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“No, seriously,” said Gabriel. “Like half the soccer team, some of the lacrosse guys—”
“I get it. Thanks.” Rain beat at the truck, slapping at his hand where it hung outside the window. Feeding on his irritation.
Gabriel looked at the road again. “I just thought you should know.”
Then something occurred to Chris. “You?”
“Please,” Gabriel scoffed. Then he glanced over. “I mean, no offense—”
“It’s fine.”
“She’s cute and all, but I like a little more to grab, if you get my—”
“It’s fine.” But Chris smiled.
Gabriel killed the engine and the headlights when they pulled onto Tyler’s street, letting the truck roll in neutral. Chris pulled his hand inside the cab despite the water’s protest, worried the paleness of his skin would be a beacon in the darkness. He could hear his breathing again, louder than the rain outside, almost echoing inside the cab.
Gabriel was whistling through his teeth.
It sounded like an air horn to Chris.
“How do you know they’ll explode?” he whispered, as though his voice would carry. He didn’t even care about the answer; he just wanted Gabriel to stop the damn whistling.
“You kidding? Nick and I blow stuff up all the time.”
Chris stared at him, forgetting his tension for a moment. “Really?”
“Sure.” Gabriel glanced over, then ruffled his hair again. “Feeling left out, Christopher?”
Yeah. He was. But Chris ducked and smacked his hand away. “You’ve never gotten caught?”
“Nah.” His brother seemed to reconsider. “Okay, once, but we ran.”
“Where do you do it?”
“Down the beach by Fort Armistead Park.”
Chris wondered if Michael had any idea. He couldn’t possibly.
Gabriel reached out and grabbed his arm, hard. “You’ll keep your mouth shut, right?”
“Yeah.” Chris kept his voice even, like it was no big deal. “Whatever.”
Gabriel let him go. “Hey, is that Tyler’s car?”
Ahead, parked on the street, sat a sleek black SUV, almost invisible in the darkness. Set back from the road was Tyler’s house, a wide brick split-level with lazy landscaping.
Chris took a breath. He’d only been here once, but he wouldn’t forget. “Yeah.”
“Make it pour,” said Gabriel. “Think you can do hail?”
Now that they were here, so close to the house, Chris wanted to cling to the truck, as if the cab was his only lifeline to safety. “Are you just going to put the bags in the front yard or something?”
“We, brother. We.” Gabriel clicked his tongue against his teeth. “And I think I have a better idea.”
You want to turn around and go home? Maybe they could go blow the bags up on the beach. No one would get pissed, no one would know.
No one would come out of the house and beat the shit out of them.
