“He’s probably bluffing,” Eric said, not worried at all.
Then Hayley interrupted, “Doubt it. He’s a fucked-up guy. I’ve heard stories. I don’t even know how the police haven’t put him away for good.” Which was exactly why Ollie needed to get away from him, too.
Hayley scoffed. “Oh wait, I know why he hasn’t been put away… It’s because the system is completely unreliable—at least where I come from it is.”
Silence encased the room, all five of us sorting through our thoughts. But then Eric’s chuckle cut through and cut the silence in half. “Does anyone else think it’s funny that we’re a bunch of rich, privileged kids who can’t even pay off a drug dealer? Why did our families choose now to rein in our spending? It’s fucked.”
I shrugged. “I’ve never really had free range.”
Ollie cleared his throat. “I spent most of what I had saved on the turbo to race.”
Christian pointed at him. “I fucking knew you put that in there for a reason.” He used air quotes. “‘Just a tune up,’ my ass.”
That smug grin worked its way onto Ollie’s face, and I found myself staring, lips parted and all. Once he flashed his blue eyes over to me, I quickly turned my head.
“Okay, so.” Hayley got up from the barstool and began pacing the kitchen, her Converse slapping the floor with each step. “There are a few ways to make fast cash. The first thing we need to worry about is paying back Tank. The next will be to distance ourselves from him—especially you.” She gestured to Ollie, but he didn’t say a word.
I opened my mouth to include what Tank had said—that he was wanting to work something out with Ollie after the money was paid back, but the clipped shake of Ollie’s head in my direction had me waiting. I quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed. Christian and Eric were looking at Hayley, not paying Ollie a bit of attention. My eyes crinkled. Why? Why didn’t he want me to say anything?
He lowered his gaze and chucked an eyebrow up. He shook his head again.
Fine.
Hayley dove deep into her knowledge of fast cash-making—something she had probably learned when she was in foster care.
“First, there’s drug selling. Obviously not the best choice, especially in this situation.” Eric snorted as she continued. “There’s an underground fight club that I’ve been to a time or two, but it’s sketch, and it’ll raise questions when one of you has bruises. Headmaster Walton won’t let that fly.”
I shot up from my seat. “No one is fighting to pay back my brother's debt. No way.” I could hardly fathom the thought of Ollie, Christian, or Eric throwing punches and possibly getting hurt for me or Jason.
Christian rolled his eyes. “As if anyone could get a hit on one of us.”
“Truth,” Ollie said as he leaned back in his seat.
He and his brother pounded knuckles, and Hayley laughed. The Powell boys. So smug.
“Then, there are the street races, but you’re already doing that. So, it’s out of the running. The only other way is possibly charging admission.”
“Charging admission?” I placed my hands in my back pockets, rocking back on the heels of my feet. “For...?”
Hayley grinned. “Parties. It was done all the time at Oakland High. Gabe always begged me to go with him, said he’d pay my way in.”
Christian popped his knuckles, and I understood why. Gabe. Disgusting pig.
“We can’t do that,” I started. “People already know Eric’s cabin is the place to be. What are they gonna think when we charge them to get in?”
Ollie clicked his tongue as he nudged Christian. “Let’s do it at our house. People will fucking go crazy if they get to see the inside of our house. A party at the Powell house? Everyone will be there. Fuck-boys and all.”
“Have you ever had a party at your house?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Never,” Ollie answered. “You and Hayley are the only two girls that have ever been there. And not a lot of guys have been, either. Except for Eric and Taylor.”
Christian rubbed along his jaw. “It could work. When? We have to make sure Dad won’t be home.”
Eric popped up. “How about after the winter formal? Make it an after-party. Get some underclassmen to take admission, charge all the rich fucks $20 to get in. I’ll supply kegs. I’ve got a guy who owes me.”
The five of us waited and thought for a moment. I did the math in my head. There were easily two hundred people that would come. Predominantly, the senior class and most of the juniors—that was Ollie’s class, after all, even if it didn’t seem like it since he was in the majority of our classes.
This was much safer than anything else Hayley laid out on the table. If we raised $4,000 at the party, plus another night of racing, we’d be almost to the end of the debt. Then, this would be behind us. Jason would be free to, hopefully, get the help he needed, I could focus on normal high-school things like my college acceptance letters and hanging out with Hayley, and the best part—Ollie would be away from Tank. That was, as long as I could get it through his thick skull to stop racing.