Tuesday, November 8, 2022

 I lead Fiona to the living room and put on the first episode of what used to be our favorite show to watch together. Once it starts, we seem to find our rhythm again. Small talk shifts to complaining which, slowly but surely, makes its way to gossiping.

 “Did you hear that Marcus cheated on his honors chemistry test?” Fiona asks me, eyes wide.

 “No!” I gasp, grinning. “Someone did tell me about him and Jenna, though. Thoughts on that?”

 I relish how familiar her company feels as she takes a beat to consider. “They just don’t fit together, you know? Like, Jenna and Chris? Now that would make sense. I just don’t see Jenna and Marcus working out.”

 I nod in agreement. The conversation lulls for just a moment, and I search for something to keep it moving. “Anything going on with you that I should know about?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound like I have an ulterior motive. Because I don’t.

 “Um, not really…”

 “You don’t sound too sure about that,” I press, hoping I’m not misunderstanding.

 “Well, I kind of…” Fiona blows out a long breath. “Fine. My parents had to pay for me to play on the varsity soccer team this year.”

 Her words silence me for a second. I wasn’t expecting a full-on confession. I fumble for a response. “What do you mean?”

 “I’ve just had a lot going on and didn’t perform as well as I know that I can at tryouts. So my parents just helped me out a little bit by donating a bunch to the school. It wasn’t technically paying off the coaches. But, well, all those donations could be taken away in a second…”

 “So they had no choice,” I conclude, connecting the dots. “Fiona! That’s not good.”

 She searches my face nervously. “I know, I know. I’m not a bad person, I swear! And I’m a good soccer player, I deserve my spot.”

I can’t help it, I glance over at her a bit skeptically.

“Please, please don’t tell anyone,” she begs. When I hesitate, her eyebrows knit together. “Audra, please. You know I’m a good person. I go to church, I give to charity, I do all the things that good people do. Please.”

 I smile softly. “I would never,” I promise. Fiona doesn’t know that my fingers are crossed.

Join us tomorrow for the next installment of The Power Trip.