Little White Lies

Chapter 7

They left for San Fransisco right after breakfast, after Candice had used Bianca's credit card to buy two tickets back to Sacramento, then another two to LA. Eric found it incredulous that Bianca still hadn't blocked her card, but Candice assured him that she had likely just forgotten. Besides, they had barely used enough money relative to her card limit.

Candice had come to hate the bus journey. The seat was cramped, someone on the bus always smelled and the suspension of the vehicle sucked. She could count the number of times she had been on a public bus with one hand. Candice vowed that once she got her inheritance back, she was never setting foot on one again.

"Do you want to go to the firm first or the bank?" Eric asked. They were due to arrive just before the closing hours of both, but Candice knew that their lawyer worked late hours.

"The bank," she answered. It shouldn't be a secret that both of her parents had passed, and she would pretend to just discover that her mom had an account there. It shouldn't be hard to get some information, but she was unsure how the inheritance law worked.

"Don't you have like, a trust fund or something?" Eric asked, pummeling his neck cushion into shape. Candice froze. Of course she did! She had completely forgotten about that.

"I won't be able to access it until I reach 21," Candice said, remembering the common problems all her friends had. Bianca had just turned 21 last month, which was why she had her own apartment now. "And since it still doesn't belong to me, it must be frozen, too."

"I guess that didn't get us anywhere, then," Eric mused. Candice sighed and reached for her phone, only to remembered that she was left with the crappy unregistered cell. She didn't even have her music to listen to.

The entire ride was a torture. Candice thought every van that drove past was out to get them, but Eric managed to fall asleep, hemming her in the window seat. By the time they arrived at San Francisco, Candice's mood was so foul that she was ready to scream and beat someone up.

Eric was in charge of finding the location, seeing as he had a data plan and Candice didn't. It was just before after four when the reached the bank. Candice quickly made sure she was presentable before heading straight to the priority section. She could hear Eric's footsteps stopped and start again. Was he thinking that she'd go and queue for her turn at the counter? Not a chance.

Candice strolled towards the receptionist, who gave her a professional but strained smile. "My name is Candice White. My parents had recently passed but I believe that my mother, Linda White, had an account here. Can I speak to your manager please?"

The receptionist's smile turned into an alarmed expression as Candice spoke. She nodded at her and reached for the phone next to her.

"Hi, I have a Miss White here who wants to speak about her deceased mother's account. Yes, White." Candice and Eric watched as the woman spoke into the phone. She turned back at them with another tired smile. "He'll be with you shortly. Please take a seat over there. What would you like to drink?"

"Coffee would be great," Candice said and Eric asked for water. Their morning coffee felt like a million years ago and she was severely short on her caffeine intake.

A cup of steaming joe was soon put in her hand. It wasn't as good as artisan coffee, but it would do. The receptionist handed Eric two bottles of water, pointing a finger at Candice indicating that one was for her.

It wasn't long after that the manager stepped out. He looked around Candice's father's age with a huge belly and round glasses. The receptionist gestured towards them and he bounded over.

"Miss White, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry to hear about your loss," he greeted her and offered his hand. Candice shook it and gave him a tight-lipped smile, knowing that was enough to convey her disinterest in pleasantries.