Chapter 45

Sean and Walt were waiting – just as ordered – when Adam showed up at the lot where he parked his car during class. Beginning golf class didn't appear to have taken much out of them.

"We're getting worse at the game now that we're being taught to play it the right way," Walt lamented. "My grade is based on using the correct form to get the ball to do what I want it to. I can use the correct form or I can get the ball to go where I want but I can't do them both at the same time."

"Serves you right," Adam joked. "You expected to waltz in and grab an 'A' without putting forth an effort. Ha!"

"It's really not that funny," Sean chimed in. "I'm in the same situation. I've played golf hundreds of times and I usually score in the low 90s or high 80s. But the couple of times I've tried to use the form the prof showed us, especially on short irons – let's just say I'm well into the hundreds. I actually dread the mid-term exam Thursday."

"A mid-term the day before Break starts!" Walt bitched.

"Better than the day you come back," Adam offered. "I've got a mid-term in the morning; one Friday morning; one the Tuesday we get back and one the first Wednesday."

The other guys nodded.

"Are we set with Daystar?" Sean asked, getting back to business.

"Left a message," Adam declared with a shrug. "Tate and Ben were out for the afternoon. I don't have a cell number or anything. If he doesn't call me back in the morning, I'll try again tomorrow after class."

The guys had to go back to the apartment to get the van because neither Sean nor Walt could drive it – and parking it in Downtown L.A. would not have been a good idea, unless they simply wanted to give away the items inside.

Walt served as navigator on the way across town, keeping the conversation light and helping Adam to maneuver the boxy vehicle though congestion. It still took them over an hour to get to their new locale. Sean arrived five minutes later, shaking his head.

"I will not miss trying to merge on the 695," he said. "At least from here to class will only require a single freeway instead of trying to battle through three of them."

"Try it in this beast," Adam said, jerking his head toward the van. Walt and Sean said they would pass as the guys opened the back to start moving in items.

It was a pain getting all the small things out. No one had thought to remove the clothing so that had to be moved to Adam's car – at least as much as would fit.

"Which room is this going into?" Adam asked as they slid a curio cabinet out.

Walt and Sean simply looked at each other.

"I thought you had an idea of what belonged to whom," Sean said.

Adam shook his head.

"Edna told me to take anything she put a piece of tape on," Adam remarked. "And she pretty well put a piece of tape on anything not nailed to the floor. I guess this can go downstairs. It looks like a downstairs thing."

"It looks like a china cabinet," Walt commented. "What was in it?"

"Stuff?" Adam guessed. "Look guys, whatever choice we make is going to be wrong. We should accept that fact from the outset and just put it wherever we think it should go. I'm sure we'll wind up moving things 20 times before everyone is satisfied."

"Let me call for instructions," Sean said with a nod. "Then at least we have a defense."

He called and got Rachelle's voice mail, leaving a message for her to call him back.

"Well, at least we know where the bed is going," Walt told them. Adam grimaced.

"Do we?" he wondered. "Which room are you taking? Are you willing to make that choice?"

"Uh... ," Walt stammered, his eyes widening. "No. Nor am I not willing to run into that buzz saw for little or no gain."

"When I pictured us all here, I figured Walt and I on one side and you and your harem on the other," Sean joked. "But after our visit and what everyone said the other night about Erin, I'm honestly not sure. I should have thought of that. Hey, between us, I really don't think we want my sister to live here. It's not that I dislike her or anything. But things are balanced, you know. Erin might disrupt that balance. Plus, well, she never dates a guy for very long. I don't really want her endless litany of boyfriends coming and going."

Adam raised his hands.

"I'm not really interested in getting into that battle," he told the guys. "If it comes to a vote, I'll be busy that week. Walt can handle it."

Walt chuckled.

"I'll abstain on your behalf and leave you in the wind, pal-o-mine," he joked, although Adam wondered if it wasn't really true. "I do not want to wander that minefield alone. That's why I suggested all new house members or investors require a unanimous vote. If those girls put their mind to something, we're out of luck anyway."

"I can control my women," Adam said firmly. A second later all the men burst into laughter.

"It felt good to say that just once," Adam remarked. "Even if we all know I'm full of shit."

A few minutes later, Rachelle called and the move was on. Everything was loaded into the two large rooms until the women could decide on its right and proper place in the household.

The guys were content to leave those sorts of decisions to someone else.

