He’s tapping his hands on the wheel and singing far too loudly, and far too off-key for me to do anything but laugh.
“And you let us think you came alone?” I quip at Oscar as he opens the passenger door and steps aside, as if he’s as stoic and unmovable as he wants us to believe. It’s all a lie though, and I wonder if he’s ever going to get tired of carrying it? As much of a dick as he can be sometimes, he’s also my brother; I worry about him.
“You just assumed; I never confirmed or denied it.”
Bernadette sighs, and I notice that Oscar takes another step back to make sure he isn’t in range of her touching him. I know he doesn’t like to be touched, so the fact that he lets her do it at all is impressive.
“Hey, hey,” Hael says, grinning as we climb into the backseat. “How were those ‘dance lessons’?” He makes little quotes with his fingers and then chortles with laughter, as if he isn’t the sex addict in the car.
“You’re just jealous I didn’t invite you to join us,” I retort, leaning between the front seats and putting an elbow on either of my knees. “But you know you’ll always be my sweet honey, won’t you, Hael Harbin?”
“Aww, you know it,” he purrs, giving Bernie a look in the rearview. “You okay with that? If me and Cal run off together and I put him in a pretty white wedding gown.”
“Why does it have to be white?” Bernie quips right back, and Hael snorts. Oscar scowls at us when he gets in, like he doesn’t have time to act his age. He’ll be turning eighteen in January, but he acts like he’s in his late nineties or something, on the brink of death and done with his life. I hate to see him like that. Now that Bernadette’s here, it’s time for him to adjust those expectations. He owes her to at least try.
“Shit, you’re right,” Hael says as he turns the car around and carefully eases us to the end of the alley. I’m guessing he’s parked here to stay out of sight of Sara Young. We’ve been checking daily for any GPS tracking devices on the car, but so far, so good. Might not stay that way for long though. “Red would be best for me and Callum, in honor of my being a whore and all that.” Hael pulls us out into the street and then starts heading in the direction of the Fuller neighborhood.
Fuller is a much easier neighborhood to steal from than Oak River Heights or Oak Park, the two ritziest neighborhoods in the city. It’s nice and middle-class and easygoing. Piece of cake.
“Stop calling yourself a whore,” Bernie commands, looking into the rearview mirror and trying to meet Hael’s eyes. “You’re mine now; those days are over.” He chuckles at her, but he doesn’t argue. Why should he? All Hael Harbin has ever wanted is Bernadette. Same as me. Same as Vic or Aaron or even Oscar.
We’re in endgame mode now.
We just need to finish her list, reclaim the school, consume the city.
Victor’s inheritance will give us the means to do exactly that.
“Can we get bubble tea while we’re out?” I ask, feeling my stomach rumble painfully. I love food, and snacking, but when we’re at school, I try to stick with Pepsi and cigarettes for lunch for the most part. Helps with the image, you know? People look at me and Oscar and wonder why we never eat, if we’re even human at all.
“Bubble tea? That’s the prissiest shit I’ve ever heard in my life,” Hael snorts, and Bernadette flicks him in the back of the head.
“I happen to like bubble tea, and I’m not prissy at all, now am I?” she retorts, scooting closer to me and putting her hand on my knee. I find myself mesmerized by the way her fingers trace the scars there, intimately, lovingly. My cock stiffens in my shorts, but I just lean back and weave my arms together behind my head, not wanting her to stop what she’s doing.
“You’re not, no,” Hael says, weaving us through quiet suburban streets rather than main thoroughfares. It’s much safer this way, harder for anyone to tail us or predict our route. “But Callum used to be. Such a pretty prima ballerina, am I right?”
“I can still kick your ass,” I respond with a grin, which is true. We both know