“Once it’s full, you’ll see. There’s room for everybody.”
I start to sit, but he pulls me down onto his knee instead of the ground. Wrapping an arm around my middle, he pulls me back against him and rubs his chin against the back of my neck. “I promise,” he says softly, his hot breath against my skin making my eyes roll back in my head.
His promise and his arm around me feel so reassuring, I almost believe it. It’s not like I can tell them the truth, go into detail about Lee’s temperament and how much trouble I’d be in. They’ll think I’m a baby, that I still care what my parents think even though I’m basically a senior already. That’s my own shit to sort, so I laugh it off and pretend everything is okay.
I’ve never sat on a guy’s lap before, and I’m painfully aware of my body against his, my weight on his leg, the sweat on his bare chest soaking into my clean t-shirt. I should be disgusted, but I melt instead.
I see Maddox watching us with an even fiercer scowl, and I grab the beer and open it, trying to collect myself and act like an adult instead of a freak who’s so afraid to get close to anyone that she’s never even kissed a boy.
I take a slug of beer, forcing myself not to make a face at the nasty taste. I’ve drank before—my friends and I snuck some from our parents on occasion—but I don’t really like beer. Everyone around the pool is drinking it like it’s water though, and I don’t want to look like a prude, so I drink up too.
“Why does your brother hate me?” I ask when I’ve had a beer and my defenses start to lower. I know that’s dangerous, so I sip at the next one instead of drinking it fast to quench my thirst and quell the heat. Beads of condensation dot the can, and I run my thumb over them, wiping them from the red and blue emblem.
“He doesn’t hate you,” Lennox assures me, squeezing me back against him. My heart swells with warmth, but Billy laughs.
“What’d you do to him?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I protest. “He seems to be holding a grudge because I got in his way while he was running. Although I’m the one who paid the price.”
I rub my elbow, still whitish pink from where the scabs just cleared.
“Don’t take it personal,” says Michael, the guy who brought the beer. He leans over to bump his can against mine. “Mad’s got a hit list a mile long. Dude never forgets a grudge.”
“Give it time,” Lennox says. “Some people take longer to warm up.”
“Yeah,” Billy says. “I’m sure you didn’t really piss him off. If you had, you’d be buried in his backyard, and he’d be dumping that shit on your grave.”
Lennox chuckles. “Verdad que sí.You don’t want to get on his bad side. His wrath is like no other. But don’t worry, Sunshine. He’ll learn to love you in time.”
When I catch Maddox glaring at us like he wants to murder me for sitting on his brother’s lap, I’m not so sure. I don’t think time will cure whatever’s wrong with him.
four
Maddox North
“It’s done,” I say, kicking off my boots next to the front door. “Leak’s patched and holding. Pool’s in business.”
“Fuck yeah,” Lennox says, hopping up and throwing an arm around my neck. “We did it!”
“I still think it’s a shit idea,” I mutter, shoving him off.
“Quíubo?” Mom asks, sticking her head out of the kitchen. “What’s this idea?”
“Nothing,” I say.
“We fixed up the pool next door,” Lennox says. “Now that it’s up and running, we’re going to have a block party, so everyone knows it’s open. Can you imagine what it’ll do for the kids in the neighborhood, to have a pool to hang out at all summer?”
“It’s not a fucking community center,” I point out. “It’s our neighbor’s, and he’s a cop. How’s that for a stupid fucking idea?”
Mom plants a hand on her hip. “Why wouldn’t he want you there? You’re not doing anything illegal.”
“Not everyone’s a fucking saint like Lennox,” I say.
It’s fucking annoying how selfless he is, how he’s always looking for ways to help the neighborhood while I’m the dickhead who mostly just wants to help himself.
Mom clicks her tongue at me and stands on tiptoes to give Lennox a hug around the neck with one arm, and I’m reminded that he’s not always a saint. Joining the Skull & Crossbones was his idea. He got his bones and became a full member first. I didn’t kill a man for a full year after he did, and it still haunts me, though I’d never let on.
Still, I’ve done my share of dirty work since then, while he’s kept his hands clean.