leave. * * * Kevin and June drove down Washington Road and turned up Main Street. While they looked for a parking spot, Kevins cell phone rang. June, can you hold the wheel? He picked up the phone while keeping an eye out for the cops; the last thing he wanted was a ticket for driving while talking on the phone. His phone said it was Ryan. Hey, buddy, whats up? Ryan answered in a panicked, breathless voice. Kevin, yo, Im in trouble, man, you gotta help me out, fucking shit, Im in trouble, please... He rambled. Sara and I were in an accident, shit, man. Shes hurt bad. Sara was the student that Ryan had been dating. Kevin winced at the sound of her name. Just thinking about his friend screwing the girl made him uneasy. 61 Jordan Krall Okay, calm down, man, calm down. Just relax and call 911. Where you guys? Were in Old Bridge by that Sunoco station. But listen, I cant call the cops. We were smoking weed, I cant fucking call 911, theyll arrest me, I cant... Ryan started sobbing. Kevin could hear him shouting at Sara who sounded like she was babbling with a mouthful of cotton. Ryan, how bad is she hurt? He couldnt bring himself to say her name. He had nothing against her, really, but saying her name made him feel like he was validating their relationship. Goddamn, man, her ... legs ... theyre off, man, I mean, theyre cut off. The dashboard cut them off. Fucking blood everywhere, man, shes still talking, still alive but please just help us, please. It sounded like Ryan dropped the phone. Kevin turned to June and whispered. Its my friend. He was in an accident. She nodded in concern. Ryan came back on the phone. Please, are you going to come? Yeah, Ill be there. But if Im not there in fifteen minutes, promise me youll call 911, please Ryan, just promise me that much. His friend was silent on the other end but after a few seconds and a couple of heavy sighs, Ryan agreed. Kevin hung the phone up. Alright, were gonna stop at my apartment first and then go meet my friend. The gravity of the situation dawned on him. Fuck, that stupid son of a bitch! June pointed to a parking spot a block away from his apartment. They parked the car and sat for a moment. Kevin leaned back and closed his eyes. Hes 25 years old and smoking pot with one of his students and gets into an accident and wants ME to help him out of it? Christ, whens he gonna grow up? Whys he dragging me into this shit? Alright, lets go. Kevin got out of the car and the two of them jay-walked across the street toward the apartment building. 62 Piecemeal June They passed Kevins favorite Mexican restaurant and he automatically took a look inside. A short, attractive young woman was working the front counter. She turned her head and spit, letting a huge mess of phlegm fly into the garbage can. Most of the mess hit the target but a few stray dots peppered the wall. Without effort on his part, an image entered his mind: himself as a miniature person standing at the bottom of the garbage can being bombarded with a heavy, stinking comet of Latina phlegm that would ultimately drown him in its yellowish deluge. June tapped his should and the thought disappeared. Hey, whats wrong? Nothing, sorry. The entire situation with Ryan got to him. He looked at June and remembered their love-making; it cheered him up quite a bit. They stopped at the door to the building and saw Greg through the door to the porn shop. Kevin waved and Greg responded with a somber nod. What the fucks his problem? Kevin rolled his eyes. His cell phone rang again. He looked at it and saw that it wasnt Ryan calling as he had expected but Mushy. Shit, Im not in the mood to talk to him now. He didnt pick up. Sorry, Mushy. * * * Upstairs in Kevins apartment, Max and Pop were sitting on the couch eating out of a box of Capn Crunch with Crunchberries. Macchu, Pacchu, and Frank were in the kitchen going through Kevins cabinets. Max giggled. Remember that bitch we picked up in Highland Park? The one with the blue hair? High as a
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