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“Taylor, baby. Everything’s okay, just try to breathe in and relax. I don’t have your parents with me right now, but I know for certain that they are okay. They are both alive and doing absolutely fine, except they’re worried about you.”
Now the ugly cries really start coming out. Eden hands me a box of tissues. “What’s going on?” I choke out.
“I can’t tell you much,” Mac states firmly. “This is a conversation for you to have with your mom and dad.” I start crying harder and he starts grumbling out words. “I’m ex-CIA. I’ve known your father and your mom for decades, close friends. Our jobs brought us together. Before you ask, yes, Miles and your parents both know what I do.” My tears have stopped and my mouth is hanging slightly open. Nobody’s rubbing my back anymore because they’re just as shocked as I am. I never met anybody that was in the CIA before.
“Is the building gone, is Mr. Chang okay?” I mutter out, that boxing club is our lives.
“Yes the building is gone, and that asshole will live forever to torture us.” I start to laugh when he talks about Mr. Chang. For some reason though, I was worried about him. He is an ass, because he’s lost so much. He doesn’t need to lose his business because of what my parents are going through.
I start throwing a multitude of different questions at him as he gets me to calm down. “I need to get off the phone, wait where you are and expect a call very soon. Do not go anywhere, Taylor.” Joss breathes out a sigh of relief next to me as I nod my head, unknown to Mac, he can’t hear my head rattle. I know that Joss is extremely happy, she really did not want to drive. She sucks at it, and if she didn’t kill us, her parents would, if she let anyone else drive.
“Let’s order food,” Eden declares, knowing that’s my comfort place. “You guys make an alcohol run, maybe even some shit to smoke.” She looks to the gays when she asks this.
“Hell yeah,” Pierce states, already up and ready to walk out the door.
Food, alcohol and weed are going to help all of us get through this night. This could be very entertaining. We’re college students and I know we won’t do this shit forever, but right now this is our time to have fun, and the only way that we know how to deal with things.
I can tell by being around my friends for so long that rich people have an insane amount of problems, too. They deal with the same stupid shit the rest of us poor peasants have to. All the same stresses are mounted, except for it’s a bit easier when you have money at your fingers. When you are that loaded, it’s really hard to know who to trust, and to avoid those that will take advantage of you. Finding friends who are true is almost impossible.
The guys left thirty minutes ago as Joss went and ordered us all a bunch of food to be delivered up to the dorms. Sometimes they’ll deliver to dorms under the right circumstances. Ms. X must’ve allowed for this. If not, a couple of us were about to go down to grab all of it. People will now know who my friends are and I imagine give them a lot of shit they are going to start giving me. This is what stupid looks like.
Halfway through eating our food, I finally start to relax and enjoy my time with my friends, ignoring the huge elephant in the room, until a strange electronic ringing noise shouts for attention.
All of us jump up, searching for the intruder. “My backpack,” I yell out heading for the closet. Chance beats me there, yanking the bag open, grabbing my iPad, quickly handing it to me.
It’s an unidentified video call. I don’t even think about it as I hit the answer button.
I know I’ll always remember this moment forever, as my dad’s face appears on screen and an ugly sob breaks free, one that is beyond my control. I sit down awkwardly on my bed while the video is panned toward my mom, showing me that both of my parents are okay.
“Fuck it,” I hear one of my friends say as all five of us are now cramped on my bed staring at the screen. A needle could be heard if it was dropped from the amount of attention this video call is receiving. My dad’s not a weak looking man, either. Them seeing, ‘The Ghost’ over the phone, and of course without a shirt on. Only wearing sweatpants with my mom next to him. My dad is fucking ripped, he does own a boxing club.
He smiles big, his eyes gleaming with tears. “She’s safe,” he keeps saying to my mom, squeezing her hand. “Friends,” is all my father says as he watches the people who have my back. Noticing the bigger boys, Joss and the spitfire Eden, he’s talked to before on the phone.
“I’m sorry,” he starts to say, then stops abruptly. Panning his eyes at all of us.
“They’re fine, dad, they’ve been with me since the beginning.” I can see the nerves radiating out of him, about airing all of our family shit.
This time he gives me the biggest sincere smile I could ever ask for. I know they were worried about me going here and not knowing hardly anybody, but now at least they can relax.
“All I wanted was for you and your mom to be safe.” He pans the camera back on her, letting my mother get a better look at all of us, tears are streaming down her rosy cheeks. “I’ve done a lot of bad things, but I’ve done things that also needed to be done. That is why we went into hiding.”
Periodically we can hear noise from the guards or students out in the hall. The smoke is thick here. The delicious smelling food still lingering in the air.
“I’m an enemy of multiple countries,” my dad chuckles, “even though the majority of the work I’ve done is predominantly for governments. Making the world a better place. I’ve taken out a lot of bad men, Taylor.” He keeps talking about the logistics on what he’s doing. For some reason, I’m listening, but zoning out, memorizing every crevice of him and my mother. Trying to figure out where they’re located right now, but I’m not going to ask. I don’t think it would be safe for them.
“We love you so much, baby, and somebody will be there for you in the next couple of days.” My dad is leaning close to the screen, it feels like if he moves any closer, he’ll be right here with me, wrapping his huge gentle arms around me, keeping everything bad in this world at bay.
I don’t ask who’s coming. I’m pretty sure I’ll know when they get here. I imagine it will either be Miles or Mac.
“Do you realize how many guards I have?” I’m practically whispering now. Not wanting the guards outside the door to hear.
My dad starts to laugh and nodding his head. I have a very big feeling that he also helped set this up.
“I learned a little bit aboutThe Council, but I’m more concerned if mom knows exactly how much Ms. X is in love withher.” My father rudely starts laughing and so does everybody else, imagining Ms. X with my mom. The way they are laughing now makes me believe they’ve known this all along.
“Dad, we’re rich!” I snapped out for no apparent reason, something that just flew out of my mouth. “I’m not a charity case anymore!”
“Yes baby, we are very rich and you are definitely not a charity case. I paid your full tuition payment for the school already.” I don’t know why this gives me more of a fleeting feeling. I stand taller and prouder knowing that I’m not here out of the kindness of somebody else.
