Page 86 of Margo's Got Money Troubles

“I’m like a content creator? We make TikToks mainly right now. I think eventually we’ll branch into YouTube.” If she didn’t already know, then I certainly didn’t want to tell her.

“But you also have an OnlyFans account?” Maribel asked.

She already knew. “Yeah,” I said, almost dizzy with fear. “I’m confused—is this related to the 730 evaluation?”

“So you’re also undergoing a 730 eval right now?” Maribel asked.

“I mean, yes?” I said. Probably that looked even worse.

“As part of a custody dispute? Divorce?”

“No, paternity,” I said.

“Oh my God, your ankle!” Jinx cried. He had just seen it. I’d texted him that I was spending the night with JB, but I hadn’t mentioned that I had fallen down the stairs and we’d never even made it to the restaurant.

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to hide it behind my other foot.

“Did you fall?” he asked.

“Yes,” I admitted, “in the stupid heels.”

“Had you been drinking?” Maribel asked.

“No,” I said quickly. I didn’t turn twenty-one for a few more months. “Just a klutz.”

Maribel’s brow was knitted. Anyone, I realized, would think I had been out drinking. My hair was messed up, I was wearing last night’s clothes, a sprained ankle, and she knew about the OnlyFans—Jesus Christ, how much worse could this even get?

“So tell me about Mr. Bodhi,” she said. She was clearly trying to be friendly, which I wouldn’t have expected. “What he likes, what he doesn’t like. What’s his personality?”

“Oh gosh,” I said. No one had ever asked me what Bodhi’s personality was before. It seemed like an intricate thing to describe, given that he wasn’t talking yet and all my maternal insight was based on vibes. “He’s my only baby, so I can’t compare him to other babies, but he’s very joyful and.. . happy.” As I was speaking Bodhi shat an incredible volume, warm and thick, I could feel it through his diaper against my arm. “He’s, uh, I mean, he’s a pretty normal baby, I think?”

“Why don’t you show me Bodhi’s room.”

“Oh,” I said, “his crib is in my room.” I stood and went light-headed at the pain. I tried not to let it show.

“We were waiting to go in your room till you got here,” Jinx said, in a way that said, You better not have a robot dildo on your desk or something. And he was right to worry, though I didn’t think Maribel would know to be suspicious of the Dyson in its shiny new box sitting in the corner. I had no idea exactly what state I’d left my room in as I was getting ready for my date, and sure enough, as I hobbled through the door, I saw a pair of panties that hadn’t made it into the hamper. I bent to scoop them up, my ankle threatening to give out entirely, and I could feel the poop from Bodhi’s diaper start to leak down my arm. I was so anxious I was actually quivering.

“And these are his toys?” Maribel gestured at a single sad octopus toy on my bed. Each tentacle said the name of a color in both French and English.

“Oh, he has more, hold on,” I said, and dragged out the big plastic bin of his toys from the closet. Every time I moved, I lurched around like a cartoon hunchback. I had no idea if it was a normal amount of toys, wildly too much, or not enough. Mainly I was trying to judge whether she could smell the poop.

“That just a closet?” Maribel said, peeking into the dark closet. And in that moment, I remembered the toilet paper bundle of syringes I’d stashed there. I’d never thrown them away. They were tucked behind my shoes, boots, and things I didn’t wear often. You couldn’t see them, and I’d forgotten they were even there. My ears were ringing.

“Is this where you change him?” she asked, gesturing at the dresser. The changing pad was on the floor and the dresser top was bare wood. The fact that she’d turned her attention away from the closet was a massive relief, but I found myself unable to speak fluently.

“I usually change him on the floor?” I said. “I’m paranoid about him rolling off. Not that I would let him roll off or leave him up there or anything.”

“And do you have a boyfriend? Anyone come around?”

“No,” I said, my voice wobbling. “No boyfriend.”

She looked at me skeptically. “Not seeing anyone even casually?”

I felt like she could see everything JB and I had done on that massive four-poster bed, my body on top of him, his strong hands squeezing my tits until milk ran down his arms, my sudden flash of embarrassment and then the way he growled with delight. “Maybe casually,” I admitted.

“Does he ever spend the night here?” Maribel asked.

“No,” I said quickly.

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