game. When I needed to pick up a few extra bucks, I’d sit in on a few games.” Mia’s got a lot of surprises up her sleeve.
“I don’t know if she’s right about you lying,” I tell Theo, “but I’ve got about a million pictures of you texting and you look more and more worried all the time. What’s going on?”
Theo fiddles with the piercing in his eyebrow. “I got in some trouble a while back and I gotta spend a couple months in the county jail.”
“No way.” I had no clue. He’d never mentioned this in all the time we studied together. How does a guy keep something like
this
to himself?
“Yeah, I talked to a couple guys I know who’ve been there and they said it’s all right, like a really bad summer camp. I’m scheduled to turn myself in a couple of weeks from now.”
“A couple of weeks?”
“Yeah. Because of overcrowding, they kind of stagger sentences in a low-security place like that.”
“Overcrowding. Like the dog.” Mia’s voice is soft.
“I’m in good company,” Theo tries to joke. But he doesn’t pull it off. He sounds sick.
“There’s more. What is it?” Mia’s forcing him to look her in the eye.
“I screwed some people over to get a better deal. I gave up a few names and got some time taken off my sentence. They’re not happy about it.”
“Bobby?” Mia asks.
Theo nods. “He’s one of ’em. I couldn’t believe when we ran into him this morning. What’re the odds of that? Forty miles from home and there he is.”
“Bobby’s the kind of guy who gets around.” Mia makes a face like she tasted something bad.
“He’s sending the texts?” I point to Theo’s phone.
He frowns. “He’s been following me. Us. Me. Whatever. Trying to freak me out so I change my mind, takeback what I said. That was his car back there, the one that was on fire. He must have lost track of us when we made a pit stop, got ahead of the bus.”
“And then burst into flames because he’s pure evil,” Mia adds.
“Yeah, but he wasn’t anywhere near the car. So where is he? And is he alone? He probably called someone to come get him once his car crapped out. I really don’t want to run into Bobby, especially not with any of his friends.”
“So that’s why your bag is packed?” I ask. “You were thinking of just slipping out of the bus?”
“Yeah. Thought it might be a better idea to take you guys out of the situation. I don’t know what he’s got planned if he catches up with me. Or if he’s going to handle things himself or turn me in to the cops.”
“Why would he turn you in?”
“I’m not actually supposed to leave home. Part of the deal was that I’d keep my nose clean and stick around the house until I had to turn myself in. I’ve been wondering … Bobby might think that would make the court think twice about the names I gave, maybe go easy on them or let them go. If it can be proved I wasn’t sticking to the deal.”
“So what if you got off the bus? You’d just disappear?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if I can make things right. I’mthinking about a fresh start somewhere new. Like maybe the trip and running into Bobby on the road were signs I was supposed to clear out.”
“You should have told us what was going on,” Mia says.
“Because you could help?” Theo frowns. I can’t blame him; I’m skeptical.
“Yeah, matter of fact, I can. I knew someone needed to keep an eye on you if Bobby was in the picture.”
“So you’ve been here to, what? Protect me?” Theo almost laughs.
“Something like that,” Mia says.
“How’s that work?”
“Bobby wasn’t just going to walk away after trying to hit you.”
“What, you read
his
aura and knew his plans?”
“No, I’ve played poker with Bobby and I know he’s a cheating, thieving, lying snake who doesn’t have a good bone in his miserable body. When I saw him take a swing at you and then walk away without a fight, I knew he had something more in mind.”
“Oh.”
“And
“I don’t know if she’s right about you lying,” I tell Theo, “but I’ve got about a million pictures of you texting and you look more and more worried all the time. What’s going on?”
Theo fiddles with the piercing in his eyebrow. “I got in some trouble a while back and I gotta spend a couple months in the county jail.”
“No way.” I had no clue. He’d never mentioned this in all the time we studied together. How does a guy keep something like
this
to himself?
“Yeah, I talked to a couple guys I know who’ve been there and they said it’s all right, like a really bad summer camp. I’m scheduled to turn myself in a couple of weeks from now.”
“A couple of weeks?”
“Yeah. Because of overcrowding, they kind of stagger sentences in a low-security place like that.”
“Overcrowding. Like the dog.” Mia’s voice is soft.
“I’m in good company,” Theo tries to joke. But he doesn’t pull it off. He sounds sick.
“There’s more. What is it?” Mia’s forcing him to look her in the eye.
“I screwed some people over to get a better deal. I gave up a few names and got some time taken off my sentence. They’re not happy about it.”
“Bobby?” Mia asks.
Theo nods. “He’s one of ’em. I couldn’t believe when we ran into him this morning. What’re the odds of that? Forty miles from home and there he is.”
“Bobby’s the kind of guy who gets around.” Mia makes a face like she tasted something bad.
“He’s sending the texts?” I point to Theo’s phone.
He frowns. “He’s been following me. Us. Me. Whatever. Trying to freak me out so I change my mind, takeback what I said. That was his car back there, the one that was on fire. He must have lost track of us when we made a pit stop, got ahead of the bus.”
“And then burst into flames because he’s pure evil,” Mia adds.
“Yeah, but he wasn’t anywhere near the car. So where is he? And is he alone? He probably called someone to come get him once his car crapped out. I really don’t want to run into Bobby, especially not with any of his friends.”
“So that’s why your bag is packed?” I ask. “You were thinking of just slipping out of the bus?”
“Yeah. Thought it might be a better idea to take you guys out of the situation. I don’t know what he’s got planned if he catches up with me. Or if he’s going to handle things himself or turn me in to the cops.”
“Why would he turn you in?”
“I’m not actually supposed to leave home. Part of the deal was that I’d keep my nose clean and stick around the house until I had to turn myself in. I’ve been wondering … Bobby might think that would make the court think twice about the names I gave, maybe go easy on them or let them go. If it can be proved I wasn’t sticking to the deal.”
“So what if you got off the bus? You’d just disappear?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if I can make things right. I’mthinking about a fresh start somewhere new. Like maybe the trip and running into Bobby on the road were signs I was supposed to clear out.”
“You should have told us what was going on,” Mia says.
“Because you could help?” Theo frowns. I can’t blame him; I’m skeptical.
“Yeah, matter of fact, I can. I knew someone needed to keep an eye on you if Bobby was in the picture.”
“So you’ve been here to, what? Protect me?” Theo almost laughs.
“Something like that,” Mia says.
“How’s that work?”
“Bobby wasn’t just going to walk away after trying to hit you.”
“What, you read
his
aura and knew his plans?”
“No, I’ve played poker with Bobby and I know he’s a cheating, thieving, lying snake who doesn’t have a good bone in his miserable body. When I saw him take a swing at you and then walk away without a fight, I knew he had something more in mind.”
“Oh.”
“And
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