Chapter 56
Friendship
"Detective Burns!" Alex shouted, just as the detective was walking away, "What do you think the S.U.V. guy's part in this thing was?" My guess is he is a drug dealer, the detective answered. "I'll let you all know about that also when I find out for sure," he said, waving and walking away to his cruiser.
Detective Burns called Jed the next day and told him that Will and Larry were on the mend, and would be transferred that day to the county jail to await their hearing. Jed was writing everything down so he wouldn't forget to tell his friends even one small detail. "They can have visitors Jed," the detective told him and gave Jed the hours of visitation.
"The guy in the S.U.V. is a drug dealer and is sitting in jail now, also awaiting his hearing. He has a "Rap" sheet as long as your arm, so he will be in prison for a very long time." Jed was happy to hear that, as he knew his friends would be. Within a few minutes of ending his call with the detective, Jed called Alex and the others. Everyone was glad to hear that Will and Larry were going to be okay.
Larry Arnold and Will Kidd had their hearing the next Monday morning. They were both charged with assault on Avery Thorn, (the freshman that Jed had taken to protecting from bullies), and for the robbery of the convenience store a few weeks before. Their trail date was set for the end of May, so they would remain in the county jail until then.
Jed, Alex and Stan had been in to see the boys a couple of times with good results. Both Will and Larry said they had learned their lessons. Both boys said they had sent a letter of apology to Avery Thorn for the beating they had given him and the taking of his lunch money. Larry and Will also announced that they were done with drugs for good. "The Doc told Larry and me how close we came to dying, Will said. "It scared the...., out of us. Well, you know what I mean." "Yeah," Larry agreed.
"And we're done robbing stores too," Larry added. "I didn't even remember we had done that. We were both so 'high.'" "Yeah," Will put in, "Buzz, he was the guy in the S.U.V. was in court the same day we were, and it took the judge fifteen minutes to read all of his charges. He's going away for a long time." "We don't want that to be us," Larry finished. Jed, Stan and Alex shook hands with Larry and Will before they left and told them they would keep in touch.
The fifth of June finally came and the gang were seniors now and also out of school for the summer. However, Alex viewed it to be a lonely one for him. for Dawn and Chet were going with his parents to West Virginia to visit his grandmother for a month. Lee and Glenna were flying to Florida with her parents and wouldn't be back until two days before school started again. And Anna was going to Europe with her parents and at the last minute, Fletch said he was going to some place in Ohio with his girlfriend of six months, a pretty, blue eyed strawberry blond named Holly Shepard.
Before the gang left school that last day, they sat at a picnic table and reminisced about school years gone by. Among the many stories was the parking lot at North Side Middle School where five cars were blown up by a mad man. (All the vehicles belonging to teachers at the school; one of the cars was owned by Dawn's mother, and another by Mr. Wells,) The bomber was a former teacher at the school and had held a grudge against the school board for firing him many years ago. The North Side Detectives had helped solve the case.
Then the group talked about when they had sat around another picnic table at North Side a few years back. It was spring time then too. Mr. Wells was teaching his History class outdoors that day, as he often did when the weather was nice. Half way through the class, Mr. Wells, Alex and all his friends learned from a happy Detective Burns, that Mr. Wells was cleared of all charges after being accused of killing his best friend. Alex and his friends had helped out on that case too, for which Mr. Wells was very grateful.
Alex drove home that day in his new vehicle, (new to him anyway.) It was a five year old dark green Jeep Cherokee and when he saw it at the dealership. he told Jed it was love at first sight. On his way home, he comforted himself with the fact that Jed was staying home this summer. His buddies, Hank, Tom and Ben were going on a hiking, rock climbing, camping out every night adventure together.
Alex and Jed couldn't go on vacation if they'd wanted to, because they both had jobs; Alex at the convenience store and Jed driving a delivery truck for one of the big floral shops in town. On the weekends Alex and Jed would get together and play one on one basketball, take in a movie, play video games or some other time filling thing they could think of.
On a warm August night about a week before senior year was to start, Alex and Jed were sitting on the back porch steps at Alex's house talking. In a lull in their conversation Jed looked up at the starry sky and said, "You know Alex, I think my problem with you when we first met was jealousy." Alex looked over at his friend with a stunned look on his face. "Why?" Alex asked him.
"Because you were always surrounded by your friends." "Well, you had friends too," Alex told him. "Stan is truly my friend now, along with Ben and Tom. But then I think when I hung around with Stan, Will and Larry, they were afraid of me." "Well, look at you," Alex said laughing. Jed chuckled too. But then said, "But your friends have always liked you." Then he glanced over at Alex and added, "And girls like you Alex."
As uncomfortable as Alex was talking about this stuff, he felt compelled to make his friend feel better about himself. Jed was looking up at the stars again. "You know Jed, I don't have girlfriends. I have friends who happen to be girls." Jed looked at Alex with a raised brow, his brown eyes full of doubt at Alex's statement.
Alex laughed at the look on Jed's face. "I really don't," Alex said passionately. "Not even Anna?" Jed asked, looking away again. "Alex smiled and said, "Not even Anna." Jed smiled back at him. "I'm just not ready for a romance right now," Alex told him. Jed just grunted and looked up at the sky again. Alex looked up too and said, "Hey, there's the big dipper!" He was hoping to change the subject.
It worked. Because then Jed asked, "Are you going to college Alex?" "Yeah. The University of the South in Tennessee." "I'm going to Harvard," Jed said, in a voice as if he were commenting on the weather. Alex gaped at him with deepest respect. Jed didn't see because he was still looking at the sky.
When Alex didn't say anything, Jed continued, "I'm going on a Athletic Scholarship." Alex wasn't surprised there. Jed was his father Max's most valuable quarter back. "I could have gone on an academic one. I have a 4.0," he added. Alex knew It was important to Jed to say that. "And you're worried about getting girls?" Alex asked him with a incredulous look on his face.
Jed laughed, while Alex added, "Looks, brains and a football hero. How could any girl resist you?" Alex ended, still grinning and throwing his arm around Jed's shoulder. Jed then inhaled deeply, looked over at Alex and said, "After what you've told me. Would it be....okay with you....if I ask Anna out?"(still thinking Alex liked her more than he'd said.)
"You don't need my permission pal," Alex said with a chuckle. "It's perfectly fine with me." Jed grinned at him and was poised to say something else, but Alex beat him to it. "And you'll have plenty of time to pluck up your courage and asked her." "Well, that's good, but why?" Jed asked him. Alex grinned his lopsided grin and said, "Because Anna's going to Harvard too."
End of Chapter 56
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Book 2-Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery
Mystery / ThrillerAlex and his friends, Dawn Marks, Lee Martin, Fletcher (Fletch) Clark and Glenna Williams are now in high school, ready for more mysteries and adventures. Mrs. Books is still on hand with a tray of her famous chocolate chip cookies and tea. And Mr...
