You gonna do it?
Counseling? I don’t have a choice, I text back.
I have to go. The guys are leaving.
Good luck at the game.
I set my phone down just as Brock sets his down, too. “Who is he?”
“Who? What are you talking about?”
“The boy you were texting.” Brock takes a taco from the tray. “Anyone I know?”
“It wasn’t a boy. It was a friend from back home.”
He laughs a little. “I’m not that naïve, Rumor. I have two other teenagers. I’ve learned to know when they’re lying.”
“I’m not lying. I’ve only been here a couple weeks. How could I meet someone that fast?”
“You’re a pretty girl. You go to school with plenty of good-looking young men. It’s quite possible you’ve met someone by now. Is it one of Braden’s friends?” He grabs a napkin from the dispenser. “You can tell me. I won’t tell Braden, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I pause to think about this. If I told him I was dating one of Braden’s friends, Brock would stop questioning me every time I text someone or talk on the phone in my room.
“Okay, yeah,” I say. “It’s one of Braden’s friends but I don’t want him to find out. He hasn’t fully accepted me being part of his group, and until he has, I don’t want to tell him about this.”
Brock nods. “I understand.”
I bite into my taco, hoping that’ll make him stop questioning me.
“Is it the Stevens kid?” he asks.
“Stevens?”
“Dante.” He smiles. “I’m guessing that’s a no if you don’t even know his last name.”
“It’s not him. I’d rather not say who it is.” I point to his food. “What do you think?”
He sets his taco down. “I’m not hungry.”
“Not fancy enough?”
“My tastes have improved over the years. I can’t go back to eating that way.”
“You didn’t have money growing up?” I ask, finishing my taco and grabbing another.
“Not much. We always had food on the table, but my parents struggled to pay the bills.”
“They weren’t in show biz?”
“They were teachers. My mother taught drama, which is why your father and I got into acting. She was always taking us to plays or movie sets. Several of her friends were actors so we were exposed to the industry at an early age.”
“They died in a car accident, right? Your parents?”
He nods. “Years ago. Before you were born.” He cocks his head. “Devon never told you about them?”
“He just told me they died.” I shove my tray aside and grab some napkins to wipe my hands. I really want to tell Brock what Jackson found out about my dad, but I can’t. He’ll ask where I got the information, which is something I can’t tell him. And asking Brock about my dad will cause a fight, which I need to avoid. I need to stay on his good side, so he doesn’t punish me. Then in the morning, he’ll hopefully go to LA and forget all about it.
“Are you going to see Morgan tomorrow?” I ask.
