Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. This is the first chapter of the entire story to have been bete'd so i'm hoping that you agree when I say it's better for it. Big thanks to GoodniteGirl23 for doing the honors. Hope you all enjoy but either way, please R&R. Ta x
"Thank so much for your help," the girl said with a flirtatious glint in her eye as she watched Jordan snap shut the guitar case, covering the acoustic she had just purchased. She had no real interest in the instrument. The guitar was just a birthday present for her father and seeing as she knew nothing about guitars, she had been dreading even stepping foot in a shop like this. However, as present buying trips went she thought that this would definitely be the most memorable. The service she had received was almost enough to make her want to learn to play herself and it had not escaped her notice that the shop advertised personal lessons. He had even tuned it for her and watching him had been fascinating. What was it about musicians that gave them instant sex appeal?
"My pleasure," Jordan replied with a lazy smile, as he handed her the receipt and her credit card. "You think of anything else you need, just come right back."
A blush crept across her cheeks as she contemplated the kinds of things she could need from him. "I might just do that." she said with a smile before lifting the guitar off the counter and sauntering towards the exit with a sexy swing in her hips.
Jordan couldn't help his eyes lingering on her as she walked to the door. When most of his customers were male twenty something wannabes or aging rockers with a beer gut, he felt that it was only fair that he took the time to appreciate his limited female clientele, especially when they wore jeans as tight and low slung as that one had. As far as he was concerned there was no harm in it. It was a win, win situation. The girl had left the shop with a better instrument than she might have other wise purchased, he had made a bit more money by helping her with her selection and the monotony of a quite day in the store had been lifted for a few minutes.
A cough brought his attention back to the store and he realised that he had an audience.
"Oh, hey." Jordan said.
"You always flirt that much with the customers?" Jenny asked with raised eyebrows.
"Just the hot ones." he replied, knowing that she wouldn't take him too seriously
After the night she drove him home from Vertigo and he turned down her advances, they had both wondered whether things would change between them but their relationship was just the same as it had always been. He still viewed her as both his best friend's sister and an actual friend in her own right while she didn't hold any hard feelings and was happy to continue their own playful flirting with the knowledge that it was nothing more than a bit of fun.
"I brought girl scout cookies." She said, dropping a box on the counter.
"Aren't you a bit old for girl scouts?" Jordan asked with a cheeky smile as he helped himself. "Not that a teeny tiny uniform wouldn't be a good look for you."
"Ha ha. My nine year old neighbor bullied me into buying them. I mean, she just wore me down. I didn't even have any cash on me. I actually owe her the money." Jenny replied. "Anyway, I've got a couple of hours to kill before I need to get to work. Do you still want me to do those vocals or are you too busy?"
"Nah, it's been a pretty slow day so we might as well get started." he said before leading the way to the studio.
Although Jenny acted as host for Vertigo's open mike night, she was often too busy working to actually perform herself but occasionally, when it wasn't busy and she was feeling brave, she did join Jordan on the stage to provide backing vocals. Also, on her nights off she was the undisputed queen of their local karaoke bar after she had a few drinks in her. Now that Jordan and Shane had finished installing the recording equipment in Back Alley Music's studio, Jordan had been ironing out all of the kinks by recoding his own material and somehow she had ended up being roped in. She wasn't quite sure how it happened. The previous Sunday she had only stopped by to see her brother. One minute she was trying to persuade Shane to lend her some money and the next she was standing in a sound proof booth, hoping she was hitting all of the right notes. She had never considered herself to be good enough for anything more than messing around but, even she had to admit that what they played back wasn't half bad and it had been surprisingly fun. So, when Jordan asked her to sing lead vocal on a song he had written, she jumped at the chance.
"You got much interest yet?" She asked as Jordan started flicking switches to turn everything on, including a couple of monitors which would give him a view of the store and any new customers that happened to wander in.
