Page 81 of A Scandal in Homeroom
I’d expected a comment about my fading bruises. Something along the lines of getting what I asked for, but he’d said nothing.
There was no way he hadn’t known it was Moriarty’s work, was there?
He knew I’d missed the game; he had to know there were going to be repercussions for that. The bruises only made sense. Except he’d only looked at me, then looked away.
“Well, what?”
“Well, what did you think of my playing? I won quite a lot of money actually. Croft will be pleased with the return on his investment.”
I couldn’t say I hadn’t been paying attention. Given Locke was at Mr. Bennet’s table all night.
“Was I right?” I asked him.
“About the money dumping? Yes. Exactly right. I take it that’s him. He didn’t introduce himself when he sat down at the table.”
“Yeah, that’s Dr. Sheffield. He’s Eric Sheffield’s dad. Eric’s a senior. He plays in the student game, which is probably how Dr. Sheffield heard about it. Also, the Sheffields foster Sophie. She’s a former Thornfield kid.”
“Hmm. Thornfield,” he repeated, like he was trying to figure something out. Then he seemed to shake it off.
“He lost two thousand to Bennet tonight. How much was it the other night?”
I thought back to that night. “I don’t know. Maybe somewhere around five thousand. I remember it being a lot of cash.”
“What makes a man seven thousand dollars guilty?”
“Maybe you weren’t listening to me before, but I don’t care. I don’t want to know anybody else’s secrets. I just want out.”
He made a non-committal noise. “Come, let’s get you home.”
Together, we walked down the quiet streets as I thought about some ideas I had about escaping.
“What if we just tried the cops? Sent an anonymous note, let them bust the game. Bust me. I do whatever time I have to and call it a day.”
“Your fosters won’t have a problem with that? Wouldn’t that be considered trouble?”
“I don’t care,” I said, feeling like I’d already put them behind me. “It feels like they’re looking for a reason to kick me out. Let me give them one.”
“You would be rehomed. Possibly out of town.”
I looked at him.
“I checked into it. You were scared that night you came to me. Really scared about how your fosters would react. I worked up several reasons why, then looked into each possibility. Rehoming you out of town so you would have to change schools being the worst.”
I shook my head. “That’s not the worst. The streets, that’s the worst. But that’s not going to happen to me. Neither is rehoming. If they kick me out, I’m done with the system.”
He stopped and I stopped with him.
“Is that a serious option? Isn’t there some legal requirement in this country to protect someone underage?”
“I’m going to be eighteen this summer. All I have to do is avoid the system until then. I have enough savings to get me by. I’ll get my GED. And none of it will mean anything when I figure out the business I’m going to start, and I end up making millions.”
“Legal or illegal business?”
I smiled and gave him my now famous pout. “Depends. Either way, it will come down to me. I’ll make it or I won’t, but I won’t have to depend on anyone else. I’ll be in control of my future.”
He frowned.
“What?” I pressed. “Come on, Locke. You, more than anyone, would understand wanting to be entirely self-sufficient. You basically already are. It’s not like your brother puts any limits on what you can or can’t do.”
