Page 59 of Beautifully Devoted

“That doesn’t sound good. The only reason he’d have for not making contact right away is because he hasn’t worked out his angle yet.”

“You don’t think he’s working up the courage to say something? It’s been over ten years, maybe he feels embarrassed or guilty or something?” I don’t believe that myself, but Jagger will want to see it that way, so I have to ask.

“I wish that was the case, for Jagger’s sake, but Jeremy has never felt guilty about anything a day in his life. I don’t think he cares about making amends. All he’s ever done is use the people around him to get what he wants. And from what I’ve heard, the people around him aren’t the kind you want to be involved with. I want you two to stay away from him.”

“How?”

“For starters, try to make sure Jagger isn’t alone. Jeremy will be less likely to make his presence known in front of others. And I’ll call your coach to explain the situation and see if he can do anything to keep him away from campus.”

“Dad, you don’t think he’d hurt him, do you?”

“Jeremy was never violent, but that doesn’t mean his friends aren’t. Or that he’s not capable of hurting Jagger emotionally. That’s why I want you to keep your distance.”

“Alright. Thanks Dad. I’ve gotta get back home. Talk later?” We both say bye and hang up, and Bennet collects the bag of food before we duck out the back exit.

“Okay, James Bond. What the fuck is going on here?” he asks when we reach the next block.

I stop walking and face him, swallowing a few times while I collect my thoughts. I don’t take what I’m about to share lightly, and I wouldn’t if Bennet hadn’t found himself in the middle of it. “Jagger’s dad bolted when we were ten. As far as he knows, his dad was just a deadbeat, and when we were ten that’s all it was. His dad couldn’t hold a job, slept around on his mom, shit like that.”

Closing my eyes, I hold my breath for a beat before I admit what not even Jagger knows. “I’m pretty sure he graduated from being a deadbeat to being a petty criminal. My dad has been keeping tabs on him, and while I don’t know the details, I’ve been warned to stay away from him if he ever showed up.”

“You don’t think he’s here looking to reconnect with his son?” Bennet asks.

“I think it’s more likely he wants something from Jagger. Money most likely, since he never had any of his own, and if he’s trying to get to Jagger after ten years of silence I’m thinking he must be pretty desperate.”

“So the dude asks for some cash and Jagger says no.” Bennet lifts a shoulder and starts walking toward our house.

“It’s not that easy.” I fall into step beside him. “All Jagger ever wanted was his dad’s approval, and Jeremy doesn’t give that without strings. He’ll never say he’s proud of Jagger for playing a good game, he’ll say it’d have been a better game if and then add some obnoxious condition. One time it was scoring another touchdown so that other kid’s dad couldn’t gloat about their team being better. Another, it was catching three passes instead of two so the team could get free tacos after the game from the local taco shop.”

“Tacos? That’s so criminal.”

“I told you my dad says he’s a criminal now, not then. Besides, we were nine. What kind of dad says two catches isn’t good enough because he didn’t get free tacos out of it? Jagger went from being ecstatic to deflated in half a second. It crushed him.”

“Every boy wants his dad’s approval,” Bennet says.

“True, but not every boy has a dad that skipped town without saying goodbye, leaving you to think you weren’t worthy of being his kid.”

“Yeah, okay. That does suck, but it still doesn’t explain the spy shit you pulled back there. It’s probably just a guy trying to make up for being a bad dad.”

“If that were true, my dad wouldn’t have warned us to stay away from him. He always told me if Jagger started making a name for himself that his dad might come out of the woodwork. Now, he’s here. I don’t want Jagger getting false hope about who his dad is, so don’t say anything about seeing him.”

“Okay, let’s say you’re right and Jagger’s dad is bad news. You think you’ll be able to keep his dad from making contact with him?” Bennet scoffs.

“I don’t know. No. I just…” I scuff the sidewalk with my shoe as we make our way home. “Jagger’s dad has this charisma about him. He uses it to manipulate people into getting what he wants, and he’s really fucking good at it. Considering Jagger wants to please him, I just… Don’t fall for whatever the guy is selling, okay? And if he does make contact, keep an eye on Jagger to make sure he doesn’t get caught up in the fantasy, alright?”

“Fine,” Bennet huffs with an epic eye roll. “But I’m only agreeing to not bring it up. If it comes up, I’m not lying about it.”

“Fair enough,” I sigh as we walk the path to our front door, but I know that’s only a temporary reprieve. At some point, Jagger’s gonna come face-to-face with his dad, and I’ll have to figure out how to appear happy for him without letting my guard down.

Jagger

First, we get a win, then my sponsors tell me our pillow fight video went viral so they want Cruz and I to do some more collaborations—for a bigger payout of course—and now we’re headed out to celebrate.

Best.

Day.

Ever.

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