"Some. A couple of guys I know from the local bars have booked some time in for next week and those chicks who play on the corner of Madison and 9th, the ones with the violins, have asked for some time too. Turns out they make quite a killing from people's spare change." He shrugged. The ad he had placed in the local paper wouldn't run until the weekend edition and the studio had only been open for business for two day so, for word of mouth, it wasn't going too badly. He still remained optimistic about recovering the build costs by the end of the year and until things picked up, he got to enjoy being able to use the space as he wanted. "Edward's coming over later. I'm going to show him how it all works. Band he's in is pretty good so I bet they'll want to record something too."
"Sounds good. He seen this place since it's been finished?"
Jordan shook his head. Edward had hung out at the store with him after school but Jordan hadn't let him upstairs while the studio was still being built. Jordan could remember the awe he felt the first time he went to a professional studio. It had been fantastic. Granted, it had been a much larger studio than the one he had built and was probably more state of the art as well but music was the one thing he and Edward seemed to share a passion for so he wanted the teen to be just as awed as he had been. Seeing the place when it looked half built with trailing wires and the guts of all the electrical equipment exposed wouldn't have been nearly as magical.
"I bet he's going to love it." Jenny replied, showing all of the enthusiasm that Jordan felt. "Shane said things seem to be going well with you two."
"Yeah, he's cool. He's a cool kid." A smile stretched across his face as he spoke.
Although it had only been a few weeks since he found out about Edward, his initial reaction of panic and fear at the thought of fatherhood had been forgotten. That wasn't to say that things were easy. They were still getting to know each other and the responsibility of being a parent was still something he was getting used to but Jordan thought they were making progress. He wasn't quite sure that he had found the right balance between acting like a friend and acting like a father but so far there had been no major dramas and at least he was starting to recognise when the teen was trying to push the boundaries and test how much he could get away with. For the most part, Sharon was letting them work things out on their own and Jordan was glad. It felt good to know that she was prepared to put some faith in him and he knew that things would be a lot more strained if he felt that Sharon was constantly looking over his shoulder. Still, when in doubt over something he should do or say in Edward's presence, he would silently ask himself the same question - 'What would Sharon think?'
Admittedly, Jordan knew she would probably like him to ask that question a little more often than he did. Rayanne Graff was right when she said that Sharon was into active parenting. Neither he nor any of his friends had had their social life timetabled by their mothers in the way that Edward had. The thought of having a curfew had been an alien concept to him until Sharon was shouting at him about bringing Edward home late on a school night. As arguments went, it was extinguished pretty quickly and it was sort of good to know that small disagreements between him and Sharon wouldn't have a lasting effect on his relationship with Edward. Also, the fact that Edward had a schedule for the week seemed to make things easier, as strange as that sounded. Edward had certain nights reserved for band practice and Jordan had nights reserved for playing in various bars in town plus his evening classes. Their schedules had forced them to find mutually convenient times to meet up which had made it easy for them to fall into a sort of routine that worked for them both. It was just about as far as you could get from a 'whatever happens, happens' philosophy but Jordan found himself quite liking it.
As far as the spark of attraction he and Sharon felt for each other the first time she had come to see him at the store went, it seemed to have been felt on only that occasion. They weren't exactly going out of their way to spend time with each other but they weren't avoiding each other either. To Jordan it seemed as if they were trying to keep things on an even keel, concentrating on Edward and not letting anything else complicate matters. Maybe their civility would one day develop into more of a friendship but until then, Jordan was just as happy as Sharon seemed to be to avoid any further physical contact, even just handshakes. It was better that way, simpler even. Besides, he had enough confusing thoughts in his head about women, or more accurately one particular woman, without throwing Sharon into the mix as well.
"So, is Sharon still ok with everything? I mean, are you getting along and stuff?" Jenny asked unaware of what was running through his mind and hoping to make the question sound relaxed. In reality, she was fishing for information. Shane had told her and Tino about the moment he witnessed between Sharon and Jordan when Sharon had been at the store. She might have told Shane and Tino to grow up if it hadn't been so amusing but, if they wanted to make stupid bets with their own money who was she to stop them. Shane had bet Tino fifty bucks that Jordan and Sharon would be revisiting their one night stand sometime soon and Tino had bet otherwise. Their attempts at giving Jordan the third degree had all failed miserably and their growing frustration at the lack of information Jordan was providing had been just as funny as their drunken attempts at questioning techniques. Tino wanted to declare himself the winner but Shane had managed to avoid paying out so far by pointing out Jordan's tendency to play his cards close to his chest. Neither one wanted to actually ask Jordan whether he and Sharon were more than friends because the answer would run the risk of having to cough up the cash. As far as Jenny knew, Jordan was completely unaware of their wager so probably wouldn't offer up the needed information any time soon but their gossiping like old women was starting to get a little annoying.
