Page 95 of Dirty Secrets
“Why wouldn’t they be smarter about it?” He was frowning now, and I could tell he was trying really hard to understand. Diesel might have been a street kid, but he hadn’t grown up like us.
“People pay more for a cream pie, I guess. Not to mention, most people are fucked up on drugs and don’t care.”
“What were your parents like? Do they still live around here?” he asked, completely throwing me. My eyes narrowed and I took a step back, his hand coming up as if I was a frightened animal. “Touchy subject? We don’t have to talk about it. I just noticed none of you really have a parent around. Sorry.”
Understanding flickered across his face, and I let my guard down a fraction. “My mom left when I was really little, and Dad’s an abusive drunk who took off too. He only came back for proof that my brother was dead before leaving again.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Nine years ago. I was twelve,” I mumbled, hating to open up about something so personal, but knowing he wasn’t going to judge me for it.
“Who raised you then? How did you not go into foster care?”
“Reid,” I said softly, glancing around the room to try and find something to focus on to avoid his gaze. “He forged documents and forms for school for me and Logan. Dragged my ungrateful ass to school every day and went without food a lot so I didn’t have to.”
“The guys’ parents weren’t around either?” His phone was gone from his hand when I looked back at him, and I shook my head. “It’s not my place to talk about it, but no, they weren’t around much. Reid’s mom was at the house the other morning though.”
“That’s good, right?” he asked slowly, making me snort.
“No. It’s not. She was a shitty parent back then, and nothing’s changed. Reid and I are currently having a bit of a spat over her.”
“None of you are in danger from your parents right now?”
“No, none of them are our stalker,” I replied, clearing my throat. “If you’re going to improve the education system, it could be useful for sex education to come back. It’s obviously not taught around here much, but kids don’t understand the changes their bodies go through. I was delayed hitting puberty, alot of kids are thanks to malnutrition. I thought I was dying until Reid helped me figure it out.”
He smiled, pulling his phone back out to type a note about it. “Sounds like you’re very lucky to have Reid.”
“Can you request that teachers get a proper background check? Too many creeps have gone through the schools. Oh, and is there a possibility of finding cheap food options for lunches? A lot of kids don’t eat at home but really can’t afford fancy cafeteria food. Instant noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, things like that. Even if it's just some donated food they split between the classes,” I said instead, not wanting to talk about Reid.
“Your teachers don’t have background checks?” he asked with surprise.
“It’s more like babysitting. They don’t really teach much, it’s just to keep kids in class. Most kids fail high school because we get tests like everyone else, but we were never taught anything. I only passed because Reid was a tyrant and forced us. Others don’t have that kind of help though.”
He typed for a while before sliding his phone into his pocket with a nod. “If you think of anything else, let Beck know so she can pass it on.”
“If any jobs pop up for any of your businesses, can you tell us? I don’t expect a job without going through the application process, but?—”
“I have a temporary thing I need help with,” he said thoughtfully. “Let's head outside so I can show you the rest of this place while we talk.”
I happily followed, praying it wasn’t part of their adult nightclub business. I didn’t want to look ungrateful, but I really didn’t want to be a stripper or an escort.
The bathrooms looked great, and the landscapers were doing wonders for the area surrounding the building. Benches were going in under some trees, there were plants with bright flowerseverywhere, and a new path went all the way around the building with signs that pointed to where the bathroom was.
I was almost ready to burst when Diesel finally spoke. “How would you feel about helping Poppy out at the house with the kids sometimes? It wouldn’t be full-time, but we’re at capacity right now, and everyone’s super busy. Lukas and Jensen are run ragged trying to deal with them all, and Poppy can only do so much to ease the pressure. She said you were really good with them, so I thought I’d ask since you wanted to work. I can’t promise a lot of hours, but?—”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation, excitement building inside me.
“You haven't even heard about money.”
“Any money is better than what I’m making now. I don’t even get welfare like the guys, since I technically still live at my parents’ house. I really want to work,” I insisted, his face softening slightly.
“Thirty dollars an hour. Be available for last minute call-ins if possible. If it’s late at night, we’ll pay more.”
“Thirty an hour?!” I squeaked, doing the math in my head. “How many hours?”
“Like I said, it might vary. Some weeks we might not need you at all, but other weeks it might be ten hours a day for multiple days in a row.”
“I could make three hundred in one day?” I asked in disbelief, not bothering to hide the emotion in my voice. “Diesel, do you have any idea how much that helps us?”