The Secret (Boston's Best 1)

Chapter Seventeen

Matt

I shoot someone on the screen and wonder aloud. "Do you think coach will let us off with practice tomorrow evening," I look at my phone which reads, 01:43, Sunday, 3 April. "Or I suppose this evening?"

Felix laughs. "That's funny. Do you seriously think my father, Alejandro Aldine, the soccer player who could've been the next Willington Ortiz if only he didn't injure himself, at a party, is going to let us off not going to a sacred Sunday practice because we're all tired from going to a party?"

"Well, when you put it like that."

He throws a chip into his mouth and looks at me, "Exactly."

We continue playing the game for a few more minutes before out of the corner of my eye I notice Maddie and some dude I've never seen before sitting on a bench in the foyer to my right as she throws her arms around him and they laugh.

Like a stalker, I stare at them for at least a minute before Evelyn, Gianna, and two more dudes walk up to them.

"Hermano! How did you miss that? He was standing right in front of you. You're getting shit at this game."

"Who is that?" I say to him while still staring at Maddie.

"What? Maddie?"

"No, the guy beside her."

I can feel the question forming in his brain but he thankfully doesn't voice it aloud, "Nick Bukhari. He's on the baseball team, Model UN, and mathletes. Have you actually never seen him before?"

Nick Bukhari. Baseball, Model UN, mathletes, tall, good-looking, with Maddie, laughing, laughing with Maddie.

"No, I have seen him around, I just didn't know his name."

He eyes me but doesn't say anything and just goes back to playing the game. I pass off the remote to JP and stand up.

"I'm gonna go for a leak."

He just nods without looking away from the TV screen.

This is what I love about Felix. He never feels the need to ask questions that aren't absolutely life or death. It's not his business until you make it or he wants it to be his business.

I know asking about Nick and Maddie like that is a bit obvious but he didn't say anything about it, which is good cause I don't even know why I did it.

Whereas Alex and Darius, now don't get me wrong I love them, but they're nosey fuckers and wouldn't have let me off with that that easily.

I walk up the spiral staircase and down the hall and open the door to the bathroom just to find two freshmen making out on the sink. When they see me they giggle and run out arm in arm. It would be cute if it wasn't so gross.

I do my business and during the time it took for me to pee, five different times couples or hook-ups or whatever tried to burst through the doors. Never in my life have I loved the lock on doors more.

I open the door and instantly I get shoved aside by a couple. Horny fuckers, jesus.

I stand in the hall and take my phone out of the pocket of my jeans to see a text from Max Grant.

Max: Hey, Matt. Thanks for letting me know, I'll be in touch with you tomorrow afternoon. Also, we'll need to discuss something about your parent's estate in Dubai.

I hate that my parents didn't have any family so everything falls on me. It all just seems like a huge joke. Like the whole thing is basically just, 'Hey Matt, we know you've only just turned 18 but your parents just died in a plane crash –congrats on your State Championship by the way. But yeah, you're now an orphan and have no other family so here's a shit ton of money and a law firm. Have fun!' Like what?