All American Boys

32. Black Gold

All American Boys

Chapter 32: Black Gold

To avoid looking so ignorant and stupid in front of Cyril, I decided to actually keep up with current events. Not like I actually truly cared, but if it helped me to maintain the façade with Cyril, I guess why the hell not. Besides, it helped me feel more secure behind all those layers of lies and finery. The thicker my armour, the safer I felt. But a castle with the thickest and sturdiest walls meant nothing if they were no men in the inside to defend it.

The gas prices seemed to stabilise for a while, and by stabilise I meant staying at high prices and seemingly staying there. I guess it was just a reality that we had to live with. The oil that made it out of the middle east was sold at exorbitant prices, but apparently from what I heard it was much worse out here in the eastern seaboard than it was in the rest of the country. New York was the worse hit, and the strikes there didn't make anything better. But it was all so distant, happening so far away from me. So I didn't particularly care. People here didn't complain much anyway. I guess everybody just had pockets wide enough to absorb the costs. Bethlehem was a rather isolated, wealthy community for the most part. Even if I wouldn't consider myself to be as wealthy, and even as I found the rising prices as a minor grievance, I was still admittedly more well off than people in other towns. It was how we even got to move here in the first place.

"If you're worried about gas," Cyril said to me as we were leaving class. "Then I can help pay for whatever you need."

"It's fine," I told him. "But thanks for the offer."

We walked up to his car in the parking lot, and I stepped into the passenger seat. Recently, I've been going to school with Cyril more often. I told him that it was sweet if he was the first person I met every morning, and he was the one who offered to take me to school in his car. It wasn't like I asked him to. Either way, it worked to my advantage. My gas would last longer.

"Actually, there's something else," he said once we were both safe inside the privacy of his car. "But promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

"Of course," I told him, rather intrigued at what he had to say.

He turned to look around, as if to make sure no one could hear us, although we were in the safety of his own car. But I supposed it just meant what he wanted to say was a really big secret.

"My dad's been importing lots of gas recently," he revealed. "He's been getting it from one of his friends who owns one of the major oil companies. And he stores some of it home in barrels in the cellar, just in case we need it or anything. He doesn't want anyone to know, but you wouldn't tell anyone, would you?"

"No, no," I replied. "I won't. I promise."

Cyril seemed satisfied with my assurance, and gave me a slight smile.

"So, what I'm saying is that," he continued, "if you ever need some more gas, you know, God forbid anything were to happen, you could always come to me."

I raised an eyebrow at his offer.

"You're willing to steal from your dad for me?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"W-Well," he stuttered, a blush creeping onto his pale cheeks. "We have so much anyway, I don't think it'll hurt if I shared some with you."

"That's really sweet Cyril," I said, reaching out and placing a hand on his palm. "Thank you."

Cyril sheepishly brushed it off as nothing, but what he said left me thinking. He had mentioned a cellar in the Crawford mansion. If that was where Hugh hid things, then it was probably where I would find something damning about him. Something that could link him to the case. If the police hadn't destroyed whatever evidence they have gotten from us when they looted Alicia's room, then it was most likely hiding there. Whatever it was, it was worth checking out at least.