benedick up he might even have a knife or firearm hidden under his jacket but prince winked at benedick and shook claude's hand you can call me prince benedick glared prince? claude asked what an odd name nickname prince corrected him with a wry smile pedro morello more formally i confess ive wonderedwhere scott creek's more daring students took the train from brooklyn to underground gin mills in manhattan for cocktails, rebellion, and girls with white arms and an astonishing capacity for cigarettes benedick had more than once climbed back into his room smelling of gunpowder and moonshine with some bruise or other purpling his skin and a sneer for propriety on his face apparently suggested a different sort of adventure claudewould be disappointed claude continued no one else would dare the night before the regents exam im not coming back said benedick claude looked at him suspiciously they'll send the rest of my things to myfather i suppose but i dont care about any of it what about your exam? and graduation? youll miss it and they wont let you make it up not with your recordthats the idea benedick's voice was like w inter he'd judge the necessity of this course of action weeks ago during breakfast with his father no sooner had benedick buttered his tooast when his father said unprompted you're not really going to waste more time trying to write those silly novels are you yes benedick replied i really am wo which his father made a fw points clear first, that was not a man's work second, benedick had two options his father would continue to support and fund university or a job his father approved of in the same stock company where he worked and finally you're not a sap son ill give you that but you're vain as a dollar sure, i like it when people like me but your emotions go on the inside not in some flimflam story begging for approval what about he papers? the post, that's different at least journalism had a ladder to climb which was more than anyone could say for some ink stained penny novelist oh and might he also find a nice deb girl in the meantime? their money though by no means insubstantial lacked pedigree and history and was further staind by his mother's sudden exodus to hollywood dont look so scandalized blaine benedick said in fact i dont mind if you telll them you saw me running off light swung toward the treess pronce grabbed benedick and claude by their jackets and yanked them behind the trunk of the sycamore who's out there? a voice called, winston benedick muttered under his breathe at the same time claude whispered now we're in it benedick's fingers dug into the grooves of sticky spring sap the corner of his typewriter case pressed into his hip where claude leaned against him a second beam of light flickered through the leaves prince adjusted his newsboy cap snugly on his head his eyes danced with a giddy thrill benedick hadn't seen in months better run now he whispered before he's close enough to catch us then off he went silent as a deer benedick patted claude's shoulder goodluck he said and ran he was unsurprised but still annoyed to hear calude's steps pounding after him stuff your good luck claude hissed up ahead prince reached the top of the back wall and disapperedfrom view benedick scrampled up the old ladder stop stop at once or ill have you expelled winstons shouts chased over the grounds coming closer benedick swung over the pocked stone wall held on a beat and dropped the nine feer claude vaulted over a moment later like an olympic athlete and landed easily with a few loping stpes the tin lizzie waited on the side of a weedy dirt road prince hunched in front of the engine cranking he glanced up at benedick get the ignition would you benedick hurried to t he driver's seat he reached in and pulled down the spark retard until the pistons growled into a deep rumble hurry up blaine prince drawled as if it were nothing and claude grinning like a fool clambered into the backseat benedick slid over to the passenger's seat prince got in and put the car gear they lurched forward and the engine popped like a gunshot prince kept the headlights off and benedick loosed a breathe should i take yoou around to the front? prince asked glancing back at claude not toolate not to get expellled oh they wont claude said with such breezy confidence that prince shook his head in his what will the rich say net expression claude leaned forward forearms crossed over the seat say are we going to a speakesay then? only the finest on long island prince said he coughed in a lower voice he added after a quick stop what kind of stop? benedick asked flatly like maybe dont wear your best shoes but no need to say your prayers either benedick stared at him what? prince asked the masquerade's this saturday he's your interloper that's not my fault i wont be a problem claude interpreted i swear it only tell me one thing will there be gangsters involved?prince showed his teeth in a sharp smile how do you know im nt a gangster? calude's eyes grew round are you no benedick said hes not and wherever were going you're going to say in this scrap head of a vehicle and guard my typewriter like your golden little life depends n it by the way, where the hell is the car prince? why'd you pick me up in this hayburner? i like the tin lizzie better anyway hero said she and leo need it to pick upher cousin in the morning if something happens theyll have a good car if something happened on their quick stop sure here has a cousin asked benedick who's hero? asked claude claude truly did not seem perturbed to be rattling along in a dark car to god knew where perhaps benedick wasnt the only one to feel suffocatedinside stony creeks walls they reached the main road, and only then did the prince flip on the headlights and shift to a faster gear stony creek academy was nothing more than a series of drk lumps behind them hero stahr prince said to claude is the hostess and darling of hey nonny nonny youll like her benedick said she will like him too i bet she goes nots over accents she went nutss over fat pockets rather but that was just a slight tweak in semantics prince raised his eyebrows at him yes? benedick turned the look claude ought to compensate for being such a pain in the ass by way of lovesick donation look the fourth year exam isnt until afternoon how about leo drops him back at sony creek on their way? where's the cousin? north manhattan near onwood i think swell there you go blaine you wont even have to bribe anyone not to mention it was a little more incentive for prince to stay out of truble tonight claude sniffed i wasnt worried but if you dont mind where precisely are we going tonight first prince said the coast rum row looked like a floating city line of rusted freighters streamers and rebuilt submarines shrouded in fog prince squatted on breezy point's rocky shore his arms resting on his knees the tips of his ers turned the olor of apples benedick quiet and hunched in the chill of predawn remained a few feet back beside him claude leaned in and whispered what exactly are we waiting for? shh benedick quited him but in truth hed been wondering the same thing side trips when prince picked him up were not uncommon but usually they were aa little bit livelier not nearly so much time to stare at the midst drenched horizon and doubt ones recent life changing decision prince glanced back over his shoulder one side of hismouth hitched up in that sile of his benedick could not fathom the source of his good mood prince stood and from his jacket passed benedick a tin flask which after a careful sniff was determined to be one third full of a liquid that was likely to be one third brandy two thirds guts and glory benedick sipped and grimaced he handed the flask to claude who knocked back a rousing mouthful managing it with a fist thumped on his chest bloody coffin varnich he said hoarsley pince regarded him after deciding something to himself he pointed thats the maritime line he said ten or so miles out past it liquor is legal again so what youre looking for is basically floating warehouseof booze and no one sops them claude asked prince said theyre not doing anything wrong yet they send rumrunners at night to get their cargo to shore but plenty of it goes missing sometimes because of storms but also because the rumrunners will stuff canvas hams with rock salt which they can throw overoard to be sunk if the coast guard catches them after the salt dissolves the sacks will float back to the surface and get picked up by the runners if they can fnd them again or sometimes they mark the current and send out cartes to float to shore under the fog claude had the unfortunate look of an adventurous puppy devil minded and bored for the past half hour i see and this rather are some sort of rumrunners then youre definitely not prince grinned but for that matter