True (True Believers #1)(48)
Author: Erin McCarthy

“Possession?” I blurted out in shock, immediately blowing the plan to be vague in front of Dad. “You mean drugs? Holy crap.”

“They were his mom’s, obviously. I’m not sure what exactly happened because I could only talk to him for about sixty seconds, but he said they were out, and he got approached by a cop in a parking lot. He tried to call Riley, but he’s not picking up. I’ve been trying him for the last half hour and I can’t get ahold of him either. I’m going over to the house.”

“Where’s his mom?”

“Who knows? She didn’t get picked up with Tyler so she took off.”

Now that was bizarre. How had he managed to get arrested and not her, when at any given moment she was high? “Well, this was clearly a mistake. We’ll just have to straighten it out.”

Nathan, who had grown up in the same neighborhood as Tyler, sounded dubious. “I don’t know about that. Possession is possession, Rory. You can’t really get out of it.”

“Won’t they run a drug test and see he doesn’t use any?” It seemed to me there had to be a way to prove that the drugs weren’t his.

“I don’t know. Look, just get here as soon as you can. Text me.”

“Okay, sure. Bye.” I took a deep breath and looked at my dad and Susan. I didn’t really have a choice. I was going to have to ask for a ride. “Can I have a ride back to school tonight?”

“What? Why? And why were you talking about drugs?” The vein in my dad’s temple was pulsing.

“You know how I told you Tyler’s mom is a mess? Well, she had a back injury ten years ago and she got hooked on pain pills. It’s gotten worse, and while I’m not sure what exactly happened because Nathan didn’t know, it sounds like she was with Tyler and the cops pulled them over, and I guess there were drugs in the car. So he was arrested even though he has never used any of that stuff, and I have to get down there and bail him out.”

I figured if I didn’t stop for breath, I could get my whole explanation out before he freaked out. It didn’t seem to matter.

“Your boyfriend was arrested for drug possession?” he roared. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. It’s not his fault. He’s totally clean. You saw him. He and his older brother are keeping that house together despite his mom.”

“So you’ve been cooking dinner and hanging out in a house where there is a drug addict? Where there are drugs?” His voice was getting louder.

“She’s never there when I am. And it’s not like there are meth pipes lying around. It’s pills. They’re in her pockets or whatever.”

“Oh my God.” My dad ran his hands through his hair and pushed up his glasses. “I can’t believe you are being so blasé about this. Do you know the risk you’re putting yourself in? I can’t believe this. I’m sick to my stomach.”

He did look ill. But I felt sick myself. Tyler was in jail. Did he not get the significance of that? “Can we talk about this on the drive? I don’t want Tyler there longer than he has to be.”

Dad shook his head, scoffing in disbelief. “Do you honestly expect me to drive you an hour back down there on your holiday weekend home so you can bail out your druggie boyfriend?”

“Don’t be insulting!” I protested. “I just explained the situation to you. It is not Tyler’s fault that his mother has problems. He’s doing the best he can to take care of his brothers.”

“Look, I liked Tyler when we met him yesterday. He seems like a nice kid, and yes, it is admirable that he wants to take care of his brothers. But have you thought about any of this, Rory? What kind of future does he have? Jayden has Down’s and he’s probably going to need to live with Tyler forever. Easton clearly has a different father, and while he seems sweet enough, he could probably benefit from some therapy. All of that is burden enough, none of which I want you taking on, but now you’re telling me that his mother is a complete drug addict? There is no way I want you involved in any of this. Let someone else bail him out.”

“His friend Nathan doesn’t have enough money,” I said through gritted teeth. “His brother isn’t picking up. He’s probably at work. I can’t just leave him there!”

“I’ll drive you,” Susan said.

My father whipped his head around to face her. “No, you won’t! Rory is my daughter.”

“Who happens to be twenty years old and wants to do the right thing and help a friend. There is plenty of time to offer your opinion about her safety later.”

“Susan,” Dad said, his voice tight and tense.

Uh-oh. Now they were going to argue over me. Just what I didn’t need.

“Don’t fight, seriously you guys, I don’t want that,” I pleaded. “Can I just borrow the car and go down there? I’ll bring it back tomorrow, I swear.”

My dad clearly grappled with this, but finally he said, “No, I’ll drive you. I don’t want you driving when you’re upset.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” I went to get my purse and coat.

“Rory?”

“Yeah?” I turned to see him still standing in the kitchen, the skin of his forehead creasing with worry. “Have you thought about the fact that if you were with them, you could be in jail right now, too? It could ruin your life.”

I shivered. I hadn’t thought about that, no. But then again, I hadn’t spent any time around Tyler’s mother. Though I had been with him when he was carrying drugs.

“This isn’t like getting caught with a beer at a college party. Drug possession is serious.”

That’s what Nathan had said. I guess I knew it, but I didn’t want to consider it at the moment. So I just nodded.

***

It was a tense ride back to Cincinnati. We would drive in silence for ten, fifteen minutes, then my dad would suddenly start lecturing.

“Where does she get her drugs?” he asked at one point. “Are there drug dealers popping in and out of that house?”

“No.” Not that I was aware of. “I think she has a friend who gets them for her.”

“Where does she get the money? Is she stealing or prostituting?”

“She spends most of her disability check on the pills.” I actually suspected that the house was in the process of being foreclosed on, because I had seen some papers left on the kitchen table last time I was there, though Tyler hadn’t said anything about it.