(08) Day 3

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang just as Ralph was about to leave his house, and he opened it almost immediately.

'Hey, Jack,' he said, hiding his surprise at finding the teen standing outside his front door. 'What are you doing here?'

'I just thought maybe you'd like a bit of company,' Jack said, smiling.

Ralph smiled back, rather enjoying the doting attention the other was giving him. Jack had stayed at his house until late into the night, but Ralph had a funny feeling that Jack's attention was more focused on him than it was on their math assignment. The concept was both thrilling and nauseating.

'Well, I was just leaving the house,' Ralph said. 'You came at the perfect time.'

For some reason, Jack suddenly chuckled, but he did not care to explain the source of his amusement.

Ralph just shook his head and led the way down the street to the bus stop.

'Hey,' he began, noticing the other teen's pale, trembling hands, 'I don't mean to be rude, but something's been bothering me for a while.'

'Go on,' Jack prompted, obviously wondering where this conversation was leading. 'Are you going to chastise me for skipping equipment duty again? Because if you are, don't waste your breath.'

'No, it's not that,' Ralph said quickly. 'It's just . . . how can your parents afford to send you to this private school, but you don't have any . . . decent winter clothes.'

Jack blushed and glanced down at his too-small jacket.

'Well, my mother is the one who wanted me to come here for a good education and shit,' Jack explained. 'My father doesn't give a fuck. He's too drunk most of the time to even know he's alive, let alone remember that I am. I bought this jacket with my own money a few years ago, and I can easily afford a new one, as well as some gloves and hat, if that's what you're wondering.'

'But . . .?'

'But winter's almost over,' Jack shrugged. 'It seems a waste to buy them now.'

'I see . . .' Ralph said slowly, hitching his bag up. 'Where do you get all your money from?'

'Huh?'

'Well, you said that you bought that coat yourself. So . . . what? Do you get an allowance? Do you have a part-time job? What?'

'Why the sudden interest in my life?' Jack asked, suspicion dripping in his voice.

'No reason,' Ralph replied honestly. 'Just wondering.'

'Well, I don't have an allowance or a job. I just earn money by . . . winning bets.'

'Bets?' Ralph echoed, surprised.

'Yeah,' Jack responded. 'Lee, the "gambler" of the group, is always betting against me. His bets are usually high and he usually loses . . . You're a smart dude. You can figure out the rest.'

'What do you guys bet on?'

Jack gave him a sharp look.

'Just . . . stuff,' he replied hesitantly.

Ralph was about to ask what kind of stuff, but just then, the bus came.

-

Jack sighed in relief and stepped aboard the yellow school bus. He wouldn't have liked to keep up that conversation for very long. Obviously, Ralph hadn't heard of his slut reputation yet, and he wasn't exactly eager to tell the other teen of it. It might ruin their chances of getting together.

Ralph chose a seat near the back of the bus, and when Jack sat beside him, he didn't argue.

'I was just wondering, Jack,' Ralph said, and the latter sighed.

'You know, now I'm starting to feel nervous whenever you begin a sentence like that,' Jack muttered.

Ralph laughed.

'No, it's nothing embarrassing this time. Not for you, anyway.' He straightened his collar unnecessarily. 'It's just . . . I was wondering if your offer was still open.'

'What offer?'

'For the locker.' Ralph swallowed. 'It's only been two days and I'm already sick and tired of hauling my books around, so—'

'The offer's still open,' Jack replied quickly, interrupting Ralph in mid-sentence.

"If you actually want to share a locker with the person who tried to kill you," he thought unpleasantly, though he knew better than to speak this aloud.

'Oh, okay, good. I'd like to take up on it then. What's your locker number and combo?'

'It's number 264 on the second floor. The combination is 16-45-39.'

'264 on the second floor, 16-45-39,' Ralph repeated, easily memorizing the information. 'I guess I'll just put my stuff there before lunch then.'

'You can put your stuff in there as soon as we get to school, if you want,' Jack told him boldly.

'Okay, great. I'll do that then.'

Jack smiled satisfactorily and absentmindedly tightened his hold on his books.

"This is too easy . . ."

-

Jack stepped off the bus and waved goodbye to Ralph, who was going to go to the locker to put his books away.

'I'll see you later,' the former called after Ralph's departing back before going off to join his friends, but something—or rather, someone—stopped him.

'And just where do you think you're going?' Mr. Lyori asked him, and he felt his blood turn cold.

'T-to my friends,' Jack stuttered, pointing lamely at the four teens waving frantically at him.

'I don't think so,' Mr. Lyori said coldly. 'You missed your detention yesterday, Mr. Merridew.'

'What deten—? Ohh . . .' Jack realized suddenly.

'Yes, now he remembers!' the teacher said sarcastically. 'The good-for-nothing teenager finally recalls that he had a detention yesterday.' Mr. Lyori sneered. 'Because of your absence, you will serve an extra hour tonight.'

