A Whole New Crowd(8)

It was a stupid rivalry. I couldn’t shake that thought. One prank couldn’t ruin their lives, but it could ruin mine. I turned around. “I’m not doing it. Figure out another way.”
*

Tray had a party that weekend. Mandy had invited me, but a house full of drunk people? It was not tempting. I went for a ride instead. The parents weren’t home, Austin was sleeping at a friend’s for the entire week and weekend, and Mandy had plans to sleep at Devon’s. I didn’t want to spend so much time alone in that massive house. The emptiness was too much at times, so I headed towards Pedlam. Tray mentioned they had new security, and I wanted to check it out. Rawley and Pedlam were two towns in the middle of nowhere. A large river ran between them, but there was no significance to either town. We were surrounded by fields and forest, set smack in the middle of the United States. So it was perplexing why Pedlam would want new security. As I pulled into the parking lot across from it, I wondered why they would post cameras at every corner, including the light posts in the parking lot, and why would they have armed guards? There were two going into the building.
As I watched, nothing stood out. There had been renovations done over the summer, but the new security didn’t make any sense, especially when Pedlam was smaller than and not as wealthy as Rawley. That had been another reason why I hadn’t been so ecstatic when I heard where I’d be living. Rich people were targets for me. I would steal from them, not rub shoulders with them, but it was what it was. On that thought, I headed back. As I pulled out onto the road, a truck was heading my way. It slowed and turned down a gravel road. As I passed it, I saw there were three men in the bed of the truck. They looked rough. No distinct facial features stood out. They were nondescript, but they looked hard. As the car disappeared around a bend in the road, I pulled over and studied where they had gone. The road led out to a field. I’d been down that road before. There was nothing there, a field, trees, and the river. Then I shrugged. They were too far ahead, and I didn’t want to follow them. I drove home. When I got closer to Mandy’s home, I stopped at the diner first. I knew it was the school’s hangout, but since Tray was having his party, I figured it would be empty.
So color me shocked when I saw Tray, Samuel, and Grant in a corner booth. Before I could duck out, not sure if I wanted to stay or go home, Grant waved. “Hey, Mandy’s sister!”
Ignoring the heat from Tray’s scrutiny, I headed their way. “Yes, that’s my name. Mandy’s sister. It’s a bitch to write that out all the time. The teachers are always confused. Mandy or Mandy’s sister. They never know which one is me.”
He laughed and popped a fry into his mouth.
Samuel frowned at him, but said to me, “We thought we’d see you at the party.”
“It’s not my scene,” I lied. Parties were my scene, just not their parties. “Thought you guys would be at the party, since—you know—Tray, you’re hosting it.”
He grinned and leaned back. “Those parties can run themselves.”
“Hmm.” I wasn’t sure what to talk about. These were Mandy’s friends. I was Mandy’s sister and that was extent of our relationship. They didn’t seem interested in explaining why they weren’t at the party, and I wasn’t interested in having a conversation with them, so I headed to the counter and paid for a diet soda. After I filled the cup and headed back, I saw they were gone. I shrugged. Good riddance. But when I went to the parking lot, I wasn’t that lucky.
Tray was leaning against my car. His arms were crossed over his chest, making his upper arms stand out under his shirt. That damn tribal tattoo peeked out of his shirt again, asking for me to lift his sleeve up so I could examine the whole thing. I groaned in my head. Brian had tattoos too, but none of them beckoned to me like his. I didn’t like that. When I stopped in front of him, my eyebrow arched up.
I didn’t say anything. It was on him to talk.
He didn’t say anything.
Fiddling with my straw, I let my mind wander. If this was a game, I was going to win. I’ve spent time on stake-outs, doing surveillance for targets with Brian. For some of those, we had to remain still and silent for hours. This was a win-win for me. If I could piss Tray off as I beat him at his own game, score one for me.
He narrowed his eyes.
I smiled at him and thought back to Pedlam High School. There had been eight cameras. “You’re annoying.”
I pondered those cameras, wondering if there were more, but I focused on him again. “I’ve been told that.”
He laughed briefly and shook his head. “Mandy went back to your house. She said you were gone.”