Good Boy by Megan Lowe

Chapter 22

After a filling meal of gigantic pancakes at Wildberry and awesome views of Chicago from the top of Sears/Willis Tower, Jase and I head to Navy Pier.

“Are you sure it’s okay I’m tagging along?” he asks for the fifty-seventh time.

I ruffle his hair. “It is way more than okay. I told the guys what we were doing, and they said to invite you as well.”

“So this wasn’t your idea?”

“Wha—? Of course it was. I mean….” I stop when he bursts out laughing. “You jackass,” I say as I grab him around the neck and run my knuckles over the top of his head.

“Ow! Get off me!”

I laugh as I let him go.

“You should’ve seen your face,” he says as he tidies his hair.

“I never want you thinking you’re anything less than my number-one priority, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Come on, let’s have some fun.”

Ihave to admit, when Chloe first mentioned this, I totally thought it would be lame as fuck, but it’s not.

“Cheese and caramel is not a combination I thought would work, but I have to admit, this popcorn is pretty good,” I say as I shovel another handful into my mouth.

“Excuse you,” Chloe says. “How dare you doubt our popcorn expertise?”

“We’re from Michigan,” I remind them, gesturing between Jase and me. “We’re bred to hate you guys. Of course we’re gonna doubt your popcorn flavors.”

They all shake their heads.

“Isn’t this cozy?” a voice says from behind us.

“Cav!” Thomas says, “I didn’t think this would be your scene.”

“You know I go where the action is,” Cav replies. “And it looks like I found all the action.” He looks Jase up and down. I step in front of my brother while Cav laughs.

Thomas looks around. “Why are you here by yourself? Where’s everyone else?”

He shrugs. “Maybe I’m confident enough to go out on my own.”

Thomas nods. “How very progressive of you.”

He spreads his arms wide. “I’m nothing but a modern man.”

I snort. Coming from the guy who is too afraid to come out as gay, even to himself. “Why are you here, Cav?” I ask.

“Am I not allowed to come here looking for a good time?”

“And what sort of good time would that be?” Again, the words are out of my mouth before I realize what I’m saying.

“Little Siddell,” he says to Jase. “How’s it hanging?”

“Don’t answer him,” I say to my brother.

“Aw, why not?” Cav asks. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

“No, you just hurt me.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure being the good brother he is, he’d never dream of betraying you, would he?”

Thomas pinches the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t betray you, Cav.”

“Says you.”

“Just leave Thomas and my brother alone,” I say. “Neither of them is interested in playing your games.”

He chuckles. “Who says I’m playing?”

“Cav….”

Cav ignores both of us and speaks directly to Jase. “If you ever get tired of your brother’s overbearing shit, you know where to find me.”

“Just get out of here, Cav,” Thomas says. “We just wanted to have a nice night out.”

“And I don’t?”

“Do you? Really?”

“I’m here. Why else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Chloe says. “Maybe to cause shit?”

He gives a butter-wouldn’t-melt smile, and I swear my heart skips a beat. “Would I do that?”

“Just go home, Cav,” I tell him.

“B-but I j-just want to be p-part of the c-cool g-g-group.” He mock pouts. “I-I don’t h-have any f-fr-friends and you h-have so many.”

I roll my eyes.

He points to Jase. “I bet he buys it.”

I shove him, my hands against his chest. “Leave. Him. Out. Of. It.”

“It sucks when someone you care about is targeted, isn’t it?” he asks.

“The only difference is I didn’t target Thomas. He came to me.”

He shoves me away. “Yo, little Siddell,” he calls as he walks away. “If you ever need a friend, you can come to me. I promise I won’t ruin your reputation like your brother here will.”

“Shut up, Cav,” I hiss.

He laughs. “Enjoy your… fun.”

“That guy gives me the shits,” Chloe says. “Like, majorly.”

“I’m so sorry,” Thomas apologizes. “I didn’t know he’d be here.”

“Which brings us to an interesting point. What are you doing with us? I’m not buying your I-want-to-be-the-good-guy act.”

“I can’t be friends with you guys?” he asks.

“No, not really,” she replies. “Cav has made it more than clear what he thinks of Connor, and he’s never really bothered with me before, so why all the sudden interest from you?”

“I’m not Cav. Just because he likes or doesn’t like something or someone doesn’t mean I have to follow.”

“But you usually do, don’t you?” She folds her arms across her chest.

“Are you questioning my motives for hanging out with you guys?” he asks.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“You don’t think he did this too?” He gestures to me.

“I don’t care if Connor interrogated you, I’m doing it now, and I’ve got to say, I’m not overly impressed with your answers.”

“Guess it’s good that your opinion’s not the only one that counts then, huh?”

