the other side of us | ✓

1.3 | going down swinging

Mason was fidgety the whole day.

He hadn't seen Jon yet, and he was dreading the moment that he would. Mason knew that it would be better to face him head on than to avoid him, which was why he was headed to their meeting spot.

The car behind him honked and Mason glanced up, noticing the light was now green and pressed on the gas pedal. The park was just up ahead, and Mason focused on getting there.

Jonathon had once asked Mason why he did what he did. It was just after their first semester, and the two had been laying poolside in Jonathon's backyard. This was in the beginning of their friendship, before any quarrels or major jobs had started. One of Jon's many siblings had been splashing around in the kiddie pool and the two boys were supposed to be supervising him. Mason hadn't been working for long, and it was mostly small stuff. Phones, key copies, test answers. Easy stuff.

"So why do you do it?" Jon had asked, not looking up from the pictures in the magazine strewn carelessly across his muscular chest.

"Do what?" Mason had responded, closing his eyes as the heat of the day washed over him. Summer was just beginning and already it was too hot to handle.

"The stealing thing."

"I don't steal," Mason had defended himself. "I borrow it for an indefinite amount of time."

"Without them knowing," Jon added with a grin

"Precisely."

"Okay," Jon fished, "So why do you do it?"

Mason had sighed. So far, he and Jon's friendship had been casual. No real connections or deep conversations, and he wasn't sure how to play this out.

"I dunno, man. It's easy."

Jon had snorted into his iced tea then. "That's not it. No one does something that stupid and that illegal just because it's easy."

"Maybe I do it because it's fun."

"Maybe you do it for a bigger reason."

"Or maybe I just wanna help people out."

"This is college, Mase. No one wants to help people out for fun. And I've seen your prices. Trust me, you have all of the benefits in these transactions."

It was true. Even in the beginning, Mason had known how to drive a bargain.

"I need the money," Mason said truthfully.

"For what? You do a job every week, there's no way you need the amount of cash that you're raking in."

"Well maybe I've got a drug problem that you don't know about," Mason cracked a grin and even Jonathon chortled.

"Yeah, I'm sure that that's it. You're a raging meth head and you're feeding your addiction. C'mon man."

Mason sighed. "We've got bills. I help my mom out."

Jonathon let a whistle slide between his teeth. "Must be a hell of a mortgage plan."

Mason switched the subject to the band that was playing at the bar later, and Jon didn't try to broach the topic again.

***

The fact that Devin was attempting to balance a coffee pot in one hand and a tray of sweets in the other should have concerned Charlotte, but she found herself unable to concentrate. She'd had difficulty sleeping last night, and her exhaustion was making itself known.

It was nearing nine o'clock in the morning, and Charlotte breathed in the bitter scent of her coffee. It was her second cup since they'd opened, which was probably unhealthy, but as another yawn escaped her, she couldn't bring herself to care.