“Who?”
“The kid you reported to the dean for being gay. The one who tried to kill himself. Turn left, by the way.”
Colton made the turn. “That fairy? No. I didn’t make him pull a Kurt Cobain.That was his idea.”
“But how would you have felt if he had died?”
Colton shrugged. “My dad says looking back is for losers and to just keep your eyes glued on the road ahead.”
“Seems like that would lead to a lot of accidents,” Matt said—”figuratively and literally.”
“Most accidents happen when people are backing up. Seems like dad is right.”
“Turn left at the light,” Matt directed. Then, “Does your dad ever say he’s sorry? Apologize? By definition, doesn’t remorse require reflection? Looking back, so to speak?”
“Dad claims he’s never apologized in his life. The closest he comes is saying he won’t do something again.”
“Okay,” Matt said. “What about you? Would you do it again? Report Adam to the dean?”
Colton turned left. “Jesus! I warned you not to take that do-gooder card to that fairy, and you did it anyway. And now, all these months later, you’re still thinking about him. Write this down: ‘Never look in life’s rearview mirror.’”
“More advice from Daddy Langley?”
Colton nodded. “Rules to live by. If I’m ever going to be governor of this state, I’ll have to be a strong leader.”
Matt slipped in two more left turns. Colton never noticed that they had gone in a wide circle.
The dash clock showed 6:14 p.m. Everyone should be at the rendezvous point by now. It was time to head that way as well. Matt directed Colton to May Avenue and N.W. 150th Street.
“Speaking of that Adam kid,” Colton said. “Do you remember our conversation the morning you were collecting signatures for your do-gooder card?”
“Not really,” Matt lied.
“I warned you that if you delivered that card, you would regret it. Does that ring a bell?”
“Yeah? So?”
Colton sneered. “I guess you never put two and two together and figured out I was the one who got your little registrar friend fired!”
Matt stared straight ahead, breathing slowly, trying to keep his face from betraying his anger. This wasn’t news to him, but hearing Colton admit it stirred fresh fury.
“You got Debbie fired right before Christmas to punish me for having taken a ‘Thinking of You’ card to Adam in September? Debbie didn’t even sign the card.”
“She was your friend. That was good enough.”
“Why?” Matt asked. “Why get her fired? Why tell me about it now?”
“Because you need to understand that when I say a thing, I do it. I told you I’d punish you if you delivered that do-gooder card. I kept my word and did it.”
Matt stewed on that logic. What was good for the goose was good for the gander, as the saying went. He had said he would take Colton down. He would do it.
A few minutes later, heading west on 150th, Matt and Colton passed an old convenience store with a couple of gas pumps and a pay phone. That was the GM rendezvous point.
Harley’s truck was parked in front of the pay phone, signaling that everyone had arrived. The other cars should be parked behind the store.
“Keep heading west ‘til you get to MacArthur Boulevard,” Matt said. “We’ll turn right there.”
He watched in his side mirror and saw his Jeep and the Jetta pull out of the convenience store’s drive and follow from a respectful distance. Luke should be riding with Jake and Bella. Harley would have stayed behind. That pay phone was critical to the plan.
