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So he kept his anger locked in and refused to say anything to hurt her feelings

Unfortunately, his et sullen on me, boy I’m sick of that look on your face Tell me why you attacked that kid Now"

Nick clenched his teeth tight

"Answer e"

He had to stop hi his eyes at her ludicrous threat Even at fourteen, he was ood forty pounds on her "He made fun of me"

"And for that you’d jeopardize your entire future? What were you thinking? He laughed at you So what? Believethat will ever happen to you You have to grow up, Nicky, and stop acting like a baby Just because soht Now is it?"

No He sed attacks against hiainst his mom And he shouldn’t have to "I’o there You’re not sorry I can see it in your eyes I aht you better, but apparently you’re deterrow up into a no-account cri I do to keep you straight Now go to your room until I calm down You can stay there for the rest of the day"

"I’m supposed to work this afternoon Ms Liza needs rowled "Fine You can go, but then it’s straight ho time with any of those hoodlums you call friends"

"Yes, ma’am" Nick headed to his "room" and pulled the blankets closed Sick and tired of it all, he sat down on the old, luainst the here he saw the pieces of the ceiling that were discolored and peeling up

And then he heard it

The sound of his h the wall of her bedroom God, how he hated that sound

"I’led Stone where the creep stood

One dayone day he was going to get out of this hellhole Even if he had to kill someone to do it

It was nine o’clock when Nick left Liza’s store He’d already picked up his assigne mansion of a house on his way into work Then he’d put in five hours so that he could save e fund" ’Course at the rate it was accu was better than nothing

Liza locked the door to her shop while he stood behind her to shield her froht, Nicky Thanks for all your help"

"Night, Liza" He waited until she was safely in her car and on her way home before he headed down Royal Street toward the Square The closest streetcar stop was over behind Jackson Brewery But as he neared the Square, he wanted to see his o straight home____

Yeah, but he’d made her cry and he hated whenever he did that Besides, the condo was really lonely when he was there alone at night They didn’t have TV or anything else to do

And he’d already read Hammer’s Slaized, she’d let hi right, he made a left and headed for her club on Bourbon Street The faint sounds of jazz and zydecoout of stores and restaurants soothed hi his eyes as he walked, he inhaled the sweet sumbo as he passed the Cafe Pontalba His stomach rumbled Since he hadn’t been at school, his lunch had consisted of s and bacon, and he had yet to eat dinnerwhich would be those nasty eggs again

Not wanting to think about that, he walked down the narrow alley to the back door of the club and knocked

John Chartier, one of the huge burly bouncers atched out for the dancers, opened it with a fierce frown--until he saw Nick A wide smile spread over his face "Hey, buddy You here to see your ot a few minutes" He stood back so that Nick could walk down the dark back hallway to the green room

He paused at the door to the room where the dancers dressed and rested between perfor, she was tall and blondand barely dressed in a G-string and lacy top

Even though he’d been raised around woht red as he kept his gaze on the floor It was like seeing his sister naked

Tiffany laughed, cupping his chin in her hand "Cherise? It’s your Nicky" She squeezed his chin affectionately "You’re so sweet the way you won’t look at us I kneas you when you knocked No one else is so nice All I can say is your ht"

Nick mumbled a thank-you as he stepped past her and aze down until he was sure his ht her furious glare in the chippedon her iveness in that face tonight

"I thought I told you to go straight hoain"

She put down her mascara wand "No, you didn’t You wanted to try and make me tell you that you didn’t have to stay on restriction I won’t have it, Nicholas Ae the fact that you knew better You have to learn to think before you act That teet you into serious trouble one day Just like it did your father Now go ho it was"

"But Mom--"

"Don’t ’but Mo her knoas tie

She stood up "I mean it, Nick Go ho even worse than he had when he’d left Liza’s Why wouldn’t his mom believe in hi to play her?

WhateverHe was tired of trying to convince the world, and especially his mom, that he wasn’t worthless

On the street, he headed down Bourbon toward Canal, where he could pick up a closer streetcar He hated when his mom treated him like a criminal He was not his father He would never be like that ain Let them insult andthe right thing usted, he heard so, he saw Tyree, Alan, and Mike across the street, hanging outside a tourist bead and mask store They waved hiainst theirs "What’s up?"

Tyree leaned his head back in silent salute to hi hoe shirt "Boy, what you got on? That shit’s hideous"

Nick slapped his hand away "Clothes What’s that crap you got on and what truck did it fall off of?"

Tyree snorted and preened "These my Romeo threads They make all the ladies call me tasty"

Nick scoffed "Tasty-crazy Them ain’t no Rohed