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“No, it’s not. It needs to be done. You better be there.”
* * *
It’s9:00 the following night, and we meet in front of Jason’s apartment. The three of us are dressed in black. We’re just sitting there in Reagan’s car. Skylar looks like she’s going to puke.
I rub her back. “Are you okay? We don’t have to do this.”
Before she can answer, Reagan smacks my hand. “Yes, we do. She needs to find out the truth so she can move forward one way or the other.”
After about thirty minutes, we see Jason come out. He’s dressed in ratty clothes and mud-caked boots. I look at Reagan. “He certainly doesn’t look like he’s going on a date.”
Skylar smiles in triumph. “No, he doesn’t. He always dresses well when we go out. I’ve never seen those boots.”
Reagan pushes our heads down. “Duck, he’s about to pass us.”
I push her hand away. “This is genuinely the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Somehow, I’m here doing it with you.”
He gets in his car, so we follow him. We drive for about forty-five minutes, seemingly to the middle of nowhere.
Reagan is flustered. This isn’t what she was expecting. “Maybe he’s a serial killer.”
Skylar shakes her head. “He’s not a serial killer, Reagan. I told you I think he has some job that he doesn’t want to share.”
He finally pulls into a long driveway. The sign out front reads “Farm Day School”.
Reagan looks at us. “What the hell is this place? Google it.”
I take out my phone but have no bars. “There’s no reception here.”
Skylar gives Reagan the evil eye. “I suppose that explains why he never responds to my texts when he’s missing.”
“Hmmm. Maybe. Reach into the glove compartment.”
I point at her. “If it’s a gun, I’m leaving.”
“It’s not a gun. It’s one of the devices from my store. It’s some sort of extender that grabs onto the closest WiFi.”
We power it up, and I’m able to get connected. I google the school. “The Farm Day School is a hands-on school for severely autistic kids. They learn through farming activities, like horseback riding, milking cows, gathering eggs, feeding livestock, tending to gardens and fields, brushing the animals, and generally taking care of the animals.”
Reagan pinches her eyebrows. “Maybe he’s dating someone that works here.” Skylar and I look at her like she’s crazy, but she returns our stares. “If it’s a day school, why is he here at night?”
I sigh. “Just follow him so we know once and for all.”
We follow his car through the farm. He stops in front of what looks like horse stables and goes inside. Skylar looks at Reagan. “What now?”
“Do you think he’s into Beastiality?”
“Reagan! Cut it out. You’re making Skylar crazy. Come on. Let’s just go see.”
Like the psychotic trespassers we are, we sneak around the side. We watch Jason shovel horse shit for about five minutes. Skylar sighs and starts walking straight into the barn, in plain sight. Jason lifts his head at the noise. “Skylar? What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“I’m sorry, Jason. My psycho sister thought you were cheating on me, so we followed you.” She looks around, likely feeling a little embarrassed. “So, what is it you’re doing here?”
He puts his head down like he’s ashamed. “I wouldn’t cheat on you. You know I care about you too much for that. I work here. My little sister goes to school here, but my family can’t afford the full tuition. I do some of the grunt work a few nights a week to help work off her tuition payments. She loves it here, and I don’t want her to have to leave because of finances. This place has helped her a lot.”
Skylar turns her head toward us with unshed tears in her eyes. She then looks back toward Jason and walks right up to him. She grabs his face and gives him a searing kiss. He immediately drops his shovel, and wraps his arms around her, returning the kiss.
I grab Reagan’s shirt. “Come on. Let’s give them privacy.” We walk back out to the car.
