Page 21 of Disciplinary Action
“Yeah. Sure,” he managed, biting down on his tongue until he tasted blood. He just needed to focus on the now, on the present. He couldn’t think about what was to come.
“Is… Is there any place else you can stay for a while?” she asked, dropping her gaze to stare into her coffee cup, like she was trying to read the future.
No. Of course, he didn’t have any place else to go. His heart slammed in his chest until he felt faint. His entire family was either dead or in prison. His father’s friends had all abandoned him, and his own friends no longer wanted anything to do with him. He was too old for foster care. If he went to a shelter, somebody would steal all his stuff, and he needed his laptop for school. Without it, he’d never be able to keep up with his coursework. But none of that was her problem. He’d long overstayed his welcome.
“Yeah, sure. No problem,” he lied, rising to his feet. “I’ll be out before dinner. Thanks for letting me stay with you.”
“They’re threatening his scholarship,” she blurted.
He dropped back down into the chair, wincing. “What?”
“The school. They pulled me out of work, called me into a meeting off campus. They said you’re a bad influence on him. That he got into a fight during assembly yesterday because of you. I know you aren’t a troublemaker, Callum. I do. But you know we need Bastian to play lacrosse, and they are threatening to kick him off the team if he’s seen associating with you on the field…or off.”
Bastian was there on an athletic scholarship. If he couldn’t play, he couldn’t stay, and that would mean missing out on full-rides to ivy league schools. He didn’t have academics to fall back on like Cal. Bastian needed to keep playing. His family needed him to keep playing. He was the only way out for them.
“I understand. I’m sorry I’ve put you guys on their radar.”
Renata shook her head, tears in her eyes. “You did nothing wrong. I hate that they are trying to punish you because of your father. It’s not fair. You had nothing to do with any of this mess.” She pulled some money from her pocket. “Here. It’s only about sixty dollars but it should be enough for a decent hotel for the night and a little food so you can figure out your next move.”
Cal stared at the money. “I can’t take that.”
She sniffled. “Of course, you can. Don’t be ridiculous. You need to take care of yourself.”
How the fuck was he supposed to do that? He was nineteen years old. He didn’t even know how to do his own laundry or boil water. He had no money, no life skills, nothing. He had fucking nothing.Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.This was all a game to them. They’d thought Gideon would toss him out on his ass, but now that he hadn’t, they were going to do an end run around him. They’d cut him off from his resources, then they’d just start finding excuses to punish him until he either dropped out or they could force Gideon to abide by the school’s honor code.
Maybe it was time to tell Hillary he’d take another job? The idea made his stomach churn but not as much as the thought of being out in the cold and rain alone. He wasn’t there yet. He could think about it tomorrow. He took the crumpled money from her hand and stuffed it into his pocket. “I’m gonna go pack my stuff. Thanks for the money.”
“I really am sorry, Callum. You’re a good boy. These people…they just have no souls.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
He went to his room and gathered the clothes he could find, doing his best to fold his uniform as small as possible without causing it to wrinkle. He changed into jeans, a green v-neck t-shirt, and his nicest sweater. Maybe the key to survival was just looking like he belonged? He managed to fit his test kit, his meds, and his laptop and chargers into the bag, but just barely.
He was slipping his backpack over his shoulders when Bastian came in, hair still wet from his shower at the school. “My mom just told me what happened. I’m really fucking sorry, dude. It’s not cool at all but you know how much my mom is counting on me.”
“It’s all good. I swear. I’ll be fine. It’s all going to be fine.”
Maybe if he just kept saying it, it would be true. Maybe if he kept saying it, he would convince his body to believe it and quell the panic that clawed its way up his throat every time he thought about spending the night outside in the rain.
Bastian whipped his closet open and pulled out a heavy quilted parka and a sleeping bag. “Here.” He held up the sleeping bag. “Look, this snaps right to your backpack, like this.” He snapped it into place. “And the jacket doesn’t even fit me anymore, so it will keep you warm when the temperatures start slipping. It’s waterproof.”
Cal wanted to refuse it, just like he’d tried to refuse the money, but the truth was, he was too scared to be proud. “Thanks. Your mom gave me money for a room tonight, so don’t freak out. I’ll be fine.”
“Listen, there was a time when we had to live out of my mom’s van for a few weeks. If you can find a parking garage, sometimes, you can find some out of the way nooks to hide in, away from the wind and the rain. Also, if you get super desperate, the bus station is open all night. That trick only works once, but with your rich white boy haircut and your fancy clothes, nobody will think you’ve got no place else to go.”
Cal just kept nodding like one of those plastic bobble-heads he’d gotten when he played little league. It was like he couldn’t stop. “I should get going so I can find a place for the night.”
“Sure, yeah. Right. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. Totally. Not going to fuck up my perfect attendance record now,” he said, forcing a grin to his face.
Once he was out on the street, he slipped his headphones on and turned up his music, shoving his hands in his pockets. Bastian lived in a typical middle-class neighborhood, but Cal knew if he went south where the cheapest motels were found, he’d never make it to school on time in the morning, something he bet the board was counting on. The bus station was two towns over, and the subway was too loud to sleep in.
So, he walked into Aventura, wandering the mall and listening to music until he grew hungry and hit the food court. He used his wad of money to buy himself a chicken salad and a water and sat, watching people until they announced the mall closing in ten minutes.
Back out on the street, Cal wandered aimlessly until he found himself outside a familiar building. Gideon’s building. He didn’t know why he’d gone there. It wasn’t like he could just knock on the door and ask to move in…no matter how soothing the thought was. So, instead, he wandered around the back of the building where a man sat in a little booth as people swiped their cards to get in and out of the garage. Cal sat across the street. Each time somebody swiped, they would wave to the man in the booth as the metal grate rose to allow them to come or go.
Around midnight, the man in the booth opened the door and disappeared down a long hallway. When headlights turned the corner, Cal stood, crossing the street and pretending to walk in the opposite direction. The people in the car paid him no mind. As soon as they waved their badge in front of the sensor, the gate rose. The car pushed through as soon as they were able, turning the corner, leaving Cal plenty of time to slip beneath the gate and duck behind cars, hopping over low metal walls to keep himself out of sight of the man who would soon return to the guard booth.