"Yeah, we're getting along ok." Jordan replied simply before turning around and handing her some ear phones. "Ok, I got the main guitar track down yesterday so we're good to go. You want to take a lyric sheet in there with you?"
"I think I'm ok." she replied, excitement outweighing the frustration of his short answer to her question. "As long as I remember where to come in, I should be fine."
"Don't worry. When you screw up we'll just start again."
"Geez, the faith you have is just overwhelming." She rolled her eyes sarcastically but she was still smiling as she donned the earphones and stepped up to the microphone.
Jenny didn't know how many times she repeated the same verses but she was having the time of her life. If they were actually paying for the recoding time, she had a feeling that Jordan would have much less patience with her bum notes, botched lyrics and bought of giggles but eventually it started coming together. Jordan even managed to add a base line before they got interrupted and he had to go back downstairs to the shop. As she sat upstairs, listening to herself sounding better than she had ever imagined she could, she gazed at the CCTV monitors and wondered who the customer could be. She wasn't one to stereotype but the curly haired man adorned in a button-down shirt and slacks did not look like any guitarist she had ever met. She was even more confused when Jordan greeted the man as if he knew him. She didn't know it but she was looking at Brian Krakow and she wasn't the only one to think that he didn't quite belong.
Edward arrived moments later and he couldn't believe it. It was impossible and yet it was still happening. He had walked into Back Alley Music expecting to find Jordan Catalano leaning against the counter, possibly a customer, maybe even two. He didn't expect to come face to face with Brian 'Brain' Krakow, the same person who had confiscated his ipod just hours before and would also be marking his trigonometry homework in due course. Edward could only hope that he didn't notice the striking resemblance his answers had to Amy's who had thankfully let him copy at the last minute.
Two worlds were colliding and, with his head still trying to process what he had found in Mike's car, it was all a bit too much. His step faltered and his brow creased into a frown as he walked into the store. It was weird enough having his math teacher invited to a family barbecue by his mother before he really even knew that he was his teacher but, to have him here in Jordan's shop as well was just too bizarre. He'd seen them talk at the barbecue but it was for only ten minutes. Edward hadn't paid any more attention to their conversation than it took to pick up on Brian's old nickname. He didn't realize they actually knew each other anymore and he had no idea how to behave in front of two adults who knew him in such completely different ways.
While Edwards struggled to develop some kind of combination him on the spot, Brian and Jordan seemed to be coping slightly better.
"Hi." Brian said, seeming perfectly at ease.
"Hey." Edward replied hesitantly as he skirted around Brian and ducked under the counter rather than lift the hatch to join Jordan on the staff only side.
Jordan had the phone to one ear, obviously listening to whoever was on the other side so their greeting was limited to a silent bumping of their fists which was becoming a familiar gesture for them both. Unfortunately, the lack of conversation between the adults only served to highlight the growing silence as the teen observed his math teacher, contemplating what kind of hidden life could bring him to the store.
Deciding to try to break the silence, Brian turned towards Edward. "I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here." The only indication that Edward heard was a slight raise of his eyebrows but it was enough for Brian to continue. "I play the saxophone…and the flute too. You should think about learning a second instrument, you know? Colleges really like it if you can play more than one."
"You have to play them both at once or…"
Brian smiled in a way that showed he wasn't offended by the teen's attempt at humor but wasn't exactly impressed either. "It got lost in the move...I mean, the sax. Not the flute"
"Oh," Edward replied, still not sure what Brian was doing at Back Alley Music where the walls were lined with guitars but there wasn't a woodwind instrument in sight.
