Ryan chucked a tiny stray SpongeBob sock into the trash. “Your mom and my mom sound like they’re both smoking the same hookah. Actually, she calls me Black Ryan sometimes too, kind of making fun of our school and all the assholes who go there. She’ll be like, ‘Time to set the table, Black Ryan,’ when I’m on PlayStation too long, or, ‘Black Ryan, did you read your Dickens?’ My dad would not think it’s funny at all, but he doesn’t get to have an opinion because he doesn’t even live here.”
Liam knew Ryan’s parents were divorced. His dad lived in Florida.
“I told my mom it’s not funny, it’s offensive. Like, maybe if I came up with the name myself it’d be funny and empowering, but I didn’t.”
“Yeah.” Liam was sorry the whole Black Ryan thing was even a thing.
“Okay, I’m going to start mopping now, so we can get out of here.” Ryan retrieved the soaking-wet mop from the bucket of gray sudsy water and slapped it down on the grimy tiles. “There’s a Sublime drop tonight. Like a Silenciaga collaboration?”
Liam had heard other kids at school talk about these drops, but he’d never been.
“Yeah, I was hoping to get there and spend some of my Strategizer money,” he said. His mom was always insinuating that he looked like a math nerd, and now that he was hanging out with Shy he wanted to dress better. After all, she wore Gucci.
Ryan whistled. “How much money have you made? That shit costs like nine hundred dollars for one hoodie, you know that, right? When I buy stuff I have to put it on my housekeeper’s credit card and beg my mom to pay her back. She gets so mad. It’s fine though. It’s worth it.”
Liam blinked at the floor for a moment. My housekeeper’s credit card? It seemed like everyone at his school was rich except for him. Ryan did have some really cool clothes though. “Maybe I’ll just get a belt or a beanie or something.”
Ryan grabbed the jumbo aerosol can of Lysol. “I’m gonna spray the shit out of the toilets and flush and pray they don’t overflow. At least it’ll smell better in here.”
Liam shook his head as he swirled soapy gray water over the brown linoleum floor. “Can’t believe we have to do this ’til December.”
Ryan flushed all three toilets and wheeled the cleaning cart out of the bathroom. Liam backed out after him, mopping as he went. The bathroom was practically gleaming. As much as he complained about it, he actually enjoyed seeing how much better they’d made it.
“Boys?” His mom’s voice echoed down the school hallway.
Liam swung around, mop in hand.
She shot him her favorite new look of withering disdain. “You done already?”
Liam shrugged his shoulders. “I think we’re done.”
“We’re definitely done,” Ryan said.
“Well, do you have plans tonight?”
“Maybe.” Liam didn’t really want to explain the whole drop thing because she clearly didn’t think he deserved to do anything fun or interesting ever again.
“Whatever,” his mom responded.
It had been almost a month, but she was still so angry with him and his “entitled asshole friends” that she still wasn’t really speaking to him. Not like before.
“I offered for you to babysit Ted Little tonight, but his dad turned me down. Obviously he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for his son, who might be a tiny pyro, to hang out with a big pyro like you. He told me he already had a sitter, but I could tell he didn’t. Anyway, you can get your own dinner. I’m going out. Your dad has his music group tonight. I expect you to be in bed when I get home.”
“Okay,” Liam said, refusing to engage. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel bad. He’d confessed. He’d told her he felt bad. But she thought he needed to feel worse. “See you later, Mom.”
“Nice meeting you,” Ryan mumbled as they shuffled past her to put away the cleaning cart.
* * *
Peaches noticed the handwritten sign in the window of Monte that morning when she stopped by on her way to work: KARAOKE TONIGHT. 8 P.M.–.
Elizabeth was back.
She’d left a typically cryptic note for Peaches on the bar: Please invite friends and open up by 8. I’ll do the rest.
Dutifully, Peaches took a picture of the sign and sent it in separate texts to Stuart Little, Roy Clarke, and Dr. Conway.