Trouble is a Friend of Mine

There’s an awkward silence after she leaves.

‘I didn’t tell you because you have a bad attitude about Ursula and her family. And I knew you wouldn’t stick around if you knew I was kinda working for them,’ Digby says. ‘But now you get all this money. Well, not all. I was thinking forty, thirty, thirty between us. Okay, maybe fifty, twenty-five, twenty-five. I have expenses.’

‘Expenses? What, the garage needs new carpeting?’ I say.

‘You have no idea how close you are,’ he says.

‘When did all this happen? You working for the Millers?’

‘Ursula called me the day after we were at their house,’ he says. ‘Listen, Princeton, if I’d told you about the Millers, you would’ve stopped coming along. And I was having fun … with you.’

‘Ohhh … you’re saying you lied to me because … friendship? Here’s a clue, you ass, friends don’t lie to friends. You lied because you’re a liar. Don’t pass it off as friendship,’ I say.

‘Look, I don’t think it’s me you’re talking to right now. Maybe you should’ve said this to your dad when he was here,’ he says.

‘No. I’m talking to the right guy. You’re both liars,’ I say.

Digby is quiet a bit. Then he starts making a smaller stack of bills, presumably setting aside money for me.

‘I said I don’t want it. You’re right. Those people gross me out. I don’t want them thinking I took their money.’ Ouch. I say it knowing it is going to cost me thirty thousand bucks. Oh, wait, twenty-five thousand.

‘Well, technically, it’d be my money now that you’ll be taking,’ he says.

‘So keep it. And feel free to leave with it,’ I say.

‘Princeton …’

‘I’m tired. Can you get out of my room now?’

Digby doesn’t move. I ignore him and pretend to fall back asleep.

‘When I get back from my trip …’

‘Don’t care. Just get out, please.’

I don’t open my eyes, but I hear him put his money away and lock the case. Then the door clicks shut and he’s gone. I have a short anxiety attack about our school project and what I’m supposed to tell the police, but it doesn’t last long. I fall asleep for real.





THIRTY


After a week in the hospital and another week on our couch, I’m sick of reality TV’s thirty-minute problems and I’m ready to go back to school. I need Mom’s help to put on my shoes, but I can’t stay home another day.

Compared to the way TV shows tell it, things with the police move slowly. Every night on the local news for the past two weeks, there’s a report on some other local business getting busted for having connections to Zillah’s operation. I’m seeing a lawyer who Officer Cooper convinced to represent me at a huge discount. We’re preparing the official statement I’m going to give the police next week.

In the end, both Zillah and Ezekiel were saved by the paramedics. They televised them being put onto a prison transport by the FBI. Knowing they’ll be far, far away in federal prison makes me feel better. I plan to be living in Paris, possibly under my married name, by the time those two come up for parole.

Speaking of Officer Cooper. He’s still coming around. Mom wants to give me time to get used to it, so she hasn’t made me come down and eat dinner with them yet or anything.

And I was as shocked as Mom when one day, I blurted out, ‘Mom, why did you let Dad get away with it? All those years cheating on you?’

Mom stared at me, blinking.

‘Because you must’ve known,’ I went on.

‘Well, if we’re doing this …’ she said. ‘I didn’t know –’

‘Lie. You knew. Why else were you so miserable for all those years?’

‘I thought I was regular bad-marriage miserable, Zo. I honestly thought it would just pass …’

‘But you don’t understand. You put me through it too, when you didn’t deal with it.’

‘Zoe … I didn’t know you were miserable too.’

‘That I believe you didn’t know.’

‘I’m sorry, Zoe.’

‘I’m actually not looking for an apology.’

‘Then, what are you looking for?’

I’d thought long and hard about this and never came up with a way to say it that wasn’t idiotic. ‘I want you to tell me that there was a reason we stayed. That you had a plan the whole time.’

‘But I didn’t. I really didn’t know.’

‘I just can’t believe you.’

What else could I say? We didn’t know. We sat there like dummies.

‘Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t know I made you so miserable … I hate myself for that,’ she said. ‘And if moving here has made you even more miserable, then … I’ll waive custody and you can move back early. I mean, since you’re probably starting at Prentiss next year anyway –’

I felt my entire body rebel at the thought. ‘Actually, I’m not so sure Prentiss would be right for me.’ I checked if I’d really meant it. Yes, I had.

‘What? What’s changed?’

‘I’m starting to wonder how much of Prentiss has been my idea or if it’s Dad wanting me to go or me knowing Dad wants me to go …’