"That's not so bad."

'Plus, you are to come to my classroom today at lunchtime today,' he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. 'Luckily for you, I do not have duty today.'

"Lucky, ha!"

'Yes, sir,' Jack murmured miserably, watching Mr. Lyori walk away.

His friends, who had seen (from a distance) the brief exchange between Jack and the professor, immediately came over to him.

'What's up?' Terry inquired, seeing the depressed look on Jack's face.

'I have to serve an extra hour of detention today,' Jack whined.

'That's okay,' Fred reassured him. 'You'll still get out in time to go clubbing with us.'

'I guess, but it's not fair!' Jack exclaimed. 'Why does Lyori have to hate me so fucking much!'

'Don't take it personally, bud. He hates the whole student body,' Lee reminded him. 'The Lord only knows why that man became a teacher.'

'He likes to torture people,' John suggested. 'Ah, who gives a shit about ol' Lyori anyway? At least we're not in any of his classes this semester.'

'Yet he still has the power to make our lives a living hell,' Jack murmured.

'Aw, forget him, Jack. You have better things to think about . . .'

'Speaking of which,' Lee began, 'how did it go yesterday?'

'I'm almost there,' Jack replied, feeling slightly happier now that the subject of their conversation had changed.

'Are you?' Lee inquired, apparently put out, for that wasn't exactly what he had wanted to hear.

'Yeah,' Jack said, draping his arm over his friend's shoulder. 'I reckon a few more days ought to do it.'

'They had better,' John warned him. 'That's all you have left.'

'I have 5 days if you include today, John,' Jack said smoothly. 'That's plenty of time.'

"Sure, for every other kid in school, but not for Ralph!" his mind pointed out. 'There's no way he'll sleep with you! You're lucky to have gotten this far with him."

"Be happy with what you got, Jack," another voice chimed in, "because friendship is all you're going to get from him. And I'm not talking about friendship with advantages."

'You can do it, Jack,' Terry said, and he coughed softly. 'Excuse the pun.'

John shook his head in vague amusement.

'I have confidence in you, too, Jack,' he said, smiling.

"Too bad I don't have that much confidence in myself."

-

Lee looked over at Jack, noticing the happy—though slightly confused—look on his face. He had known Jack long enough to realize that whatever Jack wanted, he got. And right now, what he wanted was Ralph.

"He might actually pull this off," Lee thought miserably. "He'll win the bet and I'll lose my new TV. Crap. I have to do something to stop him, to throw him off somehow." An idea suddenly entered Lee's mind, and he was both shocked and gleeful from the simplicity of it. "Of course! Duh! The best way to mess this up for him is sabotage! I just need the right guys to help me."

Lee discreetly looked about the front yard of the school for someone who could help him . . .

There! An old "friend" of Jack's that he probably wouldn't be wanting to see so soon after their breakup. An attractive young man with long, silver-blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail. And there, too! Another of Jack's exes (a rather physically fit, redheaded teen who was on the school soccer team) was standing by the outdoor drinking fountain. Those two would be perfect!

"Excellent."

'I'll catch up with you guys later,' Lee told his friends before making his way over to the redhead first. 'Hey, Eddy,' he greeted.

'Hey, Lee,' the other replied in a deep voice. 'Sup?'

'Oh, nothing much,' Lee responded in a drawling voice. 'It's just that the big bet with Jack is almost over and I think I chose the losing side . . . again.'

'You chose the losing side?' Eddy echoed, his eyes widening in fear. 'But . . . no! I chose the same side you did! I voted against Jack, too!'

'Don't overreact,' Lee told him. 'Look, I think there's a way we can both be happy.'

'We'll win the bet?'

'Exactly.'

'And how do you propose we do that?' Eddy asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

'Well, you're quite an attractive fellow, Eddy . . .' Lee said. 'You know who Ralph is, don't you?'

'I think so,' the other teen responded. 'Why?'

'I have a proposition for you that will make us both prosper.'

'I'm listening.'

'I want you to seduce Ralph away from Jack.'

'Oh? What's in it for me?'

'You'll win the bet,' Lee reminded him.

'But what do I get from you?' Eddy asked. 'If you want me to do this, you'll have to give me something.'

'Well, the thing is, the only notable thing I get from winning the bet is the lovely prospect that I have finally beaten Jack . . . That and complete humiliation on Jack's part.' Lee drew in an excited breath. 'He has to come to school wearing nothing but a shower cap and bathrobe and ask Mr. Lyori where his mother is because they have a date.'

Eddy let out a roaring laugh.

'You have a queer mind, man, but I would pay big bucks to see that.'

'You wouldn't have to. Just get Ralph away from Jack.'

