Page 257 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol 4
I opened up the drawer and pulled out the container of pins. I was about to go back to my room, but stopped. There was something nagging me about what Isabella had said tonight. “Did you know the other kids at school thought I was a scholarship student?” I asked.
Jim looked up from his puzzle. “Well, that might be because the only people at Empire High that know otherwise are Kennedy and the principal. And I asked him to record your paperwork that way so no one else would find out.”
“What? Why?”
“A new school is hard enough as it is, kiddo. I didn’t want word to get out and to make it any harder on you.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Jim.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
I wasn’t embarrassed that he was a janitor there. Not in the slightest. I hadn’t been avoiding him at school. But we barely ever ran into each other anyway. Almost like… “Have you been avoiding me at school?”
“It’ll be easier on you if the other students don’t know.”
I opened my lips and then closed them. I’d had that same thought when Isabella was towering over me earlier tonight. He was right. I hated that he was right, but he was. He was protecting me. For the first time since moving here, I felt loved. Really for the first time since my mother’s last breath. Maybe I should have told him it wasn’t necessary. That I could handle the other kids just fine. But I didn’t know how to handle Isabella. So instead I found myself saying thank you.
He looked back down at his crossword puzzle.
Do it, Brooklyn. Freaking say it.“I really appreciate it, Uncle Jim.” It wasn’t so hard to call him uncle. Especially now. And it sounded better. He was family. My only family. He treated me that way and I needed to make sure he knew how much I appreciated it.
I saw him smile, his eyes still glued on the page in front of him, but he didn’t say anything.
I walked back into my room.
“That was sweet,” Kennedy said.
“Were you eavesdropping?”
“The walls are thin. Besides, it’s a good thing I was. I didn’t realize the scholarship thing was a secret. I could have blabbed it to the whole school by mistake.”
“Good thing I’m the only one you talk to.”
She laughed and grabbed the pushpins from me. “Now let’s finish getting you settled in. Because this is your new home. Let’s make it feel like it.”
***
“Goodnight,” Kennedy said.
“Goodnight.” But I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping. Most nights I just stared at the ceiling counting down the minutes until I could wake up. The sirens outside were too loud. The honking even louder. Everything was just too loud here.
My chest felt full as I stared into the darkness. It was possible that it was because of the cholesterol in my bloodstream from all the dessert I’d consumed. But I was pretty sure it was because I knew my uncle loved me. That maybe he wasn’t so put out by me being here. That I wasn’t the burden I thought I was.
The Untouchables weren’t so untouchable after all. Matthew was kind. His heart was as golden as his hair. I smiled up at the ceiling. It was possible my second week of school would be drastically different than my first. I could picture myself sitting at the Untouchables' table.
Not that I needed anything to change. Because I had a best friend that cared. Kennedy had spent hours with me tonight decorating my room. She was right. This was my new home. And it was starting to feel like it.
I listened to her breathing slow. I’d been wanting to ask her a question for a while now. I didn’t really need a response. I knew the answer. But asking it would make me feel better. Just like asking my uncle about the scholarship student thing had made me feel closer to him. Although, this question had the potential to backfire in my face.
“Did your mom tell you to be nice to me?” I whispered when I thought she was fast asleep.
My question was greeted with silence. I breathed a little easier. It was better this way. Me never hearing her say it out loud.
“Yes,” Kennedy finally said, breaking the silence.
I swallowed hard. I’d already known it. But I wished I’d never asked. What if she ditched me now that I knew? The jig was up. She didn’t have to pretend anymore.
“But she didn’t have to. I could tell you needed a friend.” There was a long pause. “I needed one too.”
