Said the Liar by A. Swift (the best books to read .TXT) 📕

            "You said no, though?" He checked.

            "Yeah, I said no."

            "Was he mad?"

            "Not really," I gave Leon a meaningful look. "I had to convince him, though."

            "Got it. Think he'll ask again?"

            I sighed heavily and rubbed my forehead. "Yeah. I think he will." I didn't really want to have to bring up the picture that Fish had taken and shared around. It probably would come up again eventually. I hoped it would be a long time from now.

            "Well, but you're going to the rally thing tonight?" He asked me.

            I shrugged one shoulder. "That's the plan. I'm going to see what's up. Maybe I can help them reconsider. I doubt I'll be able to, but at least I'll know, right?"

            Leon nodded in agreement and then yawned enormously. He continued to talk through the yawn. "Sounds like a good plan. Keep an eye out. The way you're talking it feels like things might get kind of crazy."

            There it was, Leon's advice. It wasn't earth shattering or particularly insightful. He didn't even tell me to be careful or not to go. he didn't even ask me why I wanted to go or if I needed any help. Nope. Leon was going to let me make my own decisions and he knew that I'd suffer the consequences if I messed up or got into bad trouble.

            But I knew he'd stick his neck out for me if things ever got too bad. And he was right about me thinking it would get crazy.

            "And don't get arrested," He continued. "I want you to be there when I test drive that thing." He indicated the go-kart. "And I need a good name for it."

            "The midnight flame." I suggested half-seriously, grasping at any straws that would get us off the topic of the rally that night.

            Leon made a disgusted face. "That sounds like a horrible eighties movie about someone having an affair. I want a good name. The kind of name that is so fierce it strikes fear into the engines of all the other karts within a forty mile radius and makes them pee antifreeze."

            I stared at him with a bewildered look plastered onto my face.

            "What."

            "I'm really tired." Leon admitted. "Try another one. A better one."

            "Okay..." I scratched my head. My hair isn't at all like Leon's. His is long and brown and curly, mine is short and black and spiky, even without gel or anything.

            "The Blue Arrow, maybe?"

            Leon stuck out his blackened hand and turned it into a thumbs down. "Sounds like a superhero."

            "You don't want a superhero kart?"

            "No. I want a kart with a name that strikes fear into the engines of all the other karts within-"

            "Within a forty mile radius and makes them pee oil."

            "ANTIFREEZE." Leon yelled, correcting me.

            "Stratosphere..something?"

            "You are bad at this." Leon decided.

            I forced a smile. "Fine, then pick something better."

            "Hum." Leon had to think. When Leon was thinking he always said 'hum'. He thought about it for a few seconds and then kicked his chair around.

            "The Arctic Ace." He tried.

            "Kind of cheesy." I told him.

            "You weren't alive during the eighties. You don't know cheesy."

            I scoffed. "You weren't around for the eighties either!" I shouted accusingly.

            "But I've seen all the movies." He explained, tapping the side of his head with the screwdriver. I don't know how he was supposed to be using that on the sculpture since he was working with nails at the moment, but he probably was doing something or other with it.

            "And you keep getting distracted. If you don't clean up this garage I will start throwing these at you." Leon was completely serious as he held up the box of nails.

            "Psssshh."

Chapter 5

            I helped Leon in his garage and we talked for a few hours, but when it started getting close to dinnertime I said goodbye and got home to eat before I went out for the night.

            Dinner was quiet. My dad asked me if I had plans and I kind of dodged the question and then said I was going to hang out with some friends by the mall for a while. Neither he nor mom doubted that this was what I was going to do.

            After dinner I watched tv for a little while and then got online to check my facebook and all that stuff. I'll be perfectly frank, television is especially annoying for me to watch and I don't do it often unless I'm really trying to waste time. Every word people say on TV makes my head rattle because it's either untrue or trying to push something. It's awful. After facebook I got distracted watching a playthrough of a new first person shooter and just like that it was almost eleven o clock. Still a little bit early for the rally to start, but there would be people there already. I wondered when the Devious crew would start showing up. That was when things would really start hopping. To be on the safe side, I left right away at eleven.

            I didn't bring my phone, or my wallet, but I did bring my pocket knife. I didn't intend to use it, I didn't even know if I ever could use it, but I felt safer having it at hand. Plus it fit into my pocket snug, and wasn't very visible. Whether I needed it to trim my nails or to throw at someone to distract them, it seemed a smart thing to have around just in case.

