True to my word, I weighed Talla’s words. Like my nana always says, you get what you pay for, and in the case of Talla, her advice was free. Worthless. I tossed it out and decided to take my own. I’d let things work themselves out.
It was a terrible call.
CHAPTER
25
THAD
DAY 282, MORNING
I dripped with sweat from hauling black rock. “I think we’re good,” I told Rives, nodding at the pile. “Let’s clear the loose rock first, then mix paste.”
For the last few hours, we’d been prepping to repair the base of the last A-frame, the one anchoring the left corner of the City ring. The rear wall had crumbled, and no one could camp there until it was secure. Now that we had the rocks, we just had to build it back. Not an easy task, since we weren’t the ones who’d built it in the first place.
Voices carried across the open air, and Charley’s stood out. Part of a group headed to the groves, she was walking past the firepit. Long legs, tight lines, and chin lifted like it was her against the world. Against Nil’s world.
“Thad.” Rives cleared his throat.
I forced myself to look at Rives. “Yeah?”
“Take off, man.” He nodded toward Charley’s group. “We’ll finish later. I told Julio I’d help him with the pits anyway.”
“If you need to go, go.” I resumed methodically stripping awayloose rocks. “I’ve got a ton of crap to do. No time for field trips today.”
Rives was quiet, and he didn’t move.
“So are you helping me or Julio?” My voice was unexpectedly harsh.
“You,” Rives answered, dropping beside me. “Let’s get it done.”
We worked in silence. I focused on the rocks, or tried to.
Rives spoke first. “Listen, Thad, if you want to talk—”
“I don’t.”
“Okay, bro,” Rives said. “But if you don’t want to talk to me, then you at least need to talk to you know who.”
Wrong, I thought. Charley was the one person Icouldn’ttalk to. And that was the problem.
I felt Rives’s eyes on me, waiting, but it was a grating nasal whine that shattered our silence.
“Thad!”
I looked up to see Bart striding toward us.
“Have you seen Charley?” he asked, his eyes sharp.
“Why?” I couldn’t help snapping.
“Does it matter?” Bart asked with a slick smile. In that moment, I could tell he was enjoying this conversation way too much.
“Not really,” I said, shrugging. “I just like knowing where everyone is jobwise. And come to think of it, aren’t you supposed to be harvesting taro right now?”
“We’re going this afternoon,” he answered quickly.
“Really,” I said. “In full sun.” I didn’t take my eyes off Bart.
