Free The Mason List by S.D. Hendrickson Page B

widened across his face.
    “Are you
crazy?”  Maybe that rattler got in a strike and the venom was eating away at
his brain.
    “Nah,
that’s what they used to do.  You know, Cowboys and Indians and stuff.” 
    Jess
pulled a small pocket knife from the left side of his Wranglers.  He flipped
out a blade roughly three inches in length.  With a quick slice, red bubbled
from the small opening in his palm.
    “Stick
out your hand.”  Jess grabbed my right hand in a tight grasp.
    “I am not
letting you cut me on purpose.”
    “Just a
nick.  Then we seal it with a shake.  Trust me.”
    “Trust
you.  Really, ” I rolled my eyes.  This boy was so unbelievable.
    “I won’t
hurt ya.”
    “Ok.  But
I’m not watching.”
    With my
head turned to the right, I let Jess Mason slice across the lines of my hand. 
The pain was the same as a paper cut.  I unclenched my eyes to see a streak the
color of deep crimson run to my pinky finger.  Jess wiped the knife across the
knee of his jeans then snapped it shut.
    “Ok.  You
ready?”
    I nodded
in agreement.  Jess mashed the inside of my palm in a tight handshake, mixing
the blood and dirt together. 
    “I
promise we always will be friends and have each other’s backs.  No matter
what.  Even when we have no teeth and no hair.”
    “No teeth
or hair?  I will never have no teeth or hair.”
    “Alex! 
Just swear, ok?”
    I watched
the serious blue eyes of a ten-year-old boy waiting for my answer.  Forever was
a very long time to promise loyalty.  I smiled as I thought about the last two
years.  I had numerous issues with the Mason family, but I’d never felt anything
like I did when I was with Jess.   
    I saw the
picture he painted with Jess bald and toothless, except I had long red hair and
perfect white teeth.  It was a fantasy that would never happen in the reality
of our world, yet I looked into his grinning face and longed for it to be
true.  Maybe the act of speaking words sworn in blood could cement this pact
into cosmic existence.
    “I
promise we will always be friends and have each other’s backs, no matter
what.”  I gave his hand a little squeeze to seal the deal.  Dabbing my hand
against my denim jeans, the cut left dark traces on the fabric.
    “Now I’ve
got your complete sworn trust,” Jess arched his eyebrows up with a mischievous
smile, “I’m gonna help you get up.”
    “Why do
you need my trust?”
    “Because
we gotta get you up there,” Jess motioned to Clive.  
    “Oh no! 
No.  I am not doing it.”  There was no way I would get back up on one of
those things. 
    “We don’t
got no choice.  You can’t walk back and we can’t just sit because the rattler’s
over there.”
    “I thought
you said it’s gone.”
    “Well, I
didn’t kill it, you know.”  A sharp, prickly feeling radiated down my spine at
the thoughts of one very not dead rattlesnake.  Jess was right.  I didn’t have
a choice. 
    With my
ankle, it took some effort to get up on the horse.  Jess climbed up behind me. 
I held a tight grasp on the saddle while he handled the reins.  It was a
completely different experience with someone else in control of the horse.  We
slowly trotted back to the barn.
    “Alex,
I’m really sorry.  I didn’t think any of this would happen.  I should’ve had
Uncle Frank out there with us.”
    “Um, that
may have been scarier than BB and the rattlesnake combined.”
    “I know,”
his voice came with a burst of laugher behind my ear.  “He’s my uncle, but he’s
just plain scary sometimes.  I turned ‘round the other day in the barn and he’s
just standin’ there.  Watchin’ me.  Cigarette hangin’ from his lips.  I don’t
know how long he’d been there.  He spit on the ground and said, Boy, you
better hurry it up or I’m turnin’ the lights out and leavin’ you in here in the
dark with the rats cause you ain’t goin’ home ‘till it’s done.  Then he
used that gross bandana ‘round