Page 19 of Hush Money
Keaton’s place has been established since before he was born. His life is predictable in ways that millions of people will never understand.
So I can’t want him, because he would be one more thing that I would never get. That I would never deserve. And it might mean that I’d risk losing him altogether. And I don’t know that I’d ever recover from that.
Just as I’m about to go downstairs and call a cab, my phone dings on my dresser.
You on your way?he sends. I smile, running my finger over his name.
About to be. Going down to get a cab.
A second barely passes before he’s calling me.
“Why are you getting a cab?” he asks.
“She’s…gonna be a little late,” I say.
There’s a beat of silence, and just as I’m about to say that it’s fine and I’ll see him there, he speaks.
“We will be there in five minutes,” he says. “You’re not going to our graduation by yourself.”
Click.
Sure enough, five minutes later, the Escalade pulls up out in front of our building, and I walk out the front door. I see my mom in our window, watching as I climb in. Her face is expressionless, but I know she’s not pleased.
At first, she didn’t believe that Keaton and I were friends.
“What on earth would he want with…” she had started to ask once.
But the truth is, I have asked myself that same question a million times. But whatever the reason may be, he’s stuckaround for four years. While some parents may be thrilled that their child befriended the son of one of the richest men on the planet, my mom used it as another tool in her belt to tear me down. Like there had to be an ulterior motive. Like I didn’t offer enough on my own. And unfortunately, her voice has become my inner one.
“You look beautiful, Eve,” he says, leaning forward and kissing my cheek. I look behind him as my cheeks flush and see his older brother, Julian, and his younger brother, Brooks.
“Happy graduation day, Evie,” Julian says with a nod.
“When can we eat?” Brooks asks, and we both laugh.
Graduation goes off without a hitch.I don’t hear my mom when my name gets called, but I hear Keaton.
My classmates get loud cheers and whoops and whistles as they walk. Keaton gets a massive round of applause from both his own family and what feels like the entire theater.
His dad gives our closing remarks as the school’s largest legacy donor.
And then it’s over.
Parents are swarming their kids, camera flashes going off, and I see the not-so-subtle Everett security detail about twenty yards away, creating a large perimeter around them as a ton of the parents gawk at the spectacle.
I sigh.
“Happy graduation, Keat,”I whisper to myself. I spin on my heel to attempt to find my mom, when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I spin around to see Russ, one of the family’s security guys.
“Keaton wants a picture,” he says with a smile. Then he winks. “Happy graduation, Evie.”
I smile back.
“Thanks, Russ,” I say. He leads me through the crowd, and two of the other bodyguards split apart so we can fit through. Before I can say anything, Keaton rushes me, scooping me up into his arms. He spins me around, hugging me tight.
“Happy graduation day, Evie Rae Dawson,” he says, looking up at me as he hoists me up. I smile back.
“Happy graduation, Keat.”
