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“Yeah.” He nods his head, stepping closer. “I just wanted to get to know you.”

“Yeah?” I ask. “Why didn’t you tell me right away then?”

“I was going to, that day, before your boyfriend turned up.”

I go to open my mouth to say something but he cuts me off.

“It’s my fault he found you.”

“What?” I whisper.

“Dad, he was coming to me for some money again and then he saw you. I swear, Ava, I didn’t want to lead him to you. I know you have a restraining order on him.”

“How-”

“I looked into you,” he says, looking down at the floor and shuffling his feet. “He’s blackmailing me too.”

I stare with wide eyes, not knowing what to say to him. Where the hell do I go from here?

“Look,” I say, stepping forward. “I really-”

“Ava? You in here?” Jackson shouts.

“Shit.” I look up to Thomas and can see the panic on his face. It’s obvious that he knows a lot about me if he’s panicking about Jackson. “Just stay here,” I say, holding my hand up to him.

I make it to the door and pull it open, just as Jackson is about to push through it. “Hey.” I smile. “The band almost ready?”

“Yeah.” He grins. “Let’s go and get our rock on!”

“Not you too! I’ve already told Jess, they’re not a rock band.” I roll my eyes as he throws his arm over my shoulders, my eyes veering back to the office door and catching site of Thomas as he watches us walk away.

I pace back and forth as I wait for him to call me back.

It’s taken me days to come up with this plan. At first, I considered going and speaking to him face to face but that wouldn’t have worked.

I know that my face can give me away easily so he would have known as soon as he saw me that something was up, over the phone is the only way I’m going to be able to do this.

I go over and over it in my head. This has to work; it just has to because I can’t see any other way to get this money.

My breaths start to come faster and heavier as my cell vibrates and his name lights up the screen.

You can do this, Ava. You can do this.

“Hey,” I answer, trying to put a cheery note in my voice. Breezy, be breezy.

Chewing on my lip as I wait for him to reply, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. Maybe I should just tell him what has been happening? This could all be over then but that little voice in the back of my mind tells me that it won’t be over. If anything, I could be making it worse by telling Charlie.

“Ava,” his deep voice comes over the line. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Liar. “Erm... I was wondering if I could talk to you about that fund that I have?”

The line is silent for several beats before I hear him clear his throat and say, “Yeah? What about it?”

“Well...” I take a deep breath. “Would I be able to have some of it?”

I pick at my nails as I wait for him to answer me and he’s silent for so long that I think he’s just going to outright say no but he doesn’t, instead he asks, “What do you want it for?”

“Well...” I say, chewing on my lip and taking a deep breath. “I’m sick and tired of having to rely on Jackson to be able to come home, I want to get my own car.”