha! I was a better shot than you. I could’ve hit that damn squirrel, too.”
Julian stepped over a rotted tree trunk, its wood crumbling. “It’s better you didn’t.”
“Because Allie cried like a baby? Boo-hoo. People hunt every day.”
“Not with a revolver.”
“What’s the difference what you shoot it with? It comes out dead either way.” Sasha made her way through some vines, almost at the bent tree. “So what about the bullets? You really want to bury them?”
“Yes, I already dug the hole.”
“I could take them home. Nobody will find them in my house.”
“What about Bonnie and Clyde?”
“They ignore what they’re not supposed to see, like my vibrator.”
“Really?” Julian’s eyes flared.
“Yes.” Sasha didn’t really have a vibrator, but she liked teasing him. Actually, she loved teasing him. She could do whatever she wanted with him. They started up the hill.
“Here’s where the gun was.” Julian pointed underneath the bent tree.
“Where’s the hole for the bullets? I don’t see one.”
“Good, that’s the idea. First let’s bury the gun.” Julian climbed to the bent tree, then set down his backpack, crouched, and moved the dried leaves and underbrush aside to reveal an empty hole, about a foot deep.
Sasha squatted next to him. “So tell me, where’s the hole?”
“Don’t be impatient.”
“When did you dig it?” Sasha asked as David and Allie started up the hill toward them. Sasha looked away from Allie, barely able to contain her anger.
Julian caught her eye. “Tell you what, Sash. Stand up, walk ten paces north, and you’ll find the hole for the bullets. The bullet hole.”
“Which way is north?” Sasha popped up.
“Follow your nose. Directly ahead. And walk it off on your feet.”
“Got it.” Sasha walked straight, putting one sneaker in front of the other until she was ten paces away, then she knelt down and started moving leaves aside.
David stopped on the lower part of the hill, with Allie. “Julian, do you need help?”
“No, I’m done here.” Julian put the gun in the hole and was already covering it up. “Sasha’s digging where we’re going to put the bullets.”
Sasha looked over her shoulder. “This way, we know where they are in case we want to do it again. That is, if Allie doesn’t object.” Allie flushed, stung, and Sasha went for the jugular. “Allie, you’re not in the pact anymore, after what you said. You should just leave.”
Allie reddened and turned to go, but David took her arm.
“No, you don’t have to.”
“Yes, she does!” Sasha shot back.
David
pursed his lips. “Sash, you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
Sasha rose, angry. “It’s not nothing when she threatens to tell.”
David frowned. “You were going to kill a squirrel.”
“What do you care? I have the right to do what I want!”
“Not really,” David said. “You don’t have the right to shoot in residential areas with illegal handguns. There’s laws about hunting. Permits. Seasons.”
“So what?” Sasha threw up her hands, looking at Julian to see if he would finally side with her.
Julian turned to David. “She’s right, David. It doesn’t matter what you shoot it with, it’s dead either way.”
David stepped back. “Julian, seriously? You think that was a good idea to go blasting away?”
“That’s what we went up there for.”
“No, it isn’t,” David shot back. “You guys were taking unnecessary risks.”
“Like what?” Julian frowned.
“Like shooting so many rounds, and we left that tree shot up. They’ll find the casings. They’re going to know somebody was shooting up there. And why keep the extra bullets? Why not put them back in the trailer?”
Allie nodded, beside him. “I bet they put up security cameras now.”
Julian smirked. “I think I’ll know if they do that. I’ll find out from my father.”
Sasha couldn’t believe Allie and David had joined forces against her and Julian. “Julian owns this place, Allie. Shut up because you don’t know what you’re talking about. Just shut up!”
New tears welled in Allie’s eyes, but she said nothing.
David took Allie’s hand. “Sasha, don’t talk to her that way.”
Sasha scoffed. “You’re as much of a little bitch as she is.”
“Fuck you, Sasha.”
“Fuck you, too, David. I’m out of here.” Sasha was sick of all of them. She’d seen where the bullets were buried and that was all she needed to know. She turned on her heel and started up the hill, breaking into a jog.
“Sasha!” Julian called after her. “Catch you later?”
“Forget it!” Sasha called back, charging up the hill.
CHAPTER 14
Julian Browne
Julian’s mother entered the room with a tray holding a bowl of popcorn and root beer floats. She had gone to a lot of trouble, but all he could think about was Sasha. It was already past eight o’clock at night, and Sasha hadn’t been home since they buried the gun and bullets. He’d been watching the house, and her room was completely dark. The only lights on were in Bonnie and Clyde’s suite and the family room downstairs, which they kept on when Sasha wasn’t home. Julian didn’t know where she was, and it was driving him crazy.
“Movie night!” his mother said, setting down the tray. “How much fun is this?”
“Fun.” Julian smiled, hoping it looked convincing. “Real butter and everything?”
“Nothing but the best for my baby!” His mother put a napkin in front of him, then a root beer float with a special long spoon. His parents used to entertain all the time, and his mother had shrimp forks, mother-of-pearl caviar spoons, and cake knives. She even had special ice cream dishes, gravy boats, soup tureens, and ramekins; Julian knew the names because she took the time to educate him. Now the only person she was entertaining was him.
“I just love that we get to spend this time together, truly quality time.”
“Right.” Julian glanced out the window, keeping an eye on Sasha’s house. Their family room was cavernous with brown leather sectionals arranged opposite the fireplace and entertainment center, and on the left side of the room, they had huge Palladian windows. It gave Julian a great view of the street, and from this angle, Sasha’s house. The light over her front door was on. He sensed she was punishing him for what happened with Allie.
