Rags to Riches

Chapter 3: Take Cover

I didn't end up seeing Erin all weekend, which is when I first began to worry. Could Oliver Bartholomew possibly be a murderer? Everything and anything that could have happened to her crossed my mind, but that next Monday killed my fears completely. Erin walked up to my locker as she always does, her black hair in a ponytail and backpack hanging on one shoulder.

"Where have you been?" I ask with a smirk trying to sound like I was teasing her. The truth was, I was slightly disappointed in her. She put me in a tough position with lying to her parents and didn't even bother to check in.

Erin grins. "You would not believe."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Try me,"

Erin's grin turns into a full blown smile. "Oliver took me to Hawaii."

I couldn't help but laugh and by the look on her face she didn't appreciate it my reaction. "Oh, you're serious." I say and clear my throat. "Erin..."

Erin rolls her eyes, obviously now annoyed with me. "Relax, I told my parents I was staying over at your house two nights in a row because we had a project to work on."

This time I was the one who was annoyed. "Are you kidding me? I knew about you telling your parents you were over but you just decided that I would cover for you, while you ran off to Hawaii? You didn't even let me know that you were okay. What if our parents find out-"

Erin groans loudly. "They won't find out. You're so uptight! Let me have a little fun for once. You're always the wild one. Let me live a little this one time."

"Erin," I say, slightly more concerned. "This is more than a one time thing- you went out with him after the party... What time did you even get home?" I ask.

Her face turns red as she turns away from me. "Well, you see, that's the thing-"

"Erin!" I hiss loudly and she looks around before pulling me into a nearby janitor's closet. How cliché was that?

"Teagan, I swear to god, if you tell anyone, he could get arrested. He doesn't know I'm a minor."

I just stare at her in horror. "You lost your virginity. To a man. You just met." I say in a clipped tone. And it wasn't so much that she just met him, but the fact he was so much older. Oliver didn't exactly know so I can't blame him, but the fact she lied about her age was the most shocking to me.

"Teagan, why can't you be happy for me?" Her eyes begin to tear up. She was not acting like this right now. "I came to you, because I wanted to tell my best friend about the best weekend of my life. Everyone says he's some cold hearted cooperate genius. But Oliver is actually really sweet and kind. Can't you trust me? I wouldn't have gone with him if I had known he was dangerous or an ass."

I still continue to stare at her. "But, Erin, he's just trying to take advantage of you-"

"Stop!" She cuts me off, suddenly angry. "I know he isn't. But to prove it, you should wait it out. If after a week, I come to you sulking it means he used me. If not, it means I was right and you should let me be happy. I turn eighteen in three months. Remember when we waited together for you to turn eighteen to get your new car? Sure the thing was crap, but you still got a car."

"So you're saying instead of a car, you get to sleep around with a man in his late twenties?"

Erin takes a deep breath, obviously trying to control her anger. "Teagan. Please."

How could I say no? I knew I was right. He would dump her as soon as he either found out she was a high schooler, or just the fact he was a player and would ditch her anyway. At least then she would learn her lesson and listen to me when I tell her things were a bad idea.

"Fine."

Erin giggles and hugs me. "Thank you, Teagan!" she exists the janitor's closet, leaving me in the dark alone.

What have I done?

**

After school I waited by my old car, ready to drive Erin home. We were going to watch old movies together tonight, for a project we actually had due in a week for our film class.

Erin exists the building, but not before a red Ferrari pulls into the front of the school. I could only suspect one person in this area that could own that kind of car and I felt my feet moving toward Erin before I could think.

I step in front of her and gesture toward the car. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You don't think people will question this?"

Erin glares at me. She's been doing that a lot lately and I didn't really like it. "Teagan, relax. No one is going to care."

Actually, I could think of one person in particular who would care.

"You said he didn't know you were a high schooler." I say and cross my arms. "How come he's here than? Isn't this a little suspicious?"

"I might have, um, told him I was a teacher." Erin blushes and I throw my hands up in the air, not able to control myself. "Erin! Seriously? What do you think Oliver will do once he finds out who you really are? I can imagine he won't be very happy." I challenge.

Erin shakes her head. "Whatever. And according to you, it won't last that long anyway." She snaps and makes a point of running into my shoulder before climbing into the passenger seat of Oliver Bartholomew's car.

Before I can really process what is going on, Julia Palimore steps right in front of me.

"Who was that?" She asks crossing her arms, her clique of mindless minions behind her.

"I don't know." I lie and it really isn't that hard to lie to her.

Julia snickers. "Yeah I'm sure. You and Erin have been inseparable since the second grade, she tells you everything. I'm not an idiot. Who was she with? Because I know it wasn't her father."

I was trying to control my temper here because I didn't want Erin's affair to slip.

"Julia," I snap. "Mind your own damn business."

Julia gives me a look that said I would pay for that comment tomorrow. "Whatever, Teagan. I'll find out who that was anyway. My stepdad is in high places." she says proudly before sauntering away.

I bit back my comment about him being a dinosaur. I couldn't make her angrier than I already have. It's not that I was scared of her, because I wasn't. She just got on my nerves. My true concern was Erin and if I kept bickering with Julia and her snide comments about Erin not having as much money as everyone else, I would let it slip.

And that wasn't an option.