“Paying for shit doesn’t make you a good person.”
“I know. I’m just surprised he’d help him like that. I didn’t think they got along.”
“Are you still going to try to find your dad?”
“I think so. I still want to talk to him.”
“I’m not sure when I can get you to LA. Between football practice and school, I don’t have much free time. And now I’ve got the cops wanting to talk to me.”
“There’s no rush. We can figure out a time later. Or maybe I could get a car. How much would a rideshare cost from here to LA?”
“A lot. And I don’t want you going there alone. You might not like what you find. I want to go with you.”
“Okay,” I say, my heart warming at his offer.
“Oh. I got some bad news.”
“What is it?”
“That guy I had fixing the footage from the security cameras?”
“Yeah? What about him?”
“He got fired today. One of the other security guys caught him doing it and he got fired on the spot.”
“They caught him?” I say, panicking. “They’re gonna tell Brock! He’s gonna know about us!”
“It wasn’t Brock’s footage. It was some other guy he was doing it for. A guy who was sneaking out to cheat on his wife.”
“What if they go back and look at what else he did?”
“They won’t if they want to keep Brock as a client. They’ll keep it quiet and pretend it never happened. They don’t want to deal with the lawsuits that would happen if they told the truth. But the bad news for us is that you can’t sneak out the back anymore. And I can’t sneak in.”
“So what are we going to do? I can’t go without seeing you.”
“Maybe we can do like we did today. I meet you at the end of the street. Rumor, the guys are here. I have to go.”
“What guys? The team?”
“Yeah. We’re going to dinner and then going to the field to practice. Hey, what’s the news about Braden’s knee?”
“I don’t know. He’s acting like he’s fine but he’s not walking right. I caught him limping earlier. And when he tries to walk normally, he cringes, so he’s definitely in pain.”
“Do you know if he’s still going to practice?”
“No, but I could ask.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
“I will. See ya, Burt.” I laugh.
“Have a good night, Trudy.”
I like our fake names. I think we should keep them, even when we no longer have to hide our relationship. I wonder if that day will ever come. I’d have to be out of Brock’s house for that to happen, which means almost a year has to pass before we could tell anyone. I don’t want to wait. I’m already tired of hiding it.
* * *
Sunday, I spend all day in my room, doing homework and trying to find a Driver’s Ed place. I find one and sign up, but even if I hurry and complete the course as fast as possible, all I can get is a learner’s permit, which I have to have for an entire year before I can apply for a real license. Now I wish I’d just taken the stupid driving class back in New York.
