Off the Rails

Chapter Four

Drake
Liam and I walked out of the ice hockey rink after practice that night.

"Hey," Liam said as we walked outside into the damp, cold night. "You wanna get some food? Don't feel like going home yet."

"Where you thinking?" I asked.

"Don't care. Can we just go to the diner?" He checked his watch. It was about nine o'clock. "I know you guys are closed, but what do you say?"

"Yeah. I'll meet you there."

Liam nodded and hopped into his Mercedes. I walked over to my car a few parking spots away and got in the driver's seat.

I noticed a small novel on the passenger side floor of the car. I reached down to pick it up. It was was titled A Tale of Two Cities.

I didn't know much about books, but I recognized it as a Charles Dickens novel.

Maybe it's Dakota's and she dropped it, I thought. You just found out she's crazy smart, so it makes sense she'd read fancy books.

Just thinking about her made my heart speed up a bit, but it also brought guilt fresh into my mind.

I didn't mean to lead her on and then turn her down. I was really interested. Every part of my body yearned to kiss her. There was chemistry, no doubt. But after Liam pulled me aside and told me he liked Dakota, I didn't wanna go after her. Liam and I have had enough reasons to fight the past few years. We didn't need a girl dividing us, too.

Twenty minutes later, Liam and I sat at a booth in my family's empty diner, eating French fries and sandwiches while drinking soda.

"Drake, make sure to clean and lock up when you're done." My mother said as she walked upstairs to go to bed. "Goodnight, you two."

"Thanks, Mrs. Sommers. Goodnight," Liam called out.

"Night, Mom," I smiled as she walked away.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, checking our phones. Liam kept tossing around his blond hair, which usually meant something was bothering him.

"What's up with you?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said firmly.

"Fine. How'd that meeting go with the company?"

I knew what I was doing. When something was bothering Liam and he wouldn't tell me, my first guess was his family's company. They put a lot of pressure on him.

"It's all bullshit, ya know?" Liam said angrily. "It's all corrupt and pointless. My dad just cons and lies his way through his whole life."

He paused. I just nodded, letting him talk it out.

"So the meeting was boring as shit, per usual. But then, some colleagues of his come up to meet me. My dad introduces me, then goes on some elaborate speech about how it's important that I start attending company meetings early so he can teach— get this— the 'value of hard work and honesty in the business world' to his only son. And I had to stand there and nod along, as if we all didn't know my dad's a lying bastard." He lets out a frustrated sigh and shoves a fry in his mouth.

"That is totally bull," I agree. "Sorry you always have to deal with that shit."

"I just can't wait till the old man retires and gives the company to me." Liam ran his hand through his hair.

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with that company?"

"Oh, I don't," he grinned. "That's why, as soon as it's in my name, I'm selling it. It's worth at least seven hundred million. Can you believe that? So by the time we're nineteen, you and I can have a condo in Miami with jet skis and beautiful women. And I'll never have to think about this damn company again."