In reality, Brian knew that Jordan wouldn't have that kind of instrument in stock and would have to order in what he wanted. He knew that there was a music store across town that specialize in woodwind and brass instruments. He also knew that he could probably order what he wanted over the internet and get it delivered directly to his house. The real reason he had come was curiosity. It was curiosity that made him accept Sharon's invitation two weeks before. After hearing about all the drama from Damon, there was no way he had been able to decline. As much as he thought he had put high school behind him, it was all too tempting to step into the alternative dimension his friends now seemed to inhabit.
At the barbecue, he had been pleasantly surprised. Despite what had happened over the years, everyone seemed pretty much the same, just a bit older though not necessarily wiser. It was reassuring and also kind of annoying and, even though he hadn't talked with Jordan much, his curiosity was satisfied. Or at least, it had been satisfied. Seeing Angela get out of Jordan's car and the subsequent conversation they shared had piqued his interest once more. Alternative dimension or not, it seemed impossible that there was a world where Angela Chase was not obsessed with Jordan Catalano. The question now was whether Jordan Catalano was obsessed with Angela Chase.
"Okay," Jordan said as he hung up the phone. "It'll be here by the weekend."
"Great. Just got to tell the wife now." Brian replied. "I think Emma's the one who paid the moving people to lose my old one in the first place."
"She not a jazz fan?"
"No, definitely not." Brian replied but his affection for his wife was clear in his voice.
"How'd you guys meet anyway?" Jordan asked, just as curious about Brian as Brian was about him. It hadn't escaped his notice that Brian seemed to have made quiet a catch.
"In college."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I was in the library and she, like, asked if she could borrow my eraser so I asked her for her number."
"Like, without warning?"
"Yeah."
Edward had no idea what was funny but both men started to grin. In seconds the grins had stretched across their features and they both started to laugh. If he didn't know better, he would call it more of a giggle. He didn't even know that Brian Krakow could giggle, let alone Jordan. It was most disturbing and he nearly made an excuse to escape upstairs but, when they had finally stopped laughing, Brian's next words were enough to keep his feet rooted to the spot. He'd long ago learnt that it was easy to listen in on grown up's conversations. All he had to do was pretend that he was interested in something else and the music magazines on the counter provided the perfect prop. As he leafed through, pretending to look at the pictures and read the articles, Brain and Jordan continued their conversation.
"So, um…I saw your car last night."
"Oh." Jordan replied
"Yeah, it was just around the corner from where I live. I was jogging." Brian said. He wondered why he was explaining himself when he wanted Jordan to be the one explaining but he couldn't help himself. "I have, like, a circuit I do around the neighborhood. Three times a week. Anyway, I saw Angela Chase. She said you helped her out?"
"Yeah, her car broke down." Jordan replied, wondering how much Brian had actually seen and not wanting to give anything away. Not that there was anything to give away. It had been one kiss. He didn't even know why he had done it. There was just something about having Angela Chase in his car that made him act like he was seventeen all over again. No, that wasn't exactly true. There was something about just being in the same place as her that made him feel seventeen again. Maybe it was the way she babbled or maybe it was the way her hair still smelled like oranges. Maybe it was just because of who she was and who he was and what they used to mean to each other. He didn't know. All he knew was that he had the urge to kiss her so he did. Did he regret it? No not at all. Would he do it again? Probably, if he thought she would let him. Did he really think he would get another chance? No, no way in hell, because not only was she was a married woman who was probably mad at him for putting her in that position, he was the person who broke her heart and slept with both of her best friends. Did that realization stop him from thinking about her all day and how he wished it was more than just one kiss? Absolutely not. Could he say any of this to Brian Krakow? No fucking way. "I gave her a ride home and then met up with Shane and Tino for a drink. You remember those guys, right?"
"Yeah, I remember." Brian said, recognizing Jordan's attempt to change the subject and not falling for it. "So her car broke down, huh?"
"Yeah, it wouldn't start so I looked under the hood."
"You looked under Angela Chase's hood?"
Jordan ignored the small smile on Brian's lips and the double meaning he was trying to give to the words. "Well, I just couldn't leave her there." In his opinion, she shouldn't have been driving the car in the first place. His friends might joke about how old Red was but at least Red had a decent engine, even if he had to rebuild it himself. Angela Chase's engine was held together by string, literally.
