Baby Daddies

Chapter Fifteen: Questionable Expenses

Cole’s stomach felt tight with anticipation as he climbed into his car and adjusted the radio station.  To be sure he wasn’t leaving too early or too late, he glanced at the clock and sighed with a mixture of sadness and relief.  There was no reason that he couldn’t do this now, no matter how reluctant he was.  He started up the engine and pulled out of the driveway, looking behind him to make sure he didn’t hit anyone.  Cole began singing along to the radio in hopes of calming his nerves.  Maybe if he distracted himself, he wouldn’t feel so tightly wound.

The drive down to Brent’s apartment wasn’t that long.  He arrived in a less than a half hour, pulling into the closest empty parking spot.  Cole climbed out with the English textbook in his hand and headed up the stairs, digging in his pocket and removing the extra key he had to the man’s place.  He tossed a nervous glance around before entering the apartment.  Thankfully there was nobody inside.

The boy spent no time getting to work, heading straight for Brent’s bedroom.  He opened the man’s desk drawer and paused.  There was no longer a stack of textbooks in the middle.  Cole knew Brent would notice if his English book turned up somewhere else separate from the stack.  The reason he’d taken it in the first place was to read up and get prepared for college.  Instead, he’d found the check for two thousand dollars as a bookmark.

Cole turned around and looked for the rest of the books.  They were nowhere in his bedroom.  He headed out to the living room, hoping he’d passed them somewhere.  They didn’t seem to be anywhere in that room either.  He thought about going into Kelsey’s room, but he wanted nothing to do with Brent’s roommate.  After trashing everything he could he get his hands on three nights ago, he wanted nothing to do with either of them.

The door unlocked and opened before Cole could think of a place to hide.  Kelsey hummed softly as she entered the room, school books in her hand.  She paused when she saw Cole standing by the couch.  “What are you doing in here?  How did you get –“

“I just wanted to give Brent his –“

“Get out!” she cried, slamming her books on the coffee table.  She pointed to the door, her eyes blazing.  When he didn’t move, she stormed towards him.  “Look, I don’t know what the hell your problem is, but if you come back here again, I’m calling the cops.”

“I’m not here to start anymore trouble, Kelsey.”

“I don’t give a fuck why you’re here.  I want you to leave me and my boyfriend alone, okay?  He’s the one good thing that’s happened to me and I don’t need you ruining it.  Is… is that his book?”  They both looked at the English book in Cole’s hands.  Kelsey snatched it, trying to yank it from his hands.

“Stop!  I’m trying to give it back to him with the rest of his stuff!”  She yanked harder than Cole had expected.  The book slipped from his hand and flailed open towards her.  She held onto the front cover, watching as the check fell to the floor.

“What’s that?” Kelsey asked, bending down to pick it up.

“I have no idea,” he lied.  She read over the check, confusion crossing her porcelain-like face.

“This is a check for Brent.”

“Oh,” he said quietly.  Something was bothering her but Cole couldn’t place it.  “Who’s it from?”  Kelsey flipped it over and then back around, reading it once more.

“Two thousand dollars…  What?  Why is my dad giving him two thousand dollars?”