by Blair Young
I smiled. I only felt more excited about it the more she talked, and I really believed I could do it. To think that I would get through Harvard and come out the other side a graduate of such a prestigious school, she was right. The thought of it was incredible.
I would be able to go anywhere I wanted. With a degree like that, I could practically name my price and just let my credentials do the talking for me. The more Susan acted like this really was a good idea, the more interested I became. And, as surprising as it was, the more willing I became to let go of some of the things in Secret Bay I never thought I’d be able to before.
“Do you really think I can do it?” I asked nervously. “I mean, high school is one thing, but we’re talking some of the smartest people in the country go to a school like this. I’m not going to be with just a bunch of rich high school kids who don’t want to be in school in the first place. These are kids who really put their mind to it to get into that school, and they’re going to be making something of their lives.”
“And so are you,” Susan said as she walked around the table and gave me a hug. “You’re going to be rising to the top in your life, too, and that’s going to take some real hard work on your part. But, you’re the smartest girl I’ve ever met, and I know if you put your mind to this, then you’re going to be right there with the best of them at Harvard, too. Look how much you’ve accomplished in Secret Bay High.”
I knew Susan was right. I had come a long way in Secret Bay. I had started the school right after the first of the year, but already my GPA was better than most of the other students had been in the past five years. I had worked hard, but I wasn’t even dedicating myself to the studies as much as I could be. If I really put my mind to it, I knew I would be able to do even better.
And if I could do the same at Harvard, well, I would be right there with the smartest minds in school, and that filled me with a whole new level of excitement.
“I’ve just always thought of this as a dream,” I breathed as I shook my head slightly. “I never really thought about it actually getting here, and now, well, this could be next year.”
“Do you want to go see it before you make a final decision?” Susan asked. I looked at her with wide eyes.
“Can we?” I asked in the same near whisper. “Can we go all the way to Massachusetts and see it in person?”
“Of course,” she said with a laugh. “I would love to see where you’re going to be next fall. And I can tell you right now, the internet doesn’t nearly do justice to being there in person. That’s how I felt when I saw a college campus for the first time anyway.”
“Oh thank you, thank you!” I said. A wave of affection rushed over me, and before I even realized what I was doing, I threw my arms around Susan. I knew she was a very well-meaning woman most of the time, but this was more than I expected.
“I love you, so much,” she breathed into my shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.”
I squeezed her tight, but before we could make any plans, the door opened, and Dean walked in.
“What’s all this?” he asked as he looked at the two of us in our embrace. “I can’t say I expected this when I walked through the door. Normally, Sutton’s up in her room hiding from the rest of the world and you’re starting your latest mystery drama.”
Susan grinned. “Sutton’s talking about going to Harvard next fall. Isn’t that exciting?”
I grimaced slightly. I didn’t want Dean to be part of this. But, in a way, there wasn’t a choice. This was a big decision, and there was no doubt in my mind it was going to be heavily discussed. So, of course he was going to be in the know over what was going on.
“Really?” he asked as he looked at me. He, unlike Susan, however, didn’t seem excited. “And how are you going to pay for that?”
“Oh, stop it!” Susan said with a laugh. “You know I’ve got more than enough to help her out.”
“How much does it cost a year?” Dean asked, ignoring Susan. He walked over to the counter and looked at the brochure that was lying open where Susan had left it. He ran his finger down the page, ignoring most of what was said until he found the pricing.
“Holy! I hope you’re planning on getting a job,” he said as he looked up at me. His tone was lighthearted, but I could see in his eyes he really wasn’t joking. I hadn’t planned on Susan paying for the whole thing, but at the same time, what he said rubbed me the wrong way.
And, I got the feeling it really irked Susan, too. She sat back in her chair and folded her arms, glaring at Dean with her piercing gaze.
“I told you I’ve got the money. I’m Sutton’s guardian, and as such I’ve got some duties that I should fulfill. After all, she’s been through so much, and you know her parents would have been thrilled if they knew that she was going to such a good school. Who would have thought that she would be able to get into Harvard! That takes hard work!” Susan beamed.
“And what about Damon? If you drain all the money we have on Sutton’s education, how the heck do you think Damon is going to feel? Should I remind you that he’s the one who has been part of this household for most of his life? We’re practically the only parents that boy knows. What do you think he’s going to have to say about it when he hears that all the money is going to go right to Sutton?” Dean asked.
I felt outraged. There were so many things that I wanted to say to the man right then, but the one thing that stood out to me was that he didn’t say anything about the fact that Susan was my biological mother. At the same time, she really didn’t seem to want to correct him, either.