"So, then what happened?"
"I couldn't fix it so it got towed and I drove her home. Why, what did she say happened?"
"Nothing," Brian said, a little too quickly. "I mean, that's what she said too."
"Good."
"Good." Brian repeated but the word sounded much more uncertain coming from his lips. Angela may have said nothing happened and Jordan may have reiterated that but he had a nagging suspicion that it wasn't the truth or, at least not the whole truth. Deep down he knew it was none of his business but he couldn't help wanting to know anyway. Maybe there just wasn't a world where it was possible for him not to obsess over Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano.
"So, I'll call you and let you know when you can come get the sax." Jordan said
"Ok…so bye," Brain replied, still curious but understanding that he wasn't going to be getting any further information. He turned to Edward just before he left, as if realizing that he was still there. "See you in school, Edward."
"Yeah, later." Edward muttered as he watched his math teacher leave. He wanted to ask Jordan what was going on but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. It didn't take a genius to realise that there was something Brian was trying to get at and something Jordan wasn't admitting. The cogs in his brain started turning as he digested the words they had said. When he had confronted Jordan for the first time, he had been nervous and emotional. It had all happened so fast that some of it seemed like a blur but for the first time in weeks a clear image came to his mind. It was a memory of Jordan and Angela standing very close together at the entrance to Jordan's apartment. But Rebecca had seen the exact same thing and she didn't seem to be worried about it or at least not worried enough to say anything to him. Besides, it was Amy's mother they were talking about. Angela was the closest thing he had to an aunt and her and Damon always seemed pretty happy. There was too much conflicting information and too many things that were implied rather than stated for him to reach any conclusion except that he was probably jumping to the wrong ones. Still, he was curious as to what was going on but before he could ask, Jordan spoke.
"So, you ready to record some songs?"
"Um…yeah, ok." He followed Jordan upstairs and by the time he got to the studio door, he had been completely distracted from his current train of thought by the sound of the music that could be heard. It wasn't until he got into the room that he realised it was already occupied and he recognized Jenny straight away. "Wow. Was that you?" he asked as his eyes darted around the room, trying to take everything in at once.
"Yeah, so?" Jenny asked. She may have looked at home leaning back in the seat with her feet resting on the counter between two of the mixing decks but having someone other than Jordan and Shane hear her sing something she had put effort into made her suddenly nervous.
"Nothing, it's just you have a decent voice." Edward replied, trying not to sound surprised.
"So, in your opinion I can sing, like, in front of people?"
Edward nodded while Jordan laughed.
"My opinion not good enough for you anymore?" Jordan asked, "You think I'd let you sing my song if you weren't any good? And get your feet down. You break it, you buy it."
"Eddie, your dad used to be cool but all these shiny new toys are turning him into a neat freak." Jenny replied but she put her feet down anyway.
Edward smiled in response, both at her use of his nickname and the fact that she called Jordan his dad. The title was something he hadn't been able to use himself. It still didn't feel right to call Jordan anything other than Jordan but the more other people said it the happier it seemed to make him.
"Anyway, I've got to be getting to work so I'll leave you two boys to have fun." Jenny continued as she grabbed her bag together. "Let me know when you have everything finished, Catalano. I definitely want a copy on disk."
On her way out the door, she paused to kiss Jordan goodbye and it would have raised new suspicions in Edwards mind that there was something going on between them if she hadn't also delivered an identical kiss on his cheek before she disappeared. He may be going out with Rebecca but he'd be lying if he said he didn't notice how attractive the twenty-three year old was. It may have only been an innocent peck on the cheek but he could feel himself starting to get a little red.
"Ignore her. She's got, like, no sense of personal space." Jordan said, sensing the teens discomfort "So, you want to try playing around with some of this stuff?"
"Oh yeah." Edward replied, quickly taking the seat Jenny had vacated. He couldn't believe how professional it all looked and if there was ever a time he needed a distraction it was now. It seemed that whenever his brain stopped focusing on what was directly in front of him, all he could think about was Mike and the drugs he had found in his car
Although Jordan didn't know what was bothering Edward, he could sense that something was wrong. Although Edward was showing enthusiasm, it seemed forced and that wasn't what Jordan had been expecting. He was used to the teen being impressed by him, hanging off his every word so on the night when he unveiled the new studio, Jordan has been expecting something more and he couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Edward seemed to be asking all of the right questions about the equipment. He oohed and aahed in the right places but it was as if his mind wasn't fully on the task at hand.
