Orphanage AU: Lams

Chapter 58: Raise a Glass to Freedom

I want to thank everyone who is still reading with all my heart because this is probably the slowest burn you've ever read, and your patience, to stick it out to the end... I am amazed you were able to stomach my crap for this long, honestly.

---Justin's POV---

"Jeremy. Who are you?"

I looked up from my book, marking the page with my finger. The kid, perhaps a junior, did not look like a drug dealer at all. Pale and gangly, with blue eyes and a mess of light brown hair, he looked more like a loser stranded at a party.

Jeremy, his name was. I extended my hand. "Justin."

Actually, were real names a good idea? Maybe I shouldn't have. I began to mentally scroll through the other Justins at my school, one by one, as the kid sat down next to me on the bench with an awkwardness that was obvious as his neon braces.

He slapped the had, curled his fingers, pulled out and went for a fist bump. I guessed hand shakes weren't a typical high school football game greeting, and of course, I fumbled the fist bump thing.

He looked as though he was thinking, watching the empty field as the bleachers began to fill. It was a little less than half an hour before the game, the sun touching the swaying tops of the trees still standing around the campus.

"Are you supposed to be sitting here?"

I thought that might be an attempt at subtlety. I was equally unable to figure out the right way to communicate in a drug dealing situation. "Uh, yeah. I want to sit here. Or, well, I have to. Or-"

"You're new to this, right? I mean, you don't exactly seem..." Jeremy stopped there.

I tried not to show my nervousness, which was probably more apparent than I wanted it to be. "Sure of myself?"

His pale skin flushed apologetically. "I was going to say not exactly the type. Never seen someone with a notebook, pencil, and book to pick up pot."

I didn't have anything to say to that, so I pointedly put my pencil in my pocket, closed my notebook, bookmarked and closed my book, and watched the trees stand still.

"Sorry," the guy half apologized with a shrug. "I'm a nerd too, I like to take it as a compliment. Actually," he rambled awkwardly, "I think I'm more of a geek, but-"

"Yeah, I get it," I interjected, just to have a little peace.

I guessed he was one of those people who just couldn't stand silence, or at least certain types, because he asked, "So why do you want weed? I mean, to start now... and obviously you've never done it before..."

He seemed genuine enough, so I told him, "You know Naomi? She's new this year, she's a senior, she- well, I mean, she's really nice and..."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow and I blushed as I almost said, "Hot."

This whole time he had been kind of jittery, but now he seemed even more on edge. What did I say?

He ran a hand through his mess of hair. "Hey- Justin? Right?" I nodded. "Is her last name Rodriguez?"

I smiled widely. "Yeah, how'd you-"

"She's a cop." Jeremy looked guiltily around as if nervous someone heard him, but the bleachers around us were empty.

What did cop mean? Not, like, police, right? Probably some passing slang term or something, I figured.

Jeremy wasn't looking at me, but when I looked at him directly, he avoided my eyes determinedly.