you tell her?”
I snorted. “Nothing! You’re just that easy to peg.”
“Wait, really?” Taylor asked, wide-eyed. “That’s hilarious.”
Taylor and Court bantered back and forth for a while until she was pulled back into her group of friends. I had no hope of keeping up with their conversation.
Court just tugged me in closer. “She seems nice.”
“To be honest, this is the nicest, chill-est I’ve ever seen her in my life. Maybe I should have gotten her drunk earlier.”
“Bad influence.”
“Pot, meet kettle.”
“It’s weird, hearing her call you Anna though. I thought you said no one called you that.”
I took another sip of my beer. “I used to say only people who didn’t know me. That included my family. But now, I don’t mind when you call me that.”
“Good, because I intend to call you that later,” he said suggestively, leaning his mouth against the shell of my ear. “When I make you come.”
I squirmed. “I might have to drag you out of here.”
“I’m game. I think I’ve had my fill of Oktoberfest.”
“You’ve convinced me.”
As if I needed any convincing.
“Hey, Taylor, I think we’re going to head back,” I told her.
Taylor frowned as if she had suddenly sobered up at the prospect of us leaving. “What? It’s so early.”
“You stay and have fun. We can meet up again later.”
“Come on. One more drink.”
I shook my head. “I’ll see you later. Text me when you get home safe.”
“Okay, Mom,” she said with a laugh. “Can I actually… talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure,” I said cautiously.
She pulled me away from her friends and Court and over to a table against the water. She looked nervous and uncomfortable. I had a feeling I was not going to like whatever she was about to say.
“Do you think I could borrow some money?”
I raised my eyebrows. “What for?”
She anxiously chewed on her lip. “Does it matter?”
“How much are we talking?”
“Like five hundred bucks?”
I sighed out heavily through my nose. “What happened?”
“Nothing! It’s for a friend.”
“For a friend,” I said hollowly.
I wanted to think there was a logical explanation as to why she was asking me for this amount of money. But in my line of work, I knew why they needed money. I knew who they needed to pay off. And I’d known before I’d gotten this gig. I’d seen transactions go down. I’d done my fair share of stupid shit.
“Yes. Seriously. It isn’t for me.”
“And why can’t your ‘friend’ pay?”
She winced. “Please, Anna. I don’t want her to get in a worse situation. I’m trying to help.”
“Help would be therapy or calling a hotline, a school counselor, a rehab facility,” I bit out.
“So, you won’t help?” she asked bitterly.
“I didn’t say that. I said that if your ‘friend,’ ” I said in quotes, “doesn’t get help, the money is going to do her no good.”
“It’s not for me!” she gasped out.
“Fine. I can give you the money. But that’s it, Taylor. I don’t want to know what drugs you’re taking. I don’t want to know how you got into this mess. I just want you to stop. Trust me when I say that I have been there and done that, and it’s not worth it.”
She drew back sharply. “You don’t know the situation.”
“It’s always the same situation. I do this for a living. I make problems go away. But just because we hide them does not make them go away. Stick to weed. I’ll buy you fucking alcohol if you want. But don’t make me fix your problems for you again. I really don’t want to have to tell Dad.”
“Please don’t,” she whispered in horror.
“If you stop now, I won’t.”
“Thanks.” She sounded hollowed out. “I’ll get my friend to stop.”
“Please be careful.”
“I will. I really will.”
I sighed as I walked away from my sister. I should do more, but I’d been in her exact shoes. I’d had no one to ask for the money. And it had taken me working my ass off to cover it. I should have made her work her ass off for it. But fuck.
“What was that about?” Court asked when I returned to him.
“Nothing.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You sure?”
I glanced back at Taylor, who was already at Bea’s side again.
“Yeah. She’s just an idiot. I think it’ll be fine.”
I hoped. Still, I sent the money.
26
English
Lacrosse games and campaign events filled the next two weeks to the brim. Until I was so busy that I didn’t even have time to think about Taylor. Court had agreed to attend rallies with his mother, and