The Bad Boy's Secret by Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen
Authors: Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen
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Chapter 1
Chuck leaned against the hood of the car, smoking his third cigarette as he waited for the school bell to ring. Technically, he should be inside the school, watching the clock from history class, but school was for losers. At 18, he felt like he had lived more than most people did by the time they took their last breath. Having grown up on in a falling down building in the heart of New York City, he had known more about guns, thievery, and standing in line at the food bank than he did about his grade six textbook. His mother didn’t work and his father squirreled away most of his measly income on after work happy hour. Twice, they were evicted, sleeping more than a few nights in homeless shelters before his dad transferred to the middle of nowhere mid-west town that they currently lived. The factory work was the same, the happy hour was the same, but the rent and booze was cheaper, and they had managed to stay in the same house for the last 3 years with only a few landlord threats. Chuck had hated everything about the new town, missed the hustle and bustle of big city life. Eventually however, he found the group of friends he fell in with now, and life didn’t seem so awful. Not even the fact that he spent more nights sleeping on couches and on the streets bothered him. It didn’t get as cold here, and when his father threw things in a drunken rage, he could slam out the door and not worry about where he was going. As one of the kings of the streets, in a town separated by lower and upper class, he wasn’t afraid of anything. No one cared whether he went to school, his friends shared what little cash they had, and everyone pitched in to make sure life was as good as it could be in this shit town.
He could drink until he fell down and still stumble his way over to his best friend’s house just before morning light. He didn’t worry about grades, or his future. Kids died young on this side of the tracks, whether it was a gunshot or a lack of funds for doctor’s bills. Living fast was the only way to enjoy life.
If there was anyone Chuck respected in this town, it was 21 year old Richard. Orphaned only a year ago, Richard half killed himself working three jobs to make sure that his two teenaged brothers didn’t have to spend the rest of their childhood in foster care. When their parents died, Richard grew up in a moment, making sure that although they were poor, his brother’s didn’t go without. Richard’s house was also the central gathering for their gang of friends, with dinners and long nights spent in the cramped living room.
***
“Every day, man, I swear, this bell gets later and later. The boys can walk home, I’m bored,” Chuck declared, with a grin.
“I imagine, Chuck, that the bell would be faster if you were actually inside.”
“Have you ever been to school? It’s boring as hell.”
“Uh, yes,” Richard gave him a look. “You getting senile?”
The bell in question managed to stop the bickering between the two of them, as students streamed out, just waiting for the sound to release them to freedom.
Richard’s brothers, Peter and Shawn, 14 and 17 respectively and together as always, were locked in their own playful argument as they pushed their way through the crowd. Steve, Shawn’s best friend, was on their other side, texting frantically as he always did. The boy was glued to his phone, and was the one to text if you needed something right away.
Shawn always worried Richard, and his older brother was glad it was his last year in school. Keeping him in school had been a struggle, even for their parents, and Richard only let him work five hours a week at his part time job, in order to finish out his senior year without flunking it. Peter, however, never needed any encouragement, and always got teased for having his nose in a book. Regardless, the boy got straight A’s, and so Richard let him do what he wanted when night fell, provided it was safe. At only 14, he was
Chuck leaned against the hood of the car, smoking his third cigarette as he waited for the school bell to ring. Technically, he should be inside the school, watching the clock from history class, but school was for losers. At 18, he felt like he had lived more than most people did by the time they took their last breath. Having grown up on in a falling down building in the heart of New York City, he had known more about guns, thievery, and standing in line at the food bank than he did about his grade six textbook. His mother didn’t work and his father squirreled away most of his measly income on after work happy hour. Twice, they were evicted, sleeping more than a few nights in homeless shelters before his dad transferred to the middle of nowhere mid-west town that they currently lived. The factory work was the same, the happy hour was the same, but the rent and booze was cheaper, and they had managed to stay in the same house for the last 3 years with only a few landlord threats. Chuck had hated everything about the new town, missed the hustle and bustle of big city life. Eventually however, he found the group of friends he fell in with now, and life didn’t seem so awful. Not even the fact that he spent more nights sleeping on couches and on the streets bothered him. It didn’t get as cold here, and when his father threw things in a drunken rage, he could slam out the door and not worry about where he was going. As one of the kings of the streets, in a town separated by lower and upper class, he wasn’t afraid of anything. No one cared whether he went to school, his friends shared what little cash they had, and everyone pitched in to make sure life was as good as it could be in this shit town.
He could drink until he fell down and still stumble his way over to his best friend’s house just before morning light. He didn’t worry about grades, or his future. Kids died young on this side of the tracks, whether it was a gunshot or a lack of funds for doctor’s bills. Living fast was the only way to enjoy life.
If there was anyone Chuck respected in this town, it was 21 year old Richard. Orphaned only a year ago, Richard half killed himself working three jobs to make sure that his two teenaged brothers didn’t have to spend the rest of their childhood in foster care. When their parents died, Richard grew up in a moment, making sure that although they were poor, his brother’s didn’t go without. Richard’s house was also the central gathering for their gang of friends, with dinners and long nights spent in the cramped living room.
***
“Every day, man, I swear, this bell gets later and later. The boys can walk home, I’m bored,” Chuck declared, with a grin.
“I imagine, Chuck, that the bell would be faster if you were actually inside.”
“Have you ever been to school? It’s boring as hell.”
“Uh, yes,” Richard gave him a look. “You getting senile?”
The bell in question managed to stop the bickering between the two of them, as students streamed out, just waiting for the sound to release them to freedom.
Richard’s brothers, Peter and Shawn, 14 and 17 respectively and together as always, were locked in their own playful argument as they pushed their way through the crowd. Steve, Shawn’s best friend, was on their other side, texting frantically as he always did. The boy was glued to his phone, and was the one to text if you needed something right away.
Shawn always worried Richard, and his older brother was glad it was his last year in school. Keeping him in school had been a struggle, even for their parents, and Richard only let him work five hours a week at his part time job, in order to finish out his senior year without flunking it. Peter, however, never needed any encouragement, and always got teased for having his nose in a book. Regardless, the boy got straight A’s, and so Richard let him do what he wanted when night fell, provided it was safe. At only 14, he was
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