Hercules snorts a chuckle. “New Yorkers aren’t known for being cliquey.”
I fall silent as I think about what he just said. Actually, he’s right. The few instances that I’ve gone out when Max or Treasure was in town visiting, we’d go to Skate or some other unmarked club or bar where people of all ages, ethnicities, eccentricities, and genders danced, laughed, and conversed with each other.
“Well, I meant the people at our school. You know, the rich and entitled sort,” I say, trying so desperately to sound like I know what I’m talking about for once.
He scoffs with a smile. “Like the Valentines and Groves?”
I have an immediate response to his sarcasm, but I don’t want to insult him. The truth is that the Valentines are snobby old money who made their wealth during the gilded age. History books record the Valentine family’s corruption and political power, which yielded them extraordinary wealth that was mostly depleted by the start of the twenty-first century. I heard that if it weren’t for a core group of Valentines who pooled what was left of their riches and resources and ventured into the new age of technology to revive their wealth, they would all be bankrupt by now.
My grandfather grew up in a modest middle-class neighborhood in San Pedro, California. He had a love of high tech, a creative mind, and savvy business sense, but he wasn’t that great a programmer. He attended MIT’s business school, where he sharpened his skills as the world’s top tech entrepreneur. My grandpa started with a loan for twenty thousand dollars, and he managed a group of talented programmers, pushing them to be creative and innovative in order to bring his ideas to life. His first product to hit the marketplace was Climate Condition, which replaced bulky and energy-consuming air conditioners. Climate Condition consists of a computerized strip that marries air capture with nanotechnology by duplicating and compressing the gases that make up air. Then, using a thermostat, that air is expanded and tempered before flowing through vents for cooling or heating purposes. That technology alone made my grandpa an overnight trillionaire. But to give future programmers and scientists incentives to work with him, he maintained the patents and licensing and only took forty percent of the profits. The programmers and scientists split the remaining sixty percent.
“Do you know why there’s so much contention between our families?” I ask instead of articulating the distinctions between Hercules’s family and mine.
He stares at me, blank faced. “No, I don’t. Do you?” His tone is flat.
For some reason, I don’t believe him. I look away from his face and whisper, “No.”
We’re only a few feet away from turning down my street. Pretty soon, we’ll part ways, and I already miss him.
“I want to say something about what happened to you at the party,” he says.
I fold my arms, hugging myself tightly. I think the shock is wearing off, and I’m starting to understand the gravity of what happened tonight.
“You must think I’m selfish,” I say.
“No,” he says without a hint of a pause. “You’re not alone.”
I turn to him with a curious frown. “What do you mean?”
His expression darkens. “They’ve done it before and gotten away with it.”
“They?”
He nods briskly. “O’Brien, Darby, Raymond Cromwell, Jayce Kilgore, and a few others.”
“I only know O’Brien and Darby. I mean, I know who they are. I’ve never spoken to Darby and only spoke to O’Brien tonight.” I sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe I should say something about what O’Brien tried to do to me. I mean, what if he had succeeded? It would’ve been…” I stop short of admitting that he would have robbed me of my virginity. As soon as we turn the corner to walk down my street, we slow our pace. “I don’t know. There’s nothing I can do now. I’m almost home,” I add.
He walks ahead of me and then turns to face me, causing me to stop in my tracks. “You’re a Grove. I’m a Valentine. We can finally get them if we can prove you have pinkies in your system.”
I lean away from him. “We?” I’m the only one who has to deal with disappointing my parents.
“I’ll tell the cops what I saw. And—”
My eyes expand as he takes me by the waist and guides me to one side of the sidewalk. We’re close—so close. Our lips nearly touch. Yes, we kissed earlier. I remember how his lips felt against mine, our breaths colliding. I want to kiss him again.
Three boys walk past us, and we’re still gazing into each other’s eyes. His hands on me seem so natural.
“Were you going to say something else?” I whisper breathlessly.
Hercules shakes his head. “Forget about it.” Silence lingers as I gnaw on my bottom lip. He drops his hands from my waist and takes a step back. “Do what you feel is right,” he says as he starts walking again.
I’m glad his pace is still slow. I walk beside him, arms crossed. I’m so confused.I have to do something, don’t I?
“Do you know the girls it happened to?” I ask.
He shoves his hands in his pockets. “One of them.”
I see my enormous house rising in the distance. We’re running out of time. But if we walk any slower, we won’t be walking at all.
