CHAPTER 36

Enzo knocked at Cameron's door for the third time and finally someone answered. He could hear the cries of two toddlers behind the door.

He lived near the school, on the second floor of the Good View apartments. It's always like this. Happy names for bad places. As if that was any help.

The old building seemed as if it was about to crumble. Badly lit interiors barely showed the faded paint and dirt on the hallway. Bugs crawled on the stairs, a couple was yelling at each other on the floor above. Life was harsh, and this place was the proof of it.

A young-ish woman answered the door carrying a child no older than three. She looked tired, two giant bags under her eyes, another child was screaming her lungs out a few steps behind her.

"Knock it off, Iris!" she yelled, "you're bothering your uncle."

Enzo waited for her to look at him.

"Yes?" she asked bluntly.

"Is Cameron home?"

She looked at him up and down, then looked at the corridor, "who's asking?"

Enzo smiled, tried to reassure her he was a friend, "Enzo Gallagher, the school counselor?"

Her eyes widened, "you're Enzo?"

She looked at him up and down twice, her attitude changing in an instant.

"Cameron never said you were so young—"

"That's enough Courtney," Cameron said walking behind her, looking at Enzo, half angry and half embarrassed.

"Hey," he said, "what do you want?"

Strange. He never acted this confrontationally. Courtney looked at both of them but didn't move.

"Just wanted to know what's up. Heard you got susp—"

"Yeah, so?"

Silence. Enzo didn't immediately reply. There was desperation in Cameron's voice. Something was missing.

"May I come in?"

Cameron opened his mouth to decline but no words came out. He couldn't do it. He was his friend, after all. Or that's what I thought.

Courtney moved away from the door and Enzo came through. The apartment was as clean as it could be with two toddlers running around. Still, the place looked as if it was about to fall down on everyone at any second. The scent of old, rotten wood permeated the place.

They walked over to the other side of the unit, towards the kitchen. Cameron picked up some old toys from a worn out sofa just across it, and signaled at Enzo to sit.

"You want some water or something?" he asked.

"I'm good."

Both looked at each other in silence, then Cameron looked at Courtney, who got the hint and took the two kids to the only room in the apartment.

She turned on the TV, at least she was giving them some privacy.

"So? What's up?" Cameron asked, standing nervously, glancing outside, avoiding Enzo's gaze.

"What's up with you, man? You had a fight?"

Cameron laughed, "that wasn't a fight. The bitch couldn't hit me back."

"Hey—" Enzo said.

Both looked at each other. Cameron seemed furious, but why?

"Spit it out man. What happened?"

The senior shook his head, licking his lips, then shrugged.

"I've known you for years, Cameron, come on."

"So? What does that mean? What the hell do you think you know about me? You don't know shit."

The bear inside Enzo flared up in anger. He wanted to tear the kid apart, teach him some manners. Every hair on his skin bristled. He stood up, maybe that way he'd be able to calm down.

"Don't push it, boy."

"Or what? What are you gonna do?"

Enzo closed up his fingers, his knuckles turned white.

"Are you gonna keep spewing shit," Enzo said, "or are you gonna say what you want to say? Be a man."

Cameron didn't expect that. His eyes widened and he took a step back. There was a glint in them, but he looked away quickly. Is he holding back tears?

No one spoke. The first one to do so would lose. And Enzo sure as hell wasn't going to lose.

"You fucked me over," Cameron finally said.

Enzo frowned, "what?"

"I told you I had an interview, and we were gonna practice. But you fucked me over."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit.

"What happened?"

Cameron looked at him, his eyes reddening.

"What do you think? I screwed up."

"How?"

Cameron shrugged, "I don't know man! I went there and the man asked about me, my past, my grades, whatever. What do you think? I'm no good at talking."

"Did you lie?"

"No, but come on. Look at this place. Who would give a black kid from this neighborhood a scholarship? There were Asians there, waiting to go after me. What would you do?"

"So you told him the truth, talked about your life and your curricular activities. Where did you fuck up?"

Cameron fished for an answer. He wasn't sure, really, he just knew. Or thought he knew.

"I didn't sound smart."

"You're a fuckin idiot."

Cameron locked eyes with Enzo. He was a tough kid but Enzo stared him down.

"They wanted to know you, I don't know what you expected. You're smart, you probably prepared well enough on your own before this, right?"

He shrugged.

"I needed help."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there; it completely went over my head."

"Yeah, I know. That bitch got you by the balls. You don't even know what's up anymore."

The bear inside Enzo roared. Its red hot fury engulfed him from head to toe.

Enzo took a step forward, his steel eyes fixed on Cameron, who a minute before tried to come off tough, now he seemed like a rabbit about to be eaten.

"Watch your mouth, boy. I'm your friend, but even friends have limits."

Cameron didn't reply.

"Understood?"

He nodded, looking down, "sorry, sir."

"Sit down."

Cameron obeyed, regretfully.

"Two things," Enzo continued, his good attitude gone, Cameron wasn't stupid, he was just frustrated, and the baby screaming in the next room made him understand why. He was desperate. This was his shot at a better life, a way to help his family, and he thought he fucked it up.

"First, don't worry about it. We'll see what happens. This is life, you can't control everything. Sometimes people fuck up but you have to keep moving. That's part of growing up, so grow the fuck up."

Cameron didn't reply, his eyes were still of the floor.

"There are more interviews left, I can help you with those, if you still want to. You don't have to answer me now, you're angry. Just know that I'll be around if you need me."

The kid nodded.

"Second: why the hell did you hit Oscar? That isn't you. Acting like a thug is for losers, you're the one who said it."

Cameron took his time before answering. But when he did, his voice felt different, he wasn't confrontational. Either he vented out finally relaxed... or he learned something.

"Oscar asked about my interview, I answered and he laughed, said my dumb ass had no chance of getting in, now that you were hypnotized by..."

Enzo's steely gaze did not flounder.

"Hypnotized by what?"

"His words were 'hypnotized by pussy'."

A hollowness grew inside Enzo's stomach. His bear roared, it wanted to destroy, to kill. But he remained composed.

"What did he mean by that?"

"Come on, Mr. Gallagher, you think nobody noticed? Everyone at the school knows you and Miss Rodriguez are together."

"But we're not together."

"Yeah, then why did you hold hands at the camp the other night? People saw. They even posted memes online."

This was worse than he thought. He should be the one to tell Audrey the news.

"Show me," he told Cameron, taking out his cell phone.