"You sure you're having fun?" Jordan asked eventually. "I mean, we can do something else if you want."
"No. I am having fun. This is all really cool."
"If you want to go hang out with your friends instead, that's ok. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"No I want to be here, really."
"Well, you could always give Mike a call, ask him to come over. I bet he'd get a kick out of this sort of stuff too." Jordan tried.
"Nah, I think Mike's busy tonight."
"Oh," Jordan said, having no other ideas on how to brighten the teen's mood.
"Yeah, he's doing something for his uncle Tino or whatever." Edward said. Jordan mentioning Mikes name had reminded him that Jordan also knew Tino, that they were old friends. The knowledge made him wonder how much Jordan knew. "You've known Tino for a while, right?"
"Yeah since, like, forever."
"So what does he do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, for a living, as a job?"
"I don't know," Jordan replied, not sure how to explain Tino's existence to Edward. "I guess he does a lot of things… I know Mike's been having some problems at home but you don't need to worry. Tino will let him stay as long as he needs to. He's not going to kick him out on the street or anything."
"You know Mike's living with Tino?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, he's been there when I've been over there."
It was Edwards turn to say "Oh". Jordan's answer about Tino's choice of profession wasn't exactly revealing and the thought that Jordan spent time with Tino was extremely worrying to Edward. He didn't know whether Jordan knew about what Mike was doing or not and he couldn't think of a way broach the subject. As much as he needed advice, Mike was still his friend. He didn't want to get him in trouble by telling Jordan if Jordan didn't already know. At the same time, if Jordan did know and wasn't disturbed about the situation then Edward was going to have to do some major re-evaluating as to who Jordan was. Neither choice was particularly appealing so for the time being it was better to do nothing. Edward decided that the best way forward would be to speak with Mike in school and see what explanation he gave before he let his imagination run away with him.
Making a conscious effort to put thoughts of his friend on the back burner, he turned back to the equipment in front of him and tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. "So what does this one do again?"
****
Edward walked out to the bleachers, still trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say. He nearly ducked underneath, expecting Mike to be standing in the shadows but a flash of color drew his attention to the top steps. It seemed as if Mike had decided to take advantage of the sunshine for a change and, as Edward climbed towards him, he couldn't blame him. The cloudless sky was an azure blue and the sun was warm. It was the kind of weather that said the summer was on its way. It was the kind of weather for them to be planning the fun things they would do over the summer vacation. It wasn't the kind of weather to be having a serious discussion but Edward couldn't put it off any longer. He had to know what was going on.
"Hey," Mike said in greeting as he lit a cigarette.
"Hey," Edward replied, leaning against the back railing rather than taking a seat next to his friend.
He didn't know how many times he had sat outside while Mike took his regular 3rd period smoke break. Sometimes they talked constantly. Other times they were quiet but it was a different sort of quiet to the one that developed between them this time. It was usually comfortable and familiar. The quiet they had now was tense and strange. Edward searched his mind for a way to say what he wanted to say but rejected the words almost as soon as he thought of them. It was Mike who eventually broke the silence.
"You saw them, didn't you? The pills?" he asked, "And now you're freaking out, aren't you?"
"Wouldn't you be freaking out if you found out your friend was on drugs?"
"I'm not taking any of that crap."
"So, you're just dealing. Oh, that's fine, much better!"
"I'm not dealing." Mike protested. "I just… All I'm doing…Look, sometimes Tino gives me something and asks me to go deliver it. That's it. That's all I do. Just take stuff from point A to point B, collect the money and keep my mouth shut."
"Sounds like dealing to me." Edward said but Mike just looked away rather than answering. "Does Amy know what you're doing?"
"No, and you're not going to tell her either. Amy's all, like, innocent, you know? She doesn't need to know about this shit. She wouldn't understand."