            I knew that one or two of the warehouse gang kept hidden weapons around. Some knives, a baseball bat, other random junk.

            Call me a paranoid nerd, I just didn't want to see an enormous fight break out. Somehow a few people might end up having guns.

            Part of me felt really stupid. Brawls happened more or less every week at the warehouse. That was normal and nobody got seriously hurt like ever. But there weren't that many of us. For all I knew a mob might show up that night.

            I think really dumb thoughts sometimes. This was the inner conversation I was kind of having while I walked along the empty riverbed towards the warehouse. I was wondering how things would turn out, wondering if I would be allowed to just kick back and watch people dance and have a good time, and maybe talk to one or two people. I'd try to avoid the sketchier characters who showed up, and try to avoid Ruse.

            The cold came fast. I was almost to the warehouse doors when I noticed that I was shivering and my breath actually made faint plumes of fog. I zipped up my jacket and put the hood up, regretting that I hadn't thought to bring a hat. Sheesh, it was only September but it felt almost cold enough to snow. Looking up at the dark gray sky I wondered if it actually might.

            Far before I could see the warehouse I heard the music. Someone had found a way to hook up a stereo system. There was probably a generator powering it since there were no outlets anywhere.

            I climbed out of the ditch and scanned the horizon for cars and people. I counted nine cars and could see several bodies moving around because they were lit by bright shining multicolored spotlights that were illuminating everything within thirty yards of the warehouse. The music was enough to send the beat through to my bones. This was quite the affair, and I had gotten there late apparently.

            "Edge!"

            A body detached from near the warehouse doors and ran over to me. It was Ruse, and she was decked out in a multi-layered skirt of some sort that was spattered with luminescent paint. It made her legs look like she was covered in glowing green blood. Her hair was spiked upwards in a punk-anime kind of style. She came barreling towards me and I dodged her first attempt to hug me because I wondered what she was up to and if the glowing stuff on her clothes would rub off.

            "You're just in time, things are really starting now! You should see the gear that Devious's crew has. They Ruseed the warehouse out! Hear that bass?"

            Ruse said this very quickly and I was certain then that beneath the cigarette smell she was smelling like something else. Her eyes were wide and excited looking. She clung to me like she was trying to stand up on a rocking boat.

            "Are you buzzed?" I asked her flat out.

            Ruse's response was a grin and she started pulling me towards the warehouse. We passed by several people lounging outside and a few dancing couples. Several people had beers, but to my relief only one or two looked like they'd had too many. Of course one of those was Ruse. She might have been on something else instead though.

            The music increased in intensity when we passed the threshold. Inside the warehouse the normally gray walls were spotted with light and more glowing paint. Someone had clearly been flipping it around because it was on more than just the walls. The beat was more than just tangible, it was pulsating.

            And there were people everywhere. Tons of people. I estimated fifty just inside the building. Some were on the old stacks of boxes, and a few daring individuals had climbed to the railing that composed the entirety of the second floor and were dancing on top of the precarious metal. It was good that some people knew the rhythm to the song because it was so loud I couldn't even make out anything besides the incessant beating of the drums. At least it wasn't dubstep. People were singing along adding to the noise and some groups were managing to talk despite the level of noise. I spotted Apex with someone who looked a few years older than he was, deep in conversation. Apex kept nodding and gesturing with his hands, he was agitated about something.

            Ruse dragged me to the middle of the warehouse amongst the dancers and flashing lights and joined in the throng of movement. Nearby Brick was dancing with a girl I'd never seen before. I spotted Wheelie a few feet in front of us because of his dance moves. Nobody could move like Wheelie when he started to break dance. He had a circle around him of people watching and cheering. I decided to join in the circle and slipped discreetly away from Ruse to watch Wheelie do what he did best.

            He was an African american kid a few months older than me, and always wore this bright red tanktop and these bright green pants. They made him easy to spot and I knew that's why he liked them so much.

            While he danced I saw him kept shooting this pretty blonde haired girl these big grins and stuff.

            "Go Wheelie!" His admirers cheered.

            I watched for a minute or so and then felt my eyes straying back towards Apex. Was the person he was talking to Devious himself?