glanced over, wondering why whoever it was didn’t just acceleratepast him, and saw it was Anton on his black Vespa.
“Pull over, man…” Anton shouted, pointing at the kerb.
Gabe had no choice but do as his friend asked. He didn’t want to stop and talk. He wanted to get home and get ready to go and meet Stella. But he knew he’d already stepped way beyond the mark with Anton, kept him at a distance when he should’ve let him in on what was happening. Pushed him away, and frozen him out.
He checked over his shoulder, braked and eased into the next parking space that came along. Anton pulled in behind him, killed the Vespa and took off his open-face helmet, rubbing his head.
“Man, you are one hard dude to track down lately.”
“Yeah, I know… Sorry, Ant.” Gabe was uncomfortably aware of what was hanging round his neck; he hoped Anton didn’t notice the cross, or his antsyness. “What’s up?”
“Kinda what I wanted to ask you, bro.” Anton put his helmet over one of the Vespa’s wing mirrors. “I know
some
thing’s up, and I figure, if I want you to be honest with me, I gotta be honest with you, right?”
“OK…” Gabe half smiled, wondering where this was all going.
“So, it’s like this…” Anton looked away, cracking his knuckles. “I didn’t exactly
follow
you the other day, not like as in I was trying to spy on you, right? But when I came out of school late and saw you going off with some beardy, long-haired guy…”
“You
followed
me?”
Anton shrugged. “Hey, you looked like, I don’t know, like you could be in trouble, like you might need someone with your back. So, yeah, I followed you. Saw you with that oxygen thief Benny Gueterro, getting in his van…”
“Aw, geez.”
“C’mon, man … a problem shared, right?” Anton pulled the scooter back on to its stand and walked towards Gabe. “I can help, with Benny, anyway. You probably don’t need any when it comes to that Stella chick…”
“
What?
”
“Look, soon as I saw you with her, bro, I went –” Anton held his hands up – “Scout’s honour, man, you
know
I’m no sleezoid peep-show weirdo. I just want you to tell me what the hell you’re doing inspitting distance of that Benny guy, I mean, how bad can it be? We’re the Two Musketeers, right, Gabe? Always have been, since forever.”
Gabe stared at Anton and realized this was the same situation he’d been in with his dad, and he was feeling the same way; help was being offered, no strings attached, and all he was able to do was turn it down. With his dad he just hadn’t had the right words to say what he wanted to say; with Ant, he didn’t want to get his friend involved in the freak show his life was becoming. As he searched for a way out, any way out, his phone started to vibrate and ring in his pocket.
“You want to get that?” Anton looked away.
“No.” Gabe waited and let the call go to voicemail. “You are gonna
have
to trust me, Ant. Trust me when I say you can’t help. You really can’t, not right now. And I
will
tell you what the hell is going on as soon as I can, I promise…”
Anton walked back to the Vespa, put on his helmet and sat astride the scooter. He pressed the electric starter, revved the engine, then pushed the Vespa forward, off its stand, and rode away without a word.
Gabe watched him disappear into traffic as he got out his phone. Whoever had called had left a voicemail and he automatically pressed playback and listened to the robo-voice telling him he had one new message. Then Benny started talking and didn’t stop.
“You think I’m blind, maybe, Gabriel? Like what are you doing, hanging round with Eddy’s kid sister? What? I got eyes around the place, Gabriel. If it’s going on, I know about it, so don’t try and pull the wool with me, OK? Eddy Grainger, right? Kid sister’s Estelle or something… Stella. If I was playing nice, OK? If I was, I’d say I’d prefer it if you did not hang round with
“Pull over, man…” Anton shouted, pointing at the kerb.
Gabe had no choice but do as his friend asked. He didn’t want to stop and talk. He wanted to get home and get ready to go and meet Stella. But he knew he’d already stepped way beyond the mark with Anton, kept him at a distance when he should’ve let him in on what was happening. Pushed him away, and frozen him out.
He checked over his shoulder, braked and eased into the next parking space that came along. Anton pulled in behind him, killed the Vespa and took off his open-face helmet, rubbing his head.
“Man, you are one hard dude to track down lately.”
“Yeah, I know… Sorry, Ant.” Gabe was uncomfortably aware of what was hanging round his neck; he hoped Anton didn’t notice the cross, or his antsyness. “What’s up?”
“Kinda what I wanted to ask you, bro.” Anton put his helmet over one of the Vespa’s wing mirrors. “I know
some
thing’s up, and I figure, if I want you to be honest with me, I gotta be honest with you, right?”
“OK…” Gabe half smiled, wondering where this was all going.
“So, it’s like this…” Anton looked away, cracking his knuckles. “I didn’t exactly
follow
you the other day, not like as in I was trying to spy on you, right? But when I came out of school late and saw you going off with some beardy, long-haired guy…”
“You
followed
me?”
Anton shrugged. “Hey, you looked like, I don’t know, like you could be in trouble, like you might need someone with your back. So, yeah, I followed you. Saw you with that oxygen thief Benny Gueterro, getting in his van…”
“Aw, geez.”
“C’mon, man … a problem shared, right?” Anton pulled the scooter back on to its stand and walked towards Gabe. “I can help, with Benny, anyway. You probably don’t need any when it comes to that Stella chick…”
“
What?
”
“Look, soon as I saw you with her, bro, I went –” Anton held his hands up – “Scout’s honour, man, you
know
I’m no sleezoid peep-show weirdo. I just want you to tell me what the hell you’re doing inspitting distance of that Benny guy, I mean, how bad can it be? We’re the Two Musketeers, right, Gabe? Always have been, since forever.”
Gabe stared at Anton and realized this was the same situation he’d been in with his dad, and he was feeling the same way; help was being offered, no strings attached, and all he was able to do was turn it down. With his dad he just hadn’t had the right words to say what he wanted to say; with Ant, he didn’t want to get his friend involved in the freak show his life was becoming. As he searched for a way out, any way out, his phone started to vibrate and ring in his pocket.
“You want to get that?” Anton looked away.
“No.” Gabe waited and let the call go to voicemail. “You are gonna
have
to trust me, Ant. Trust me when I say you can’t help. You really can’t, not right now. And I
will
tell you what the hell is going on as soon as I can, I promise…”
Anton walked back to the Vespa, put on his helmet and sat astride the scooter. He pressed the electric starter, revved the engine, then pushed the Vespa forward, off its stand, and rode away without a word.
Gabe watched him disappear into traffic as he got out his phone. Whoever had called had left a voicemail and he automatically pressed playback and listened to the robo-voice telling him he had one new message. Then Benny started talking and didn’t stop.
“You think I’m blind, maybe, Gabriel? Like what are you doing, hanging round with Eddy’s kid sister? What? I got eyes around the place, Gabriel. If it’s going on, I know about it, so don’t try and pull the wool with me, OK? Eddy Grainger, right? Kid sister’s Estelle or something… Stella. If I was playing nice, OK? If I was, I’d say I’d prefer it if you did not hang round with
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