Adam probably should have known things were going too smoothly to last. Indeed, that thought did cross his mind during the trip home. Walt and Sean were teasing each other about the risqué outfits; each was certain the other's girlfriend would return with and what the meeting with Rachelle's father on Wednesday would entail.

Both men stopped talking abruptly as Adam pulled into the apartment complex and Adam's mind stopped its meandering when they saw the bright red car sitting in front of their apartment. Each knew to whom the car belonged: Eric Travers, their former roommate and Shelly's former boyfriend.

Adam had taken to parking his car in the spot in front of Allie's apartment but he pulled into the second spot designated for 724. Walt and Sean were out of the car before he could shut down the engine.

"What the fuck!" Eric said. "My key doesn't work."

"I changed the locks for that very reason," Walt said.

"You no longer live here," Sean chimed in.

"I paid rent for this month," Eric bitched.

"Oh, you're still responsible for the lease you signed," Sean informed him coolly. "But you are not on the new lease the landlord offered us Saturday. You'll likely be hearing from him over the unpaid balance of the first lease."

The smile on Sean's face was as cruel as any Adam had ever seen.

"Where's Shelly?" Eric tried. "Her roommate says she moved out of the dorm and into an apartment. I want to see her. Now!"

Walt laughed. Again, there was cruelty in the action.

"Your dad might be lord of the manor back in Hicksville," he posed idly, "but you've got no stroke here."

"I believe Shelly mentioned that she was going out with some of her friends," Sean said. "I think she was looking for some clothing that her new boyfriend would find attractive."

"Bullshit!" Eric said. "Stop playing fucking games with me. Get her out here. It's time she came home. Her dad sent me to get her and take her back."

Walt took a step forward and Eric took an involuntary step backward.

"I don't think Shelly is interested in going back with you," he said. "She is an adult, almost 20 years old. You don't make decisions for her and neither does her father. If she wants to leave, there is not a soul here who will try to stop her. But when she chooses to stay, if you do something stupid, you're going to find yourself with real problems."

Eric smirked at Walt.

"See, that's always been your problem," Walt said. "You have always mistaken the fact that I'm laid back and easy to get along with for cowardice. You somehow got it into your head that we're frightened of you. Well, let's just be clear. I never said anything because I don't care enough about you to give a fuck one way or the other. You stepped over the line once with Mary but Adam took care of that before I had to. But I would have. So if you think for a minute that I'm scared of you – or you think that I won't leave you splattered all over this parking lot – you might want to think again."

Adam had never seen Walt angry, for which he was thankful. Adam was taller than Walt by a good bit and outweighed him by 50 or 60 pounds. But he had arm-wrestled Walt once and lost decisively. Adam was not weak by any means but Walt had a lot of strength in a tight package.

"I can give her a call to let her know you're here," Sean said. "If she wants to come see you, she's always welcome. But if she doesn't, you'll need to leave."

"So she's out with your girls," Eric said, his smirk widening. "I should have guessed. Sure, call Rachelle and have her pass the message along."

"Oh, I'll call Shelly's cell phone," Sean said, his smile becoming increasingly hostile. "No one will need to pass a message."

"She's not allowed to have a cell phone," Eric said angrily. "Where did she get that?"

"I got it for her," Sean said. "Last Christmas. She wanted one and so I got her one. You see, Eric, I'm not afraid of you either. If you would have found it, I would have told you 'tough shit.' Just like I'm telling you 'tough shit' now."

Adam hadn't said a word. He hadn't needed to – Walt and Sean were saying everything that needed to be said. Adam just stood to the side, his biceps tightened to their fullest, flexing his pectoral muscles beneath his tight shirt one at a time in a manner he'd seen on the professional wrestling shows he used to love watching with his dad as a kid.

It must have had the desired effect because Eric paled when he saw it.

"I don't want trouble with you guys," he said quickly. "Shelly needs to come home and I'm here to take her home. You're not going to give us problems when she goes, are you?"

The question was directed at the group at large but he was looking squarely at Adam. Adam felt his lip twitch, a sure sign he was pissed off, as he took a large step forward. Eric, despite his desire to show strength, took two steps backward.

"If, and I mean if Shelly decides to go with you, I'll help her pack the car," Adam said in a tight voice that let everyone know of his dislike for Eric. "But when she decides she doesn't, if you try to force her or bully her, you'll be the one going back in a fucking box. Sean, why don't you call Shelly and let her know this twit is here. I'm sure her heart will just race with joy at that fucking news."