56 That’s just asking for it

LJ

I parked a couple blocks away from Steve's house and brisk walked towards his street with my head down. This is what we do when we all assemble at Steve's, we park far away and walk over. Geends have some vague idea that this was Steve's house or recording studio or both, and though they don't regularly mob him or anything, we can't take a chance that all our cars, which all Geends are knowledgeable of, I don't know how but they really are, like even when we're due for registration or a tune up, are parked up front together. That's just asking for it, like definite confirmation that Steve indeed lives here, and look Boy Next Door is having a party. Antis might throw a grenade and boom, career over.

I always have a mask or a cap in the car, or a mask or a cap, sometimes, other people's masks and caps, but for some weird reason, there was none in the car today. Of course, this is not the first time it has happened to me, but the first time, okay fine, the first time in a long time that it happened while the sun was out and I had to walk a couple blocks to get where I needed to go. Anyway, I looked down at the road and tried to move as fast and as low key as I could so that nobody can recognize me.

Before I could turn the corner, I heard someone call me. Shit.

"Hey LJ!" I normally wouldn't turn around, but it was a familiar voice. I stopped and turned. Chastity was standing in plain sight, in broad daylight. I nervously looked around to check if anyone else could see us and recognized either of us.

"Are you on your way to Steve's?" she said, rather loudly. Shit, does she want the whole neighbourhood to hear her? I grabbed her arm and dragged her with me. She exclaimed a few choice words, demanding loudly that I let her go.

"What are you doing, Chas?" I hissed at her. I was moving away from Steve's house. After she tried to set Steve's car on fire last year, we have all been vigilantly watching out for Chastity drop-bys.

"I'm just making conversation, dickhead, let go of me!" She was furious. But Chastity is always furious. And always taking her frustrations out on Rory. Rory doesn't tell me, but I watch them enough to know.

"You're not allowed near Steve, remember?" We arrived at the playground in the village. It was empty. I took her behind a structure that looked like a slide and a cave at the same time and pushed her under it to hide her. "Ned agreed not to call the cops on you if you stayed away."

"I know that. I wasn't going anywhere near you guys," she spat at me. "My aunt lives near here."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She knew I didn't believe her.

"Fuck, I don't want to go to jail, LJ," she whined. "Leave me the fuck alone. My aunt is waiting for me."

"Go ahead," I said, crossing my arms. She stomped away, like I had confiscated her hairbrush. She walked in a different direction, not the one we came from, and nowhere near Steve's. Lying, obviously. This stupid girl. I can't believe I once wanted to fuck her.

She turned to me, suddenly and said, "Tell him though, I know that he's hiding her."

"Hiding who?" Shit, what is she up to.

She grinned at me, the default Succulent face plastered on. "See, I know him more than you do. Ask him." Then, she walked away without turning back.

I waited for her to completely disappear from my sight before I went to Steve's house. When I arrive, Jamie and Mark are already there, and have raided the liquor cabinet. Jamie has made gin and tonics for him and Mark, and asked me if I wanted one.

"Yes please, more gin than tonic." I sat at the kitchen counter and buried my head in my hands. Mark was watching porn.

"What's with you?" Jamie said, "Are you already stressed about being the first one to do the solo album? Or stressed that Ned and Barney will say no?"

I shook my head and frowned at Mark. "You're seriously watching porn right now?" I asked him.

"It was on when I turned on the TV," Mark widened his eyes at me, like why am I bitching right now? He grabbed three different remotes and started turning stuff off. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I saw Chastity outside Steve's house just now," I said.

"Oh shit," Mark said, jumping to his feet.

"Karma," Jamie shrugged as we watched Mark try to find a way to look outside without moving Steve's curtains.

"Jame, this is serious," I chided him.

"Where is she now?" Mark asked, crouching beside the window.

"Gone," I said, "I waited for her to get into a cab."

"Knowing Chastity, that does not necessarily mean that she's actually gone," Jamie said. He put a coaster down in front of me and planted my drink on it. "I'm so glad she didn't go nuts for me."

"Or me," Mark agreed.

"Why, did you sleep with her, too?" Jamie asked him. "Your drink is on the bar."

"No, you moron, I'm just saying I'm glad," Mark was still looking out the window. "They're here."

I watched him walk purposely towards us, like he was in a movie or something. "Can you relax please?" I whined.

"You should relax," Mark snorted.

"Chas said she knows that Steve is hiding her, who's 'her'?" I looked at Jamie, because Jamie would know.

The front door opened and Burt, Steve and Missy walked in. They were each carrying bags of take out. "Hi boys," Missy smiled at us, like sunshine.

"Missy," Jamie said, softly. "He's hiding Missy."

My head snapped to look at Jamie so hard, my neck popped.