He made his way straight for 4th, and just like the previous day he found Raguel leaned against a building with a bottle of jack in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
"How you don''t manage to finish that bottle before I get here is beyond me." Max said.
"You want a sip this time?" Raguel asked.
"If things stay as they are, I might." Max said.
Raguel seemed to shuffle his position a bit, even he was smart enough to dress warmly today. His jacket was thick with black fur, and he wore a silvery blue scarf around his neck.
"So that phone call last night." Raguel started.
"It was bullshit, obviously."
"You''d usually want a discussion like that in person, and you never call me to begin with. I knew something was up, so I didn''t move forward with your withdrawal."
"I figured you wouldn''t which is why I didn''t mind calling you." Max walked to the opposite side of Raguel, and leaned against the wall across from him. "So, tell me about Dante." He said peering off in the distance.
"Ah, so he''s the reason." Raguel said taking a puff from his cigarette. His breath, and the smoke merged forming what looked like a cloud of fog in front of his face. "Should''ve known Jegudiel would play dirty."
"So, what does he know about me?" Max pressed.
"The only thing he would''ve gotten from me is your alias, and where you operate. Oh, and I guess the upcoming job, but he doesn''t know the exact details."
Max brought a hand to his chin, and sighed again. "Well, due to extremely bad luck he has more than that now."
"Oh?" Raguel asked raising an eyebrow.
"First name, last name, residence. You know, stuff that matters."
"That phone call though, do you think he bought it?"
"Probably, I didn''t catch anyone tailing me this morning. I was pretty shook when he called me by name so I wouldn''t be surprised if he thinks he''s done enough."
"You? shook? Would''ve loved to see that." Raguel jested.
"So, I have until I pull off the job at the end of the week." Max concluded.
"Sounds about right." Raguel said, "so you''re still going to pull it off despite everything."
Max turned to leave, making his way toward the alley''s exit. "Of course, the biggest mistake he made was underestimating me."
"Hold up Red!" Raguel said. "Do you want my help?"
But Max was already gone, he''d disappeared into the fog. Outside the alley Max could barely see students crossing the railroad tracks, and hanging around right by the alleyway was none other than Draco.
***
"Hey Red! Good to see ya, I saw you mingling with the big boss and didn''t want to interrupt so I''ve just been waiting for ya, how ya been man?"
That''s right, he''d asked Draco to meet him here this morning. He''d been considering telling Raguel about Draco, and he had the perfect opportunity to do so just a minute ago, but ultimately he decided against it. Ava was right, if Draco could be tamed he could be a useful weapon. Max figured he''d give it a shot before giving up on him entirely. The two began their walk.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"So, how was your first day of school?" Max asked.
Draco carelessly raised his hands behind his head, and stared up at the empty sky.
Max felt his own eyes drift toward Draco''s backpack, his mind shifting to what Ava had said yesterday. It was old, ripped, and torn to hell. It was black, and full of dark stains. The only excuse Max could think of for not having replaced it is laziness, but why would someone who was home-schooled have a backpack to begin with? A handy-down from a sibling perhaps?
"It was the worst man, how the hell do you just sit there all day?" He sighed, "and you gotta do that five times a week for how long?"
"About 36 weeks or so." Max answered.
Draco laughed, "Yeah Red, I don''t think this whole school thing is for me."
"Was home-school any different?"
"Home-school?" Draco asked, his expression souring. "Oh, yeah totally." He said without elaborating.
"Anyway Red, you''re gonna help me get back at that Vivi bitch right? Look what she did to my hand!" He said shoving his palm in Max''s face.
Max took a glance at it, and quickly shoved Draco''s arm away. It was a deep cut for sure, but not anything worth retaliating over.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I''m going to kill her after school today."
Max turned to look at Draco again, his head was still in the clouds, his eyes blissfully taking in what was left of the sunlight peaking in through the murky sky.
Max opened his mouth to speak, but Draco turned and looked at him. "I would''ve liked for it to be a surprise, I mean I was gonna do it this morning, but you wanted to have a chat and stuff, so I put it off." Max went to interject, but Draco kept rambling. "It''s okay, I know what you''re thinking, and I got it all covered. I know where she lives, I got the blind spots memorized, and I know exactly what to do!"
''So that''s what he was doing yesterday.'' Max thought.
Max thought it was weird that he didn''t see Draco cross the railroad tracks on the way home yesterday, and now he knew why. It was because Draco had spent his time after school following Vivi.
"So yesterday you were stalking her." Max said.
"Yep, and don''t worry, I''m pretty good at this kinda thing so she didn''t see me."
Max stepped in front of Draco, and stopped. The two stood still in the midst of all the fog as other students walked passed them, and across the tracks toward school.
"Listen I don''t give a fuck whether that bitch lives or dies, but you will not risk my freedom or the gang''s over a petty feud that you started." Max said angrily. "My job is take you two and teach you how to act, I have neither the time nor patience to keep covering for your stupid fucking actions. If you don''t like that then too fucking bad. If you want to kill her so bad then you wait until you''re not under my care, until then stop fucking around, got it?"
Draco''s eyes widened, and so did his smile. "Now that''s what I''m talking about Red! That fire, that energy, man that''s why I joined the Archangels to begin with!" He exclaimed, the boys eyes flickering excitedly. "To be honest I never thought you had that in you." He placed a hand on Max''s shoulder. "Look, you got the whole school wanting to give you props, but you turn them down, you got a girl ready to hop on your dick, but you turn her down too. Unless Raguel is paying you in piss, and dirt you should have some money too, but look at your fit man," Draco stepped back, and looked Max up and down. "I don''t see anything flashy, so, what the fuck is going on? Are you stupid? Are you allergic to pussy? Are you a pussy?"
Draco was way more calculating, and observant than Max had anticipated. In only a single day of school he''d realized Gabby''s affection for him, and the fact that he was a popular name amongst the jocks; he realized all of this despite tarnishing his own reputation. Max wondered if Draco followed him into the cafeteria, and if he witnessed that initial conversation with Gabby. He also thought about the group of boys he saw Draco with before class started yesterday, and if they fed Draco that information.
"There''s value in keeping quiet Draco."
For some reason Draco didn''t seem satisfied with that answer, his expression darkening, and his arms dropping lazily to his side.
"So what? All this shit is on purpose?" Draco asked.
"That''s right." Max said with a heavy sigh.
Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Alright man, I''ll do things your way for now, but if she crosses me again she''s done."
"That''s another thing, I have a reputation to maintain. The dumb shit you do falls back on me, and I''m already paying for it. No more stupid shit at school. Go to class, and do whatever the fuck the teacher tells you to do. You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah I got it, I got it."
Max spent the rest of the walk talking to Draco about the school hierarchy and his role in it. He didn''t think it was important to do that yesterday, and that was a mistake he regretted. Before the second day of school started Draco would know who Kacey was, Richard, and all the different cliques and groups at Eden High. As the two approached the school entrance Max caught sight of Jess leaning against a wall nearby, she was looking at him.