To me, that seemed like the main reason why she would want to help me financially, but she didn’t address herself as my mother, nor did she say anything when Dean pointed out that Damon had lived in the house longer.
“First of all,” Susan said. “You know Damon is going to be thrilled for anything Sutton does, and secondly, you also know he has no interest in going to college. I’ve been trying to convince him that it would be a good idea since he was a freshman, but he’s never acted even remotely like he’s going to go.”
“So that means he’s not going to be getting any of your money? It doesn’t matter how much he wants to support Sutton or be happy for her, the fact of the matter is that you brought two kids into this household, and you need to be taking care of them equally,” Dean replied.
He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer, cracking it open and taking a long drink as Susan continued to glare at him.
“I’ve got more than enough money to take care of both the kids, don’t you worry about that. I think that is one of the first things they looked at when I applied for guardianship, if you recall?” she shot back.
I crept off the barstool and grabbed the brochure from the table. I could sense the conversation was getting heated, and I didn’t want to be part of the argument. I knew Susan would be fair to both of us, and if that meant she wasn’t going to give me as much money because of Damon, then so be it.
On the other hand, if Damon wasn’t going to go to college, then why would she have to give him money at all? Offering to give him a place to live and take care of most of his needs was certainly helping him, even if he wasn’t getting actual financial help from her.
“If you remember, we talked about us being jointly responsible for many things in the house when I moved back in here,” Dean shot back. “So I think I should have some say over where some of the money goes.”
“It’s my money!” Susan replied hotly. “If you’re so worried about where your money is going, then why not put it in an account without my name on it? You know I’m not touching anything you get from the shop for any of the things I decide to do.”
“No, you just dip into the household savings,” Dean’s voice floated up the stairs as I reached my door.
“That’s my money!” Susan remarked. I entered my room and pulled the door closed behind me, closing out most of the argument. I could still hear the discussion was being had, and that it was mo
re than a little heated, but I couldn’t hear what was being said any longer.
There was a part of me that felt bad for starting the argument, even if I hadn’t intentionally done so. But, I was glad to know Susan was on my side here. At least, she was trying to be. I wasn’t sure if Dean could do anything that would make it harder for her to help me, or if he had the power to make sure she didn’t give me any money.
All I knew was that Susan was clearly supportive of me going to Harvard, and that made it seem that much more real to me. I could be there in under a year. I could be making something of my life after all. There had been many times in my life that I thought I wasn’t going to amount to anything.
I was sure I would just end up being a nobody working a nothing job and never really making anything out of myself. But, the thought of this actually working out for me – the thought that I could graduate from Harvard with any degree I chose – well, that was more than I could wrap my mind around.
Of course, I still had to talk to Damon about it, and I hoped he would be supportive of me going, just like Susan thought he would be, but I wasn’t so sure. It would mean a big change for the two of us, and it didn’t help that I was the one making that decision. But, I did want to make something of myself, and that wasn’t going to happen as long as I was sulking about Secret Bay.
I needed to go somewhere else, I needed a fresh, new start, and I was willing to do just about anything to make that happen. It wasn’t going to be easy, that was for sure. But then, few things in my life were. Shoot, nothing in my life was easy these days, that was for dang sure.
But, I was still pushing through, and I wasn’t about to give up on this dream merely because Dean wasn’t happy about the cost. I would push through and make it work. I would succeed. I would go to Harvard, and I would graduate with honors.
And I would be someone in life.
Chapter 10
Damon
“Sorry I’m a little late. I thought I’d be able to get the rest of my bike put back together and bring that today, but there’s a few more things I need to do before I can really be comfortable back out on the road,” I said as I walked through the door.
“It’s alright. You’re not late enough for me to really complain yet,” Dean said as he glanced up at the clock on the wall.
“I hurried,” I said with a grin. But, there was something about Dean that seemed a little off to me. He was leaning against the counter with his hands clasped together, evidently thinking about something.
“Everything alright?” I asked. “You seem a little lost in thought.”
“I was just wondering about something your mom told me about the other day, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask you,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Dean replied. “I was wondering out loud the other day why we never see Chad in here anymore. He used to be pretty regular, but I don’t think I’ve seen the kid in the better part of a couple months.”
“Maybe he’s got a lot to do with school,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t really talk to Chad anymore.”
“I know, and that’s what really has me confused. I thought you and Chad and Peter were like best friends,” Dean said.
“Not anymore,” I told him.
“That’s what your mom said,” He replied. “And when I asked why, she told me the whole story.”
“Oh,” I said, this time my tone trying to shut down the conversation. I’d hoped after I hadn’t heard anything else about our conversation the other day that Susan would just let the whole thing go. Going to Dean about it was about the worst thing she could have done, and clearly, he wasn’t going to just let it go.
