Initiation (15 page)

“I think I drank too much. Gonna rest my eyes.” Her speech was slurred and fading.

“Do you want me to tuck you in and let you sleep?”

She shook her head, her eyes closed. “I’m ’posed sleep … Molly’s room.”

“Why don’t I go see if they’re done in there?”

She moaned. “No, don’t go. Have to give … you something.”

“Give it to me tomorrow. I should get home anyway.”

She shook her head. “No … don’t go.”

She pulled her tight sweater over her head and dropped it on the bed. Her black bra had a front clasp. She undid it, freeing her breasts, the bra straps still looped round her shoulders. She fumbled with the top button on her jeans.

“You do it,” she said.

He reached over, undid the button and pulled the zipper down. A few pubic hairs poked through her lacy black thong. She lifted her butt off of the bed and pushed her jeans and thong down her legs. She stopped at her knees, breathless. She was fully exposed, her jeans and underwear bunched around her knees.

“You take them off,” she said.

He pursed his lips. “Amber, you’re wasted. You can’t even move. Why don’t we do this tomorrow?”

“Just do anything you want.”

He grabbed onto her pants and underwear and tried to slide them back up her legs. He stopped at her upper thighs. Her butt was firmly planted on the bed.

“No,” she said. “It’s okay. You can have me.”

He took a deep breath. “Amber, I can’t. I mean I can –”

“Wanna know a secret?”

“Sure.”

Carter heard a pounding sound coming from the front living room.

Her eyes were sealed shut. She breathed heavily as if she were sleeping. “My brother.”

“What about him?”

“He did stuff to me.”

Carter sat up and gripped her hand, his eyes wide. “What kind of stuff?”

She was silent. Carter heard gruff voices through the walls.

“Amber, wake up.” He shook her body. “What kind of stuff?”

He heard heavy footsteps in the hall.

She smirked, her eyes still shut. “Bad stuff … he –”

The banging on the door jolted Carter upright.

“Open up, it’s the police.”

Shit.

He grabbed Amber’s pants and yanked them over her ass. He snatched her sweater off the bed and pulled it over her head.

He spoke into her ear. “Amber, get up.” He shook her body, the mattress squeaking. “We gotta go.”

There was another loud knock that almost took the door off the hinges.

“Open this door now, it’s the police.” the officer said. “You have ten seconds to open this door or I’m gonna kick it in!”

Carter slipped his running shoes on and pushed the dresser in front of the door. He hurried to the window, unlocked it and pushed, but it wouldn’t budge. It was painted shut. He pushed again with all his strength. The paint cracked and the window opened. He rolled Amber to the edge of the bed. She laughed as her world rotated. He slammed her boots over her wool socks and zipped them up. Grunting, Carter heaved her over his shoulder. She giggled. The adrenaline had wiped away any tipsiness he’d been feeling. He carried Amber to the window.

The police officer kicked the door, breaking the lock, but he was blocked by the dresser. The racket jolted Amber from her stupor. Carter helped her through the ground floor window. The officer slammed into the door, pushing the dresser enough to slip into the room. Carter dove through the window head first. He tucked his head and landed with a thud.

“Stop right there,” the officer said, shining his flashlight at the couple.

Carter stood and helped Amber to her feet. They ran to the parking lot, Carter pulling her by the arm.

“Shit,” Carter said. “It was right here.”

Carter looked around. Two police cars with flashing lights were parked near the entrance to Molly’s apartment. Beyond the housing complex was a small copse of dark trees.

“Let’s go,” he said, yanking Amber toward the woods.

The going wasn’t easy: Amber kept stumbling, complaining that she was going to throw up. He hoisted her over his shoulder and continued toward the tree line. Amber bounced up and down, her face green. He ran down an embankment, stepped over a concrete gutter and disappeared into the dark trees. Safe within the brush and bark, he set Amber down. She dropped to her knees and heaved. Hot liquid splashed on dead leaves. He kneeled with her, rubbing her back as she emptied a night of strawberry alcopop. She groaned as he helped her to her feet.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, wiping her mouth on her sweater sleeve.

“The car’s gone,” he said.

“They probably towed it,” she said, reaching under her sweater and clasping her bra.

“What do you mean
they
towed it? Who’s they?”

She spat bile on the ground. “The apartment people, I guess. They tow after midnight if you don’t have a pass.”

