Alleyway BxB

XXXI (Go)

SUNDAY, 28 OCTOBER
MARCELLO LOCKHEART

Hesitantly, I raised the phone to my ear. What did Holden have to say to me on a Sunday?

"Marcello, I have bad news."

Immediately, I sunk into the pillows under me. This had to be about my sudden surge of negative publicity. I braced myself for a warning. "I can explain."

For a few seconds, he went silent until I heard muffled snickering. "If you think I'm here because of that Sarah girl. Don't worry about it. I'm here about your boyfriend. You can go to that game and dance of yours."

I shot back up into a seated position. "Don't get my hopes up, Holden."

"The venue for next Saturday cancelled on us due to some sort of out of control party... amateur fire dancer or something like that." He sounded dismissive, more annoyed than concerned about the building.

I could go back home... Make it up to Nathan in person.

"But you said you had bad news?"

"It is bad news," Holden said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Bad news for me. You must be over the moon; but don't pack your bags just yet. I'm not letting you go until Thursday evening."

"That's perfect. Thank you. I appreciate it."

"Yeah... I want you back by Monday night though... Same goes with Nick... You two work faster than I thought, we're ahead of schedule by a few days."

Nick? Taking him to California sounded like a recipe for disaster. But I heard that he and Nathan sorted their issues out through a call. Maybe it would be good for them too. It would be easier if they became friends.

"I'll leave you to it. I should tell Nick about this too-"

"No!" I cut him off. There was a sudden burst of life in me again. "He's right here. I'll tell him right now. Thank you. Have a great day!" I hung up the call and got up immediately. I needed to fix my hair, look presentable to call Nathan.

"What was that about? Whatever Holden said, it sure changed your mood."

I ran the hair clay through my hair and styled it to what it usually looked like. But I couldn't shave until Thursday, I needed the slight stubble for Felix.

"I can go!" I felt about ready to burst, and for the first time in a day, it was for a good reason. "We can all go! Holden said we can go to California for the weekend. As long as we're back on Monday."

Corbyn lit up too, but Nick looked sceptical. "I hope you enjoy-"

"You're coming with me, Nick."

Nick could even attend the dance. Marcella kept me updated always, said the council had asked her to perform. We could add to the list of acts.

"No, I'm not!" Nick exclaimed. "I'm scared of him."

"Corbyn said you two sorted it out," I rolled my eyes. "You two should be friends. It'll make my life easier juggling the both of you."

"Just come with us," Corbyn told him. "Nathan's a forgiving guy. I reckon the both of you can get along."

But he continued to look conflicted. His eyes moved between Corbyn and I, until he surrendered under our convincing glances. "When do we leave?"

"Thursday night, but we need to find somewhere to hide until the game."

Maybe we could stay at Isaiah and Isaac's until Nathan left for school in the morning. I also needed a plan on how I could present myself at the game.