same time. It was
amazing how much he looked like Trigger up close. You could definitely tell they
were brothers.
“It’s nice to meet
you,” he paused for a second, looking back and forth between the two of us. He
was probably trying to figure out what his little brother was doing with
someone who looked like me. Wonderful.
“Well,” he
continued. “I guess I’ll see you later then, bro.”
He looked back and
forth between us once more, looking confused. Then he turned around and walked
back to his car, springing the engine to life and zooming off past us and down
the street.
Trigger waited a
few seconds and then started the car slowly, shifting gears.
“Shouldn’t we? I
mean shouldn’t we get your mirror off the sidewalk?”
He shook his head.
“Na, I have a place I take it. He’s done it before.”
I swallowed,
unsure of how to react to that. His whole presentation of himself had
definitely changed now. He seemed stiff and angry after the run-in with his
brother. I couldn’t help but play
the whole encounter over and over again in my head. It was clear that something
dangerous was going on with the Ford brothers, something I wanted no part of.
It was weird seeing Kat with them, she had always been so shy and sweet in
school.
I couldn’t help
thinking the way that Danger talked to her was in more than a sisterly manner.
In the short exchange I had seen they had seemed almost more like boyfriend and
girlfriend than brother and sister.
“Danger and Kat?
They aren’t… I mean… are they like together?”
Trigger looked at
me like I’d lost my mind. “That’s nasty, she’s our sister.”
“I thought she was
your stepsister,” I pointed out.
“Well she’s like
our sister,” he snapped. “And Danger would never look at her that way. She’s
not even his type.” Trigger sped up down the road; visibly annoyed at the nerve
I had to ask him anything about his brother.
Just like I’m not
your type, I couldn’t help but think.
“Sorry,” I said.
But Trigger didn’t
answer me.
Instead, he drove
on silently toward my house. After a few minutes he pulled up outside of my
apartment building, not the street I had given him when we left the bus stop. I
looked around, confused. “How did you?”
Trigger half
smiled for the first time since we had the run-in with his brother. “I know
where you live,” he said simply. “I know where everyone lives in this
neighborhood.”
I got what he was
saying. These were his streets.
Of course, he
covered his bases.
“Well, thanks for
the ride home.” I popped the door open and started to climb out when he stopped
me.
“Let’s hang out
tonight.”
I froze. Was he
kidding? Why would I hang out with him? Look at what had already happened in
the short amount of time I had been with him. “I don’t think so.” The thought
of being caught up in Trigger’s world any more than I already was terrified me.
“We can do
whatever you want.”
“Why?”
He shrugged.
“Because I feel like it.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Well, as flattering as that is, thanks but no thanks.” I got out of the car
and slammed the door behind me. Trigger was so annoying, implying that him
being bored was a good enough reason for me to hang out with him.
“I’ll pick you up
at 9,” Trigger called out the passenger side window and then he zoomed off
without another word or glance in my direction. I watched him speed away in
awe.
He had to be
kidding.
***
I obsessed over
the time for the rest of the night. This couldn’t be happening. What was wrong
with him? Was this amusing to him? I was sure he wouldn’t really show up. He
had probably forgotten about it the second he left my building.
I would have left
way before 9 so there was no chance of me seeing him at all, but my little
sisters and my mom were home that night. The last thing I wanted was Trigger
showing up at my door without me being there.
I had talked to my
girl Meghan earlier in the day and she