“Do you want to flip burgers for the rest of your life or end up in jail before you’re eighteen, like your delinquent friend?”
I couldn’t hold back. “We didn’t mean to do anything bad.”
“And what did you want to do, Jackson?”
“It was just—”
“I don’t like threats. Especially not when little brats make them. When I get back permanently, I’ll take the appropriate measures.”
26
Ari
“Here, gorgeous.”
I tried to pay, but the bartender waved my hand away.
“First one’s free,” he said with a wink.
I smiled at him, grabbed the glass, and went back to my phone call.
“Fantastic. Now even that moron from Tropical is making a pass at my girlfriend.” Brian’s voice seemed more irritated than usual.
“Honey, come on.”
I hated going out alone, so I’d convinced Brian to come with me.
“Ari, I can’t. I’ve had a horrible day.”
“I saw that. You barely said hi to me when you left the locker room. Did something happen?”
“What do you think?”
My heart started pounding. What had James told him?
“I don’t know . . .” My voice faltered.
“He sold that shit to you again.” I started breathing again.
“How do you know?”
“It doesn’t matter, Ari. I don’t like when you get dragged into that stuff.”
“Brian, I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. I’ll call you later.”
He said goodbye brusquely. I was bewildered.
I went to the bathroom to check my makeup. My plan was just to take a look in the mirror, but when I walked in, I found James hunched over a sink. The smell of disinfectant aggravated my nose. I noticed that he was holding a napkin in his fingers. The door closed behind me with such a bang that it made him turn around.
“Have you changed your mind?” he asked, taking a white strip off his recently disinfected phone screen.
“What are you doing here, James?”
“Want some?” he asked, pointing to the powder.
“Who was that girl who was all over you outside?”
