Lovers & Haters by Calvin Slater Read Free Book Online Page A

it’s your move . . . Master Splinter.”
    The crowd of students cheered and whistled when Dylan and his goons turned to walk away. At one time or another, Dylan had shaken down most of the students at the school.
    â€œThis ain’t over, Xavier,” Dylan said.
    â€œIt soon will be,” Felix threatened. “Second Street is gonna smash you D-Day clowns.”
    â€œEverybody, break this crap up and get to class,” Doug said, directing traffic with his hands. “Felix, you and your boys better skedaddle before all of you find yourselves on a permanent suspension—you already got one foot out the door and the other one on a banana peel.”
    Dex had snuck the table leg back inside his locker.
    â€œIf I see anybody standing around, they’re going to the principal’s office,” Doug warned. He looked at Xavier. “I see we are going to butt heads.”
    Xavier looked at the immense size of Doug’s cranium. “That’s a battle I would lose.”
    â€œMister Funny Man,” Doug replied, “get to lunch and stop causing problems.”
    Xavier was laughing when he turned around and saw Samantha and one of her silly friends shaking their heads at him.
    Xavier smiled and winked at Samantha.
    She sweetly smiled at him and said, “I told you, you’re a bad boy.”
    Xavier laughed. “And like I told you before, you know you like bad boys.” He watched with pure infatuation. She was feeling him and he knew it. She was just playing hard to get.
    He turned his attention to Dylan. Something had to be done about those D-Day cats, and quick. Xavier had no idea what it would take to get this knucklehead off his back. Obviously smashing him in the parking lot would only escalate the beef. It was just too much to think about right now.

4
TOLD YOU SO
    F riday afternoon saw Xavier sitting on the porch steps at the crib with his head buried inside the pages of Hamlet . Ne Ne had kept both boys out of school. Alfonso had had a ten o’clock doctor appointment for a regularly scheduled examination. She was too trifling to take him. So she simply delegated her responsibility to Xavier and gave him enough cab fare for both ways. Besides, Ne Ne was suffering from a massive hangover and wasn’t about to get out of bed to run her baby boy anywhere. She and Nate had been hanging tough last night, partying and drinking well into the wee hours of the morning. But when she finally managed to crawl out of bed in the early afternoon, all she could do was run to the kitchen and cook her boyfriend breakfast. Once the two of them had eaten, they started drinking again, with the volume of the stereo cranked up so loud that Xavier had retreated outside in order to concentrate. An hour later, his mother and her annoying boyfriend had followed him out on the porch. Ne Ne was sitting on Nate’s lap in a steel fold-up chair. They were kissing, as she laughed at Nate’s dumb jokes like a silly little schoolgirl.
    She and Nate were smoking Newport cigarettes like the manufacturer had made an announcement that they would discontinue the brand. Xavier, who was old enough to understand that his mother was selfish and didn’t care about his education, wasn’t blaming Nate. Xavier hadn’t learned about escorting his brother to his doctor appointment until this morning, and wasn’t going to do it, but Ne Ne had played hardball. If he didn’t bend, the penalty would be him not getting to hang out at the State Theater tonight for teen night.
    Ne Ne had Montell Jordan’s old hit “This Is How We Do It” rocking the house. Xavier knew it was wrong, but he liked how quiet the crib was when the lights and gas had been turned off a few days ago. Somehow, Ne Ne had pulled a hocus pocus move, coming up with the money in order to get the service restored.
    She and Nate were now celebrating with the music bumping so tough that the front window panes of