"Jacob's your brother? The one I'm tutoring?"
"Yeah. The kid's a genius at math but can barely put a sentence together. And he hates English so he's going to be a challenge."
She smiles. "I like a challenge."
The way she said it, I almost felt like she was talking about me, not the tutoring.
"So what time tonight?" she asks, closing her locker.
"Like I said, I need to talk to Jacob. What time works for you?"
"After school would be good. That way I could do my homework at night."
"I have practice after school. I think it'd be better if I'm there, in case Jacob gives you any trouble."
We walk together down the hall.
"Your parents will be there, right? Or do they work late?"
I pause, not wanting to get into this but knowing I need to explain. "There's no parents. Just me."
"What do you mean?" she says with an uncomfortable laugh. "You don't have parents?" She stops, and her hand covers her mouth. "Oh, God, did something happen to them? Are they dead?"
"No, but sometimes I wish they were," I mutter.
"What happened to them?" she cautiously asks as she walks beside me.
"My mom took off and..." I don't want to tell her this. She won't tutor Jacob if she thinks he's anything like my dad. "Dad did too."
"Your parents took off?" she asks. "Both of them?"
"Yeah, but not together. They split up a few years ago. I'm not sure where they are. They're not the type of parents who check in."
"But, wait—" She stops at the door to the classroom. "I don't understand. How do you live alone without parents? Aren't there rules against that?"
"I'm 18. A legal adult. I started school late so I'm older than everyone else. If I'd started on time I would've graduated last year. Anyway, I took over as Jacob's guardian when my mom left."
"When did she leave?"
"Last April. The day I turned 18."
The bell rings and I go in the classroom. When I turn back, I see Brook slowly walking in, her eyes distant like her mind's still stuck on what I told her. She probably can't even imagine it. I'm sure in her world, parents stick around. And if they divorce, they still see their kids. They don't just abandon them. And parents in that world definitely don't go to prison.
Brook has no idea what my world is like. Nobody does. I keep that shit private. People here at school know about my dad but only because it was on the news. The trial. The sentencing. All it takes is one person to see the story and spread it around. When people found out, they didn't really care. It's not like I'm the only one here with a dad who's locked up. I know of at least three other people who have a parent in prison, and a lot more than that have an uncle, cousin, or other relative there. People here don't judge me because of my dad. But Brook would. She doesn't understand this world, and never will.
As class starts I text Jacob, telling him he has tutoring tonight. I tell him it's at seven. That'll give me time to get home from football, eat dinner, and clean up the house. There's only so much I can do about the house. I can pick up the dirty clothes and clean the dishes but I can't do anything about the cigarette burns in the carpet or the holes in the wall from my dad's fist.
"Can you be there at seven?" I say to Brook when class ends.
She was putting stuff in her backpack but stops. "I have the job?"
"We'll give it a try. See how it goes. You may quit after tonight. I love my brother but he can drive you crazy."
"Did you tell him about me?"
"Not much. I wasn't sure you'd agree to it."
She picks up her backpack and stands up. "Tonight at seven. That should work. Can you send me your address?"
