Infernal Revelation : Collected Episodes 1-4 (9781311980007) Read Free

"Fuckin' fascist
bastard. That's what I would have done."
    Hugh nodded and rested his forehead against
the guard-rail. "Fuck cops, man. Your dad's like all the rest.
Ain't no difference."
    Gideon took a long slow draw off of his
one-hitter, held it in for a three-count, then slowly exhaled.
"He's worse, man."
    "Yeah," Hugh took the pipe from the redhead.
"He's like, fucking, king cop in this shit-burg."
    While Juan was nearly emaciated-looking and
Gideon overweight, Hugh was almost rotund from a diet that
consisted chiefly of soda and snack-cakes. He refused to cop to
more than husky.
    The pot wasn't really helping. Gideon was
feeling calmer, but more depressed. He stared past his boots
towards where the water-tower's girding cast a shadow across the
gravel far below.
    "Not about that," Gideon said. "He's like,
my dad, right? But not my dad."
    "Oh," Hugh said. "Because you're, like,
adopted. I got it."
    "I feel you, man." Juan patted Gideon on the
back. "It's like... Richard's not my dad either, you know? Just
some fucker who married my mom."
    Gideon swung his feet idly. "It's not the
same. Richard, like, he taught you to shave, right?"
    "Yeah?"
    "Man, when I was twelve? I tried to get
fucking Bill to show me how to shave, and he just fucking yelled at
me to get out of the bathroom."
    "Cold, bro." Juan glanced sideways at his
friend. "Yo, what the fuck you talking about, peach fuzz? You don't
need to shave."
    Gideon's face reddened, and he let out a
sharp laugh. "Asshole!"
    Hugh ducked back as Gideon made a lumbering
swipe towards Juan, careful not to drop the pipe as the slimmer
Latino rolled away along the tarnished steel walkway surrounding
Laton's water-tower.
    When he got tired of chasing his friend
around, Gideon sat back down and reached into Hugh's bag. "Ew, what
the fuck is with this old-man beer?"
    "It's what my dad likes to drink, man."
    Gideon suppressed a shudder as he pulled the
can's tab. "Nasty shit."
    "Better than that hipster shit you
like."
    The redhead just took a swallow, then passed
the can to Juan.
    Juan examined it speculatively. "No it
ain't."
    "Fuck ya both, then," Hugh said, grabbing
the can back from Juan.
    Gideon's smile faded as he watched his
friends tussle. They didn't get it. Not really. Juan had grown up
without a dad before his mom remarried, but at least he had his
mom. Bill had always only looked after Gideon grudgingly, like it
was a job, like he didn't really care about his son. Bill was
different with Dale, but Gideon couldn't remember if things had
been different before his wife Linda had died. He liked to think
so.
    Juan opened his mouth and let a loud belch
echo forth. Hugh gave him a high five, then yelped as he leaned too
far over, and the flesh of his thigh under the hem of his jean
shorts rolled over out of the water-tower's shadow and onto the
sun-baked hot-side.
    Gideon stifled a smirk, and stared down at
the gravel far below again. "What are you guys thinking of doing
after graduation?"
    "I'm going to head up to Odessa and get some
puss-ayy." Hugh stuck his tongue out.
    "What, like with a whore?" Juan said.
    "No!"
    "Ain't nobody fuck your dumb ass for
free."
    "That's not what your mom said last
night."
    Juan stopped laughing. "Hey man, don't talk
about my mom."
    "Your mom's hot," Hugh said.
    "Not cool man."
    "To be fair--" Gideon started.
    "You both shut the fuck up," Juan said.
    "You know who else is hot?" Hugh said.
"Lily."
    "Baker?" Gideon asked. "I heard my dad
saying that she's out of the hospital."
    "Oh shit yeah," Juan said. "Too bad her
boyfriend would kick your ass if you made a move."
    "I ain't afraid of him." Hugh said."Punk-ass
bitch."
    "Nah," Gideon said. "Derek's okay. He's
cool."
    "Man, no he's not." Hugh made a sour
face.
    "Just because he's not a dick like Barny
doesn't mean he's cool," Juan said.
    "I've never had a problem with him." Gideon
said. "Derek. Fuck Barny."
    "He's still a fucking sheep, like the rest
of the assholes in this town," Hugh said.
    "Yeah,