Latter Days

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

           Jack gave me a few short directions to his house and we were on our way. We didn't talk much, except for every couple minutes when he gave me a new direction to "turn here" or "keep straight for the next few blocks". I figured he thought I was mad at him, and that's why he wasn't saying anything. I smirked to myself. This kid was so funny. If I were mad at him, would I have let him get into my car? No. 

          To be honest, I mostly wanted to take him home so that Cindy wouldn't be able to. I was worrying myself with how possessive I was getting over the kid. He most certainly wasn’t mine, yet I was acting like he couldn’t even talk to anyone else without my permission. He could do whatever he wanted, yet what I wanted was for him to be with me. Not in that particular sense, however. I just wanted to be near him. He was just so innocent and sincere, and I knew how people were in my town. I had the strongest urge to protect him, which seems silly, looking back on it.

            After about a fifteen minute drive, Jack told me to slow down, that we were approaching the house. I had never been to this side of the town before. Frankly, I wasn’t even aware that this was even part of town, let alone that it existed. We were driving down a completely empty road with large trees on either side. I didn’t see any sign of any house whatsoever, but Jack told me to come this way, so I did. I turned left when he told me to, and was surprised to find that, instead of a house, my car sat idling in front of a large gate. I turned slowly toward him, confused.

            Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s uh, that red button. Hit it, and I’ll do the rest.” He nodded toward a small box located right outside my driver’s side window. I noticed a small red button in the lower right hand corner of the box, and I hit it.

            A voice rang out, “Tristan Residence. How may I help you?”

            “Actually, Javier, it’s me. Jack? Sandra quit cooperating again and I had to get a ride home from my friend Annalie.” He grinned sheepishly at me. I was absolutely speechless.

            “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Tristan. I’ll open the gate and send someone for Sandra right away.”

            “Thanks, Jav!” Jack said, and motioned for me to pull forward. I noticed the gates were slowly opening and I creeped forward.

            We must have been traveling down another straight road for five minutes before I asked, “What’s going on? You didn’t tell me you were absolutely loaded.”

            “Who says I am? You only saw the gate. For all you know, we could have wasted all of our money on that alone, and I really live in a shed.” He was joking, but his face was dead serious.

            A shed was the exact opposite of what he lived in. We made one final loop around an enormous Redwood and faced the largest house I had ever seen in real life. Three stories, ten windows, all facing the front yard, with an individual balcony springing off of each. A guest house was located a little bit beyond the main house, and was probably itself the size of my own house.

            “Jack,” I hissed. “You’re loaded. You really can’t deny it now.”

            “Alright, alright, so my dad kind of owns like seventy some-odd shopping malls throughout the country. Big deal,” his statement tapered off into a low mumble, so I almost didn’t hear him.

              “Jack!”

              “What?” He looked nervous, for some reason.