He glared at her. “Are you fucking serious?”

“What?”

He clenched his jaw. “You don’t think you should have told me this?”

She sighed. “You said you were gonna leave at like eleven.”

“Christ, Amber.” He exhaled, shaking his head. “Why didn’t you tell me when it started to get late?”

“Stop yelling at me. I’m wasted – how am I ’posed to remember that?”

Carter peered at the apartment complex through the trees. “Who is that behind the bushes over there?”

“Where?” Amber asked.

Carter pointed. “That first building on the left, right next to the front door. I see two people.”

“I don’t see anyone.”

“It’s Noah, and I think that’s Lilly. I should go get them. Noah’s probably trying to find his car.” He took a deep breath and pulled his hood over his head. “Wait here.”

Carter ran out of the woods, hopped over the drain pipe and climbed the embankment. Toward the top of the hill, he stopped and dropped flat onto his stomach. He squinted, gazing across the road. There were no cops in sight. He sprinted for the bushes across the street. Noah and Lilly were still arguing, the holly hedges concealing half of their bodies. They hushed as soon as they heard Carter approaching, their eyes wide.

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me,” Noah said.

“The cars were towed,” Carter said.

“Zach’s Jeep is still here, and Justin’s Explorer.”

“They must have had parking passes.”

Noah clenched his jaw. “Fuck, Lilly. My dad’s gonna kill me. Your fucking friend is payin’ for this.”

Lilly’s wavy light brown locks hung past her slight shoulders. She wore a thick sweater and corduroys. Her face was tear-streaked, her eyes puffy. “Molly doesn’t have any money. And I told you about the pass last week. You told me to remind you.”

Noah clenched his fists, his biceps bulging beneath his flannel. “Then why didn’t you remind me?”

“Maybe I was too focused on you wanting to have a
threesome
.” Lilly crossed her arms over her chest.

Noah’s pale face went red. He hung his head, revealing a swirling light brown cowlick. “I’m sorry, okay. Every guy thinks about it. I’m just the only one stupid enough to say it.”

Carter stared at the sticker on the front door.
Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed At Owner’s Expense
. There was an address and company name underneath:
Glenn’s Towing
.

“Guys, we gotta go,” Carter said. “The cops can see us from here.”

“How do you know that?” Noah asked.

“I saw you, didn’t I?”

Carter led Noah and Lilly across the road, down the embankment, and into the woods where Amber waited. Lilly hugged her friend.

“What happened?” Carter asked. “Who called the cops?”

Lilly blushed.

Noah shrugged. “Lilly was yellin’ at me.”

“Where is everyone else?” Carter asked.

Noah scratched the back of his head. “Don’t know. As soon as I heard that bangin’ on the front door, I knew it was the cops. No fuckin’ normal person knocks like that. We went out the window.”

“So did we,” Amber said.

“We think everyone else got busted,” Lilly said.

“Zach’s dad’ll take care of it,” Noah said. “He’s a lawyer.”

“So, what do we do now?” Amber asked.

“Let’s go get the cars,” Carter said. “The sticker on the front door said the tow lot’s on Fremont Avenue. Does anyone know where that is?”

“I do,” Noah said. “It’s not that far from here.”

“Does anyone have any money?” Carter asked.

Noah opened his wallet, the Velcro tearing. “Thirty-five bucks, you?”

“I have twenty-two,” Carter replied.

“My purse is at Molly’s,” Amber said.

“Mine too,” Lilly said.

“We could wait for the cops to leave and go grab the purses,” Noah said.

“It won’t help,” Amber said. “I only have like ten bucks.”

“I spent all my money on party food,” Lilly said.

“Shit,” Carter said, “I guarantee you it’s at least a hundred bucks to get a car out.”

“Why don’t we go down there and check it out,” Noah said. “What do we have to lose? It’s only a fifteen-minute walk.”

“I’m cold,” Amber said, her arms wrapped around herself.

“You want my sweatshirt?” Carter asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine once we get movin’.”

The quartet cut through the woods and across a couple of streets. They walked along Calvert Street until they got to Fremont Avenue. The street was home to a couple of construction companies, a landscaper, a junk yard, a trucking company, and a tow yard. One side of the street was left wooded so that those living in the nice neighborhood on the other side didn’t have to look at
Sanford and Son
across the way. They crept along the edge of the woods.

