Page 107 of Filthy Liar

We eyed our surroundings as we climbed out and headed towards the building, and I tried really hard not to run back to the car when I saw reporters among the crowd.

“Is this going to be on live television? Won’t this attract Stefano?” I asked under my breath, but Ander shook his head.

“Stefano doesn’t give a shit about the community center. He wants me, Zav, and Raven. Beckett said they scanned the place for explosives this morning, and there’s been people here all day since. Slash has the Thieves set up out of view around the perimeter with snipers, and with so many of us here he’d be spotted too fast to actually do anything. None of us should wander off alone though, just in case. I’ve already told Raven she won’t be using the bathroom alone today, and neither will we. Buddy system.”

It sounded like it was all under control, but I had a really bad feeling that I couldn’t shake.

Slash waved at me as he spotted us, and I was thankful that Ander had glued himself to me. I wanted to throw up.

“Good morning. Where’s Logan?” Slash asked instantly, making me cringe.

“On the way?”

“Why did that sound like a question?” he asked with amusement, glancing around the growing crowd. “Don’t look so nervous. You’ll do fine. You know these people.”

“I’m used to telling Logan and Raven what to do, not a whole fucking town,” I grumbled, earning a smirk.

“If you can control those two, this will be a piece of cake. Remember, it’s not like you’re running the town, Reid. You’re just a little bit of extra support. You can run for council if you want though.”

“Not today,” I deadpanned, relief filling me when Ander showed me his phone.

Zavier: Just about to leave. Be there in a few minutes.

“You know what to do,” Slash continued, ticking things off with his fingers. “We’ll do our speech and introduce you and Logan as the people to go to. You do your speech, which you’ve gone over a million times, then you say it’s your honor to open the community center to everyone and cut the ribbon. That’s it. Mingle among people inside and make sure they feel welcome. Security is handled, catering is handled, and everything else that you could possibly think about is handled. Stop stressing.”

“I’m not stressed,” I lied, and he gave me a knowing look before pointing to Diesel.

“Go stand over there. Take Lavaro with you. I’ll send Logan over when he graces us with his presence.”

I gave him a jerky nod and did as he said, and Ander gave me a nudge with his elbow.

“You’ve got this, Barron.”

I didn’t feel like I did, but I definitely relaxed a little more as a few of the local kids stopped to say hi and expressed how cool the play equipment was out the back.

They were taking the changes well, and that was all that mattered.

We used to be these kids, so knowing how much better their childhoods could be made all of this panic worth it.

We stood off to the side of the front steps where a microphone was, and I tapped my finger against my leg as I waited for it to start.

“You’re going to snap a tooth,” Diesel said as he eyed me.

“He’s nervous and the other’s are late,” Ander answered for me, glancing at his phone. “Raven said they’re just parking.”

I didn’t relax until they walked over and stood beside me, blowing out a breath as Slash moved to the microphone to get everyone’s attention.

“Good morning. Thank you for joining us today for the opening of the Hawthorne Heights Community Center. It has been a privilege to work with the community on upgrades and improvements, and this is hopefully only the beginning.”

People were smiling and some even cheered, calming me more. They were happy about this, they weren’t being hostile about the changes.

Despite them being good changes, a lot of people didn’t like it when rich people appeared and did things, so I’d expected more uncertainty.

“We have been working with the government and local council to try and make necessary changes to the community that benefit everyone,” Slash continued, talking to the crowd with ease. “The community center will bring help to not just students, but those who need help with mental health, hygiene, and every day matters like contraception and sexual health. We have been speaking with many of you for months, asking what would impact the community the most, and a lot of people mentioned how hard employment and education can be. We hope that having a place to help with that will be beneficial to each and every one of you, and we also hope to bring more to the community in the future. In saying that, we don’t feel like we have the same understanding for what you need, so we have decided to hand the reins over to some people who do. It is my pleasure to introduce the manager of the center, Reid Barron, and the manager of our youth program, Logan Donahue.”

Chatter started as both Logan and I walked towards the microphone, but clapping broke out and a few whistles too. I forced myself to stand straight, looking out at the daunting crowd as I took my place.

“Thank you, Slash. I think I can speak on behalf of Hawthorne Heights when I say we appreciate the time, money, and passion you and your family have put into making our community a better place.”

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