Page 105 of B is for Beg

Blake:Thanks.

I go back to listening to music through my headphones and staring out the bus window, only to be disturbed a couple of minutes later by an incoming video call from Archie. Frowning, I take the call.

“Aren’t you meant to be working?” I ask as Archie appears on my phone screen.

Archie grins. “My boss is letting me slack off for a few minutes.”

“He’s barely done any work today,” Hamish grumbles.

Archie turns his phone so I can see Hamish.

He waves at me. “Don’t keep him from his job for too long.”

“Archie called me,” I remind Hamish. “I still don’t know why…”

Archie reappears. “I’m just making sure you’re okay. Where are you?”

“On the bus. I’m on my way home from a casting call. With any luck, I’ll have time for a shower before I have to pick up Lexi. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I’m genuinely confused.

“Oh gee, I don’t know. You text me to ask how things went with Mum and Dad and then went quiet on me.”

“I did?” I switch from the video call to our text conversation and then back again. “I said ‘thanks.’”

“Exactly.”

I shake my head. “Okay.” I draw the word out, using my tone of voice to imply that Archie is acting crazy.

“How did the casting go?”

And now Archie’s changing the subject. My brother is really confusing sometimes. “Good, I think. My agency will be in touch in a day or so to let me know if I got the gig or not.”

“What was it for?”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s with the small talk?”

“I’m just checking in on my brother.”

“Uh-huh. You’re being weird.”

Archie sighs. “All right. I know you and Mum and Dad don’t always get along…”

“Understatement of the century,” I mutter.

“So I’m guessing you’re not exactly thrilled at the prospect of them ringing.”

I rest my head against the window. The bus engine reverberates through it, rattling my brain in my skull. “How bad could it be?”

Very, is the short answer. They’ll want to know if I’m going to let Corey down by not being able to pay my half of the rent. I heard it all when the three of us moved in together in the first place. Archie offered to look at my finances with me, so I guess he’s wondered the same.

Accepting that my parents will be doubtful of me in advance means I’m not building up any positive expectations. I’ve been there, done that, got massively hurt. I’m a disappointment. I know that. I’m surprised they didn’t call me the moment they finished having lunch with Archie and Hamish. It’s not as if I have aproperjob or anything.

“Whatever they say, you know they’ll mean well,” Archie says. “Just… take it with a pinch of salt, okay? Don’t let it get to you. They worry about you.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

It’s pretty damn obvious that Archie is worried about me too. Or maybe he’s worried I’ll screw things up for Corey. I might as well get my two cents in before he can express it out loud.

“For the record, I’m planning on saving all my spare money over the next few weeks to give myself a bit of a buffer. I won’t let Corey or Lexi down.”