“How much?” I ask when we’re driving home. “What’s it going to cost to keep me there?”
Brock sighs. “More than I was expecting.”
“Then don’t do it.” I turn to him. “It’s wrong, and probably illegal. He can’t bribe you like that.”
“He can do what he pleases. He’s the principal and it’s a private school. There’s no public governing body deciding how things are done. He has the final say.”
“But he can’t risk pissing you off. You’re Braden’s dad. If you take Braden from Twisted Pine, they won’t have a winning football team.”
“And if I take Braden from Twisted Pine, I’ll have a son who won’t be going to college.”
“What do you mean? He doesn’t need a football scholarship to go to college. You have plenty of money to pay for—”
“It isn’t about the money,” he says.
“You’re saying Braden’s not smart enough? He says he gets good grades.”
“He does.” He glances at me. “He’ll be fine. I shouldn’t have said it. I just get frustrated with him sometimes.” He slows down as we approach a red light.
“They fix his grades. That’s why he can’t switch schools. If he did, he’d flunk out and—”
“Stop it!” Brock says, raising his voice. “Stop it right now! That isnotwhat I said. And don’t you go telling Braden I did.”
I shrug. “It’s not like it’s a secret. Everyone knows teachers go easy on the football players. Dante told me all about it. He said he could skip half his classes and still get an A.”
“Enough about that,” he says as he turns down the street that goes to the house. “In regard to your mandated counseling, I want you to tell me what she says.”
“The counselor? That’s private. And I’m not going so it doesn’t matter.”
He pulls into the driveway. “Youaregoing, but I don’t want you seeing Ms. Adams.”
“That’s the counselor? You know her?”
He clears his throat. “Yes.”
I sigh. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”
“She’s far too young and inexperienced to offer you any actual help,” he says, not answering my question. “If you’regoing to see someone, I want to choose someone I know. Someone who has dealt with these types of issues.”
“You mean the counselor you sent Braden and Trystan to?”
Brock looks at me. “They told you about that?”
“Braden mentioned it. Said it didn’t help.”
“They weren’t at a place where it would. They were still too angry about the divorce.”
“And I’m still too angry about being here and being forced to go to a school I don’t want to go to. Counseling will be a waste of time.”
“You don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s the only way you’ll be allowed to stay there.”
“Then I’ll—”
“You’re not dropping out and you’re not going to public.” He shuts the car off.
I try to open my door, but he locks it before I can.
“Let me out,” I say through gritted teeth.
