Page 97 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
“Why are you upsetti?” Dean barreled in with Grif and AJ.
“Hale wrecked her car.” Mercy punched Hale again. “He’s also been street racing and dealing drugs.”
“Ow, Mercy.” Hale sighed and rubbed his arm. “Hey, I never realized how much things like rent and bills cost. Sometimes I give Mom money so she can buy things in jail.”
Oh. I didn’t know he gave her money. Visiting, but not money. Mercy did, but not much or often. Usually for holidays.
“You could have told me when you saw me at Christmas,” I fired back, as Dean took me from Jonas and hugged me tight.
Hale’s head hung. “I know. Dare told me to.”
“Wait, you deal drugs, jumped a car with your motorcycle, and you street race?” Jonas frowned.
“The jump was sick. Let me show you the video.” He got out his phone, then froze. “Um…”
This was my life. Hale came out of the womb causing trouble. Like somehow newborn him caused a power outage in the hospital nursery.
“Want me to have security escort them out?” Saphira asked, in her lab coat, coming out of her greenhouse from checking on her flowers. “Hale, that’s some dumb ass shit, even for you. And I was there for allseventimes you blew up or set fire to the lab at Briar, and when you fell through the roof, and fell off the roof.”
“Greenhouse roofs don’t count.” Hale shrugged.
“Don’t wreck my greenhouse. They just fixed it,” I growled, so angry and upset my stomach hurt.
“I… I’m sorry, Ver. I dug up all the plants and boxed and labeled them like you asked. It was hard work with the cold ground. I started setting your greenhouse up for you, because I know how you like it,” Hale pleaded.
Which he had–and planted ordinary lily bulbs that I’d bought, in their place on campus. All my bulbs on campus had been planted as part of various annual campus beautification projects.
Okay, and a senior prank.
Though he’d dug up the bulbs in the garden behind the house of the university president, which I’d asked him to leave.
I sighed as I kicked the ground. “You can stay. Unless the greenhouse manager kicks you out. How long are you two here for?”
“We’ll head out to Boston on one of the late ultra-bullets. It’s shitty that someone destroyed your research, and it’s shitty your place flooded and ruined all your shit.” Dare sipped his coffee.
“Why don’t we get some work done?” Mercy directed. “Lunch is courtesy of Verity’s expiring dining dollars. But if everyone works hard, I’ll take you to Tito’s for dinner.”
“Ooh, I like that place.” Dare nodded.
“Tito’s is open?” Jonas asked, drinking his coffee.
She nodded. “Yeah. Gwenifer’s working tonight, and I want to tip her massively. She’s worried about making rent because she couldn’t work during the storm. Her boyfriend was stuck on the West Coast with his university hockey team so he couldn’t work either.”
“That sounds stressful. I appreciate you bringing me the bulbs. Hale, I won’t demand you buy me a car, but I’mverydisappointed that you couldn’t be honest with me,” I told them.
Hale ducked his head as his cowboy boots kicked air. “Sorry, Ver.”
“Good. Now, let’s get to work.” I gave everyone jobs, needing to focus before I smacked my brother into the next state.
Jonas snagged my waist. “Are you sure you’re okay? AJ brought the SUV. I can dump their asses at the train station.”
“It’s fine.” I rubbed my temple. “The parents told me I’d regret lending him my car.”
We set up all the tables and containers. Hooked the systems back up. Figured out which bulbs got replanted. It was hard, dirty work, which the cold didn’t help with.
“Lunch.” Dare came out of the lab. He and Mercy had gone to get food.
“Thanks.” I finished potting my bulb. I went over to one of the outdoor sinks and washed my hands.
