Free The Silver Lining by Jennifer Raygoza Page A

say that would possibly make anything that happened better?”
    Zach looked around the bar, and then back to me. He cracked his knuckles and bit his lip. He looked down at the floor and then back up to me. It felt like time had took a damn nap on my watch.
    “Dude?” I threw my hands up and arched my eyebrow. “Did you come here for something or not?”
    “I just wanted to say—”
    “Is there a problem here, James?” Mike cut in from the corner of the bar. His voice was tense and filled with concern. No one was more worried than me right now. I didn’t want to go back to prison for busting Zach’s face in. Boy, did I want to though.
    I didn’t respond and neither did Zach. We just stared at each other. The door to the bar opened and in walked a few customers.
    “Why don’t you boys take whatever this is, to my office?” Mike pointed to the back of the bar.
    I nodded at Mike and made a head gesture to Zach to follow me, as I made my way to the bar office. It felt like I was walking fast, but Zach caught up to me. He was now walking by my side and I wanted to ram his head into the wall. I wanted to take a few liquor bottles and bash them against his skull. Those were the things that ran through my mind as I took in the sight of him. I chose to refrain from killing him, which took a hell of a lot of will power. My freedom was at stake here and I wasn’t about to go back to a tiny cell like a caged dog. We reached the office, and I slammed the door behind us causing him to flinch.
    “What do you want?” I asked loudly.
    He stood there obviously unequipped with the right words. “I don’t know what to say. I messed up. I panicked and tossed the bag to you.”
    “You ran like a coward, and left me standing there with a backpack full of drugs in front of a drug dealer’s house.”
    “I was scared.”
    “So you let me take the fall? You know me. Drugs are not my thing. If I had known I would have never gone with you.” I threw my hands up at him. “What did you tell me? You said we were dropping off a backpack for a kid that you tutor in the hood. Jesus Christ, Zach.”
    “I’m sorry, James—”
    “Sorry, doesn’t cut it. I served time. I have this on my record forever. My whole life has changed, and here I look at you with your Cartier watch and your Louis Vuitton sunglasses. You just walked in here like you were walking on water. You look untouched an unscarred. That must feel amazing. Does any of this bother you, everything that’s happened to me? Do you fully get it?”
    “It makes me sick. I feel really bad.”
    “I am so sorry my jail time was weighing on your conscience. It must have been horrible. So horrible you didn’t admit to any of it. I took the fall for your ass and you didn’t say a word. I was a loyal friend. Not once did I drop your name.”
    “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?”
    “I don’t know, Zach. How many times did you sleep with Nikki?” I barked at him.
    His breath hitched and his face turned red. I watched him swallow the lump in his throat. He placed his hands up. I was freaking out and I didn’t know how much longer I could contain myself.
    “I can explain that. She came to me. She told me she was pregnant with your baby. You were locked up and she didn’t know what to do. She was afraid, and she needed somebody. I didn’t plan on being with her. It just happened.”
    “Shut up.” I paused and let it sink in. “Pregnant?”
    Zach looked at me in a manner that showed he was surprised I didn’t know. He closed his eyes and placed his hand up to his mouth briefly.
    “Fuck, James. I assumed you knew.”
    I stood there fuming as heat radiated up around my neck. My heartbeat increased and my breathing quickened. I gritted my teeth and before I knew it my fist had already struck his face twice.
    “How could you do this to me? You were my friend,” I shouted. I felt someone pulling me back. Mike had already shoved me into a corner by the time I found