Tripping: The Wasted Series, Book 1

22. Tripp

Sorry these next few chapters are short. But I think they were needed in order to understand Poe a bit better... Let me know what you think and comment comment comment!!  Thanks all

XXEricaXX

I looked up at Lanie, opened my eyes wide and silently pleaded for her to just say yes. All she is doing is staring into my eyes and shaking her head. What the hell is she thinking? Just answer the question I yelled in my head to her. Seconds ticked by. Seconds moved into minutes. After a few minutes she looked up at Poe, straight in the eye and asked her, in a hushed tone, maybe so I couldn't hear, making sure I was not to answer, "Poe, sweetie, is he doing drugs?" I try to will my thoughts on Poe. I keep chanting to myself, 'look in her eyes, don't blink, don't stutter.' I keep saying it over and over again. Please. Please. Please! I think.

"Lanie," Poe looks directly into her best friends eyes and speaks with confidence I've never associated her with, "would I ever be with someone like that? Think about it, okay? We were just bored and ended up at his friend's business and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Poe smiles at her friend.

Lanie takes in what Poe has said and contemplates it for a moment. Her face turns softer. "So all this money you ask me for is for his bills and rent, Poe?"

"Yes. His dad left him with nothing and I am trying to help until we can both find some jobs, but it is hard with school and my parents not talking to me..." she says to Lanie, with a tear falling from her eye. Oh shit! I think to myself. I have a keeper right here. I never would have thought that this demure, prissy girl had this much talent in her. Oh the things we can accomplish...

All of a sudden, I hear Lanie standing up and push in her chair and say, "Okay. I'll bail both of you out. If this ever happens again you are on your own." I start to say something but she shushes me. "You," she points at me, "how much rent do you need until the end of the school year?" I am stunned for a moment. I am trying to remember how much we asked her for rent the last time and the number is not coming to me. I blurt out, "Seven hundred a month."

"Okay." Lanie says calmly. "What do you need for utilities a month usually?"

Wasn't planning on that question at all. I do a little math in my head... Usually electricity is about fifty but that is in the summer. Winter too, actually, since dad never allows the heat on because we never have the money to pay for it. So hmm, if I put the heat on... "It is about fifty in the summer and around one seventy five I think in the winter. I am not one hundred percent sure because, you know, Dad looked after the bills..."

"Poe, I am doing this for you, okay?" Lanie says, looking directly at her and not even glancing my way. I think she hates me already. Heh heh. "I will bail you both out today. Also, November is coming up, I am going to give you guys two thousand a month to pay for rent, food and bills. But in June when school is over you both need to have a job. I don't need or want to be paid back, Poe, okay?" She keeps going without a breath. "Poe, I need you to get in touch with your mother. She is worried sick. All she does is call my house and last week my mom answered and told her you weren't there and obviously she freaked out. Next, if I find out that this guy you are hanging out is bad news, I will stop the money and ask for everything I've given you back. Understood?" Lanie peered into Poe's eyes to make sure that everything she said sunk into her friend's head.

"Of course, Lane," she smiled across the table at her friend.

"At the beginning of each month I want to see you both. If you guys look good and look healthy I will give you the two grand. If I think something fishy is going on then you can kiss it goodbye, Poe, you got that? Both of you?" And she glared in my direction. I nodded without losing eye contact with her. Poe simple replied, "Of course."

After that Lanie spins on her heel and informs the guard she is ready to leave. She turns around again and says in an authoritative voice to Poe, "Tomorrow by four, I need to know that you talked to your mom. If all is right with that I will give you the money for November. Park, same place as before. I want to see both of you there. four p.m. sharp." She turns towards the guard and walks back the same way she came.

***

It is about four hours after Lanie took off that Poe and I got all our belongings back and were in the real world again. I open the door to the station and let Poe walk out first and I followed. I turned to look at the building and shot it the finger. I then grabbed Poe by the waist and lifted her up to me and gave her a huge squeeze and a quick kiss on her lips. "You did it baby!" I laughed. "You were brilliant!" I looked at her and she had tears dripping from her face. "What's wrong, little girl?" I ask her.

Crying she blubbered, "I just blatantly lied to my best friend. Now I have to find something to say to my mother that she will believe." She dropped down to the ground, with knees bent and her arms hugging herself sobbing quietly. I kneeled down next to her and held her for a minute. Great, I think, she is going to spill her guts to her mum or something...There goes my fun. Think fast Tripp, I encourage myself. "Little girl, look at me... Come on, baby," I grab her chin and push it up so she is staring me in the eyes, "we can do this, okay? Just tell your mum the same thing we told Lanie. If she has a problem with you staying with me tell them I am gay or something or I got my ball bag shot off in 'nam." I looked at her with a grin on my face and she gave me a little chuckle. I knew I could get her to see things my way!

"Okay, Tripp, you idiot!" She smirks at me. "Let's go call my mother."

"No can do." I say quickly.

"What? You heard what Lanie said!" Poe looked panicked for a second.

I just smiled at her with my whole face gleaming, "We will go to your house and talk, proper, like, okay?"

"Are you mad?" She grimaced at me.

"Sometimes." I said and cocked my head. I stood up and held my hand to Poe and she took it and I pulled her up and we walked to the bus stop to get back to the bar so I could grab my car from the bar.

"So, little girl, you know the story right?"

"Yeah, Tripp." she said a little irritably, since I've kept quizzing her through the whole ride to her parent's. "I am not a moron."

She can be so damned cute. We finally reach our destination and I park in the driveway. I grab Poe's hand and kiss it gently telling her everything will be fine. She smiles at me with so much trust in her stunning eyes.

We walk up to the door and she rings the doorbell. I told her ringing is better to show some courtesy towards her folks since she hasn't seen or talked to them for a bit.

Mrs. Lindy opens the door and sees her daughter and me standing there and scowls at us before she grabs Poe's arm and yanks her into the house with me following close behind her.