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----- A Drink with a Stranger By: Sean Roberts -----
-- Chapter 14 --
"At the very least," Finn said after a long sip of wine, "we're getting into the finals. We'll probably win them, but once you get to that stage you never really know. Until the finals though, it's pretty easy to predict. We're going to win most of the games from here on out. The thing is, that would not have happened if Ellis hadn't transferred into our school." Lane was sitting across from Finn and Victoria.
"Okay, I get it, Ellis is good at soccer."
"He's good at school too," Finn said. He had started sweating. Lane handed him his napkin. Victoria touched his arm.
"You're with friends here, Finn," she said. She gave him a re-assuring smile, and he relaxed. Finn sighed to himself; if he were being completely honest, he was not entirely happy that Finn was dating someone else. There was a part of him that would always be jealous of her.
"You've hung out with him, Lane. You've spent some time with him working on the paper. If you could describe Ellis in one word, what would it be?"
"I don't know. A straight shooter, I guess." Lane laughed, and Finn snorted, trying to hold in his own laughter.
"I don't get what's funny about that," Victoria said.
"Nothing," Lane said quickly, clearing his throat. "We're just being stupid."
"Still, that sounds about right. So how could he have gotten kicked out of a school for cheating?"
"He told me it wasn't his fault. He told me that the other guy was cheating and blamed him."
"He was at St. Thomas' since his freshman year. The teachers all loved him. This kid must have made a pretty convincing case."
"I guess so," Lane said. "So what's your point?"
"My point is I needed Ellis on our team. I found this guy over there, who goes to St. Thomas', who, oddly enough, was doing the same thing you were—helping with assignments for cash. So I figured he'd do this for me if I paid him enough." Lane's eyes widened, but he caught himself and calmed himself down. Finn did not appear to have noticed. "I paid him to get Ellis kicked out, and he delivered." Victoria took her hand off Finn's shoulder. Lane put down his wine. Finn looked at both of them, then decided he had better get the rest of it out.
"Ellis has no idea I did this. But he does know who the kid is who fucked him over. So he setup this gambling thing. He made sure that this kid became a part of it, and made sure to feed the kid good information. The kid is betting double for Friday. Money he doesn't have, according to Ellis. It's Ellis' way of getting back at him."
"That doesn't sound like Ellis," Lane said. But as he thought about it, maybe it did sound like Ellis. Ellis' grades and integrity were important to him; why would he not do something like this to defend those things? "So what does this have to do with you? And how did Taylor get involved? And what's with bones getting broken for people not paying?"
"That's just a rumour. Nobody's getting bones broken if they back out of bets. Ellis has no idea that he got expelled because of me. He simply asked me to help with this gambling thing, and I agreed, because...because—"
"You felt guilty."
"Yeah, I guess. Although I shouldn't. Ellis is better off here anyway. I don't know how Taylor, or anybody else, found out about this. Well, I mean I do, but that wasn't supposed to happen. Ellis published false betting reports online after the matches, to make this guy believe that other people were betting too. The only problem is that the kid started feeding the information to other people as well, so they would start betting. Ellis continued to feed him the information. So now, if even just once, on a big game, this kid gives everyone the wrong information, he loses all of his money."
"That's fucked up," Lane said.
"You're telling me," Victoria said.
"It's also grounds for expulsion. For me, and for Ellis, and for anybody else they find is involved."
"But you're not involved Lane," Victoria said. "Why would you get expelled?" Lane cleared his throat.
"I'm the one who's been selling assignments to the other students, Victoria. And Ellis knows."
"Why can't I just have normal, non-criminalized friends," she said, drowning her wine.
"It doesn't matter," Lane said. "He has no proof. There's nothing he can do."
"I'm not so sure about that," Finn said.
"What?"
"I don't know what proof he has. Maybe he's lying. But he seems to think he's got you by the balls. Look, he doesn't know that I know it's you Lane. But he knows that if you get expelled, half the soccer team won't make it to graduation. So he told me that if I tell anybody about this gambling thing, that he would get you expelled."
The waiter came by and they told him they were not ready to order, but they did ask for another bottle of wine.
--
"We haven't been up to the lake house in a while," Sally announced at dinner the next day. "So we've decided that we're going up for the long weekend! The temperature is supposed to be unseasonably warm." Lane's parents were smiling. "And you can each bring a friend." The timing could not have been worse. Lane had been trying to figure out a way to meet Keith without anyone knowing to figure out this gambling situation, and of course to keep Jessica from losing all her money.
"Well since Lane doesn't have any friends, can I bring two?" Lane's parents looked at him. Lane shrugged. "I'm only kidding!" Taylor said, punching Lane in the arm. "Why don't we bring Finn and Ellis? That way we can both hang out with them. Oh, and Jessica of course."
"Mom said one friend each," Lane said.
"Oh honey," Sally said to Lane. "It wasn't meant to be that strict. As long as you don't invite your whole school!"
"We'll have to invite Victoria as well," Taylor said. "Finn probably won't want to be without her for the whole weekend."
"Alright champ, that's enough there," James Conway said.
