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Just you try, he thought I’ll be right here, re an old mission close to the center of town E converted to apart the rotted belfry and had begun to strip off the old slates The roof was steeply pitched; they worked on twelve-inch-wide horizontal boards, called cleats, anchored byand spaced at six-foot intervals A pair of ladders, lying flush with the roof at the ends of the cleats, acted as staircases connecting the they worked shirtless in the heat Peter was on the uppermost cleat with two others, Jock Alvado and Sam Foutopolis, ent by the name Foto Foto had worked construction for years, but Jock had been there just a couple of , seventeen or so, with a narrow, acned face and long greasy hair he wore in a ponytail Nobody liked him; his movements were too sudden, and he talked toocrews not to re down, Jock liked to say stupid things like "Wow, that would hurt" and "That would most definitely fuck a person up"

At noon they broke for lunch Cli doas tooabout a girl he had seen in theThe sounds of the city drifted upward in an aural haze; froet back to it," Foto said

They were using pry bars and mallets to chip out the old tiles Peter and Fotobelow the about the woman--her hair, a certain way she walked, a look that passed between them

"Will he ever shut up?" Foto said He was a thick, ray

"I think he just likes the sound of his own voice"

"I’lanced up, squinting into the sun "Looks like we eline Peter slid his bar and et it, lover boy can do it" He yelled down, "Jock, get up there"

"I’m not the one who missed those That was Jaxon’s section"

"It’s yours now"

"Fine," the boy huffed "Whatever you say"

Jock unclipped his harness, scraed his pry bar under one of the tiles As he lifted the ht above the past, narrowlyFoto’s head

"You idiot!"

"Sorry, I didn’t see you there"

"Where did you think ere?" Foto said "You did that on purpose And clip in, for Christ’s sake"