Where There's Light | ✔

11. Drug Deal

School let out a few minutes ago. Outside the office windows I could see students rushing to leave or chatting with friends. Which one of those idiots told the principal we were dealing drugs?

I left my mom a text. She usually checked those, just never replied. Principal Gibson didn't need to know that, though. If she was going to know about any of this she was going to hear it from me first. Even if I had to hear about her not working at the warehouse anymore secondhand.

If she didn't having a job how was she getting money? Maybe she found another one. But why wouldn't she tell me?

"Jade!" My eyes shot open, I didn't even remember closing them. Bee hovered over me, hands on her hips. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into missy?"

I glanced over at Nolan who looked like he was napping with his head against the wall. "Long story," I told her.

"You need me to stay and give you a ride home?"

I looked down at my phone. "Maybe. My mom won't answer."

She dropped down in the chair beside me. "My mom wants you and your mom to come for over dinner one night," she said, pulling out her phone. "You guys should come tomorrow night because it's tostada Thursday."

"That's a thing?"

"It is in the Hatton-Sackler household."

I chuckled. "I'll ask my mom." If she ever—

My thought was interrupted by my mom coming in through the office doors. She was more dressed up than usual, she's definitely not wearing a pencil skirt to move around boxes in a warehouse.

She didn't notice me at first, going straight for the front desk. When she did spot me I wished I had been invisible. "Please tell me this is some kind of joke," she demanded through gritted teeth. "Drugs, Jade?"

Bee's jaw dropped. "Jade!"

"Someone started a stupid rumor."

Before she could chew me out any further Principal Gibson stepped out of office to talk to her.

"Tostada Thursday will cheer her up," Bee said, giving me a side hug. "See you tomorrow tonight." She got up and left just as Nolan's mom walked through the doors.

He looked less doom and gloom seeing her come in. It made me wonder how his dad was treating him. Was he the reason Nolan never smiled?

The four of us ended up back in Principle Gibson's office where Nolan and I had to sit through the report and protocol speech again. Nolan's mom found the humor in it, believing it was all a misunderstanding. My mom wasn't amused. At all.

* * *

After Principal Gibson explained everything we left. My mom didn't say anything until we were home and I had gotten Taylor from Ms. Coleman's. We sat the kitchen table with a box of pizza we picked up on the way home.

"It was just a rumor, right?"

"Yes." I took another bite of pizza, slowly building up the courage to ask her about her job. Every time I tried to talk to her about jobs or money she got mad and told me not to worry about.

But how could I not worry? She wasn't the only one affected by this. I felt helpless not being able to do anything to better our situation.

"I guess you already figured it out."

I looked up at her. "What?"

"About the warehouse," she said, examining my face. "I assume Gibson called and they told him I no longer worked there?"

"Did you get fired?"

She sighed, shrugging. "The downsized. But I have a few interviews lined up," she added that last part quickly. "I just didn't want to say anything until after I got another job. I didn't want you to worry."

Taylor started to fuss from her high chair, her bite sized pieces of pizza devoured. Mom got up to take her out of the seat. "And I don't want you to start worrying. We'll figure it out."

Telling someone not to worry was the same as telling them to calm down, it only made things worse. But I didn't want her to worry about me worrying so I switched the subject.

"Oh, Bee's mom wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow night."

She placed Taylor on her hip, who looked like the most exhausted one year old ever. "I haven't spoken to Rachel since the wedding," she said. "Tell her we'll be there."

I did just that after doing the dishes. As I was at my desk working out a math problem, my thoughts wondered back to Nolan. His smile. The way his eyes crinkled at the sides. The sharp lines of his jaw and nose.

My hand took up a mind of its own, sketching out his face as it came to me so clearly, across my math notes.

My phone vibrated, startling me out of my head. It was a text from my dad.

I'll be in California for Labor Day weekend, we should get together.

We should get together? He made it sound like we were old colleagues and not like he was the father that abandoned us. I ignored his text and went back to my math homework. Anything was better than enduring him.

//

Hi! Hello!

How'd you like that plot twist???

Kids and there stupid rumors...

ANYWAY as I move deeper into the story it's getting harder to write so I can't do updates everyday anymore. 

I will be updating Tuesday's & Friday's between 1 & 3pm pacific time!!