Almost Kings by Max Doty

“Teddy. What happened to you?”
    “Mark of valor,” said Hass.
    “Not bad, little brother,” said Truck, examining the eye. “You’re gonna tell me all about that on the way to Reggie’s place.”
    “You gonna come out tonight?” Hass asked Lizzie. “It’s always good to have a sober chick around.”
    Lizzie shook her head. “I’m working.”
    “Corner of Third and Main again?” Hass asked.
    “Easy,” said Truck. “Liz, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Give me a call if you need anything.”
    He bent over, pushed away her hair, and kissed her lightly on the neck.
     
    By the time the party got started, I knew I wasn’t going to have fun. My eye was throbbing, and the pain only got worse the more I drank. The rest of the Kings were scamming on freshman girls, but by that point they were the same ones I’d seen at other parties, and it was all starting to seem like a game of musical chairs. Kallea wouldn’t be there, I knew, or Emily either. The whole exercise was a fainter echo of every other party we’d already thrown.
    At some point, I lost track of Truck and ended up with Wood and Hass in the kitchen. There were no girls around, and they had the yearbook open, double-checking points.
    “Cheer the fuck up,” said Hass, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You got a war wound. Yeah, it’s pretty sick, but girls don’t give a damn. Tell them how you popped Miller one. They’ll fucking melt. Keep your roll up. A few more chicks, and you’ll be ahead of Wood.”
    “Too bad your mom’s not a freshman girl,” said Wood. “Or I’d have like twice as many points.”
    “Hell, if my mom was a freshman girl, I’d do her,” said Hass. “Have you seen her—” Suddenly, his face fell. “Oh, shit.”
    I turned around, expecting to see Zack and Miller, rolling in for round two. Instead, I saw Lizzie, weaving through the party toward us, avoiding drunk guys and holding her belly.
    “Lizzie—” I said.
    “Something’s wrong.” She was shaking a little and crying, and she wouldn’t take her hand off of her stomach. “I need James. Now. He’s not picking up his phone.”
    “Sure,” said Hass. He looked nervous. “Yeah. I’ll just go look for him. You all wait here.”
    “I’ll help,” I said.
    “No. You stay here with Lizzie. Make sure she’s okay.”
    Hass left the kitchen. He poked his head out on the deck, checked the rec room, and headed upstairs. I found Lizzie a chair as Hass left to look for my brother.
    “Are you okay?” I asked. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
    “Just find him,” she said.
    I walked outside to see if the Ford was still outside and found it still in place. A light snow had begun to fall, but the earth underneath the Ford was still dry. I was about to go back inside when I noticed a light on in the detached garage and walked that way.
    As I approached the building, I heard a girl’s soft moaning, and adrenaline shot through me. I hadn’t prayed since my mom took off, but if I was the type, I would have knelt down then. Let that be some random guy from the party with that girl, I thought. Reggie maybe? Anyone but Truck.
    I opened the door and saw them. Nadine Khan, a confirmed nine, and no virgin, was up on the hood of a rusted Corvette. Her head was tilted back in pleasure, and her neck was long and alien. Her hands pressed down on the old metal beneath her, helping her thrust and keep balanced. Her legs were wrapped around my brother.
    I banged my fist against the closed garage door, which clattered and shed dust.
    “Jesus,” my brother twisted his neck to look at me. “Bug. What the hell is wrong with you?”
    “You said—you said—”
    “Who fucking cares what I said? Get the hell out of—”
    “Lizzie’s here,” I said.
    “Jesus. Get rid of her.”
    “Baby, baby, I don’t care if you have a girlfriend,” said Nadine, trying to pull my brother back toward her. Her eyes were out of focus, and I could tell she was