'Will do,' Eddy said, giving Lee a mock salute. 'Seeing Jack humiliated like that is payment enough for me. I'll do it!'

'Excellent,' Lee replied, grinning evilly. 'We'll be at Pubsy's tonight, so you can come on by then. Ralph should be coming, too!'

'Great, but just to let you know, I'm not doing this for you,' Eddy told him. 'I just want to get Jack back for treating me the way he did. That stupid bastard deserves what's coming to him. I want to see him suffer as I did!'

'You and me both, pal,' Lee murmured, walking away and wondering when Eddy had become so melodramatic. He shook his head amusedly and began to walk away.

'By the way, Lee,' Eddy called after him, 'don't use this fountain. I tapped it so that it would spray the next person who touches it. I'm just waiting for some freshmen to come by so that I can offer them a drink.'

'Thanks for the warning,' Lee called back, before he went over to the other boy he had seen—the one who was Jack's last "friend". 'Hi, Joe,' he said, smiling.

Joe looked up at him.

'Hey. What brings you to my turf?'

'I have a proposition for you.' And then Lee told Joe the same things he had told Eddy, except for one minor detail.

'Let me get this straight,' Joe said. 'You want me to seduce Jack away from Ralph!'

'Yeah, do you have a problem with that?' Lee inquired.

'No, no, it's not that,' Joe replied quickly. He paused for a moment to tuck a stray strand of silver hair behind his ear, then, 'Okay, yes, it is that. I don't think I can do it, Lee. Jack just dumped me a few days ago.'

'So? Who says you can't get him back? The sooner, the better!'

'Fine, then what do I get out of it?'

'I don't know, Lee said unconvincingly. 'If you manage to seduce Jack, who knows? You might just be able to get him back. It's what you want, isn't it?'

'It's what every guy wants,' Joe said, blushing. 'Okay, Lee, you got yourself a deal! It might take some time, though. I have to get Ralph out of the way.'

'Don't worry about that,' Lee said told him. 'I've already taken care of that. Eddy will leave your way free to Jack.'

'Eddy? Why did you choose Eddy?'

'Look at him,' Lee said, indicating the fiery-haired teen reclining by the fountain. 'Who can resist a hot thing like that?'

'You've got a point there.'

Lee grinned.

'Go to Pubsy's. He'll be there tonight . . . You know, Joe, you're pretty hot, too, so there's no way he'll be able to resist you.'

'He already proved that he can,' Joe murmured miserably.

'You just have to work your stuff,' Lee said. 'Flaunt what your mama gave ya. It'll all be worth it in the end.'

'He won't be able to resist me, not tonight he won't,' Joe said with growing confidence.

'That's the spirit! I'll see you there then,' Lee said, already walking away.

'Will you be there to?' Joe called after him. 'You know, in case I need a little pep talk or something.'

'I'll be there!' Lee reassured his friend. 'You can count on it.'

Just then, the first bell rang to signal the five-minute interlude before first period began. Lee practically skipped his way to his locker, happy that things were working out so well. He had done all he could. Now it was up to Eddy and Joe to complete the sabotage and help him win the bet. Perfect. He had complete confidence that they would be able to seduce Ralph and Jack away from each other! Speaking of ol' Ralph . . .

'What are you doing here?' Lee asked him, surprised to see that Ralph was piling his books into Jack's locker.

'Jack offered to share his locker with me,' Ralph replied.

'Oh, that's great,' Lee said. Not really knowing what else to say, he undid his lock, taking as much time as possible. 'So . . . are you coming to Pubsy's tonight?' he questioned, remembered his word to Eddy that Ralph would be there.

'Pubsy's? Oh . . .' Ralph began, and Lee held his breath. 'I'll be there.'

The latter let out a small sigh of relief as he began to throw his shit into his locker.

'But the thing is, I don't exactly know where it is,' Ralph said.

'Hey, don't worry about that,' Lee reassured him. 'I invited a few of our other friends to come with us. If you want, I can send one of them round your house to pick you up.' There was no way he was going to get Jack to pick up Ralph. His friend was too close to winning the bet than he'd have liked for him to risk it.

'Oh, great,' Ralph replied. He hastily ripped some paper from his binder and took out his pen. 'This is where I live,' he said, sloppily scrawling his address onto the piece of paper.

Lee took the paper and pocketed it.

'I'll have Eddy pick you up around 7 then,' he said, making a mental note to tell Eddy about this slight addition to their plans.

'Great. Thanks, Lee,' Ralph said, slamming his locker shut and picking up his bag. 'I have to go now. I'll talk to you later.'

'Right. I'll see you in gym then . . . erm, if I don't skip class today, though I'll surely see you later tonight if I do,' Lee responded, watching the teen making his way through the crowded corridors to his first class. 'Definitely,' he muttered to himself. 'I wouldn't miss tonight for the world!'