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“Okay,” I say. He walks out into the apartment, and I wait in the doorframe. Magnum nods at me and then they both leave.
Oscar makes himself comfortable in the recliner as soon as they exit. He throws his arms behind his head. “Please tell me you have something to fucking eat in here. I’m starving.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugs. “What?”
“Were you in my apartment the whole time?”
“Yes,” he says, his voice unapologetic. “Rocket got us keys.”
“How did Rocket get keys?”
“The super, I imagine.” He shrugs again. “It’s not like I asked but trust me when I say that pretty much anyone will bend over backward to do whatever the Crew needs.”
“Really? Is that how it works? Maybe you can summon some food up here then if you’re that hungry.”
He laughs exaggeratingly then cuts himself off, glaring my way.
His stare makes me remember I’m barely wearing any clothes. I walk back into my bedroom and change quickly. When I come back out, Oscar’s just hanging up the phone. “I hope you like Chinese. There’s this bomb Chinese restaurant on the corner. They’re going to run some food up for us.”
Mildly impressed, I turn the TV on and take a seat at one of the bar stools since Oscar’s occupying the only comfortable chair in the room.
“Ooh, Netflix?” Oscar asks.
“You know it.” I flip through the offerings and head toward the series I’ve been watching about a stalker. When Oscar asks what it’s about, I start to explain it to him, but then I decide to start over from episode one since I’m only three episodes deep anyway.
Ten minutes into the first episode, someone knocks on the door and Oscar hops right out of the chair. I fumble with the remote to pause the show, so he doesn’t miss anything.
He approaches the door silently, then reaches into the corner and grabs a bat. My eyes round. I hadn’t seen it stashed there. He holds it behind the door as he answers it. When he sees who it is, he relaxes and places the bat back in the corner and pulls his wallet out.
After he pays the delivery guy, he sets a few boxes out on the counter. I smirk, wanting to tease him that he actually paid for the food instead of using his status in the Crew, but I actually like that he did that. People shouldn’t be using fear to get what they want. That’s just sad.
Oscar and I fall into an easy silence as we watch the show and eat food. In between when the credits are rolling and before the next episode starts, we chat about what we just watched. It all seems so normal; I almost have to pinch myself. It’s like I can forget Johnny’s probably off doing something illegal with his father. Or that Brawler left me earlier, sexual tension practically ringing off us both. I can even overlook that Oscar brought his bat with him in case he needed to use it to protect us. And, oh, I’m actually forgetting that Oscar’s here because I’m Johnny Rocket’s girl and apparently, I have to be watched now.
If it weren’t for all that, Oscar and I might even be doing this at another place and time. I actually like having him here and watching TV with him. He hasn’t had his bad boy gang persona on, he’s just been real. And just for thinking that, the itch to scrub off the top layer of my skin hits. It’s not Oscar per se. I don’t want to become accustomed to this. This is not my life. It was never supposed to be my life for fuck’s sake. This is just a means to an end.
Oscar laughs at something on screen. I hadn’t even been paying attention for the last five minutes. He peeks at me. “You got quiet.”
I shrug. “Just spaced for a second.”
He stares at me a while longer then drags his hand down his face. “Listen, I know this life can be crazy. I’m a member of the Crew, don’t get me wrong, but if you need someone to talk to about it, I’m here.”
I tilt my head at him, trying to make him out. Trusting these guys was not part of the plan either. Brawler’s almost there. He’s creeping up on me. Then again, he’s on the outside of the Heights Crew. Oscar? He isn’t. He’s right in the thick of things. “What do you do for the Crew?”
Oscar’s jaw snaps shut. He’s wearing a faded Rawley Heights football shirt that stretches across his muscles. He’s lean and tall, but with a muscular build. “Right now, I help watch you. I do whatever they ask me to. Sometimes it’s one thing. Sometimes it’s another.”
“Vague answers. I could’ve guessed all that.”
“I guess I’m just easy to read then.” His dark eyes shine with amusement.
“That could be. Or maybe you’re just asking me to trust you without giving that trust in return.”
Oscar grins easily. “Listen, I know you probably already heard about me. It’s everyone’s favorite topic where I’m fucking concerned. I bailed on the Heights. I spent a few blissful months in Spring Hill where my mom had a job with a great place to live and look after. A place where I could focus on football.”
“You play football?”
“Yeah. You won’t hear too much about it because here, the Crew is everything. We have a game tomorrow, and if you notice at school, no one gives a shit.”