The waitress arrives with our food, momentarily saving me from Kenny’s interrogation. As we dig into our plates, I catch her watching Rookie at the counter.
“What?” I ask.
A mischievous glint appears in her eye, one I’ve seen many times before. Usually right before we do something stupid. “You said you’re sick of being followed around?”
I lower my voice. “God, yes. It’s like having a puppy that never leaves your side.”
“So let’s ditch him.”
I nearly choke on my rice. “What?”
“Come on,” she urges, leaning in. “For old times’ sake. Don’t you want a few hours of freedom?”
I glance at Rookie, who’s now fully engrossed in conversation with the busty blonde who’s ignoring her tables. The thought of a few hours without being watched is tempting.
“Klutch would kill me.”
“Only if he finds out,” Kenny counters. “I seriously doubt your shadow’s going to rat himself out.”
I hesitate. Kenny senses my wavering resolve and presses on.
“We can go check your apartment. See if your dad’s been there.”
That gets me. I’ve been desperate to go back to my place, but Klutch has been adamant that it’s not safe. But if my dad’s there...
“Okay,” I whisper. “But we have to be quick.”
Kenny’s face splits into a triumphant grin. “Leave it to me.”
She pulls out her phone and starts texting. Twenty minutes later, there’s a commotion at the front of the restaurant. A woman in a tight dress walks in and makes a beeline for Rookie, slapping him hard across the face.
“You bastard!” she shrieks, causing every head in the place to turn. “You said you’d call me!”
As Rookie stammers, confused and red-faced, Kenny grabs my hand. “Come on. Let’s go!”
We slip out through the kitchen, ignoring the cook’s protests. Once outside, we break into a run, laughing like idiots as we dart down the alley and around the corner.
“Who was that woman?” I gasp as we slow to a walk, a couple blocks away.
“My cousin Tara,” Kenny replies, still giggling. “She works at the bodega around the corner, and she owed me fifty bucks. Now we’re even.”
“You’re terrible,” I say, but I’m laughing too.
“I’m a genius,” she corrects. “Now come on, there’s a bus stop two blocks over.”
As we hurry toward the bus stop, I feel a lightness I haven’t felt in weeks. For a moment, I’m not the daughter of a gambling addict or the girlfriend of a protective biker who thinks I need a babysitter. I’m just Demi, having an adventure with her best friend.
The number 42 bus arrives just as we reach the stop. We climb aboard, drop our fare in the box, and find seats near the back.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” I say again. Klutch really isn’t going to be happy if he finds out.
“Like old times,” Kenny grins, bumping my shoulder with hers.
And it is. In high school, we frequently slipped away from school without ever getting caught. As the bus lurches into motion, taking us toward the south side, I realize how much I’ve missed hanging out with McKenna.
“I’m sorry about Pee Wee,” I say, suddenly serious.
Kenny’s smile falters. “Yeah, well. Better to find out now, right?”