"I don't understand," Edward replied. It was clear from Mike's body language that he wasn't proud of what he was doing but he wasn't exactly making any apologies either. "You know this is really dumb, don't you?"
"Yeah maybe."
"Maybe? If you're driving around with a load of Class A's all the time, it's only a matter of time before you get pulled over and arrested."
"It's not all the time. And it's not always drugs." Mike replied, as if that somehow made it better.
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes it's other stuff." Mike shrugged. "Do you remember when Jake was being an ass about that Wii his dad bought for him? He wouldn't shut up about it and he was driving everyone fucking nuts? All I wanted to do was drag his butt out to the parking lot, just to see the look on his face when he saw I had seven of the stupid things in the trunk of my car."
"Really?" Edward asked. He remembered exactly what Mike was talking about and couldn't help smiling at the thought of Jake being taken down a peg or two. He had been annoyed at Jake's showing off as well but part of his annoyance also stemmed from jealousy. He was almost tempted to ask whether Mike had any of the consoles left before he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be encouraging his friend in his criminal activities.
"Yeah, sometimes it's just stuff like that. Things that have fallen off the back of a lorry, fake Rolexes, counterfeit DVDs. No harm, no foul, right?" Mike smiled. He took a drag of his cigarette and as he exhaled his expression turned dour again. When he spoke again, all of the humor disappeared from his voice and he looked away as if he didn't know how to look Edward in the eye. "Sometimes it's serious stuff though. A couple of times it's been a gun…but it's ok. I mean, Tino says he knows guys who've been arrested with guns more than once and nothing ever happened to them."
For the first time ever, Edward wished he smoked. It would have given him something to do other than sit there with his mouth open staring at Mike as if he were mad. Drugs were bad enough. People accidentally overdosed or had unexpected reactions that could hurt them rather than just get them high but, as long as people didn't get addicted, there was usually no long lasting effects. Guns were something different altogether. They had no other purpose but to kill. "You're bringing guns into school?"
"Not actually into school. Metal detectors dude, remember?"
"You know what I mean." Edward replied. "What if someone saw or broke into your car or something?"
"Why would anyone break into my car? It's a wreck, parked next to a bunch of other wrecks. No one would ever guess there was anything worth stealing in there. No one's ever going to see anything."
"I saw."
"Only because I gave you the key and then you went poking around enough to bust the lock on the glove box."
"Is that how you knew I knew?" Edward asked. He didn't think he'd jiggled the latch that much but he supposed it was just another thing on Mike's car that was falling apart.
"Yeah," Mike replied, throwing his cigarette stub away. "And you've been looking at me like I killed your dog or something all morning. You seriously need to work on your poker face."
"I wouldn't have to have a poker face if you weren't doing what you're doing." Edward pointed out. "I still don't get why. I know you're always saying we need to think of ways to make money but isn't this a bit extreme?"
"It's not about the money. Well, not completely." Mike replied. Granted, he liked having cash in his pocket, gas in his car and the ability to buy Amy a nice birthday gift but he would probably still do what he was doing even if Tino didn't give him a cut. "Its just Tino's always doing me so many favors, especially since he let me move in with him. Sometimes I feel like I'm wearing him thin, you know? So if he asks me to do something, I figure I'm just paying him back. I owe him."
"Why don't you just go home?"
"I'm not going home until Mark leaves." Mike said, referring to his mother's boyfriend. "But at the moment my mom prefers having him around to me. The more time I spend with him, the more I want to deck him and the feeling's mutual. She thinks the sun shines out of his ass though so she's not going to kick him out any time soon."
Edward wasn't sure what else to suggest. He couldn't imagine Sharon moving any guy into the house let alone a guy he didn't like. While he wanted her to be happy and have someone to share her life with once he'd grown up and moved out, he knew that she would never let a man come between them like Mike's mother seemed to be doing.
As if reading his mind, Mike continued. "You're lucky to have Sharon, you know? She's, like, there for you. Even if she wasn't, I think Jordan would be. God knows where my dad is. Last number I had for him got disconnected over a year ago. Not that it matters. He wasn't much use when he was around anyway."