“Have some root beer float. It’s going to melt.”
“Good point.” Julian picked up the spoon and slurped some root beer float, which tasted absolutely delicious. “This is perfect, Mom. Thanks.”
“I love that you still drink it with the spoon. You used to do that when you were little.”
“This spoon seemed bigger then.”
“I’m sure.” His mother grinned broadly, so excited on these weeknights, when it was her night as opposed to his father’s night, since Julian went to his dad’s house on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on if he had been there the weekend. His mother always tried to plan something special for them, which they had never done when his father lived at home. He secretly wondered if she felt she had to, in order to win him over in the battle of who he liked better, mommy versus daddy. Of course she won hands-down, but he could never convince her of that and he understood why. His father offered motorboats, blondes, and no adult supervision. Because his father wasn’t an adult.
“Which movie do you want to watch first?” His mother held up the two VHS tapes, her pick, You’ve Got Mail, and his pick, The Big Lebowski.
“We can watch yours first, Mom.”
“No, we can do yours.”
“Please, you love chick flicks.” Julian glanced out the window, but the Barrow house was still dark and quiet. One of their neighbors was walking his malamute, but nobody else was on the street.
“No, we watched mine first last time, remember? I love a double feature!”
“What’s a double feature?”
“Oh my, I’m dating myself. Oh well, somebody has to these days!” His mother laughed as she crossed the room, slid the tape into the VHS player, and picked up the remote, hitting a few buttons to get the tape running. She eyed The Big Lebowski box. “What’s this about again?”
“It’s great, I love it.”
“Wait, you saw it already?”
“Yeah, I told you at the store.”
“I didn’t hear you. Don’t tell me my hearing’s going now, too.”
“I saw it with Dad.” Julian didn’t add that his father hadn’t seen the movie with him, just dropped him off. “It doesn’t matter. I want to see it again.”
“I didn’t want you to have to sit through something you saw already.”
“But I love it. I want to.”
“Okay.” His mother returned her attention to the movie, which was starting. “So is that man the big Lebowski? He wears a bathrobe to the grocery store?”
“Yeah, he’s a stoner.”
His mother frowned. “You mean he smokes dope?”
“Weed.”
“We called it dope, in my day.”
“People call it weed now.” Julian didn’t explain that his father called it weed, even though he was from the same day. Nor did he tell her that his father smoked weed on the boat.
“But you would never smoke dope, er, weed.” His mother shot him a look.
“No, I wouldn’t.” Julian didn’t say that he’d tried weed for the first time when his father gave him some on a trip to Cape May. Julian had liked smoking with his dad and the blonde du jour. His father let him have beer, too, but Julian took it easy because beer made him fart, which would not be cool.
“Don’t even experiment with it, okay?” His mother sat down on the couch. “They tell you that in school, right?”
“Yeah, in D.A.R.E., since middle school.” Julian didn’t add that the weed-and-beer combination made him throw up over the side of the boat. His father had laughed, and the blonde hadn’t known what to do, though his mom would have brought him a ginger ale.
His mother frowned at the TV screen. “Does this glorify drug use?”
“It’s a comedy; he’s funny.” Julian was so preoccupied he couldn’t think straight. Sasha still wasn’t home. She dated seniors like Jake Myers, Malcolm Hobb-Jacobs, and Zachary Pearlstein, major competition. Julian knew their cars, so when one of them dropped her off, he would know who.
“Jeff Bridges used to be so handsome! He really let himself go for this role!”
“He drinks White Russians. That’s his thing. He d
rinks them all the time. He calls them his ‘beverage.’ ” Julian didn’t remind his mother that she had drunk plenty in her entertaining days, and she fell silent, watching the movie with growing disapproval.
“There are a lot of f-words in this movie, honey.” His mother shook her head, clucking. “Why would your father take you to a movie that’s so inappropriate?”
“I asked.”
“It’s not on you, it’s on him. What’s it rated?”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom.” Julian rolled his eyes, restless. This was going to end up with his mother calling her lawyer, then her lawyer calling his father’s lawyer, who would talk to his father, which sucked. The movie went on without Julian seeing it, thinking of Sasha.
“Oh no, who are those guys?”
“Bad guys.”
“Why are they hurting him?”
“They have him mixed up with another Lebowski. He’s Jeffrey Lebowski, the Dude. They think he’s a millionaire.”
“Wait, are they peeing on the rug?” His mother threw up her manicured hands. “Julian, how can you like this movie? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Let’s watch yours then, okay?” Julian couldn’t enjoy it anyway. Where the hell was Sasha? Who was she with? Was she having sex with one of those seniors? Seniors got it all the time, didn’t they? They expected it! It made Julian crazy because he had loved her for forever.
“You mean stop watching it? Are you sure you don’t mind?” His mother pouted prettily, like the cheerleader she’d been, and Julian realized that beautiful women always got what they wanted. Sasha sure did.
“I saw it already. See, it turned out fine.”
“You sure?”
“Please put on your chick flick, Mom.”
“Don’t call it a chick flick. It’s a love story. Men can enjoy love stories, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” Julian said, ironically in the circumstances. Suddenly he noticed a car pulling up in front of Sasha’s house. Zachary Pearlstein’s red BMW 325.
“Here we go! Oh, I love Tom Hanks. Isn’t he just the best? I think he’s so cute. And a nice person, a good man. He’s been married to Rita Wilson for a long time, did you know that?”
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