Period 8 - By Chris Crutcher Page 0,26

I like it or not.”

“I couldn’t let it to get in the way of our friendship.”

“Look, Arney, I’m not gonna be a dick and get in the way if it’s something real. If I did, that would affect our friendship.” Paulie’s doubting the friendship as he says it. “This is just a little quick, is all. Feels like revenge.”

Arney purses his lips.

“Not by you. Hannah.”

“Look man, if you’d rather—”

Paulie throws up his hands, palms out. “Naw, man, do it. If I’m going to purge this shit, I best purge it all at once.”

“Okay, but only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure!” He watches Arney walk toward the door, and slams the safe shut.

“Want me to kick his ass for you?” Justin leans against Paulie’s Beetle the next day, moments after last bell, watching the building empty.

Paulie laughs. “I could do that myself.”

“But there’s a certain pleasure to hiring it done,” Justin says. “Man, that is cold. There’s got to be a code.” Justin is not a big guy; five-nine, a hundred-fifty pounds, with five percent body fat and the strength of guys half again his size. He’d give Arney a run.

“He just asked if it was okay. You know Arney, always testing shit. If Hannah’s interested, well, that tells me something about Hannah.” He reaches for the door handle. “Suck-it-up time for me either way. If it’s not Stack, it’ll be someone else eventually. I can’t shut down the head movies no matter who it is. Hannah’s pissed and she’s pretty good at ‘letting you know how it feels.’ Got a feeling I’ll be logging some miles. On the court and on the sea.”

“I thought you guys were friends,” Hannah says, sitting in Arney’s Audi in the Taco Time parking lot, her back against the passenger-side door.

“We are friends,” Arney says. “But I don’t have a lot of respect for what he did. I hate that stuff. Besides, Paulie’s okay with it. He said you guys are history.”

“That was easy,” Hannah says.

“I thought the same thing. But he said you were clear it was over, too.”

Hannah says, “I will not be treated like that.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about it with me.”

Hannah glares. “Arney, we’re talking about hanging out, not getting together.”

Arney backs up. “I know, I know. I just meant—”

“It will be a long time before I do that again. I sure as hell don’t need a boyfriend to make me whole.”

“I was just saying . . . I’m just not like that, is all.”

“Well, it might give Paulie a chance to think about what he messed up.”

“Yeah, there’s that.” Arney smiles.

“I need to think about it.” She looks across the parking lot at a minivan full of teenagers pulling in. “You can buy me a burrito. Prove your intentions.”

Justin Chenier gets out of the backseat of the minivan and squints, watching Arney and Hannah disappear into Taco Time. While the rest of his friends head for the entrance, he crosses the street to Arby’s.

.8

Arney Stack walks toward the exit at Comstock Savings and Loan with Woody Hansen, a well-dressed man in his late twenties.

“You’re doing a great job,” Woody says. “You have unusual instincts for a person your age.”

“Thanks, Woody,” Arney says dismissively. “’Preciate it.” He slings his backpack over his shoulder and hurries toward the door.

Woody steps out onto the sidewalk with him. “You know the risks here, right?”

“Yeah,” Arney says. “I know the risks.”

“It’s been smooth sailing so far, thanks mostly to you, but if things go south, there’s no backing out.”

“Do you know my dad?” Arney asks.

“Mostly by reputation,” Woody says.

“Well, if you know him, you know what my resolve is like. I won’t be backing out,” Arney says. “I was born for this. Man, I can hardly wait to get out of high school and into the real world full time. The old man wants me to be a businessman. I’ll give it to him in spades.”

Woody slaps him on the back. “You’re an unusual man, Master Stack,” he says, smiling.

“Rubbing shoulders with the mucky-mucks, huh?” Hannah says as Arney gets in the car.

“Not really,” he says. “Guy’s kind of a dick. My dad gave me some money to invest; he wants me to know how to handle finances. Like, real finances. This guy—he’s like third in command at this place—got me in with a couple of lawyers, plus the guy who runs Mountain Sports and the Quality Comfort Motel. We’ve thrown in on some investments.”

“Wow. You’re like an adult.” Hannah laughs.

“Kinda,” Arney says. “Dad