Ren gives me a nod then I stand there and watch him. Unsure what I’m supposed to do now. After a minute of me awkwardly hovering, Ren looks up.
He doesn’t speak. Just studies my face, which might be worse. The quiet, almost haunting tinkle of windchimes floats through the air and my body breaks out in chills.
“Have a seat, Felton,” Ren says.
Oh good. I like knowing what someone wants me to do. Clear and concise expectations.Realisticexpectations. Something that doesn’t inherently set me up for failure. I can sit. That’s something I can totally do.
I glance at Ren and watch him read. He alternates between being nearly motionless to marking on the papers. Looking at the contract, it’s filled with words—duh, right?—and his highlights. He’s made a bunch of notes already.
The words are small. Unsurprisingly. They squish as many together as they can. Probably so your eyes can’t focus, and you skip entire lines. Words so small that it hurts your eyes to read them at all.
“Did you have anyone read these before you signed them?” Ren asks.
I shake my head. “They explained the contract to me.”
He nods but I can feel his disappointment. It’s a superpower. I always know when someone is disappointed.
My phone is still in my hand and I stare at it, wishing I could log into Click Drip and see how many times my short clips and still images have been shared. What people are saying. What they want.
It’s not like there isn’t a negative comment here and there, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Most of the negatives are betting I’m ugly since I always wear a mask, though I think most people understand why I wear a mask. I have a professional life and I need to keep that separate.
Which I did. How did someone figure it out? Why did they tattle on me?
I wish I could get lost in that world again. Maybe I can collab without… posting?
Well, then it’s just sex, right? I used to do that without sharing it. Why can’t I do it again?
“You want to go over these now or would you like to get to bed?” Ren asks.
“You’re finished?” I ask.
He gives me an amused smile. “Yes. But it’s late now, so if you’re too tired to focus, that’s okay. We can talk about them in the morning.”
I pick up my phone to find that two hours have gone by. Well, fuck.
“Uh… can you just give me like, Cliffs Notes right now, so I don’t stay up all night worrying about it?”
Ren nods. “You shouldn’t have signed this at all,” he starts, holding up the original contract. “The original isn’t awful, though there is definitely some sketchy shit going on. Everything after this, they figured out that you don’t know what you’re reading, and that you trusted them. I think maybe you might want to consider a lawyer.”
“Is it that bad?” I ask. The air feels thick again. What have I done?
My dad’s voice echoes in my head and while I can see Ren’s mouth moving, I can’t hear his words over my father yelling. I can hear his words clearly.You fuck even this up. You just want to give away your money. Did you sign over your house to them too? Your first born? Did you give them your fucking bank account, Felton?!
“Felton.”
I jerk out of my thoughts and find my head is between my knees as I struggle to breathe. I’m not sure I did that on my own, but Ren’s hand is once more smoothing gently over my back.
“Felton,” he says again.
“Yeah,” I croak.
“This can be fixed. It’s going to be fine. I have a lawyer friend.”
“They’re going to think I’m an idiot,” I whisper.
“No. They’re going to know that you were taken advantage of. Believe me, more people than not don’t understand or even read their contracts before signing. It’s also blatantly clear that they’ve 100% taken advantage of you with everything that came after the first contract, especially this new contract.”
“I just keep messing up,” I say, squeezing my eyes closed.
