September 7th
Grade 11
Everything hurt, from my body to my brain. Making the starting line in rugby meant Coach Hansen was riding my ass even more than usual. What little spare time remained was consumed with tutoring and SAT prep class. Thanks to constant parental reminders, I was hyper-conscious of college admissions looming in my future. Battling a bunch of other privileged kids with their own private tutors while being graded on a curve, like some sort of academic Hunger Games.
Not to mention, my mom was still sick. Ever since she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer, Holden has turned into a shell of his former self. My sociable, athletic younger brother had taken to lurking in his bedroom, glued to a screen, refusing to come out for anything other than school—and sometimes not even then. Therapy, meds, nothing seemed to help whatever the hell was going on with Holden. He’d only stayed on the swim team this year under the threat of losing his phone.
I poked my head into the living room, where my mom was lying on the couch, resting.
“Where’s Dad?” Family meals were more like half the family, lately. Me and my mother, and she wasn’t eating much these days because chemotherapy had killed her appetite. I offered to hook her up with some marijuana to help with the nausea, but when she connected those dots, I nearly got my ass grounded for life. According to my mother, Bradfords didn’t do drugs.
“Working late.”
“Again?” I snorted. “What’s the excuse this time? Someone going to die if he doesn’t answer an email within two minutes of arrival?” He’d been working all the time for the past couple of months; supposedly out of necessity, but my father ran his own firm so it’s not like he had a boss. Coming home for dinner with your sick wife once in awhile was the least the guy could do. Granted, he made sure she had a housekeeper and part-time chef, but you couldn’t outsource being a husband. Or a father.
My mother set down her paperback, hesitating. Her eyes traced my face and as they did, I realized they were bloodshot like she’d been crying.
“Where is he really?” I asked. Was he having an affair? It wouldn’t have been a huge surprise. Among the families we knew, infidelity wasn’t exactly uncommon. “I’m not a little kid, Mom. Just tell me the truth.”
She dropped her gaze to her hands, shoulders rising with an inhale, and lifted her chin. There was a sadness I’d never seen across her face before, not even when she broke the news about her cancer diagnosis.
“Your father was arrested this afternoon. He’s under investigation for insider trading.”
My gray backpack slid out of my grip, landing on the hardwood floor with a thump that echoed through the hall. Her words ran through my brain again, my heart picking up pace as I processed what they meant. Or tried to, because they didn’t make sense. “What? He’d never do that.”
“I know.” Her voice wavered. “But sometimes these things are gray from the outside looking in, honey. I’m sure they’ll realize he’s innocent once they complete the investigation.”
Panic clawed at my throat. “Does this mean they’re going to freeze all your assets? Are we going to lose the house?”
“Everything will be okay,” she said, but it seemed like she was telling herself as much as me. “I already spoke to Richard, and he said he will make sure your father has the best legal defense money can buy. He’ll cover tuition for you and Holden, too, so you don’t need to worry about changing schools. It’s only temporary until this gets sorted out, anyway.”
“Right.” I nodded, but school was the least of my worries. “Wait, does this have anything to do with the IPO that Dad and Uncle Richard were working on together?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think—I don’t think Richard was involved.”
I bent down, retrieving my bag from off the floor. Did Adam know? He was like a second brother to me, but somehow, even him hearing about this seemed embarrassing. I didn’t want everyone to know my father had been carted away in handcuffs like some kind of criminal. Especially when he was obviously innocent.
My mother stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Do you want something to eat? Maria left a plate for you in the fridge.”
“Thanks, “I said, “but I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Are you sure?” Her face fell in a way that made me wish I could eat, but it truly wasn’t an option.
“Maybe later, after I get some studying done.” If I could focus on AP Chemistry while my father sat rotting in a jail cell somewhere.
Turning away, I threw my bag back on my shoulder and headed for the hall. This couldn’t actually be happening. It had to be a mistake. Some kind of misunderstanding or legitimate trade gone wrong.
“Bennett,” she called. “Please don’t say anything to your brother. Let me talk to him when he gets back. I don’t want him to find out while he’s away on his first swim meet of the year.”
