The Last Semester at North Hills

The Last Semester at North Hills By Judith Chapter 2: The House on the Cliff The drive to the "clean up" party was quiet. I could see Julian’s headlights in my rearview mirror the whole way. He followed me close, like he was afraid I’d turn a corner and vanish, leaving him alone with his problems. We drove past the nice parts of North Hills—the parts with the manicured lawns and the white fences—and headed toward the cliffs where the houses got bigger but the people got meaner. I pulled over at a house that looked more like a glass box than a home. It was perched right on the edge of the rocks, with the ocean crashing a hundred feet below. There were cars everywhere. Not the kind of cars students drive. These were black SUVs with tinted windows and European sports cars that cost more than a teacher's salary. I got out of my car. The air was cold and salty. Julian pulled up next to me, killed his engine, and stepped out. He looked at the house, then at me. "This isn't a high school party, Elena," he said. He looked nervous. He was wearing a hoodie to hide his face, but you could still see the tension in his shoulders. "I told you it wasn't," I said. "Stay behind me. Don't talk to anyone. Especially don't talk to the guys in the suits. If they ask who you are, you’re my cousin. Got it?" "Why would they care who I am?" "Because your dad owes one of them two hundred thousand dollars, Julian. If they find out you’re here, they might decide you’re a better way to get the money back than a bank auction." Julian swallowed hard. He nodded. We walked up to the front door. There was no music playing. No screaming. Just the low hum of expensive voices and the clink of ice in glasses. A guy who looked like a professional wrestler stood at the door. He looked at me, then at Julian. "He’s with me," I said, my voice flat. The big guy stepped aside. We walked in. The inside of the house was all white marble and blue lights. People were sitting in small groups, talking quietly. In the corner, there was a poker table. That was my territory. I led Julian toward a small office at the back of the house. Inside sat a man named Miller—no relation to Julian, just a coincidence. Miller was in his fifties, wearing a shirt that probably cost a thousand dollars. He was counting stacks of chips. "Elena," Miller said without looking up. "You’re late. The game started ten minutes ago." "I brought something else," I said. I pushed Julian forward a little. Miller looked up. His eyes went from me to Julian, then back to me. A slow smile spread across his face. "The star quarterback. Or is it point guard? I can never remember which sport you kids play." "He’s the one who’s going to win the game on Friday," I said. "And he needs a favor." "Everyone needs a favor, Elena. That’s why I’m rich," Miller said. He leaned back in his chair. "What’s the problem, kid? Girl trouble? Grades?" "My dad," Julian said. His voice was steadier than I expected. "The bank is taking the house on Friday. I know he owes you. I want to know if there’s a way to stop it." Miller laughed. It was a dry, mean sound. "Your dad is a gambler, Julian. He bet on things he didn't have. Now the bill is due. That’s how the world works." "I’ll pay it," Julian said. "With what? Your lunch money?" "With the game," I interrupted. Miller stopped laughing. He looked at me. "Go on." "The spread on the Friday game is huge," I explained, using the simplest terms I could. "Everyone thinks North Hills is going to win by twenty points. If Julian makes sure you only win by two... or if you lose... a lot of people lose a lot of money. But a few people—people like you—could make a fortune." Julian looked at me like I had just stabbed him. "You want me to throw the game?" "I want you to save your house," I said, looking him dead in the eye. "You win the game, you’re a hero for a night, and then you’re homeless on Saturday. You shave a few points, and your dad gets his life back. You’re 18, Julian. Welcome to being an adult. It’s all about choosing which lie you can live with." The room went silent. You could hear the waves hitting the rocks outside. Julian looked at the floor. He looked at the bruise on his face. He looked at the man in the expensive shirt who held his entire future in his hands. "If I do it," Julian whispered, "the debt is gone? Everything?" Miller leaned forward, his eyes gleaming in the blue light. "Not everything. But I’ll buy the debt from the bank. You’ll stay in the house. You just have to play the game the way I tell you to." Julian looked at me. I could see the light going out in his eyes. He was realizing that the world wasn't what he thought it was. It wasn't about hard work or being a good person. It was about who you knew and what you were willing to give up. "Okay," Julian said. "I’ll do it." "Good boy," Miller said. He waved a hand. "Now get out of here. I have a game to run. Elena, stay. We need to talk about the percentages." Julian turned and walked out of the office without saying a word. I watched him go. I felt a little sick, but I pushed it down. I had a job to do. Twenty minutes later, I walked out of the house. Julian was leaning against my car, staring at the ocean. The wind was whipping his hair around. He looked older. Like he had aged ten years in twenty minutes. "You okay?" I asked. "You’re a monster," he said. He didn't say it with anger. He said it like he was stating a fact, like the sky is blue or the grass is green. "I’m a realist," I said. "There’s a difference." "Is there?" he asked. He got into his car and drove away, leaving me standing alone in the cold. I looked at the house on the cliff. I had what I wanted. I was going to make more money on Friday than I had made in the last three years combined. I could finally leave North Hills. I could go to a city where nobody knew my name. But as I drove home, all I could see was Julian’s face. I had saved him, but I had also destroyed him. And the worst part was, I wasn't sure if I cared. This was North Hills. This was the last semester. And the games were only just beginning.