Free Crazy Horse's Girlfriend (9781940430447) by Erika T. Wurth Page A

missing eyes and legs, covered in years of dust. Jake ran over to a window and kicked at the wood criss-crossing it.
    â€œHey!” We heard behind us. We could hear footsteps in the hallway.
    â€œShit!” Treena yelled.
    The wood was coming loose and Jake continued to kick, hard. Finally both boards came loose with a crack. Jake kicked quickly at the remaining wood and glass and then got out of the way.
    â€œGo!” He yelled and I hesitated. He pushed me forward and I began to scramble out the window.
    â€œJake!” I said, looking back.
    â€œGo!” He repeated. Outside, I could see that we were by the highway, and a few seconds later, Julia and Treena got out behind me.
    â€œStop!” I heard right behind us.
    â€œGo!” Jake yelled. We ran.
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    The next day, I woke up to a hangover. And guilt. I turned to the phone and dialed Megan’s number.
    â€œHello?” It was Will. Guess the fucker was back.
    â€œHey, so, uh, did Jake come in last night?’
    â€œNo,” he said. I closed my eyes.
    â€œOh, God.”
    â€œWhat he do now?”
    â€œI… we… had a party in this old, empty complex and the cops came. And most of us got out, but Jake didn’t.”
    â€œThat crazy fucker,” he said.
    â€œYeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. At least Jake was a non-dickface crazy fucker, which was more than I could say for Will.
    â€œSo where you been?” I asked.
    â€œNowhere.”
    â€œWill, Megan’s gonna kill you, man.”
    â€œWhatever. Bitch’ll have to deal.”
    â€œYou, my little friend, are going to die.”
    â€œNot by that fat bitch’s hands.”
    â€œMan, you’re rough on her.”
    â€œWell, she’s a fucking bitch.”
    â€œA fucking bitch who took you in.”
    â€œWhy don’t you shut the fuck up?”
    â€œWhoa, whoa cowboy. Calm down,” I said. I could hear the click sound of Will’s lighter and then an exhale. “Look. Jake’s probably in trouble. My guess is that his parents were called.”
    â€œWhat do you want me to do about it?”
    â€œNothing, Will. Jesus. Look, I have to work today and I’m grounded but I’ll come by tonight. Jake might need some of his stuff.”
    Jake had just gotten a shipment from Denver, and the plan had been to get the rest of it after the party so that I could transfer it to my place.
    â€œOK, laters.”
    â€œBye,” I said, and hung up.
    I grabbed for the baggie and pipe under my bed. Smoked. Laid back down. Eventually, I trudged up the steps and saw Mom sitting at the table, grading. I went and fixed a bowl of cereal and sat down.
    â€œSo, your auntie called this morning. Jake didn’t show up at home last night, and he just got caught by the police. Turns out he and some other kids were partying last night somewhere they shouldn’t have been. You know anything about that?”
    â€œUh… no.”
    â€œMargaritte, if I find out that you were there, I am really going to be angry. And so is your dad.”
    â€œDad,” I repeated, rolling my eyes.
    â€œYour dad has every right to be angry at you.”
    â€œI guess.”
    â€œI don’t know what we’re going to do with you, Margaritte. You just keep doing things that are going to destroy your life. Do you know where your cousin is? Again? Juvie. And your Auntie told me that if he is caught doing one more illegal thing, he will be tried as an adult. Did you know that?”
    I was silent. I hadn’t known that. But I’d wondered. I was just glad that he’d sold out of the weed that he’d brought to the party.
    â€œAnd do you want to end up in juvie?”
    I shuddered. Jake wasn’t the only kid I knew who’d done time there. And Jake did OK, because he was big. But not everyone did so well. There were fights, and people molesting people. One girl I