Page 20 of The Token Yank

Shit.Rafe was not one to lie to his parents, but he couldn’t deal with admitting a massive screw-up with his study abroad trip. He didn’t need to hear his dad do one of his audible exhales and get this pinched tone in hisvoice.

“I am eating in the dining hall. But my friends and I have also been eating out. We’re into snacks. I didn’t think about the exchange rate.” He really hadn’t, and he felt a wave of embarrassment come over him for being so careless. “I’ll be more mindful in thefuture.”

“Is everything okay there?” his mom asked in her soothing voice, the voice that made everything better when he was a child. “Are you having some fun culture shockmoments?”

“Kindof.”

“Has anyone been mean to you?” His dad got very serious. “Have you beenharassed?”

“No.” Rafe looked up at the kids walking past him, all in their friend groups. They’d had years to get to know each other. They hadhistory.

“It hasn’t even been a week,” his dad said. “You’re still adjusting. This is only just thestart.”

“I hopeso.”

“Just try to be more careful with the eatingout.”

Eamonn

When he was done with classes for the day, Eamonn strolled over to the campus café for some afternoon tea. He spotted Rafe at a table in the window with his laptop open. Seeing Rafe made his spirits brighten. There was something buoyant about him that drew in Eamonn, like he was the hook of a pop song come tolife.

“Hello, stranger.” He knocked on his table. “How was the first week ofclasses?”

“Interesting.”

Eamonn’s back straightened up, as it usually did whenever he sensed trouble for his friends. “Did someone say something toyou?”

“A kid in my physics class said that Americans like me are ruining the planet. I told him everyone in my family drives a Prius. It’s fine. My country kind of deserves it.” Rafe picked apart pieces of his blueberry muffin and plopped them into his mouth one by one. “I forgot to thank you for the tea biscuits. They really hit the spot thatmorning.”

“Of course. Had you ever had thembefore?”

“No. I loved them!” Rafe went back to looking at his computer screen. His smiledropped.

“What’swrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You sure?What about if I asked you like this, dude?” Eamonn asked in his best California surferaccent.

“You see this muffin?” Rafe pointed at the remaining pieces on his plate. “This is my dinner. And it will be my dinner for this entiresemester.”

“That’s a pretty dodgydiet.”

“I don’t have enough money to eat food for the semester. I thought there was a meal plan, but there’snot.”

“Well, there’s a grocery store one townover.”

“I looked it up. It’s expensive. If I put sizable weekly grocery charges on my card, they’ll see and they’ll know I fucked up, and then I’ll get anotherlecture.”

“Fromwho?”

“My parents. They can see what Ispend.”

Eamonn couldn’t wrap his head around that. His mum had never intruded on his financial situation and combed through his expenses, although that was because hers wasn’t that much better. Was this1984? Big Brother was watching Rafe’s bankaccount?

Rafe shut his computer and dragged his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe I let this happen. Maybe I should’ve let my parents help me plan thistrip.”

“That’s bollocks. Sandra fucking bollocks. When life kicks you in the balls, you don’t run back to Mum and Dad.” A brilliant idea came to Eamonn, and he rubbed his hands together. “Asda.”