“Yeah. To think that such a crime almost took place under that roof makes me sick. And, to think that Sutton would have been the victim, that makes it even worse. I don’t know how a guy could live with himself after something like that,” Dean shook his head, and I mumbled something to agree. I really didn’t want to go into it much further, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let it go any time soon.
I knew Dean well enough to know that he was fishing for something, but instead of just asking me directly, he was going to try to get me to slip up and tell him. But, I had learned a long time ago this was a trick he would often use, and I knew how to avoid it.
So, I did my best to agree with him when it was appropriate, and deflect when I didn’t want to go into the situation further. I didn’t know how much I could share with Dean without Sutton getting upset with me. She didn’t even know that I had told Susan as far as I could tell, and I knew she really wouldn’t want Dean to have any information about it.
Still, it was hard when it was just the two of us in the shop together. Dean knew he had the upper hand, and I could only try to give him enough of an answer to satisfy him even though my mind was spinning and I worried I was telling him too much as it was.
“You know, that sort of crime can land a person in prison for life if it’s committed under the right circumstances,” Dean said.
“Well, I think Chad would benefit from being locked up,” I said bitterly. “Well, maybe not him personally, but I can tell you the rest of the world would be better off if no one had to worry about him anymore.”
“If you feel so strongly about it, why don’t you make that happen?” Dean asked.
“What do you mean?” I replied with raised eyebrows. “I think I’ve pretty much put that guy back in his place multiple times. It’s not like he’s got much more dignity to lose.”
“Well, you can say that now that he’s in high school, but what’s going to happen when he gets out of high school and is free to be in the world?” Dean asked.
“He’s not going to be anywhere near me or Sutton, that’s for sure,” I said with resolution in my voice.
“You can assure yourself that you and Sutton are going to be rid of him, but how are you going to live with yourself if you find out that he did something terrible to someone else. What if you hear years from now that he raped a girl and you could have done something to prevent it?” Dean replied.
“How would I prevent it if I wasn’t anywhere near him when it happened?” I asked.
“By getting the cops involved now. Go to them and tell them what happened, let’s get this guy off the streets before he has the chance to do something to someone else. You never know who it’s going to be, and there are a lot of other girls out there just like Sutton who will never see it coming. Think about what might have happened if you weren’t there when you were. Think about what could happen to someone else if you don’t act now,” Dean said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He didn’t get very far – I mean, he was more just grabbing her, so we can’t really say that he committed a full crime – one that the cops are going to investigate anyway.”
Of course, if Sutton had wanted to go to the police, I would have been right there with her, but I still felt she ought to have some say in it before it came to that. She already was the one who didn’t want the situation blown out of proportion, and I supported that. But, I also wanted her to have justice.
On the other hand, if Dean was right, and I should get this guy off the streets now, maybe I should go to the police. I really wasn’t sure what to do, but I did know that I should talk to Sutton before I exposed her story to the world. She was the one who would have to answer the questions, and I didn’t want to put her in that position without warning at least.
“Well, I’m just saying, I think you should do the right thing before it’s too late,” Dean said. “And I’m not talking about Chad doing something.”
“What do you mean, then?” I asked.
“I mean Susan is really upset by the whole thing, and she told me to talk to you about it. I think you should do the right thing and take care of the family before you allow someone like that around. I would hate to have to make the house safer myself. Especially after you’ve been practically my son for so long, I would hate for you to
have to find other arrangements,” Dean said.
He left shortly after our conversation, but I was in shock. He had all but told me Susan was thinking about me moving out – or was he the one who thought that would be the appropriate thing to do since he was the one protecting the house?
I had been living with her since I was in the fourth grade, and he had been the father figure in my life since that time, too. What sort of father figure would threaten to kick their son out of the house because he didn’t go to the police over what happened to his foster sister?
If it was something that was that big of a deal, why didn’t Susan and Dean go to the police themselves? They were the adults in the situation, they were the ones who should make that call. Both whether we were going to get the authorities involved, and make the call to the cops themselves.
I sighed, trying to get in the mind to work. I was glad Dean was gone for the afternoon. I didn’t want to spend any more time with him after the conversation we’d just had. I was angry with him for putting me on the spot like that, and I was angry with Susan for going to him over the situation in the first place.
Why didn’t anyone talk to Sutton about this? She was the one who had been attacked, shouldn’t she be the one with the final say? Shouldn’t she be the one who talked about it? It seemed to me that she would be the better person to involve.
But, Dean and Susan liked to do things their way, and it didn’t make sense to me very often. I just had to go along with it. After all, they were the adults in the house, and they made the rules.
There were just times when I wondered how they could be so backwards.