Transgression (Prequel #1)

7 - Cascade

After an hour, most of the small trash from the initial damage was taken care of. Now, more challenging stuff was being brought over. Things like full planks of wood Leonard had begun ripping up as well as parts of the bleachers that required Nash, Joshua and Rook to drag over. Once it was by the truck, the four of them had to lift it onto the bed and then climb up to drag it to where it needed to be. That was the most taxing thing all day.

However, the interval between bleacher sections seemed to take longer and longer each time. Enough so, that Alex had periods of nothing happening, where he would cross his arms and lean against the truck. Thomas also had time to relax and thus perched himself along the edge, positioned over his right shoulder and they both watched the other guys do their thing.

"So, quite a motley crew we have here, huh?" Alex started the conversation.

"Everyone's got a story." He replied, rocking forward and back.

"Judging by first impressions, I'd say I'm interested in that guy Nash or Leonard's stories."

"I'd drop that, if I were you." Thomas suggested.

"Why's that?"

"Because those two aren't as nice as me." He said in a monotone.

Alex scoffed, then reared his head back, directing his gaze up to the ceiling.

"Gotta admit, I didn't know what to expect coming here. The guys I worked with before had a history, of course, but they were grounded. Family men, passionate people and just good to be around. But I never got too invested in them, it was just work ya know?"

Thomas nodded in agreement, adjusting his feet. "I hear you, but I can't really relate. This is my first job; I don't really know what I'm doing." He admitted.

Alex brought his chin down, then turned to him, "How old are you?"

His eyes got shifty; lips shrunk. "Nineteen." He said in a low, almost whispering voice.

"You serious?" He nearly raised his voice, but kept it contained.

Thomas didn't say anything. Instead he untucked his feet and sat on the bed, dangling his feet over the edge.

"Kid, you are way too young to be here."

"It's no big deal. Just made some mistakes."

Though he seemed calm at front, his body relaxed and unhindered, it was clear he was pulling back internally. Alex then shifted his eyes, checking if anyone was nearby.

He then leaned in and whispered, "Did you hurt somebody?"

Thomas hesitated, then shook his head.

"Was it drugs?" Alex pressed.

"Man, I don't wanna talk about it right now. Okay?" He demanded in the nicest voice he could muster.

Looking away, Alex sighed. "Hey, relax. I'm just grilling you." He snickered.

An awkward pause crept in. The nearby police officer outside looked antsy just standing there with his arms crossed. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex could see him looking around from where he stood, observing random details and lifting his feet occasionally. Probably had to go to the bathroom.

By this time, many of the clouds in the sky had scrolled past the horizon, allowing the sun to grace them with its warm yellow rays. The early morning fog had been swept away and the humidity in the air rose with the heat. While the wall of trees that encased them helped reduce the amount of direct sunlight, it only did so for the next hour. After that, the sun would scrape across the barren blue and rest somewhere directly above for the rest of the day. Until then, he would enjoy the tender gusts of wind and cooling shade.