“How’d you know about this road?” Carter asked Noah.

“My dad used to work for a landscapin’ company that has their yard here,” he replied.

Glenn’s Towing appeared to be open. There was a small office next to the front gate. It was well lit, and an old man sat inside behind a cramped desk. The gate was shut. It was an eight-foot-tall chain-link fence with barbed wire on top. They could see their cars with the back bumpers facing the gate.

“Someone’s comin’,” Noah said.

They backed up into the woods, waiting and watching. A tow truck lumbered down the road. It slowed before stopping at the gate. The driver beeped his horn. The old man stood up and hit a button on the wall inside the office. The gate with wheels opened, propelled by a chain and an electric motor. The driver pulled in and parked the tow truck off to the side, leaving the gate wide open. The driver climbed out of the truck and went into the office with a clipboard. The old man greeted him, and they stood talking over the paperwork.

“Now’s our chance,” Carter said.

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Noah said.

“Let’s run up there, get the cars and drive ’em out before they shut the gate.”

“Are you fuckin’ crazy?”

“That’s dumb,” Amber said to Carter.

“It’s not dumb,” Carter said. “That gate moves really slow. I counted like twenty-five seconds from the time the old man hit the button and the gate finished opening. We just need to get to the cars without them noticing. When we start the engines, we should have at least twenty seconds to get out before the gate shuts.”

“That’s dumb – the cars are facing the wrong way,” Amber said with a frown. “You would have to turn the cars around, and it’s too crowded in there. It would be like a twelve-point turn.”

Carter grinned. “We’re gonna back straight out.”

“You are crazy,” Noah said with a crooked smile. “But it could work.”

“You guys are so fuckin’ retarded,” Amber said. “You’re gonna get arrested. Carter just started drivin’ like two weeks ago.” She shook her head. “Let’s go back and try to find Zach or Justin. They’ll give you guys the money.”

“I agree,” Lilly said, “let’s go back. Zach or Justin will help.”

Noah shook his head. “No, we’re not askin’ for shit.”

“Let’s hurry then,” Carter said to Noah. “I’ll let you pull out first, but you gotta pick up Amber and Lilly because I might not have time to stop.”

Lilly looked like she was going to be sick. “Don’t do it, Noah.”

“They’re not gonna do it,” Amber said.

“Just be ready to jump in Noah’s car,” Carter said.

Carter and Noah crept up to the tow lot. The darkness covered their approach but the gate was bathed in yellow light. The men were still talking. Gravel crunched under their shoes as they ran past the gate to their cars. Carter opened the door to his mom’s powder-blue Buick Skyhawk. He saw Noah slip inside his dad’s white Nissan Sentra. He heard the whine of the four-cylinder engine. Carter fired up his own engine a split second afterward. Alerted by the noise, the men in the office ran out to check the lot. Noah sped toward the gate in reverse, Carter right behind him. He was moving quickly but carefully, keeping the vehicle under control. The old man smacked the button on the wall, and the gate started to move. It looked like Noah was going to clip the gate, but he made it through unscathed. Carter was three car-lengths behind him, gunning the engine of the old Buick wagon. The tow truck driver waved his arms. Carter blew past him, squeezing through as the gate shut on the front passenger quarter panel, scratching the car and knocking off a hubcap. He turned, the tires screeching as he backed onto Fremont Ave. He slammed on the brakes. Amber and Lilly jumped into Noah’s car with wide smiles. Carter jammed the automatic transmission into drive and spun the front wheel as he floored it.

They drove seven miles down Route 1 to the North Potomac Denny’s. They parked in back behind the dumpsters. Noah climbed out of the driver’s seat, grinning from ear to ear. Lilly pressed her body and her lips against him. Amber jumped on Carter, hugging him with her legs wrapped around him. After a moment the couples disengaged and the group reunited.

“That was bad ass,” Noah said to Carter. “I used to think you were an asshole, but you’re all right, man.”

“I could say the same about you,” Carter replied with a grin.

“We almost didn’t make it. I think the gate closed faster than you said it would.”

Carter laughed. “It seemed that way, didn’t it?”

Noah shook his head with a smirk. “You fucker, you had no idea how long it was gonna take for that gate to shut.”