Page 154 of Crew
But he was listening.
"Wait."
One word. That's all Cross said.
"They insulted all of us," he added after a moment. "They'll be educated on their mistake. But wait until we figure it out."
"Wait for what?"
"For me!" Cross snapped. "You wait until I tell you the plan."
Alex nearly snarled, but he clamped his mouth shut and swung away from us. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked off.
It took a second of silence, but Cross glanced around. Everyone was staring at him.
"What?" he snarled. "What are you looking at?"
I'd always seen this side of Cross, but everyone else was seeing it now.
I looked to Jordan, and he lifted his head, pride raising his chin.
He said, "We're staring at our leader."
Around a bonfire pit behind Manny's that night, we filled Channing in on everything. When I told him we needed to talk, he'd said the crowd would be less bloodthirsty in Fallen Crest than at his own bar.
"He called you troubled?" Channing asked, his nostrils flaring.
Cross, Jordan, and Zellman sat with me, and three of Channing's own crew had come: Chad, Moose, and Congo.
I nodded. The words weren't coming. I didn't feel like speaking.
"They want all crews to do this program?"
I stopped interacting. It burned a hole each time I had to remember.
Cross sat on top of a picnic table beside me. "All crews. That's what she said."
Channing frowned, not saying anything for a moment. He shared looks with the rest of his crew before he nodded. "Okay. Thank you."
"Wait." Jordan pushed up from the wall he'd been leaning against. "That's it? Just thank you?"
Channing lifted his hands. "What do you expect? We're not in high school anymore."
"But..." Jordan looked at Channing's crew. "You guys are, like, the godfathers of crews. You're the longest-running crew there is." He turned to my brother. "You created the system. You have to help us."
"Look." Channing stepped toward him. "It's an after-school program. There's not much we can do except maybe help you start a petition so they don't only target crew kids. Other than that, I'll be honest. I'm not sure it's a bad idea. You guys would be talking to convicts. I think every teenager should go through that. The more information you get, the better."
"Even Dad?"
I couldn't believe I'd said that word, but as all eyes looked my way, I couldn't shrink now. I'd spoken. I had to own my words, though my hand trembled.
I tucked it under my leg.
"What'd you say?" Channing asked.
"You heard me. You want me to see Dad? Hear his words of wisdom?"
Channing's eyes narrowed. "I recall asking you to go with me to visit him not too long ago, so yeah. Go and hear what he has to say."
