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“I bought it. For you. So you could move out.”
“I’m sixteen,” I mumbled. I wasn’t allowed to move out. Was I?
“Da-ad,” Zee shouted.
I picked up the key, flipping it over in my hand. I was speechless. Hope was cruel, and I was too beaten down by my parents and older sisters and brother to dare let it rear its head.
His head popped in the door a few moments later. “What’s up?”
“Flynn needs your present.”
He smiled. “Okay.” He ducked out of the room, coming back a moment later with a manilla folder. “This isn’t exactly a present, but when Zali told me what she wanted to do for you, I wanted to help make it official.”
“She… what?” I asked, my brow furrowing. Completely confused, I turned over the key in my hand again, waiting for reality to step in and slap me upside the head.
“Yes, she told me, and I support her 100 percent.” He reached out, gripping my shoulder. “I’ve done what I could do to get the authorities involved, but they just don’t want to hear it. No matter how many calls I make, they just don’t follow through. You know you can stay here as long and as often as you like. I’m happy for you to move in completely, but you keep saying no. We thought it might be because you wanted your own space.”
“I don’t want to take advantage,” I mumbled, ashamed that I hadn’t been able to hide how bad it was from Monroe. It was my problem to deal with, my issues.
“I know that, buddy. I don’t agree with you, but I refuse to continue to be part of the problem. Zali wanted to help you, and so do I. So, I spoke with a friend of mine, a police officer.”
My head snapped up, and I squeezed the key tight. My jaw cracked, a shooting pain rocketing through my tooth as I clenched them together as hard as I could. I hated living there, I hated Mum and Dad, but they were my parents. They weren’t right, and it wasn’t their fault. I didn’t want them to get in trouble. Not the way they would if the police went there.
“It’s not what you think,” he responded, taking my hand in his and uncurling my fingers. “I asked about whether you could move out. Kids won’t get sent back to live with their parents once they’re sixteen if they’ve got somewhere safe to go and can support themselves. You can move out, Flynn.”
“I don’t have a job. I can’t pay for anything.”
“You won’t be paying rent,” Zee stated matter-of-factly. She was stubborn as a… whatever was the most stubborn creature, and with that set of her jaw and the glint in her eye, I knew it was pointless arguing the point. I’d never won an argument with her anyway.
“I bought this for you. I’ve been saving up my pay from the jobs I’ve done—”
“But—”
“No, Flynn. I’ve had a million bucks sitting in my bank account set aside for this for ages. Dad told me I had to wait until I was sixteen to buy anything big, so now I’m doing it.”
A million bucks.
A. Million. Bucks!
“How do you have a million dollars?” I practically shouted. “How is that even possible?”
“This job, the contract work, it pays sooo much money.” She laughed, circling her hand around the room. “I’m going to buy a boat, Flynn. Just for me. I’m gonna get one of those big yachts.”
“Flynn,” Monroe said, shaking his head affectionately at Zee. “These forms are an application to the children’s court to emancipate yourself. You don’t have to go through with it, but if you do, you’ll be considered an adult, and your parents won’t have any control over you.”
“I’ll pay for it all,” Zee offered. “And because you need a job, I’ll hire you too.”
“Doing what?”
“I dunno. Does it matter? You won’t be doing anything.”
“No.” I shook my head. “This is too much. I can’t….”
“You can, buddy.”
“No. I’ll get a job. I promise you, I’ll pay you back. Every cent of it.”
“Should we go check out your new digs?” Monroe asked, and Zee rolled her eyes. Her dad was cool, the absolute greatest, but he was such a dad too. A complete dork.
