Page 40 of Trust Me

Chapter 12

Dean

“Dad mentioned you have a new friend,” Mom said. “Or roommate. Which is it?”

“Roommate,” I replied. “It’s been good so far.”

I thought about the late dinner I had with Oli last night. He’d brought food home after work, but he hadn’t eaten his until I got back. Apparently, he’d been waiting for me. That was nice, I guess. He hadn’t even tried to play it off. He’d straight up said, “I wanted to eat with you, so I waited.”

Weird dude, but it was pretty refreshing that he said what he meant. Most people weren’t like that. Minced words and dancing around topics. Saving face. Underhanded comments. Freaking games. I hated all that shit.

Oli was gone when I woke up today, and I hadn’t thought anything of it. He’d told me before I left for my shift yesterday that he had to work early. Regardless, he’d texted me at seven to remind me. Apparently, he was capable of ninja mode because I hadn’t heard a peep this morning.

Nights were a different story. He’d been up playing games after I went to bed. I figured he’d go to sleep when he realized how late it was, but I heard him talking to his teammates at five in the morning. Maybe he’d never slept at all. The idea of working a full shift after that sounded like torture.

Mom hummed thoughtfully. “I want to talk to him. Make sure he’s not a creep or something.”

I laughed. “He’s not a creep. I’m a good judge of character.”

“You are, but I’m better.”

“I know. Maybe I’ll convince him to get on a video call or something, but no promises. You’ll embarrass me for sure.”

“You know we worry about you,” she said softly. “You’re so far away.”

“You wanted me to stick it out at Harmon. I’ll come home, you know. Study somewhere closer.”

“No. You’re already almost done with your third year. Stay there. Gain some life experience.”

“The experience has been hit or miss.”

“Dad said you’re going to quit football. I don’t like that.”

“I’m not gonna be able to work, play, and take the amount of classes I need to graduate on time. It’s not a big deal.”

“Then, don’t work. We can send you some money every month.”

“No,” I said firmly. “I’m going to be sending you money, Mom. Don’t you dare think about taking more hours.”

She let out a shuddering breath. “It’s our job, D.”

“It was your job when I was a kid. Promise me you won’t take extra shifts.”

“Okay. For now. But I want you to think about football. I know how much you love it, and I’d hate to see you give it up.”

“It’s just a pastime.”

“You’re allowed to have those.”

I breathed a laugh, which cut off abruptly when I looked at the first page of the lease Oli had left on the counter for me. I was glad he’d taken care of it quickly, and they apparently didn’t mind at all. That wasn’t what made me pause. It was the damn price tag. If we split things down the middle, I should’ve been paying a few hundred more.

What the fuck?

“Can I call you back?” I asked.

“I’m heading into work, but if you’re free tomorrow—”

“I’ll be free. Let me know when.”