interruption then shake it off and go back inside as
well.
“Micah,” Mrs. Aldridge calls out to me before I
can leave. Its closing and I was hoping to convince Reign to hang out with me
since Claudia isn’t here tonight to bug me about going to another party or
something. But it looks like her mom has other plans for me.
I look over and she gestures for me to come with
her to the office. That’s when I remember about the background check. I figure
more or less, I’m pretty much screwed. She’s definitely going to fire me. That
means I’ll have no way of being around Reign. I don’t know if we’ll even be
friends when her mom tells her I’ve been in juvie.
“Have a seat, Micah,” she says as we enter the
office.
I sit down and mentally prepare myself for her
questions. “What’s up?” I ask, trying to seem casual.
Sitting down, Mrs. Aldridge clasps her hands on
top of the desk and peers at me the same way that judge did before she gave me
her sentence.
“Micah.” My
body tenses when she says my name. “I’m sure you know what this is about?”
I nod, accepting defeat. I’m about to be fired
for sure. “I’m sorry I lied about my name, it was only so I could get the job.”
She sighs deeply then collapses back in the
chair. “Of course, your records are sealed, Mitchel Stephens, so I have no idea
why you were in a juvenile detention center for eight months.”
I look down at my hands. My palms are starting
to sweat. Knots form in my stomach. And the horrible memory of what happened
begins to play in my head.
Somehow, I manage to snap myself out of it when
Mrs. Aldridge says, “I’m not going to judge you, Micah. I’ve worked at a center
for troubled teens before so I know there aren’t all bad apples in the bunch.”
I glance up at her, surprised.
She dips her head. “I worked in Providence a few
years ago before I married and moved down here. I guess that’s why I can tell
you’re a good kid. I’m just curious how you landed yourself in that kind of
trouble.”
Easing forward, she goes through the papers on
top of her desk. “I found a newspaper article from Haxtun. It says here that
many are baffled by what happened, as you were always helpful to your
grandmother, played on the soccer team in high school, you had good grades—”
“Please don’t go through that,” I stop her. She
looks up at me with her eyes narrowed. I can see fine wrinkles in her forehead
as she creases it. Now that I’m looking at her closely, Reign doesn’t resemble
Mrs. Aldridge all that much.
“Like I said, Micah, I’m not going to judge you.
And I’m not asking you to tell me what happened. But I do hope that this
travelling you’re doing isn’t a result of you trying to escape your past.”
That’s exactly what it is. Why is she turning
into my shrink now?
“I’m not,” I lie. “I always wanted to travel.”
She relaxes her face and lingers her gaze on me,
then gives me a tightlipped smile. Nodding, she sticks the papers back inside a
folder and slips them inside one of her drawers.
“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” she says,
getting up.
I stand as well, a little amazed by the fact
that she’s obviously not firing me. “Thank you for not letting me go,” I say in
a low tone.
Mrs. Aldridge waves me off. “I guess I’m too
much of a softy. And you’re a good worker. This place needs you until I
decide—” she doesn’t finish.
And I don’t ask, only smile before turning to
walk out of her office. Mrs. Aldridge is a nice lady. That much Reign has taken
from her. I wonder what Mr. Aldridge is like.
When I rush outside and look down the street,
the trolley has already left. It’s a good walk from the restaurant to my house
but I don’t have a choice. I have to tread home tonight.
I make it a couple steps down the street before
headlights shine on me. She pulls over and nods for me to get in.
“I saw the trolley take off and I knew you
weren’t on it, so
well.
“Micah,” Mrs. Aldridge calls out to me before I
can leave. Its closing and I was hoping to convince Reign to hang out with me
since Claudia isn’t here tonight to bug me about going to another party or
something. But it looks like her mom has other plans for me.
I look over and she gestures for me to come with
her to the office. That’s when I remember about the background check. I figure
more or less, I’m pretty much screwed. She’s definitely going to fire me. That
means I’ll have no way of being around Reign. I don’t know if we’ll even be
friends when her mom tells her I’ve been in juvie.
“Have a seat, Micah,” she says as we enter the
office.
I sit down and mentally prepare myself for her
questions. “What’s up?” I ask, trying to seem casual.
Sitting down, Mrs. Aldridge clasps her hands on
top of the desk and peers at me the same way that judge did before she gave me
her sentence.
“Micah.” My
body tenses when she says my name. “I’m sure you know what this is about?”
I nod, accepting defeat. I’m about to be fired
for sure. “I’m sorry I lied about my name, it was only so I could get the job.”
She sighs deeply then collapses back in the
chair. “Of course, your records are sealed, Mitchel Stephens, so I have no idea
why you were in a juvenile detention center for eight months.”
I look down at my hands. My palms are starting
to sweat. Knots form in my stomach. And the horrible memory of what happened
begins to play in my head.
Somehow, I manage to snap myself out of it when
Mrs. Aldridge says, “I’m not going to judge you, Micah. I’ve worked at a center
for troubled teens before so I know there aren’t all bad apples in the bunch.”
I glance up at her, surprised.
She dips her head. “I worked in Providence a few
years ago before I married and moved down here. I guess that’s why I can tell
you’re a good kid. I’m just curious how you landed yourself in that kind of
trouble.”
Easing forward, she goes through the papers on
top of her desk. “I found a newspaper article from Haxtun. It says here that
many are baffled by what happened, as you were always helpful to your
grandmother, played on the soccer team in high school, you had good grades—”
“Please don’t go through that,” I stop her. She
looks up at me with her eyes narrowed. I can see fine wrinkles in her forehead
as she creases it. Now that I’m looking at her closely, Reign doesn’t resemble
Mrs. Aldridge all that much.
“Like I said, Micah, I’m not going to judge you.
And I’m not asking you to tell me what happened. But I do hope that this
travelling you’re doing isn’t a result of you trying to escape your past.”
That’s exactly what it is. Why is she turning
into my shrink now?
“I’m not,” I lie. “I always wanted to travel.”
She relaxes her face and lingers her gaze on me,
then gives me a tightlipped smile. Nodding, she sticks the papers back inside a
folder and slips them inside one of her drawers.
“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” she says,
getting up.
I stand as well, a little amazed by the fact
that she’s obviously not firing me. “Thank you for not letting me go,” I say in
a low tone.
Mrs. Aldridge waves me off. “I guess I’m too
much of a softy. And you’re a good worker. This place needs you until I
decide—” she doesn’t finish.
And I don’t ask, only smile before turning to
walk out of her office. Mrs. Aldridge is a nice lady. That much Reign has taken
from her. I wonder what Mr. Aldridge is like.
When I rush outside and look down the street,
the trolley has already left. It’s a good walk from the restaurant to my house
but I don’t have a choice. I have to tread home tonight.
I make it a couple steps down the street before
headlights shine on me. She pulls over and nods for me to get in.
“I saw the trolley take off and I knew you
weren’t on it, so
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