Page 98 of The End of Summer

“I didn’t call him, though,” I say, confused.

“His friend did. Mike.”

I nod.

“He told me everything.”

My insides clench. “What do you mean?”

My father sighs and remains quiet for a moment. Finally, he speaks again. “Gretchen, you have been lying to your mother and I all summer.”

I look down at the floor, wiping the fresh tears from my eyes.

“Mommy is beside herself.”

His words stab me.

“She doesn’t understand any of this.”

I say nothing.

“I’ll wait, Gretchen. It’s Saturday, and I have nowhere to go. But neither do you. Not until you tell me your side of the story.”

I inhale. Blow my nose. Wipe my tears.

And tell him everything.

I start with David Krumholtz. Then, Brady moving in next door. Jenna helping me get the job at Cosmo. I tell him about Arrow, about Brady working for the Skeeve, about the parties getting more and more wild once Arrow was gone. I tell him I did not know that Cosmo was an illegal establishment. I thought maybe the stripping side of it might have been shady, but the pole side seemed legit to me. He asks me when I’ve ever had a legit job that paid all in cash, and I shrug and tell him he has a point. I explain that I was going to quit, I was just waiting for Arrow to get back. I tell him me and Brady just want to move forward and start the next chapter of our lives together.

I tell him that I’m sorry.

“Why didn’t you ask us for help? After you lost your job at the Diamond Excelsior?”

“I already owed you guys money.”

“So?”

“I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you thinking I couldn’t handle my own life.”

He gestures at my current living situation. “Thisis you handling your life?”

“I’m just doing my best, Dad.” I sigh. “And I’m sorry, but you’ve always set the standards pretty high. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“I can be a little overprotective, I’ll give you that. But you just told me that your boyfriend is a stripper.”

“Wasa stripper. And you saidBradytold you everything!”

“He must have left that part out.”

“Whatever. He only did it a few times. And it didn’t botherme,which should be all that matters anyway.”

“As your father, I think I’m entitled to have an opinion on that.”

“I don’t know. Are you? This ismylife.”

“It’s my responsibility to raise a good person, to turn agood humanout into the world.”

“Am I not a good human, Dad? Have I really turned outthat bad? Do you mean to tell me that you’ve never lied, ordone something slightly out of character, in an act of desperation?”

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