Page 6 of Bad to the Bone
Chapter Four
ALEXdidn’t wait to see whether Ricky Lee and Crae followed him into the gym. As soon as he spotted Stephanie—who appeared to be delivering a lecture to the DJ on his raised platform—he crossed the empty dance floor to her side.
“Where’s the backdrop you need me to brace?” he snapped. He needed to get rid of the toolbox and beamsnow.
“And a good evening to you too, Alex.” The hint of irritation in Stephanie’s expression morphed into appreciation as she looked him over. “That’s a very handsome suit. I hope you won’t get it dirty fixing the—” She stopped abruptly as her gaze moved over Alex’s shoulder to the gym doors behind him. “Isn’t that…?”
“Ricky Lee Jennings, yeah.”
“What on earth is he doing here? And who’s that with him?”
“Why don’t you ask him, Stephanie?Afteryou show me what needs to be fixed.”
“Second backdrop on the right.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the DJ’s riser and scuttled off, her iridescent pink gown flouncing around her ankles.
The DJ shot Alex a commiserating glance as he passed. As soon as he’d circled behind the plywood flats concealing the wall of collapsed bleacher seating, he set down his load, leaned his head against one of the painted backdrops, and pulled in a deep breath.
Crap. Just crap.
He’d imagined this moment for eleven years, since the day he’d arrived at school to the principal’s announcement that Ricky Lee Jennings had been expelled from Freeland High for repeated fighting. At the end of the day, after classes and football practice, he’d raced to Ricky Lee’s house, only to be told by Billy Joe Jennings that Ricky Lee was already on a bus to the alternative high school in Lawton—the one that specialized in dealing with students with educational or behavioral issues.
“And he can stay there for all I care,” Billy Joe had slurred. “Got some group home or something going to house him. Long as I don’t need to pay for it, don’t make no difference to me where he is. Least I don’t gotta feed him no more.”
Alex had bitten back the retort that he and his family had fed Ricky Lee more than his own father ever did, and swallowed more of Billy Joe’s bilious ramblings until he could get the address of the facility from him. It had taken him weeks to draft a letter of apology to Ricky Lee that he could bear to actually put in the mail.
He’d never gotten a reply.
In the years since, he’d imagined running into Ricky Lee somewhere, envisioned having another chance to ask forgiveness for his cowardice. He hadn’t imagined it would be among the crowd of classmates at their high school reunion.Hishigh school reunion, as Melissa had been quick to point out.
He wanted to know how Ricky Lee had fit in at the alternative school, what had drawn him across the country to Oregon, what brought him back to Freeland now, and what he’d been doing in all the years in between.
He wanted to sneak out of the gym, leave town, and never have to think about any of this ever again.
Okay, idiot, he told himself.You know what you need to say to him. Hell, you’ve been practicing it long enough. You just need to drag your cowardly ass out there and face him.
Which was easier thought than done.
To buy time, Alex replaced the section of two-by-four that had been cracked by the DJ’s equipment cart. He checked all the supports on the other sections of backdrop to be sure none of them were shaky. He stowed his tools back in his box and slid it and the extra two-by-four under a section of folded-up bleachers to pick up later. He brushed at the knees of his slacks and the front of his jacket to remove any dust.
He took another deep breath, rebuttoned his jacket, ran a hand through his hair, and walked out of the protection of the backdrops.
Stephanie was standing next to the DJ on the platform, a portable microphone in her hand. He looked around for Ricky Lee and spotted him and Crae seated at a table next to the dance floor. If Stephanie had spoken with him, she hadn’t managed to drive him off. Alex caught Stephanie’s eyes and gave her a thumbs-up. She raised the mic, tapped it—generating a squeal of feedback—and waited for the DJ to adjust the volume before speaking.
“Fellow students and guests of the Freeland High School class of 2008, as chairperson of the reunion committee, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to our tenth high school reunion!”
A splattering of applause and a few catcalls ensued. Stephanie waited until they died down before continuing. “I’m going to turn things over to DJ Tony, who’s going to make sure we all get to ‘Party Like a Rockstar’ tonight!”
Stephanie left the stage to more applause and a shout to “Shake it, baby!” A moment later, the opening notes of Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” filled the gym. She glanced over at Alex, but before she could join him, another one of the “popular girls” clique, Ashley Rogers, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a group of women clapping and singing along with the lyrics. A few couples headed onto the dance floor, and Alex looked back at Ricky Lee.
He and Crae had their heads together, engaged in what appeared to be a spirited discussion. Alex hesitated, not wanting to interrupt and wondering again about their relationship. Judging by how closely they leaned into each other’s personal space, they were clearly more than just working associates. Crae’s appearance and outfit were androgynous enough that Alex honestly couldn’t determine a gender. He tried to remember whether Ricky Lee had referred to Crae asheorshewhen introducing them, but he didn’t think so. Ricky Lee had always been open about being gay, which argued for Crae being male—a thought that twisted something in Alex’s chest. But Crae’s build was slight enough to be female. Could Ricky Lee have changed that much in eleven years?
Crae said something that made Ricky Lee laugh, transforming the sternness of his expression. Alex could remember Ricky Lee laughing like that when they’d studied together, the bittersweet memory bringing a lump to his throat. Just as he decided to head to one of the refreshment tables for something cold to ease the ache, Ricky Lee looked up and gestured him over.
“Would you like something to drink? Some punch or a beer?” Alex offered when he reached the table, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the music.
Crae demurred, but Ricky Lee stood. “I’ll go with you.”
Great.
