Career Choices

CHAPTER TWO

"Hey Rick, catch!" Philip threw me the Frisbee. I leapt and caught it, falling backward into the grass. I laughed. I hadn't had this much fun in a while. Philip was the first friend I had made when I moved to high school. And he'd been my best friend since.

"Nice catch Rick", he said running up to join me in the grass. We looked into the brilliant blue sky. We'd both skipped class that day. We both hated school immensely. I got slightly above average grades even though I skipped school and Philip breezed through his subjects without a hitch. He was either  genius or he put in a lot of extra time when I wasn't around.

"Hey Rick", Philip said, his voice suddenly solemn, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I stood up slightly and looked at him. "Where the hell is this question from?" I asked. At fourteen our minds roamed and wondered and we sometimes became philosophers, asking all sorts of abstract questions. But not this kind.

I lay back down in the grass, head between my folded arms. "We're fourteen. We don't need to worry about stuff like that. You only start to worry when it's time for college".

"That's exactly what I told my dad", Philip said. Philip's dad was a business tycoon. He'd worked with countless companies in Silicon Valley and personally set up four companies. All international.

He was also an overachiever. He pushed Philip to the extreme. He seemed so expectant that he was oblivious to the fact that Philip did not want the same things.

Despite Philip's father's indifference and other flaws, I was still jealous. Philip still had a father. A father who cared, no matter how oddly he expressed his love. The fact that he didn't beat his family and he had a steady job, that alone was enough to envy.

At first Philip felt apprehensive talking about his father in front of me. But we'd moved past that stage. "He wants me to be an engineer", Philip said. "I haven't told him yet but I was thinking of becoming a writer. I know what he will say".

"That's the same as being unemployed", I said. Philip nodded. "but I still want to. So I've just been thinking about the future, you know".

I sighed. "Don't you have any dreams, Rick?" he asked. "Me? I just want to make a lot of money so that..." my voice trailed off. Philip grunted. He was aware of my morbid view of the world. I'd also told him how my father had died. At least how the papers said he had.

Philip murmured something. "What did you say?" I asked.

Philip got up. "I said 'so that you can run away from what you did".

"What I did? What are you"-"You killed your father!" Philip yelled. I wanted to ask' who told you that?' but I realized that would be similar to admitting guilt. So instead, I raised up my hands in surrender. "Relax. Calm down and tell me what you're talking "- I didn't finish talking before he punched me in the face.

Then he took out a knife. "Philip?" "My name's not Philip. It's Jean. Philip is a boy I killed some time back. You think you could actually run away from us?"

I stiffened. Then I suddenly realized. I'd never really talked with Philip's parents. I'd met them once or twice but that was it. I'd simply not bothered to think about it until now. He came at me with his knife. I darted to my left and reached for his wrist with my right hand.

I grabbed his wrist. I could see the killing intent in his eyes.

He really was trying to kill me.

 

I opened the door of my house. I was covered in wounds. But I was alive. And Phil-Jean was...

I was going to try and tell my mother everything. Before the police found his body or the agency(that's what I called them got to us)

I moved towards the living room hearing some voices coming from there. I rushed towards there.

Sitting in the living room having coffee with my mom was the man from six years ago. I was too late.

My mother smiled at me. Then frowned. "Where you in another fight?" she asked. "I'm sorry", she said turning to the man, "my son can be very stubborn at times".

"Oh, it's okay. Being a single mom with a teenage boy is troublesome. I've had some experience with kids myself", he said staring at me.

His grin sent a chill down my spine.

"Will you excuse us?" she said. He smiled. "Of course".

"But before I go, I better introduce you to him otherwise, I would be bordering on rude." She turned to me. "Rick, this is Mr. Peterson".

"Hello, Mr. Peterson", I said smiling. Finally I had something to call this man who seemed to follow us everywhere we went.

"If I'm not intruding, may I have a word with your son? "

I looked at my mother queerly. What exactly had he told her about himself?

"Sure", she said. She stood up and walked out. I watched her go, surprised.

Mr. Peterson looked at me. "It's been six years and my eyes have proven me right yet again. You are a killer", he said.

"What the hell did you tell my mom?"

"Just that I was the new school counselor".

"What? Don't you have to have school ID and give prior notice before you visit?"

Mr. Peterson smiled. "You think I didn't do all that?"

"You sent Jean after me", I said. "And you killed him". "He was trying to kill me. It was self-defense".

Peterson smirked. "I expected a better answer. Your mother made you take self-defense classes after 'the incident'. You should have been able to neutralize him without killing him."

"Really? He's killed before. And not because he was being beat up".

"But the police won't know that. All they will know is that Philip died at your hands. The same hands that killed a drunk man six years ago. You won't be getting out this time".

"You"-"Unless you join me. And then I can make the evidence disappear. Otherwise you will be running from the police and us. Though, we haven't actually been trying to kill you yet."

I paused. Peterson stood up. "As soon as I walk out that door. Your chance is up".

My mother came back in. "Are you guys done?" she said.

"Yes."

"How did your talk go?" she asked, looking at me.

Seeing Peterson standing close to her made my heart pound. And the thought of going to prison, what would it do to my mom?

I sighed. "I guess I will have to take you up on your offer", I said.

My mother looked at the two of us. "Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked.

"We were just talking about Rick's future. And it seems like he's finally ready to think seriously about it".