Again, Edward didn't know what to say. He couldn't understand how Mike, who was normally so laid back and happy-go-lucky, could have been hiding so much. What was even worse is that he didn't sound overly upset about it. He said it all so matter of fact, as if this was how the world really was and he was already resigned to his fate. The only thing he could do was ask more questions and hopefully get a few more answers about what had been bothering him.
"So, does Jordan know about this? I mean, him and Tino are friends so I was sort of wondering if he's involved too."
"Nah, he's not involved." Mike said, alleviating some of Edward's fears. He shrugged as he continued. "Not much anyway. I'm not sure how much he knows about though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Tino offered to supply some stock for his shop and Catalano said no. But I know for a fact that some of the parts in his car are hot. It's an old car, hard to get parts sometimes and Tino has a way of acquiring things. So, he's mostly legit but not completely."
"Oh." Edward replied uncertainly, trying to evaluate what he thought about the information.
"I don't think he knows about the guns." Mike said. "Some of Tino's friends - Jordan, Shane, even Rayanne Graff - they don't really ask too many questions. I mean, they're not stupid but it sort of feels like they don't want to know the details, you know?"
"Oh." Edward repeated.
Mike paused for a moment, not sure how much he should really be sharing with his Edward. If Tino knew how much he had already told, he would be severely pissed off but it felt good to be getting some of this stuff off his chest. "Tino doesn't keep drugs in the house often but a couple of weekends ago, Jordan and Shane were there with some other guys, drinking beers. After while Tino and one of the other guys started smoking pot and passing it around. Jordan didn't say anything but he left pretty much after they sparked up. So, I guess he knows something about the drugs even if he doesn't know how deep Tino's in. He doesn't, like, condone it but he doesn't condemn it either. Shane left at the same time so I guess he feels the same way."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, I just went upstairs and played my guitar." Mike replied. It had been the night that he had taken Amy to Tino's house for the first time. He had been disappointed that she had to get home for her curfew but as soon as he got back from dropping her off, he was glad that he had taken her home when he did. He still took her to Tino's house because it was the only place he had to take her where they could be alone but he made sure that they always snuck out the back if Tino came home early. On the one rare night Tino had decided not to go out, he and Amy had just driven around town instead until they found somewhere quiet to park. It had been just as much fun but it wasn't quite the same as having her in his bed. As far as he was concerned Amy was better than the back of his car. She deserved more. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to get his own place where he didn't need to worry about what she might see or hear and he didn't want to contemplate the way it would make him feel if she found out and ended their relationship.. "Sometimes I think the only things keeping me sane are Amy and the band. We're starting to sound really good, you know? Echelon could be our meal ticket to bigger and better things…"
"Yeah, until you land your ass in jail."
"I'm not going to end up in jail. I'm still a kid as far as the legal system is concerned and I've got no priors. If they catch me all I'll get is a slap on the wrist and some community service." Mike replied but it sounded rehearsed to his own ears. He knew that to Edward it would sound like he was reading a script provided by Tino. He took a deep breath and when he spoke again his voice sounded more normal. "I was planning on talking to Tino anyway cutting back on the stuff I do for him. We're going to need more practice time if we want to win."
"Win what?" Edward asked, trying to ignore Mike's use of the words 'cutting back' over the word stop.
Mike pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Edward. Edward unfolded it to reveal a poster advertising a battle of the bands competition being held in Pike Street in four weeks time. It would be a bigger stage than they had ever played on before and, considering the reputation of the venue, he already knew that competition would be fierce. "You think we could get ready in time?"
"Hell yeah… All we got to do is decide what songs we're going to play and practice 'til our fingers bleed and Jake can keep time properly. We'll kick ass."
"We'll more than kick ass. We'll absolutely rule." Edward replied, smiling for the first time since he came outside. Mike may not be saying that he was going to stop what he was doing completely but at least Edward knew what was going on now. He didn't feel great about it, far from it in fact, but he sort of understood. He also understood that Mike was invested in the band just as much as he was, if not more. He couldn't think of a better way of trying to keep Mike on the straight and narrow than spending every spare second practicing for the competition. Even if they came last and got booed off the stage, they were going to have such a time.