Page 20 of That Summer
“Well, you promise not to laugh?” She watched and waited for a smile that never came.
A wrinkle of confusion surfaced on Kaitlyn’s face.
“Okay, before you think I’ve completely lost my mind, PDR Gaming is a product, development and research gaming corporation. I’m a beta tester for their apps.”
“You and your gaming.” Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. “That’s an odd job.”
“Not really. With Lucas gone every weekend and during the day for a few hours, it gives me time to play, or work as they call it. I pick and choose different gigs from the job-board. The pay isn’t great, but it’s consistent. I’m setting aside half my earnings for the Lucas Johnson Car Trust.”
“You what? Wow.”
Pride bubbled in her. “He spends all his free time with me, so this is just a little something. It’s not going to be big money, but I hope it’ll help.”
Kaitlyn licked her lips, and a spring formed in her walk. It was as if she were dancing. “You’re sweet to do that. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
“I’m hopeful. Racing is so expensive. Just the other week, he mentioned Nate needed some engine work and how much it was going to drain the bank account.”
“Yeah, that shit’s pricey.” Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow and pulled her to a halt. “How’s that going to work getting you to the U of A if you’re not able to ride in cars yet?”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. Most of the classes I can take online and then I’ll be able to transfer over when I get to the point of handling that long of a car ride. It won’t be as easy, but at least I can wear jammies to school.” She laughed.
It wasn’t ideal, and she knew firsthand she didn’t have the dedication to focus on online work. That failed miserably with the classes she had tried to take last semester. Holding back on her courses wasn’t an option, especially with her daddy still covering the expenses, so it limited her.
“Lucas hopes I’ll be ready for that drive on day one, but I think he’s really reaching. We just can’t make it past the five-minute point right now, let alone a traffic-free fifteen-minute ride.”
She had little faith she’d be able to make the trip to the U of A before the end of term which really worried her. If she couldn’t handle that, how the hell was she going to make the forty-five-minute trek to the track? No matter what they tried, at five minutes her body and mind forced an abrupt end to that particular training session. The blackouts were ridiculous.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not giving up.”
“Speaking of not giving up…” She raised a brow and turned.
“Nope. Not going there.” Kaitlyn’s pace changed into a march, and she made good time putting distance between them.
She hobbled to grab a hold of her friend. “Oh sure, me we can dissect until I’m bleeding and raw, but I ask anything of you–”
“It’s not up for discussion, Aurora.”
“The hell it’s not.” She snagged the back of Kaitlyn’s shirt, spinning her around. “They’re your parents. You need to tell them. Especially now.”
“I don’tneedto tell them anything.” Kaitlyn’s voice filled with raw emotion. “They’ve stated in as many words that homosexuality is a sin, and I’ve watched them turn their backs on friends who’ve come out. I don’t want to lose them.” Her eyes went glassy.
“But you’re their daughter. They’ll still love you.”
“No they won’t. To them I’ll be a sinner, someone they can never be with. According to them and the bible, I’ll never get into heaven because I’m evil. I’m destined for hell. They’d accept your drug addiction before they’d ever accept the fact that I’m a lesbian.”
“Kaitlyn,” she said in the softest tone.
“It’s true.” Kaitlyn stormed ahead of her.
By the way her shoulders rolled inward, Aurora knew her friend was crying. And she couldn’t hobble fast enough to catch up.
Eventually, Kaitlyn slowed down and Aurora was able to get close enough to link arms. “What about Tatiana? She’s coming to visit you, right?”
“So?”
“So? Don’t you think you ought to tell your parents about the true reason for the visit? If I can tell Daddy about my relapse, you should be able to tell them about the woman you’ve fallen in love with.”
Tears smeared across her high cheekbones. “I do love her, but I don’t know if I can break up my family for her.”