It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho
It takes him a good quarter of an hour to wash his face. I wait patiently, sitting on the floor, tracing my fingers mindlessly on the rough surface of the carpet. Judging by the muffled sound of the window opening and closing, Raven is considering alternative escape routes. Yet there’s no way he could squeeze out through the little bathroom window, so he will have to use the door.My mind is stuck in a loop, trying to figure out what has just happened and what’s going to happen next. If Raven reports me, I’ll be in trouble. I probably won’t go to jail, since it’s my first offence, and I haven’t cut him for real, but they will give me a hard time. Could having a criminal record affect my chances to become a baseball player? Have I just thrown my dream away because of one mistake?I shake my head. He won’t report me. Doing that would uncover his own dirty secrets, which will send him to a therapy ho
All right guys, what is it?”Catherine’s eyes shift from me to Raven as we sit opposite her by the kitchen table, picking at our vegetables and the oven fries. As little as the two of us usually communicate, today’s silence is probably too heavy for her to miss.“Come on, did you fight?” She puts her elbows on the table and props her chin on one hand, peering at our faces.I concentrate on my plate. Somehow, it feels like this is Raven’s question to answer. The two of us haven’t really talked about what has happened, since there was barely enough time for him to get dressed and make himself presentable before Catherine got home, and I had to dispose of the bloodied towel and the rest of the evidence of our tumultuous afternoon. Frankly, I do not know where he will take this. Will he tell her what I did? But then he’ll have to tell what he did as well.“James?” she says
The short ride from school is so familiar that I barely look around, keeping my eyes on the road. Still, something catches my eye. A bunch of guys turning into a narrow alley. Nothing special, just a group of schoolkids heading home.Except that one of them is wearing a “Fake Drug” hoodie. A black one. Like the one Raven had on this morning.It’s not like he’s the only one wearing such hoodies, and it’s not like I’m supposed to follow him around. I’m not his babysitter.Still, I pull over at the first available spot and get out of the car. It might be ridiculous to chase every person wearing a “Fake Drug” hoodie, but if it’s him, I want to know what he’s up to.He’s been behaving surprisingly well in the last few days, and the better he acted, the more suspicious I got. When he was being an asshole, at least I knew what I was up against. He&rs
Catherine’s not in her room, so I go downstairs to look for her. As childish as it may sound, wishing her good night has been my habit for far too long to give up on it now. I move silently, unwilling to disturb the quiet of the dark house, interrupted only by the occasional dripping of water in the kitchen.Raven must be asleep already, too. Lately, he’s been going to bed early.I find Catherine on the sofa in the living room, her eyes closed, probably lulled to sleep by the table clock ticking nearby. I stop next to her, considering if I should wake her up or just cover her with some blanket. From where I stand, I can see a corner of the kitchen counter with the dishes drying on the rack.“I told you.”I look down and find her smiling at me sleepily.“I told you he would eventually do his chores.”“Yeah, right.” I roll my eyes. “Won’t
Catherine’s not in her room, so I go downstairs to look for her. As childish as it may sound, wishing her good night has been my habit for far too long to give up on it now. I move silently, unwilling to disturb the quiet of the dark house, interrupted only by the occasional dripping of water in the kitchen.Raven must be asleep already, too. Lately, he’s been going to bed early.I find Catherine on the sofa in the living room, her eyes closed, probably lulled to sleep by the table clock ticking nearby. I stop next to her, considering if I should wake her up or just cover her with some blanket. From where I stand, I can see a corner of the kitchen counter with the dishes drying on the rack.“I told you.”I look down and find her smiling at me sleepily.“I told you he would eventually do his chores.”“Yeah, right.” I roll my eyes. “Won’t
Raven?” Catherine calls out.After a moment, the door creaks upstairs.“Yes, ma’am?”“Could you come down for a moment?” She nods at me and I flip the switch, turning off the lights.There’re footsteps on the stairs, and then Raven walks into the living room.“What’s with the lights...oh?” He stops in front of the little table with the round cake decorated with rows of candles that provide the only illumination in the evening gloom. He stares at the cake for a moment, then laughs. “Oh, how cute.”“Happy Birthday,” Catherine shouts, pulling the cracker. We all jump at the banging sound, and then a surprisingly dense cloud of confetti fills the center of the room.“Oh wow.” She steps forward to protect the burning candles from the flying pieces, and looks around, shaking her head. “It’s
Raven is all attentive looks and polite nods as Catherine gives him her last instructions, standing by the car. He ’uhu’s and ’aha’s and ’yes ma’am’s in all the right places, while I throw our backpacks in the trunk. The amount of things she made us pack is more suitable for a week of camping rather than going out for a few hours to see a rock show. Still, if us packing warm coats and winter boots in this heat makes her feel better, it’s not worth an argument.As soon as we leave the driveway and her figure grows smaller in the rearview mirror, Raven drops all pretense and starts bouncing up and down in his seat.“We’re doing it!” he squeals. “We’re actually doing it!” He leans over, wraps his hand around my neck, and says into my ear. “I want to kiss you on the lips, you bugger.”“I’m driving, for fuck’s sake!” I pu