"She's mad about missing work," Texassupplied.
"It's not about missing work," I corrected, fuming. "It's about the fact that I have bills to pay and you can'tjust–"
Marv pursed his lips and waved a hand to stop me. "We took care ofthat."
"You what?" A dull throb bloomed at the back of myhead.
Knix spoke. "Your rent and utilities are paid for up until the job ends. You can make a decision then: go back home, work for Alex – you know he would never fire you – or you can work with us and maybe go to college if youlike."
“You paid my bills?” I asked, shocked. He nodded. “Why?”
The look he gave me was unreadable. “Call it faith,” he said. “I think you’re smart enough to know a good opportunity when it’s presented to you. If you don’t believe me, I’d be happy to have Texas send you documents ofproof.”
I shook my head, but not to say no. I didn't feel like I was in a room with guys who had enough money – money that I would have worked almost forty hours a week just to break even – to pay for all of the bills my mom and I needed to pay like it was nothing, but Iwas.
"Can I go home please?" My voice was much quieter. It felt strange going from yelling to virtually whispering in the matter of minutes. It unnerved me how much it reminded me of my mom's mood swings. I needed to get back and check onher.
"Harlow?" Texas stood and reached out, but I shuffledaway.
"I'm sorry, this is just a lot to take in. I need to think about it and I'm tired. I want to gohome."
I scanned the room, looking for a clock. How late was it? One of the computer monitors on the corner tables was a black screen saver that bounced a digital clock around the surface. That and the darkness outside Texas' window told me it was past time togo.
I heard Knix sigh before he pointed to Marv. "You take her home. Make sure she has a way to contact us if she needs to." He dropped his hand and turned, studying me. "Call us if you need anything. I mean that, Harlow.Anything." I nodded. "Get some sleep and if you show up at Alex's Diner tomorrow, please know that I'll be there to take you right back home. You need to study for yourexams."
I didn't have the energy toargue.
Marv asked me to give him a few minutes to get ready and I agreed, sitting back down on the bed. Everyone filed out except for Texas, who remained behind, choosing instead to go back to his monitors. He rifled through a box under the tables and pulled out various tech parts before going back in and retrieving a small, square, black box. He fiddled with the late model android phone he had pulled out of a drawer earlier. I only recognized it because it was similar to one Erika hadowned.
After fiddling with it for a few more minutes, Texas pressed a button on the side and held it until the screen lit up. I waited patiently for several moments as he typed away and scrolled through the phone. He grabbed the papers he had printed earlier and began writing notes, scribbling something across thepages.
These guys were strange, a compilation of rich and elegant to earthy. Their styles were so different. Even though Marv and Texas looked similar in many aspects – their piano fingers, their dark hair, their black and white movie good looks – they were like night and day. Texas' room was clean overall, but there were clothes spilling from his closet that revealed worn jeans, khaki board shorts, and faded t-shirts. Marv appeared more put together, immaculately dressed at alltimes.
Bellamy looked just as handsome in a suit as Marv did, but he, too, was a contrast. They obviously had similar tastes in cars if Bellamy's care for the BMW was something to go by. Out of all of them, Knix seemed to be even more out of place. A tech nerd, a rich boy, an earthy but keen car lover, and then the leader. That's what Knix was, though no one had said so. He called the shots. I didn't miss the way they deferred to him. Who washe? Who werethey?
"Okay," Texas announced, halting my inner thoughts. He pushed his chair back and came to stand in front of me, handing me the phone. "This is yours. I've already installed all of our phone numbers as your contacts as well as the number for Alex's Diner and his personal number." He paused, pointing to a few buttons on the screen. "We're all on speed dial. Knix is one, Marv is two, Bellamy is three, and I'm four. Alex is five, call him if you can't get ahold ofus."
"You're giving me aphone?"
He shrugged. "Knix said to make sure you could reach us. It's got unlimited texting and minutes, but I would be careful about data. Our plan has a good amount, but the four of us already use a lot and we're trying to cutback."
"You're all on the sameplan?"
Was that normal for people who no longer lived with their families? Maybe it was cheaper. I held the phone in my hand and I really wanted to hand it back. I didn't need it. I had existed and lived just fine without one, even though I felt like an outsider in my own school. I didn't know a lot about social media, just what I got from Erika. But holding the phone, warm from Texas' hand, feltsafe.
"Yup and now you are, too," he said. I stared at the screen and he sighed. "Just say thank you,Harlow."
I blinked. "Thankyou."
Texas gave me a brilliant smile. "You're welcome. Now, come on, Marv is probably done talking to Knix now." I followed him out into the living room where Marv was, in fact, done talking with Knix who was cleaning up the pizza mess. Bellamy wasgone.
"Ready?" Marv stood by the front door,waiting.
"Uh huh." The phone was a new weight in my pocket but not a burden. I tried dissecting my confused emotions as I trailed behind Marv, into the tenant elevator and then out into the parking lot, only to give up when it becameimpossible.
"You okay?" Marv stood just outside of the passenger side door. He had it open and was waiting onme.
"Oh, yea,thanks."