"And Jess," Taylor said. "I forgot about her."
"You know," Lane said. "Isn't this supposed to be family time? Maybe we shouldn't—"
"Come on Lane, they'll love it up there! We can all swim in the lake, and you guys can drive, so we can go into town and do stuff too."
"Taylor, don't you have friends your own age you want to invite?" Lane said.
"Sure, but this way we'll both have fun, won't we?"
"Yeah, well, okay. Mom, dad, are you okay with so many people?" Lane said, deciding that it would be easier to have them veto this.
"Of course honey. You guys are old enough to take care of yourselves. Anyway, it'll be fun to have some young blood around," Sally said. She kissed her husband.
Later that evening, there was a knock on Lane's door.
"What now Taylor?" Lane said, sounding frustrated. The door opened.
"It's me," James said. Lane's father walked into his bedroom and shut the door.
"Oh, sorry. What's up dad?"
"Nothing. Lane, I know your mother and I have been working a lot. That's why we wanted to go up to the lake house this weekend, to get some time to spend with you."
"Yeah. Listen, I'll talk to Taylor, okay? We really don't have to invite all those people."
"No, that isn't why I'm here. I just wanted to say that I'm really proud of you. You've really helped your brother a lot. When I started high school, your uncle Jim used to make fun of me all the time. Really didn't make things easy for me." James was smiling nostalgically. "And even the fact that you have some of the same friends is really good. You're a good kid Lane. I don't think we tell you that enough." If only you knew, Lane thought. James walked over and patted Lane on the back.
"Yeah. Thanks dad," Lane said.
"Come on. Let's go to my study and have a beer. Just don't tell your mother, okay?" Lane put down his pen and smiled.
Before they left for school, Taylor announced authoritatively that everything was settled. Finn was going to bring his SUV and drive him, Jessica, Victoria, and Ellis. There would be no room for Lane in the car, so he could ride with their parents. Lane smiled, relieved for the arrangement.
"Wait? Ellis is coming?" Lane said.
"Why wouldn't he?" Taylor said.
"I don't know. I thought maybe...never mind."
--
There was no match that Friday because of the long weekend, so they were able to drive up on Friday night. Until they arrived, Lane had been excited. Where better to try to win Ellis back? Ellis apparently did not feel the same way. He ignored Lane as much as possible, acknowledging him only when he really had to. Lane's parents loved Ellis, of course, due to his excellent manners. The next morning, after breakfast, Victoria went to sit by the lake with her textbooks.
"You brought work?" Lane asked.
"Of course," she said. "Didn't you?"
"Yeah, but we just got here."
"I see," she said, opening the book.
"I think I'm going to go for a walk," Finn said, looking at Lane.
"I second that," Lane said.
"But what about the lake?" Taylor said. "Mom? Dad? Ellis?"
"I need to go make a phone call," Ellis said after Lane's parents declined. Taylor was left to swim with Jessica, while Lane and Finn walked away into the woods. They still remembered their way around from when they had been there all those years ago.
"Is this weird for you?" Lane asked.
"A bit," Finn said. "Is it weird for you?"
"A bit. But I'm glad you're here. Victoria too. I'm a bit surprised that Ellis came. He isn't exactly my biggest fan at the moment."
"Nor mine. He's here because of Taylor. He likes your brother, you know."
"He likes my parents too," Lane said.
"And they like him. You have to admit he has really good manners."
"Unless he's trying to gamble you out of all your money." Finn laughed.
"Victoria said she'd come because it would be quiet, and she'd get more work done."
"We'll have to sneak off and all have a drink later," Lane said. "Get her mind off work for a while."
"That's the spirit!" Finn said. "By the way, thanks, for Victoria."
"What do you mean?"
"Working things out with her. I'm glad we can all hang out."
"Oh," Lane said. "Well, no sweat."
"You've always been like that, you know, taking care of people. Taylor especially. I think I picked that up from you somewhere along the way, because I've been like that with the soccer team ever since I became captain."
"I noticed," Lane said. "You're good at it. We weren't talking and you got me to make Principal Vance not call all our parents that day. Even though I thought you all deserved to get into shit for what happened."
"You know, I was going to explain that to you later. Richard's dad has a bit of a temper. If he had been called in for that, he would have beat the crap out of Richard. I had to stop it, somehow."
"Oh," Lane said. "That's why Richard looked like that when—shit, Finn, we should tell someone."
"I know. I've tried. He said it'll just make things worse. And he's moving out for college anyway soon. You will keep this under your hat, won't you?" Lane thought about it and nodded. Had he known this, he would have stopped Principal Vance for sure. At the time, doing it for Finn had been reason enough. He looked at Finn walking beside him, looking around at the trees, enjoying his company. He had a sudden desire to kiss Finn. Lane knew he could—they were alone, nobody would see. Finn would not be able to resist. But it was Ellis that stopped Lane from doing it. Lane thought about Ellis back at the house.
"I'm sorry about Ellis," Finn said, as if reading his mind. "I hope he comes around."
"Yeah, me too," Lane said.