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“All hypothetical?” my mom pressed. She could always see right through me.
“No…” I hesitated. “It happened to…somebody I know.”
Don’t look at Adam. Don’t look at Adam. Don’t look at Adam.
"There’s rules against that, kiddo," my dad said gently. "Laws about that too. Child labor, protection for kids, and if this injury happened at a school-sponsored activity, you’d have witnesses. I seriously doubt that happened. If someone told you this story, I would think about the credibility of that person. An injury like that isn’t something you can hide. Especially from their parents."
“Maybe they meant like a mentor instead had been hurt?” my mom suggested.
Their first thought was one I hadn’t even considered. It wasn’t like Adam had never lied to me before. But I thought about him, leaning back against the bar, and the casual way he told me. I thought about how often he spouted off one of those awful sayings from his high school coach and how much I had to resist muttering something every time he did. And even if Ryan and Kassie basically confirmed it, I had a sneaking suspicion that Adam wasn’t telling me everything.
What’s the probability that Adam is telling the truth?
“No, it happened,” I said, my voice soft, with every bit of conviction I had. “I just wanted to know…what would you have done? If it happened to me?”
My dad hung back in his chair, contemplating it. “I’d sue that coach until he couldn’t afford shoes. He’d never work again.”
My mom shook her head. “Piper, your father’s an archaeologist. He’s professionally dug up plenty of bodies, I’m sure the two of us could put one in the ground together.”
“That’s good too,” my dad agreed.
It was instantaneous. They were united so easily. They would’ve protected me and made sure it never happened again. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. My parents would’ve done anything for me. Especially if that happened.
But the thing was, they were right. There had to have been witnesses. You can’t just hide an injury like that. And Adam never talked about his parents, but they had to have found out. Right? I ran my nails on the inside of my palm, looking at my soda.
Did Adam cover for his coach?
Did his parents seriously not know, after all of these years?
“Hey.”
The single word jolted me in my seat and I jerked up to see Adam, standing right next to our table. He stood with furrowed eyebrows, a set jaw, a serious expression on his face that I very rarely saw.
My parents turned from me and faced him.
Oh no.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Adam said, in his regular speaking voice. Not the hyped-up one for practice or the cocky one from his interviews, but just his own voice, smooth and husky. “My name’s Adam and I apologize about the scene earlier.” He shifted back on his leg, focusing all on them. “I just wanted to say, Piper’s my resident assistant and she’s been helping me a lot this semester. More than she knows.”
My lips parted. I didn’t know what to say.
“She’s a great RA and we’re lucky to have her.” His eyes flickered to mine for half a second. “I’m lucky to have her…across the hall from me. So, it was nice to meet you. Have a good rest of your night.”
With that, Adam turned and walked away towards the bar. My heart hammered in my chest like I’d run a mile. I couldn’t speak if I wanted to.
“Piper?” My mom raised her eyebrows. “Is he…?”
Please don’t ask. Of course he’s the boy who got hurt.
She pressed her lips together. “Is he Potential Sperm Donor?”
I blushed hard and my mom turned her curious expression back to my dad. Oh my god.
They could read me like a book. They knew he was. They absolutely knew he was. There was no hiding it. And the rest of the night would be a million questions about him, this potential sperm donor that lived right across from the hall.
Unless I had a smooth-talking criminal to help ease into the conversation.
My eyes lifted towards Adam, propped against the bar, paying the tab for his interview. I needed to answer my mom but I needed something else too.