Chloe shakes her head. “You think you’re slick, don’t you? That because you’re the great Thomas Rose, right-hand man to Cavanaugh McLaughlin, that you’re untouchable. We don’t give a shit about him, and we don’t give a shit about you. Now, I’ll ask you one more time, why the fuck are you here?”

“I’m here because I feel like shit that for years I’ve done Cav’s bidding. I’ve been his errand boy and done stuff I hate and hate myself for doing. I’m here because I hate how Cav treats people, especially Connor.” He stops and takes a breath. “I don’t know, I guess I wanted to try and make things right.”

“By being our friend?” she asks, eyebrow arched.

“By showing and proving to you that I’m an okay guy, that I’m not like Cav—or that I’m not anymore.”

“Hmm.”

He shrugs. “I know it can’t excuse what’s basically a lifetime of doing the wrong thing, but it’s a start, right?” He looks to me.

“Look,” I say, “why don’t we leave this how it is. I’m okay with Thomas hanging out with us, but if you’re not, Chloe, then, I don’t know, we can work something out.”

She shakes her head. “He’s up to something.” She points at Thomas. “And I really don’t think you should be involved in whatever it is.”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “It’s fine. It’ll be fine.”

“I think you’re wrong, but I’m your friend so I’ll go along with whatever it is you guys are up to. I just hope that when things blow up in your faces, and they will blow up in your faces, you remember that I told you not to do it. You also better pray that things don’t get too bad otherwise you’ll get hurt. Again. And I don’t want that to happen.”

“You think I do?”

“I think you’re letting a hard body and a pretty face fuck with your thinking. I think you want—” she looks to Thomas, who in turn is watching us closely, “—things that aren’t possible and that you should just let lie.”

“It’s nothing,” I tell her again. At this point, I don’t know who I’m fooling. It’s certainly not either of us. This crush I have on Cav… I don’t even think it can be called a crush anymore. I want him and apparently, by aligning myself with Thomas, I’m willing to do just about anything to get to him.

She gives me a glare that tells me she’s not buying any of my shit.

“Okay, I think that’s more than enough excitement for one night. Why don’t we all head home, and we can figure out where we stand on Monday, huh?” I say.

“Whatever,” Chloe mutters, before walking off.

“Sorry, dude,” Thomas says as we watch her leave. “I didn’t want my stuff interfering with your friendships.”

“It’s fine. She’s just looking out for me.”

He nods. “What was that she was saying about you wanting things that aren’t possible?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Really?” he asks. “’Cause it seemed like something.”

I sigh. “I may have a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy, baby crush on Cav, which is beyond stupid. I know this. He’s not interested in me. He’s never going to be interested in me so I should just let it go.”

“Hmm.” He scratches his chin.

“And it’s not like I haven’t been trying to get over it,” I say, words pouring out of my mouth now. “I have. But I don’t know, I think there’s another side to him, a softer one, a more caring one. And I thought I could be the one to bring it out in him. I know it’s stupid and something out of a soppy romance novel, but yeah, it’s stuck there and I’m trying to get it out but it’s hard.”

“Especially when he seems to have a fascination with you,” Thomas finishes.

I shrug. “I know it’ll never, ever happen but yeah, he’s not making it easy.”

“Still,” he says, “it is strange that he’s so obsessed with you.”

“I’m sure it’s because he thinks I’m an easy target or something. I’m not really fighting back so I guess I’m playing into his hands.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that is it.” He has a faraway look in his eyes. He shakes his head. “Anyway, I really did have fun tonight. You guys are awesome.”

“Thanks. It was… um, good.”

He laughs.

“I know you’re worried about Cav, but just leave it with me okay? Tonight gave me some ideas.”

“Ah, I don’t know.”

“Look, you’re already in it now, may as well go the whole way. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?”

I scuff my sneaker against the ground. “I just… don’t want to get hurt again.”

“I can’t promise you that you won’t. Just like I can’t promise that Cav will leave you alone if everything works out the way I want it to. But we have to do something. You have to do something.” He sighs. “I didn’t want to tell you this because I don’t want you to worry even more than you already are, but if Cav can’t come after you, he might come after Jase. I think that’s the logical next step. He’s already started laying the groundwork.”

I look over to my brother. “What?”

He shrugs. “It’s what I’d do. Hit someone where it hurts. It’s obvious you care for your brother, and he knows it’s probably a weak spot of yours. I hate to break it to you, but you showed that today.”

I run my hands through my hair.

“Trust me,” he says.

I nod. “Okay.”

“I’m not making any promises, and it’s entirely likely shit may get worse before it gets better, but I think I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing and I know what to do about it.”

“And you’re not going to tell me.”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m not. Just trust me that I know what I’m doing and we’re going to hit him where it hurts.”

I cover my face in my hands. “Fine.”

“Good. I’ll see you guys on Monday.” He waves goodbye before also heading off.

“You have some interesting friends,” Jase says as we make our way to the parking lot.

“Yes, yes, I do.”