Page 6 (2/2)

I’ at The District, where I’m a waiter when I’ or whatever the hell I’ decent money, I’m on a football scholarship, and Drew plays for the NFL, for the love of God, so Fable and Drew have no problems They live in the Bay Area, he plays for the 49ers, and he’s one loaded motherfucker

But I refuse to take a handout fro me pay for school expenses and my house, which I share, thank you very , whenI have a soft spot for her, that I’m easily manipulated by her words

Your sister’s rich, she tells ive me a dime, but I know you will, sweetie You’re my precious baby boy, remember? The one who alatched out for ht? I need you, Owen Please

She says “please,” and like a sucker I hand over all the available cash I have to her

“We’ve been discussing your future here at length, Owen,” my counselor says Her voice is raspy, like she’s smoked about fifty thousand packs of smokes tooto see the disappoints we’re willing to look past You’re young You’ve made some mistakes There are many on your team who’ve made the same mistakes”

Hell yeah, there are Those guys are ether

“Your grades are suffering Your sister is afraid you work too much and she called your boss” Holy Shit I can’t believe she did that But hell, the owner is her friend and forh he doesn’t really work there any longer He and his girlfriend, Jen h school They’re in Southern California now, opening one restaurant after another, all over the place

“What did my boss say?” I bite out, furious My job is ives me freedom, a little bit of pocket money that I earned all on my own Not a handout from Drew Not an allowance to keep a roof over my head and my cell phone bill paid

It’s money that’s mine because I earned it

“That you’re working in excess of thirty hours a week” Dolores—that’s my counselor’s name She sounds like a e as long as it’s been around and considering it was founded around the turn of the twentieth century, this bitch is old as dirt “That’s too much, Owen When do you have time to study?”

Never, I want to say, but I keep my mouth shut

“All your grades have slipped trelish Comp That’s the class we need you to focus on at the moment,” Dolores the man-lady says

“Which I can’t believe,” Fable says, causing reen eyes—which look just like ht, I’ to spit nails “You’ve always done so well in English Once upon a time, you actually liked to write”

Once upon a time, I had all the hours in the world to write Well, not really, but I could carve out enough tiet the words down It was therapeutic I copied Drew at first with it The guy used to always scribble a bunch of nonsense that made my sister look like she wanted to faint, and I wanted to do the same Not faint or make my sister faint, but touch people with my words

So I became a carbon copy of Drew Callahan I played football, I wrote, I studied, I triedthan Drew, though Girls areSo are my friends And beer Oh, and weed